79
The journal covers all types of natural science but
principally Biology.
Particular emphasis has been laid
Ten
upon marine biological work, and an investigation of the
marine life off the Hong Kong coast is being made on a
scale not yet attempted anywhere on the China Coast.
numbers of the journal have been issued in the last 2 years,
and it is my hope that the work will go on expanding because
it seems to me that the production of a scientific journal
of international standing cannot fail to heighten the
prestige of the University and will assist in making Hong
Kong a centre of Western culture in the Pacific better than
and nearer to China than anything which America can offer.
The point however is, that this work cannot be done
without money.
University is only one of many important Departments and the
University authorities naturally hesitate to finance a non-
essential enterprise of this sort at the expense of other
Departments. Up to date the cost of the "Naturalist" and
the work of collecting and publishing data which is con-
siderable has been paid for out of my own pocket apart from
certain generous gifts. For example I have received grants
from the Government of Hong Kong of £60. in 1930, £180. in
1932 and £100. in 1933, which were to be and have been,
devoted to the production of coloured plates. I also
The Biological Department of Hong Kong
5.