202
SIR,
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
Enclosure in No. 36.
Surveyor General's Department,
Victoria, Hong Kong, March 29, 1854.
I HAVE the honour to submit my annual report upon the progress of my department for the year 1853, for the information of his Excellency the Governor.
In the month of February Mr. Power, the accountant and clerk of deed registry, submitted an application for leave of absence for one year, upon medical certificate for the benefit of his health. This having been granted, the duties of his office were performed by Mr. Morgan (auditor's clerk) until the month of August, when the state of his health required a change of air, and he was obliged to proceed on medical certificate to England, but unhappily only reached Ceylon, where he died. Previous to the intelligence of the death of Mr. Morgan Mr. Chapman had charge of the office, and gave much satisfaction. After the receipt of the intelligence of Mr. Morgan's death the acting appointment was transferred to Mr. H. Reinhard. During the period of Mr. Morgan's services in the office, I regret to say, his health was so bad it was impossible for him to give that attention to it which it necessarily demanded, and he was reluctantly compelled to call in the assistance of some of his brother officers from time to time; assistance, however, which though willingly given was manifestly insufficient, and a variety of arrears accumulated, consequent upon the repeated changes and the sickness of Mr. Morgan. This arrear necessarily interfered much with my own duties, and it was with the utmost difficulty I could comply with the requirements of his Excellency the Governor and others, for the various documents required by the service.
The duties required from the holder of the office of the clerk of deed registry and accountant, are not like those of a clerk in other offices: in this office they are of a peculiar and miscellaneous character, and it required both diligent care and the closest application on the part of Mr. Reinhard to bring the office again into proper working order; and I have the greatest satisfaction in thus giving him every praise for his conduct, which he richly deserves.
In the supervision of the work at Government House, the three sappers attached to the department have given much satisfaction; and, although the workmanship there has been executed in the most praiseworthy manner, I cannot accord any praise to the contractor. I believe he has had some pecuniary difficulties; and, having been most inattentive, I was, in consequence, obliged to employ day-labourers to construct a stone drain required by the contract—to guarantee payment of certain dues to stonemasons and bricklayers—and make other arrangements for carrying on the contract, which by its terms I was empowered to do.
By this means the men were induced to proceed with the work; a greater number have lately been placed on the building, and it is now progressing favourably. The assistance given by the sappers, as overseers, is entirely confined to Government House, and thus I have had the entire responsibility of all other supervision of work upon myself alone. This has comprised, together with Government House, the works at the gaol, two guard-houses, residence for gaoler, debtor's prison, treadwheel house, police station at Wong-nee-chung, boat-houses for the harbour master and police, and two school-houses for the Chinese; to which must be added the repairs to the several public buildings which have been executed during the year, the new road from Aberdeen Street to join the Queen's Road at the Naval-Stores (which it is proposed to call Bonham Road), the constant attention demanded from me in the lower bazaar, not only for the examination of the public works being partially carried on in conjunction with the crown tenants, but for the purpose of defining the several boundaries of the small lots, into which the area is divided, according as they became reclaimed from the sea. These services, coming as they did altogether, occupied so much time, that I was kept from my attendance at office more than I have ever been before: thus the necessary detail drawings for Government House, and the other houses and works, were much delayed, or hurriedly executed, which was extremely inconvenient, coupled as it was with the arrears in the registry office already alluded to.
The supervision of convict labour is also entrusted to my care. For this work I have the services of the sergeant of the guard (an active, intelligent person) at present, and to whom occasionally the duty is very severe, particularly when I am obliged to work the gang in separate parts of the town. This I avoid as much as possible, from the difficulty of properly guarding them; and, notwithstanding that the guard is sufficiently large, they are occasionally careless, and convicts escape. This is, however, of rare occurrence; and, considering the facilities they have of hiding themselves in the ravines, or over the broken, irregular surface of the hills in the vicinity of the town, or in a variety of ways when working in the town, it is seldom the case that a man is recovered.
The Chinese overseer and three coolies continue to give every satisfaction; and, indeed, without them, or some such assistance always at my command, it would be impossible for me to execute the various services demanded of me. I occasionally despatch one or more of them to superintend the repair of roads, or other services, by small gangs of convicts; as I have initiated them in the most effective mode of making repairs; and the guard, as well as convicts, being so frequently changed, they are unable, or unwilling, to complete any services which are not specially directed by some third person.