1887-1903
125
COLONIAL REPORTS.-ANNUAL.
3
No. 148.
HONG KONG.
[For Report for 1893 see Colonial Report (Annual) No. 107.]
Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON to Mr. CHAMBERLAIN.
Government House, Hong Kong,
July 10, 1895.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you the Blue Book for 1894, together with the following review of a singularly eventful year to which, by reason of the troubles and misfortunes that occurred within it, the previous history of this Colony can furnish no parallel.
Rate of Exchange.
The year 1894 was greeted at its opening by a rapid depreciation in the value of silver; the gold value of the dollar, which towards the end of 1893 had been fairly steady at 2s. 4d., fell suddenly during the first two months of 1894 to 1s. 11¼d., reducing business transactions to the level of a mere game of chance and materially affecting the prospects of the import trade from gold-standard countries. During the month of April, however, there was a slight recovery, the value of the dollar advancing to 2s. 1d., and the rate of exchange remaining fairly steady at that quotation and having a further upward tendency at the beginning of May, business prospects improved proportionately and there was reason to look forward to an improvement in trade generally. It was, however, at this juncture that a great calamity intervened in the form of a disastrous epidemic.
The Plague Epidemic.
Early in April it was rumoured that a disease of unusual severity and accompanied by an appalling mortality was raging in a district near Canton; inquiries were made, but at first no definite information was forthcoming as to the features of the disease or its origin, and it was not until the epidemic gradually spread in the direction of the city of Canton that any reliable details were obtained. It was then reported that the disease which was causing such a terrible mortality resembled in its symptoms the scourge known as the "Black Plague" which
• 88500. Wt. 20348.
A 2
1887-1903
125
COLONIAL REPORTS.-ANNUAL.
3
No. 148.
HONG KONG.
[For Report for 1893 see Colonial Report (Annual) No. 107.]
Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON to Mr. CHAMBERLAIN.
Government House, Hong Kong,
July 10, 1895.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you the Blue Book for 1894, together with the following review of a singularly eventful year to which, by reason of the troubles and misfortunes that occurred within it, the previous history of this Colony cau furnish no parallel.
Rate of Exchange.
The year 1894 was greeted at its opening by a rapid depre- ciation in the value of silver; the gold value of the dollar, which towards the end of 1893 had been fairly steady at 2s. 4d., fell suddenly during the first two months of 1894 to 1s. 114d, reducing business transactions to the level of a mere game of chance and materially affecting the prospects of the import trade from gold-standard countries. During the month of April, however, there was a slight recovery, the value of the dollar advancing to 2s. 1d., and the rate of exchange remaining fairly steady at that quotation and having a further upward tendency at the beginning of May, business prospects improved proportionately and there was reason to look forward to an improvement in trade generally. It was, however, at this juncture that a great calamity intervened in the form of a disastrous epidemic.
The Plague Epidemic.
Early in April it was rumoured that a disease of unusual severity and accompanied by an appalling mortality was raging in a district near Canton ; inquiries were made, but at first no definite information was forthcoming as to the features of the disease or its origin, and it was not until the epidemic gradually spread in the direction of the city of Canton that any reliable details were obtained. It was then reported that the disease which was causing such a terrible mortality resembled in its symptoms the scourge known as the "Black Plague" which
• 88500. Wt. 20348.
A 2
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.