CO882-(3-4) — Page 467

7

REPORT

ON THE

SANITARY CONDITION OF HONG KONG.

CONTENTS.

PART I DESCRIPTION OF Existing State.

Pages

Section 1. General description of city

25

2. House construction and drainage

7-10 10-14

3. Formation of streets

4. Public sewers or drains

15 15

"

5. Water supply

16-18

37

6. Scavenging and removal of night-soil

18-21

PART II-DEFECTS OF EXISTing State of Sanitation.

Preliminary. Examination of health condition of Chinese. Death-

rate, &c.

21-23

Section 1. Principles of sanitation. Examination of dry-earth system

23-26

2. House construction and drainage

-

26-31

3. Street formation -

-

31-32

4. Street sewers, intercepting sewer

12

5. Water supply

32-34 P4-37

15

6. Scavenging, removal of night-soil

-

37-41

7. Sanitary staff

·

41-42

PART III.-VILLAGES AND KOWLOON PENINSULA

42-44

التسييا

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference:

C.O. 882

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

4 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

PART I.

SECTION 1.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

1. The city of Victoria stands partly on the steep northern slopes of the mountain site of city,

mass which forms the Island of Hong Kong, and partly on a narrow and comparatively flat strip of land which fringes their base. The lower portion lies principally between the Queen's Road and the Praya or wharf, which forms the harbour frontage of the town, and it is composed almost entirely of made ground.

formation.

2. Excepting this limited amount of artificial ground, the soil on which the city is Geological built is derived from the decomposition of granite or other primitive rock. It is not, however, formed of detritus of rock washed down from above, but of the solid rock altered "in situ." The constituent minerals remain in their original relative positions, but some of them, principally the felspar, have decomposed, and the whole mass becomes porous and friable, consisting of quartz crystals, embedded in a mealy clay, the product of decomposition of felspar, to which a red or yellow tint is given by the iron oxyde, liberated by the decomposition of hornblende and other analogous minerals. Embedded in this friable mass are large blocks: of solid granite, which have hitherto resisted the decomposing agencies, whatever they may be. They are surrounded by a crust of -rock in an intermediate stage of decomposition.

3. The beds, joints, and veins of the original rock may be distinctly traced, running Evidence that from the solid rock to the altered formation which surrounds it. Hence it is evident that decomposition the change has taken place " in situ.”

has taken placS

" in situ.”

infiltration of

4. The ground formed by this process of decomposition is porous and the rain water Permeable from the upper slopes of the hills permeates slowly, but freely, through the whole mass nature of soll, on its way to the sea, appearing in the form of springs in the ravines where they intersect rain water, the water table. Numerous shallow wells show that this is at no great depth below the surface well. surface, especially in the lower parts of the town. Probably the water of these wells is naturally pure, but it is but too often contaminated by infiltration of filth from the surrounding habitations.

A 4