32
the moment of writing appears imminent, will result in a change of policy in Canton is of course a matter of conjecture.
8.
The main work now being undertaken is an ambitious scheme of harbour development, from which the Governor professes to hope great things but which to an outsider appears likely to be merely a waste of money. The general plan of the works is shown on the map opposite page 116 of the enclosed year-book. It involves the creation by mad, dredged from the harbour and approach-channels of reclamatione nearly equal in area to the present extent of Macao and the construction of a mmber of basins protected by rubble-mounds. The reclamation work in the Interior Harbour has already been completed and some progress has been made with the works on the other side of the Peninsula.
A contract for the construction of some part of the work at a cost of $6,800,000 has been let to a Dutch firm. I
understand that a sum of some eleven million dollars is
actually available in the Colonial Treasury and the Governor appears to be confident of his ability to complete the whole
scheme. I do not know whether the mud-reclamations will
stand the buildings which it is proposed to put upon them without heavy piling but I should have thought it unlikely, and in any case, even when the docks and warehouses are
built, it seems rather improbable that ships will be able
to get near them. The approach channel shewn on the map,
which it is proposed to keep dredged to a depth of 7 metres will be 5,000 metres long and the task of keeping it free from the silt brought down by the river will, I suspect,
prove too heavy a burden for the resources of Macao. For
much of the distance the present depth is I believe some-
where about two fathoms. The depth in the middle of the
fairway of the Inner Harbour opposite the quay where we
landed was 1† fathoms and I find it difficult to believe
that ships of any size will ever be able to make use of that
part
„V%. 20112/06 Gp. 140 60,000 11-22 W & Lid.