74
HONG KONG.
Legislation.
Population.
Climate,
Places of worship.
Education.
Trade.
148
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
With the prospect of having the principal civil buildings executed by the Ordnance Department, I have confined those erected by the Land Office to three police stations, and the building now occupied by the Post-office Department, the latter yielding a rent of 150l. a-year to the colony.
Under the head of Legislation, fourteen ordinances were passed during the year 1845, some of them amending previous enactments. The first and immediate wants of the colony may now be considered as supplied, and future ordinances will be required only as occasion shall arise.
The population return in the "Blue Book" is entirely exclusive of troops. It exhibits a total population of 23,748 persons. Of these, the whites are 634, of whom 501 are males, and 133 females. The coloured population, consisting almost entirely of the registered Chinese, amounts to 23,114, being 18,438 males, and 4676 females. The proportion of the latter has increased as the feeling of security induced the Chinese settlers to bring over their families and I hope to observe the growth of this favourable indication.
There seems to prevail among the Chinese population a perfect confidence in our Government; and since the establishment of an efficient police, and the severe examples which have been made of some atrocious criminals, security of person and property have been established, in lieu of the robbery and plunder which existed less than two years ago.
The most gratifying subject of the present Report is the successful vindication of this colony from those charges of unhealthiness which accidental circumstances (some of them inseparably connected with its first occupation) swelled into a species of panic about the time I quitted England, and led many persons to imagine that a residence in the place was a desperate undertaking. The best answer to the whole is the remarkable immunity from disease which followed immediately upon the completion of fitting dwellings, efficient drainage, and other improvements. The delightful winter which prevails here will, I have no doubt, make Hong-Kong a place of resort to invalids from India.
The colonial surgeon's very complete report, in pages 127 to 138 of the Blue Book, will be found amply to corroborate the above statement, and to prove that this colony is much more healthy than many others of Her Majesty's intertropical possessions. Even in the case of the troops (by no means an infallible test of climate), the mortality was reduced to nearly a half during the last year, before their present excellent barracks were completed; and, now that the soldiers have been housed in them, I entertain no doubt of the marked and favourable result.
Soon after my arrival in the colony in 1844, I represented, that while the Romanists and Dissenters were already provided with respectable places of worship, the members of the Established Church met in a species of shed. But, however anxious to commence the erection of a more suitable edifice, I have not yet been fortunate enough to obtain that authority for the expenditure, without which, I was officially informed, it must not be undertaken. On the arrival of the necessary sanction, I hope that a proper building may be raised in the course of a year; and there seems little doubt of obtaining one-third of the cost from among the inhabitants.
?
There are four European establishments for education in Victoria, into some of which the use of the Chinese language is introduced. They are at present entirely supported by voluntary contributions. In Despatch, No. 4, of January 20th, I proposed to Her Majesty's Government some small annual contribution to a school established by the Reverend Mr. Stanton, for the education of the children of European police, and others. Mr. Stanton is now erecting a school, by the aid of funds supplied in England, for bringing up young Chinese in the principles of Christianity.
As among the Chinese population generally, a number of individuals of that nation are employed in Hong-Kong in giving the first elements of instruction to the male children of the inhabitants, for the females are always kept at home. In the Despatch already quoted above, I have suggested that some trifling Government contribution might have a favourable influence on the feeling of the population.
Under the head of general trade, I may state, that two foreign consuls, American and Danish, have hoisted their flags at Hong-Kong; the first having already obtained his "exequatur" from Her Majesty. It seems to me, in every respect, desirable to encourage the resort of all kinds of trade to this port; and I
74
HONG KONG.
Legislation.
Population.
Climate,
Places of worship.
Education.
Trade.
148
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
With the prospect of having the principal civil buildings executed by the Ordnance Department, I have confined those erected by the Land Office to three police stations, and the building now occupied by the Post-office Depart- ment, the latter yielding a rent of 150% a-year to the colony.
Under the head of Legislation, fourteen ordinances were passed during the year 1845, some of them amending previous enactments. The first and imme- diate wants of the colony may now be considered as supplied, and future ordi- nances will be required only as occasion shall arise.
The population return in the "Blue Book" is entirely exclusive of troops. It exhibits a total population of 23,748 persons. Of these, the whites are 634, of whom 501 are males, and 133 females. The coloured population, consisting almost entirely of the registered Chinese, amounts to 23,114, being 18,438 males, and 4676 females. The proportion of the latter has increased as the feeling of security induced the Chinese settlers to bring over their families and I hope to observe the growth of this favourable indication.
There seems to prevail among the Chinese population a perfect confidence in our Government; and since the establishment of an efficient police, and the severe examples which have been made of some atrocious criminals, security of person and property have been establislied, in lieu of the robbery and plun- der which existed less than two years ago.
The most gratifying subject of the present Report is the successful vindica- tion of this colony from those charges of unhealthiness which accidental cir- cumstances (some of them inseparably connected with its first occupation) swelled into a species of panic about the time I quitted England, and led many persons to imagine that a residence in the place was a desperate undertaking. The best answer to the whole is the remarkable immunity from disease which followed immediately upon the completion of fitting dwellings, efficient drain-- age, and other improvements. The delightful winter which prevails here will, I have no doubt, make Hong-Kong a place of resort to invalids from India.
The colonial surgeon's very complete report, in pages 127 to 138 of the Blue Book, will be found amply to corroborate the above statement, and to prove that this colony is inuch more healthy than many others of Her Majesty's intertropical possessions. Even in the case of the troops (by no means an infallible test of climate), the mortality was reduced to nearly a half during the last year, before their present excellent barracks were completed; and, now that the soldiers have been housed in them, I entertain no doubt of the marked and favourable result.
Soon after my arrival in the colony in 1844, I represented, that while the Romanists and Dissenters were already provided with respectable places of wor- ship, the members of the Established Church met in a species of shed. But, however anxious to commence the erection of a more suitable edifice, I have not yet been fortunate enough to obtain that authority for the expenditure, without which, I was officially informed, it must not be undertaken. On the arrival of the necessary sanction, I hope that a proper building may be raised in the course of a year; and there seems little doubt of obtaining one-third of the cost from among the inhabitants.
?
There are four European establishments for education in Victoria, into some of which the use of the Chinese language is introduced. They are at present entirely supported by voluntary contributions. In Despatch, No. 4, of January 20th, I proposed to Her Majesty's Government some small annual contribution to a school established by the Reverend Mr. Stanton, for the education of the children of European police, and others. Mr. Stanton is now erecting a school, by the aid of funds supplied in England, for bringing up young Chinese in the principles of Christianity.
}
As among the Chinese population generally, a number of individuals'of that' nation are employed in Hong-Kong in giving the first elements of instruction to the male children of the inhabitants, for the females are always kept at home. In the Despatch already quoted above, I have suggested that some trifling Govern- ment contribution might have a favourable influence on the feeling of the population.
Under the head of general trade, I may state, that two foreign consuls, American and Danish, have hoisted their flags at Hong-Kong; the first having already obtained his "exequatur" from Her Majesty. It seems to me, in every respect, desirable to encourage the resort of all kinds of trade to this port; and I
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