No.162.
201
Government House.
154
0.
20008
lince 31 JUL 13
Hong-Kong, 30th June, 1899.
Sir,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your despatch No.84 of 12th May on the subject of the outbreak
of an epidemic of Plague this year.
2. Unhappily there has been a serious return
of the Plague in epidemic form. Although there was one case in
January the disease practically established itself during the
first week in March, when there were five cases; and between
that date and the 29th April there were 113 cases of which
112 proved fatal. The total number of cases to this date has
been 1065, of which 1005 were fatal. In a large number of cases,
indeed the majority, life was extinct when the bodies were
found, and the cause of death was determined by post mortem
examination.
3. That plague should have broken out this year
was unexpected, as hitherto it has recurred every second year.
But the climatic conditions were peculiar, the Colony having
experienced an exceptionally long drought. The rains have been
a month later than usual, which will account for the fact that
the epidemic has increased in intensity up to the present,
The Right Honourable
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.
the
8:0
1
860-1
800.