1849

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

133/ 6

FUNG YONG.

114

REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT

Victoria.----Roads and Bridges.

The balance due for planting and protecting trees upon the Queen's and some other roads, during the year 1844, was paid in the early part of last year; several of the trees have thriven exceedingly well, and will in a few years be a great ornament to the city; many of the smaller trees have been broken during gales of wind, and wilfully destroyed by drunken sailors or other, and I have still to complain of the frequent injury they sustain from the numerous goats which are allowed to cominit depredations of every kind over the whole city with impunity. The small grove of fir-trees planted at the back of the Albany Barracks in the year 1845, which were then only 18 inches high, having thriven exceedingly, are now upwards of five feet, and require thinning.

Road at Sukuapo and Causeway Bay, and extension to North Point, Requisition No. 1 of 1849. This service was commenced in April, and 751. paid on account by Government, in addition to which the inhabitants subscribed 1157, and a further amount of 1707, was sane- tioned for the extension. The work consisted in widening the old road and bridges to an average width of 30 feet, to render it available as a carriage drive; it was completed previous to the termination of the year, but the foal payment could not be made in consequence of a misunderstanding and lawsuit instituted by the contractor against the Clerk of Works.

It received some damage during the typhoon on 13th September.

The road round the Wongueichung Valley, Requisition 17 of 1849, also widened for a similar purpose to the above, was commenced in July and finished for an expenditure of 707. 16. 8d.

Amount paid for blasting powder for sundry services, 31. 16s. 8d., Requisition No. 33 of 1849, completes the expenditure on account of roads for construction, amounting in the whole to 1757. 63 7d. for the year; bin the sum of 3157, 68, was disbursed for labour performed under old contracts of the previous year for the Aberdeen and Stanley Road, the payment of which His Excellency was obliged to defer.

Repairs to roads (exclusive of convict labour) only amounted to 91. 12. &d.. Requisitions 3, 6, 8, and 27.

The convict labour during the year consisted in the construction of-

1st. A pathway from the ice-house to the church and Government offices. 2nd. Sundry works round the Government offices.

3rd. Repairs to roads, and strects, and

4th. Miscellaneous services.

1st. This pathway is on the side of the hill under the Murray Battery, and is entirely in side cutting and filling; the section of the ground exceedingly irregular and steep; in some places a cutting of 25 feet had to be made, and immediately adjoining a hollow to be filled of an equal depth, thus rendering the execution extremely expensive; the weather also being excxdingly dry during a portion of the working period, rendered the consolidation of the material almost impossible, thus several heavy slips occurred after heavy rains; however, the pathway now is completely finished, the embankment to the Queen's-road grassed over, and a stone channel made in two portions which, I hope will preserve it from excessive injury, and prevent any further slips. 3,622 convicts have been employed thereon, whose labour is equi- valent to an expenditure of 751. 91, 2d.

Zud. The work at the Government offices consisted in levelling portions of the ground adjoining, sloping the embankment, and making a small pathway to join that previously alluded to from the ice-house, also in assisting to erect the flagstaff, grassing the area, and completing the walks round the buildings; the total amount of men being 7,746, and value of work 1611. 7s, fid.

3rd. Occasionally during the execution of the above works, a portion of the gang were employed in general repairs throughout the city, and for the last three months I have kept nearly the whole number at my disposal upon that service; many of the roads and streets had got in very bad repair indeed, the surface in several places having been entirely washed away; this I hope I will in a great measure be enabled to prevent in future, as a considerable quantity of broken stone or metalling has been placed at my disposal, which the prisoners confined to hard labour in the goal have prepared; this I have laid down and rolled, and formed a hard compact surface, which will not be so liable to injury from the excessive rains as the ordinary material with which the roads are constructed; the two combined, however, with a small quantity of sea-sand, make the best coating I have ever seen, and the quickest to consolidate, which is of some consequence here, where there are but few wheel-carriages, aud those of light draught. The total length of roads and streets repaired during the year is 10,565 yards, or about 6 miles; the convicts employed thereon 5,830, equivalent to an expen- diture of 1217. 17s. 6d.

Several of the streets, and some damages to the embankments, Queen's-road, West, I have not yet been able to repair; but these I shall easily effect before the change of the monsoon or the rains set in, if I am not obliged to employ the convicts elsewhere on more particular service.

4th. In the repair and construction of rough stone drains, I have employed 455 convicts, equal to 92. 74. 7d.; and in general miscellaneous services 173, amounting to 34. 12s. Id.

"I have not had quite so many convicts employed this year as last, the number being 17,846 for the latter, and 18,151 for the former year. The labour performed is equal to 3711. 13. 10d, from which the repairs to tools, &c., should be deducted; and which having cost 234. Oz. 14., leaves the effective or net value of the whole year's labour 3484. 136. 9d., or 187. 161. 1d. above the value of the previous year 1848, or 441. 173. 6d. over that of 1847, with nearly an equal number of men in each of the periods.

STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.

