Hong Kong 8/158
The General Officer Commanding the Troops in China
Sir,
Head Quarters, Hong Kong,
17th June, 1903.
I have the honour to forward herewith papers in connection with the valuation of the lands to be exchanged between the Colonial Government and the War Department respectively, in accordance with the instructions conveyed in War Office letter, Hong Kong 8/135 (I.G.F.1.), dated 13th June, 1902.
2. It will be observed that the area applied for at Devil's Peak now only includes the batteries and the tactical points required for the defence of the batteries from the land side. The area was reduced for two reasons; firstly, on account of the high value set by the Colony on all the low land contiguous to the shores of the harbour; and secondly, because it gradually became forced upon our notice that this land could not be used for the location of troops owing to its extreme unhealthiness, which could not be remedied without the expenditure of large sums of money. In fact, the ground outside the boundary now chosen is absolutely poisonous to human beings.
3. A large area has elsewhere been acquired in the vicinity of Kowloon Peak, formerly called Ngau Tau Kok, which will answer all the purposes it was thought, in the first instance, the land near Devil's Peak would fulfil.