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the City Hall, and other buildings on the Prays were crowded with spectators, while great masses of spectators were seen outside the enclosure right back Queen's Road. It is computed that fully: fifteen thousand spectators witnessed the unveiling ceremony. The military, to the number of considerably over two thousand, were placed in position to receive His Excellency, the colours of the Hoog. kong Regiment being placed at the entrance to the passage down the ranks at Wardley Street.
As far as the contour of the ground would allow, the troops were drawn up in line for- mation (open order), comme icing on the right with the Royal Navy; then followed the Royal Marines, Royal Artillery, Hong- kong Artillery (Asiatic Companies), Royal Engineers, including Chinese Company, Hongkong Begiment, and the Rifle Bri- gade. The Field Battery of the Hongkong | Volunteer Corps and a Battery of Asiatic Artillery were accommodated on the Cricket Ground, and the Hongkong Maxim Gan Company and the maxim guns of the Rifls; Brigade and the Hongkong Regiment were drawn up near the Prays Reclamation Office.
Representatives from every Regiment in the Colony were arranged with very pretty effect at the base of the statue.
A few minutes before 6.30 the blast of a bugle announced the arrival of H. E. the Governor. The Governor, accom panied by Captain Sterling, A.D.C., and his native Aide-de-camp,--preceded by Captain A. P. Weiman, A.S.C., who act ed as orderly officer-walked through the ranks, the whole of the troops shoulder- ing arms. The troops were in command of Colonel Anstey, Commanding Royal Engl neers, in the absence of Major-General Black. When His Excellency reached the Grand Stand, the Royal Standard was un- Furled on the flag post at the Grand Stand. His Excellency was received by the Hon. C. P. Chater, as Chairman of the Jubilee Committee, and was escorted to the platform in front of the statue by the Hon, J. H. Stewart Lockhart, Colo nial Secretary (Hon. Secretary to the Com mittee), Hon. Dr Ho Kal, Hoa, T. H. Whitehead, Hon. E. R. Belilios, Commodore Boyes, B.N., Mr. F. R. Waymouth, R.N., Mr T. Jackson, Mr A. P. MacEwon, Mr J. J. Francis, Q.O., Mr H. N. Mody; &c., &c. Upon arrival at the platform, Mr Chater called upon His Excellency to unveil the status, the spectators on the Grand Stand standing with uncovered heads whilst the #peeches, unfortunately inaudible beyond a small cirola, were being delivered.
The Hon. C. P. Chater said-Your Excel- lency: As Chairman of the Jublies Com- mittes, and on behalf of the Community of the Colony, I have the great honour of ask- ing you to meet us to-day for the purpose of unvelling the Statue of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. I need not enlarge upon the in- terest, the fervent and loyal interest, which the residents of this Idland take in this oere. monial, I need not state that we are met together to discharge a most unusual and exceptional function, I need hardly remind you, sir, that the event which has given birth to these proceedings is one which, only a few years ago, stirred to the depths the hearts of the British race in every quarter of the world, for was not that great the Jubiles of Our Most Gracious Sovereign ↑ If any proof were needed of the feeling which dominates ne at this moment, I would i sak you to look at this concourse of Her Ma. jesty's subjects, gathered here to offer their loyal and respectful homage to the Throne. I would ask you to look at the Represanta- lives of the other Powers, who, with fellow, } ponutzymen of theirs, who are resident here,
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i have come to do honour to this auspicious event. Your Excellency, as we all know, Her Majesty's Jubilee occurred in the year 1887, and it will perhaps be not anfittiög if I mention the reason why this Statue has not been erected before. It was not because Hongkong was one whit behind other Brit- iah Colonies in wishing to prove its dutiful regard for Her who reigns over us; it was, not because we did not desire to have in our ! midst a Memento of the Ruler to whom we ows allegiance. No, Sir. It was because we recognised that such a Statue as this should be placed in an appropriate and conspicuous spot, a spot worthy, if that could be so, by its very position to do honour to the occasion, and until this great work, this reclamation on which we are now standing, was practically finished, we had no such place to offer, Under your Government, this portion of the reclamation has now been happily accom plished, and here in this commanding position, in the best part of this City, named after our Queen, WB feel that our Statue could find, in all this Island, no more ennobling site. Sir, with the ex- ception of Newfoundland, which was occupi ed about 1500, it was not until the early part of the 17th century that Great Britain firat began to colonise in earnest. Theace. forward, however, down to the present time, Colony after Colony was acquired, Ganged by the test existing to-day, her earlier ac- quisitions were, in the nature of things, com- paratively unimportant; but England's Co. lonies have strengthened with England's strength, and grown with her commercial prosperity and power, until, one Possession after another emerging from its iucipient doubts and difficulties, they have gained their present status, and culminated is forg- ing the magnificent chain, which, starting from the Mother Country, now girdles the earth with British soil. Of this obain Hang- kong forms one of the links, a strong and a lasting one, we may be permitted to hope, and to those assembled here, and to you, Sir, aa their Governor, it cannot but be in- | teresting to remember that, after Her Ma- jesty's accession to the Throne, this was the Brat Colony that Great Britain sequired. Your Excelleney, it is not possible to predict from the shadows which the future is casting before what Hongkong will yet develop in- tu. It is not possible to surmise with any accuracy the part which will ultimately be allotted to her to play in the international theatre of the world. These questions lie in the womb of the future, and the future alone oan answer them; but that she is destined to be always an important factor in both Imperial and local concerns, I for one bave no doubt whatever. Such is her natural position, lying, as she does, on the fringe of the adjacent Empire; auch is her mercantile value, being, as she is, the Eastern gate through which must pass the commerce of the West, that it is hardly too much to believe that she must of necessity always constitute an element to be carefully and fully weighed. Great and important movements have lately taken place in the Far East, possibly greater and more impor- tant changes yet are even now in contem- plation which will enforce the gravest atten. tion of Diplomacy, and Her Majesty's Government, in its decision upon those events, in its determination of the path to pursue, san hardly omit Hongkong from its serioas consideration. In saying this, I do not forget, that her place in the Colonies of the Crown, if won in some part by her own vigour, is largely due to her standing in line with those other Colonies which together constitute the Brotherhood known to-day as Granter Britain. Sir, in the evolution of i time, generation will succeed generation in Hongkong, new firms will arise, new pro- jects will be formed; new personalities will zeek to advance the Colony's influence and promote ber enterprise, long after names, f familiar enough now, have vanished into
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