115

Road round the island. The heavy gales of wind during the summer caused considerable damages on portions of the coast-road and causeway from Sukunpy to Aldrich Bay, to the eastward, and near the town of Aberdeen, to the westward. The wooden bridges have suffered also from natural causes, decay and white ants; and more particularly from robberies, of which I have annually been obliged to complain.

I am sorry that I hate myself been unable to make a personal inspection of the whole line, as I have been unable to mount a horse for some months; but the Chinese overseur has re- ported, that although in several places some slips of embankments and cuttings have occurred, the general state of the surface throughout has not been injured very much since my lest report, and is in tolerable order, except in the steep parts, the same effects being produced by the excessive rains, as before described as having taken place upon the streets in the city, and of course year after year they will become worse, and more expensive to repair, if it should ever be found necessary to do so, which I must admit I am sorry to say, His Excellency has been unable to effect, even in the slightest degree, since his arrival here, from the want of funds; this has also naturally caused the cessation of other proposed new works and improve- ments in several parts of the city, and which I alluded to last year. The planting of trees, amongst the number, I much regret, has not been effected, as they serve in so prominent a manner to improve the appearance and healthiness of the colony. The total expenditure on account of roads amounted to 5031. 5. 3d.

Buildings.—Aberdeen Police Station.

A small payment was made on account of this building, for stores supplied by the Ordnance Department, amounting to 31. 18. 7d., under report and estimate No. 6, of 1846.

An expenditure of 581. 10s, was made under report and estimate, No. 4, of 1847, for the better ventilation and improvement of the gaols, consequent upon their occupation by a larger number of men than for which it was contemplated when built. Upon the site of the church a small expenditure, amounting to 1. 17%, was made under report and estimate, Xo, 5, of 1946, in cutting and removing sundry rocks, and to close the account for that servic». A lodge at the cemetery was built for the use of the grave-diggers, and cost 467. 17s, 4d.

The expenditure upon the church itself amounted to 1,246/. 68. 4d; the greater portion of which was for the cast-iron window-frames and eaves-gutters, ordered from England.

The contingent works to buildings under sundry requisitions consisted in the removal of the old Treasury vault, erection of two flagstaves, one at Government House, the other at Govern- ment offices, the protection of the Albany Godowns, bamboo blinds for Government offices. Six brick pillars, with Ionic capitals, were placed in the hall of the Supreme Court, for the support of the floor above, which had begun to show symptoms of sagging. Some alterations and additions were made to the magistracy, amounting to G01. 2s. 6d., to render it more avail- able for the increased duties carried on therein in consequence of the establishment of petit sessions, Sr.; the whole of the al ove services amounting to 3947. 18s. 7d.

Repairs to the public buildings under my charge were effected upon a bungalow intended for servants, &c., the guard-room at Government House, the kitchens at the gaol, post-office out-buildings, police stations at Sitkuupu and Stanley, the Government store-rooms, Goveru- ment offices, bungalow, Hospital-hill, harbour-master's office, Aberdeen police station, three police stations in Victoria, the magistracy gaol, towers, and post-office, the details of which being given in the Blue Book return, I shall merely state the whole amounted to 1401. Or. 4ď. In addition to the above, the sum of 211, 28. 5d. was paid on account of the storm repairs of 1848, Report and Estimate, No. 3 of 1848.

Marine Works.—Construction.

An extension of 59 feet to the pier at the harbour-master's wharf was effected this year, for an expenditure of 1547. 81. M. Some repairs to the other piers in the city were also reu- dered necessary, but have not yet been paid for; they were estimated at 167. 13. 8d.

Repairs to bridges have only amounted to 31. 195. Id, but to the wooden bridges in the valley, I think it extremely desirable that either stone or brick arches should be made thereto (plans of which I have prepared), as I much regret to find both beams and platforms are becoming injured by the weather and dry-rol, decaying in several places. Experience has shown, that when once such defects appear in woodwork so exposed in this climate, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to prevent the spread of the discase, ot depend upon the stability of the several parts of the structure.

A stone bridge it is also highly desirible should be placed over the stream in Causeway Bay; the banks being tolerably high, a one-arch elliptic bridge of 30 feet span would carry off the water, and, with a roadway of 20 feet, would be all the public require at present. In widening this road I have much cause to regret that the wooden bridges thereon, four in number, were also added to and repaired under directions of the clerk of works acting for me during my absence. I so frequently alluded to the necessity of dispensing with all wooden bridges, wherever it was practicable, of which he was aware, that such a construction should not have boen advised. The road was partly formed by subscription of the inhabitants of the city, and it being much wanted by them for their summer drive, was the cause of the erection in wood instead of stone, which would have occupied a longer period, and thus the road could not have been opened so soon, or the public derive so much benefit as they did during the season.

and

There is another road I have frequently alluded to, which would be of great advantage, great boon to the publie if constructed," viz., that from the Albany Godowns to the Wong- Deichung Valley, to avoid the gap. This, with the roads already constructed, would make a most agreeable and healthful drive during the excessive heat of the summer hers.

HONG CÔNG.

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