a few feet distant - The right flank is hemmed in by a four-story block a few feet distant. One of these stories is the Gaol Hospital, the others are associated Chinese wards so crowded that the Prisoners generally have only about 200 cubic feet of space each. The windows look towards my house, the emanations from them are often offensive and I find it necessary to keep my windows on that side always closed. The left flank is blocked on the side by the Police barracks, only a few feet off and directly under the windows are the Police lock-up cells frequently tenanted by drunken and noisy sailors and others. The row of the house partly adjoins the Turnkey's coolie houses, lavatories, and latrines. The windows looking out on these have also to be kept constantly shut.
I do not wish to make complaints as long as I was alone in these quarters I never complained but they are not fit for my family to reside in, and I think it is only fair that these particulars should be brought to the notice of the Secretary of State, who I feel assured would continue my personal allowance until...