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HONGKONG.
This, the most eastern of British possessions, is situate off the coast of the Kwangtung province, at the mouth of the Canton river. It is distant about 40 miles from Macao and 90 from Canton, and lies between 22 deg. 9 min. and 22 deg. 1 min. N. lat. and 114 deg. 5 min. and 114 deg. 18 min E. long. The name of the island (Heung Kong) signifies Good Harbour. Hongkong is a Crown Colony and was ceded to Great Britain by the Chinese Government in 1841. The Government is admi- nistered by
a Governor, aided by an Executive Council of five officials.
The Legis- lative Council is presided over by the Governor, and is composed of the Chief Justice, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Treasurer, the Surveyor-General, and one other official, and five unofficial members, one of whom is elected by the Cham- ber of Commerce and another by the Justices of the Peace. The other three, one of whom must be a Chinaman, are appointed by the Government.
The island is about 11 miles long and from 2 to 5 broad; its circumference is about 27 miles. It consists of a broken ridge of lofty hills, with few valleys of any extent and scarcely any ground available for cultivation. It is well watered by numerous streams, many of which are perennial, and from the waterworks at Tytam and Pokfolum water of excellent quality is supplied to all parts of the city of Victoria. Until November, 1888, the city was solely dependent on the Pokfolum supply, but in that month the Tytam supply was turned on. The Tytam reservoir has an area of about 29 acres and a storage capacity of about four hundred million gallons. From the reservoir the water is conveyed into town by means of a tunnel a mile and one-third in length and a conduit along the hillside some 400 feet above the sea level, on which a fine road-called the Bowen Road has been formed, which commands the most charming views of the city and the eastern district, and which has become the favourite resort of pedestrians.
The harbour of Hongkong is one of the finest and most beautiful in the world, having an area of ten square miles, and, with its diversified scenery and varied ship- ping, presenting an animated and imposing spectacle. It consists of the sheet of water between the island and the mainland, and is enclosed on all sides by lofty hills, unfortunately bare of foliage, except where trees have been planted near the city, but pleasingly green during the south-west monsoon.
An extensive scheme of afforesta-
tion is, however, being carried out. The City of Victoria is magnificently situated, the
water's edge to a height of several hundred feet on the face of the Peak, while several bungalows are visible on the very summit of the hills. Seen from the water shore for upwards of four miles, affords a sight not to be forgotten. at night, when lamps twinkle among the trees and houses, the city, spreading along the
The city is well built, theads and streets are for the most part admirably made Nor dissipated. and kept, the Public' Gardous almost unrivalled for their beauty, and many of of Sir Arthur Kennedy, Governor of the Colony 1872-6, erected by public subscrip- the thoroughfares delightfully shaded with well grown trees. A fine bronze statue tion, stands in the Gardens. It was unveiled in November, 1887, by Governor Sir William Des Voeux. The chief public building is the City Hall, erected in 1866-0 by subscription; it contains an elegant theatre, numerous large rooms used for balls and public meetings, an excellent and valuable Library, and a Museum and Post Office are plain but substantial edifices. Government House occupies a commanding situation, in picturesque grounds pleasingly laid out, in the centre of the city. The Gaol is a large and massive structure, but the accommodation afforded by it is not in excess of the large demands made on it, owing to the inroads of the criminal population of Kwangtung being so constant and persevering. The Civil Hospital is a large but plain building. at the corner of Hollywood Road and Aberdeen Street, is a useful and
The Alice Memorial Hospital, situated
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