298
SIR,
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
Enclosure in No. 24.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hong Kong,
May 30, 1866.
I HAVE the honour to place before your Excellency the Blue Book of Hong Kong for the year 1865.
Mint.
2. During that period it will be seen that the Colony has steadily advanced, and among the prominent points to be noted is the construction of the Mint, and the arrival of the master and staff of that establishment from England. It was not, however, opened within the year, though it has since been so.
Gas.
3. On 1st January 1865, the city of Victoria was lighted with gas, an important mark in the progress of the place.
Education.
4. The Board of Education has been abolished, and Mr. Stewart has taken over, as was originally intended, the entire charge of the Government schools.
Civil Service Cadets.
5. Three new Civil Service cadets arrived towards the end of the year, and were at once set down to the study of the language. The first three that arrived in 1862 have completed their course, and have proved very useful officers.
Legislation.
6. Some important ordinances have been passed, of which may be specially named the Limited Liability or "the Companies Ordinance," and a series consolidating the Criminal Law, for which the Government is much indebted to Messrs. Ball and Alexander,
Sickliness of Summer.
7. I regret to say that during the summer the sickness and mortality were great, especially among the military, and so severe among these that it attracted the attention of the Home Parliament, and occasioned the appointment of a committee of inquiry. The season, however, was generally unhealthy along this part of the sea-board of China.
Deaths of Officers.
8. A vacancy was caused on the bench of the Supreme Court by the death of Chief Justice Adams, and two pensioners of Government, Messrs. Grandpré and Inglis, were also reported deceased.
Water Supply.
9. Arrangements were carried out for increasing the water supply, which, however, is still inadequate, and further provision must be made.
Piracy.
10. It must unfortunately be reported that piracy in the neighbourhood of the Colony has been as rife as ever, and I fear it must so continue until some pressure shall be brought to bear on the Imperial Government of China, by which their culpable apathy in this respect may be removed, and they be made to acknowledge and perform the duty that reasonably devolves upon them of keeping under control their own people on their own coasts and in their own territories.
11. As the last instalments of the indemnity have been recently paid to both the British and French Governments, this drain on the foreign customs' revenue ceases, and the Chinese Government should be invited to apply a portion of their funds thus released to the suppression of a crime which tells so disastrously against the lives and property, not of Chinese only, but of all who are engaged in carrying on the important commerce of the country.
Police.
12. In connexion with this subject I may refer to the police, which has ever been our great difficulty. I am of opinion that the experiment of Bombay recruiting (though quite called for as an experiment), has proved a failure, and that some other expedient must be devised for organizing an efficient force. In the Bombay men the vice of extortion was notorious and ineradicable, and with a native body (Chinese) I fear the same results. Europeans of course cannot stand the climate, especially with the grievous habit of intemperance to which they are almost invariably prone. At the same time, I must state that Mr. May, whose experience and authority on this point are entitled to all weight, differs from me in opinion, and thinks the Bombay experiment not fairly tried, while he condemns the proposal to try once more a Chinese force. However, I am aware that this matter engages your Excellency's attention, and I only allude to it here, as a review of the condition of Hong Kong would be incomplete without touching on the much-discussed question of police efficiency.
Finance.
13. As to its financial position the Colony has no cause to feel depressed. It is true that the large surplus balance is being gradually diminished, but with the military contribution and the enormous mint expenditure this is not to be wondered at. With some curtailment (undesirable I admit), in the public works and in some minor directions, the revenue of Hong Kong should always meet the expenditure, after the two heavy items just mentioned shall no longer be a charge on it.
18352.