( 10 )
The statistics of minor offences reported for the last two years may be tabulated as follows:-
CASES REPORTED CASES REPORTED IN 1897. IN 1898. INCREASE. DECREASE. 1,104 1,765 361 145 265 120 4,122 4,581 409 182 161 29 780 939 159 350 150 Assault, Gambling, Miscellaneous, Drunkenness, Nuisances, No light or pass, TOTAL,..... 6,733 7,061 1,078 150 518(11)
VII. VITAL STATISTICS.
(A.) Population.
The population at the last census, which was taken in 1897, was 246,880. As the returns of the 1891 census gave the figures at 221,441, there is thus an increase of 25,459.
It is estimated that in the middle of 1898 the population stood as follows:--
Non-Chinese Civil Population, 8,732 City of Victoria, incl. Peak and Stonecutters' Island, 165,900 Villages in Hongkong and Kowloon, Chinese Population Floating population, Total, DEDUCT DECREASE, 150 NETT INCREASE, 928The following tabular statement shows the number of persons convicted and discharged on account of all offences, serious and minor, during each of the last five years :-
Convicted. Discharged. 1894, 7,870 1,042 1895, 9,625 1,379 1896, 8,698 841 1897, 8,496 1,110 1898, 30,528 505The following is a comparative statement of the various classes of Convictions in the five years ending with 1898:
SERIOUS OFFENCES.
1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. Total Estimated Population of the Colony, 39,940 33,370 239,210 3,073 3,385 Murder, 3 0 2 4 2 Robbery, 3 1 3 9 16 Burglary and Larceny in Dwelling-house, 5 30 30 32 23 Assault with intent to rob, 1 0 0 Kidnapping. 23 42 52 55 63 Unlawful Possession, 272 433 298 386 484 Larceny, 878 937 970 954 1,019 Other felonies,(B.) Public Health,
The total number of deaths during 1898 was 5,674, showing a death-rate of 22.3.
Of the 5,674 deaths recorded, 1,175 were from Plague; therefore excluding deaths from plague the death-rate for the year was only 17.7.
The deaths were distributed as follows:-
Death-rate White Non-Chinese 200 16.2 Coloured... 91 33.6 39 35 23 5 17 Chinese, 5,383 22.5 Total,.. 5,674 Average Death-rate... 22.3MINOR OFFENCES.
1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898 Assault, 1,224 1,478 1,378 1,497 1,634 Gambling, 1,151 1,503 1,441 1,795 2,380 Miscellaneous, 843 676 732 666 1,027 4,161 5,968 5,147 4,538 5,112 Total,... 6,150 8,147 7,320 6,999 8,809The deaths in the army numbered 32, of which 23 were British and the rest Indian; there were 11 deaths among British seamen. per 1,000 of the deaths among British troops were due to malarial diseases alone. 2 Indian soldiers and 1 British soldier died of plague. Of this disease there was a serious outbreak in the spring, and of the 1,320 cases reported 1,175 proved fatal. This represents a mortality of 88.1 %. There was also an outbreak of small-pox. From enteric fever the total deaths numbered 23, which represents a mortality of 41.2 %. The mortality among the European cases was 35.1 %. The following tables comprise analyses of the cases treated and the number of deaths occurring during 1898 in the Government Civil Hospital and in the Tung Wah Hospital-