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the Medical Officers, not alone the Principal Civil Medical Officer, Dr. Atkinson, but also by Dr. Pearse, he had for the last three months been personally conducting a very interesting experiment for the purpose of secing how far they could possibly get the Chinese people of the city to throw themselves heartily into the necessary means of sanitation, and how they! could bring those means within the power of every householder and every tenant to fairly carry out, and so assist in securing the safety of the people. He had nothing of which to com- plain. He had asked that the worst and poorest district in the town might be handed over to him and the Sanitary Board. They let him have Second and Third S reets, where he had since found the people, once they understood what has į required, came forward and worked fairly and well and cleaned their houses besides taking advantage of the opportunities afforded of washing themselves and their clothing and boiling their bed board. They were aware that within a short time it had been demon- strated that plague bacillus exists in fowis and H.E. took the opportunity of impressing upon the people, especially the poorer classes, the desirability of thoroughly cooking their food, pointing out that by not doing so it was evident they had another means of propagating plague independent of dirt and darkness, if houses were properly constructed and people were enabled to live otherwise than in a crowded condition and with sunlight and air they might hope for a very great diminution in the plague epidemic. They must remember that in seeking for the causes of the epidemic they were always too likely to seize upon one or two salient points forgetting there were other doors by which the disease might enter, and which it was equally necessary for them to close by proper precautions. On examination of the insects from the houses in question, especially from Sheng Tung Lane, which had been cleared on account of the number of cases, he found that bugs and spiders, ex- amined by Dr. Hunter, were found to have the plague bacillus in them. He had written anotice and forwarded it to the Registrar General's office to be printed in Chinese, bringing these few simple facts before the people, and im- pressing upon them the absolute necessity of cleanliness in theu.selves and their surround- ins. Turning again to the Tung Wa Plague Hospital, H. E. observed that he knew the difficulties which had faced them in erecting such a fine building, and in looking back over the time that had elapsed since he laid the fouurta ing stone he remembered that among tanse who deserved the credit of the excellent
building there were many whom he could name, but he thought they would agree with him there was one gentleman whose name in connection with the extension of the Tung Wa
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stood out very prominently, and that gentleman was air. Fung Wa Chun, whose persistency, energy and untiring determination to push for- ward the work had had a great deal to do with the fact that it is to-'ay ready to relieve the congestion of the Kennedy Town Hospital, and to place the Chinese in the proud position of having buil within a short time a very ex- tensive extension to the Tung Wa Hospital and a fine building at Kennedy Town. His Excellency referred to the resolution of the Sanitary Board regarding the establishment of local hospitals in various pars of the city, and said the matter was agitated some three years ago, when strong objection was put forward by, be thought, very well meaning and, possibly, fightened persons, who had not closely studied the history of plague epidemics. Such hospitals had been tried in India, and he had tried a httle hospital in Third Street and found that plague-stricken people instead of being killed by terror at the idea of a long journey to Kennedy Town were prepared cheerfully to go nts it. Some had re overed, others had died; but there was no evidence whatever that that hosp tal had had any effect, direct or indirect, in spreading plague in the vicinity. Speaking with reference to the present epidemic His Excellency quoted figures showing a shady decrease in the percentage of deaths since the 7th February last, and said he thought they might look to the ending of the epidemic about the middle of July. In the meantime, he con- cluded, it is of great importance we should have the relief given by the wards about to be opened, because the large number of cases being brought in instead of going to the mor- tuary would require accommodation. There- fore, no ins itution had ever been opened at a more opportune moment, or when it was more necessary for the benefit of the public, and especially for the suffering people.
His Excellency then declared the building open and did so with every good wish that in the future it might fully carry out the beneficent uses for which it had been designed,