# THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE. PROGRESS OF HONGKONG.
Her Majesty's Jubilee is one of those events that not only appeal to popular feeling but compel those reflectively inclined to study the changes during the past fifty years. It is not a time merely of state processions, of the pomp and circumstance of a Royal thanksgiving, of official odes of Jubilate ! and Io! Triumphe, but it is also a time of sober exlculation and comparison, so as to estimate what progress has been made.
To the August Lady herself the occasion, though not standing alone in the annals of her house, is of course, one of the highest moment and of liveliest satisfaction, and may be deemed by her as the crowning event of her long and well-spent life. And there is not the slightest doubt that this is also a feeling in which many of her subjects share, hence the desire to see the occasion worthily celebrated and permanently commemorated.
Of the long list of English Queens, some of them may strike us with a sense of greater grandeur and dignity, a result due perhaps more to tradition and false historical perspective than to literal accuracy; some may have possessed stronger qualities of will and intellect, of wider culture, of more learning; others may have had greater personal attractions, or may be surrounded by a halo of chivalry and romance with which their misfortunes, merited or unmerited, and unrivalled beauty may have invested them, but there is no Queen in that long roll who has so entirely absorbed the enthusiastic and respectful affection of all her subjects as VICTORIA—and that only by the simple charm of true womanliness and pure goodness of heart.
In the Greater England over the sea, she is equally honoured by the descendants of the Cavaliers that founded Virginia, by the sons of the men of the old faith that founded Maryland, by the posterity of the Puritans that planted the tree of Democracy on Plymouth Rock, or by the pushing frontiersman of the West. In all her relations she has been eminently English; a loving wife, an affectionate mother, a typical English matron; and in times of trial, a self-possessed, courageous English woman—in brief, a model Queen of England!
Among contemporary Queens, our Queen stands on a pedestal apart. The late Pope, Pius IX., no mean judge of human nature, and in this respect not likely to be a biased judge, considered that she was incomparably the best of them all. "She stood," he said, "on a pedestal apart." In her political life, amidst the ever-changing vicissitudes of English party Government, her conduct has been above suspicion. She would not be a woman if she had not preferences towards this statesman or towards that, but, in her constitutional relationship towards all parties she has maintained the dignified attitude of An English constitutional sovereign.
The popularity and sympathy she won by her youth and natural grace of manner fifty years ago, she still retains, and that by her clear insight into the needs and aims of her people. Her reign has been an eventful one; it has been marked by many political struggles, and in these, no one has taken greater interest than the Queen herself, who has recognized throughout them all that special characteristic of Englishmen—"to win reforms by Agitation, what others attempt by Revolution."
Tempting as the subject is to review the progress, material and scientific, commercial and political, of the Empire during the half century, we consider it more to our purpose to indicate what has been accomplished in the Far East during that time than to review the reign generally. Great as have been the strides of advancement in the West, we have not been lagging so very far behind in the East, retarded though we have been by the inertness of an old and partially fossilised civilization.
China fifty years ago was a very different country from the China of to-day. So different indeed, that unless a special study is made of the period in question, it is simply a sheer impossibility for the great majority of the residents here to realize the deplorable state in which affairs were then, to understand the helpless and hopeless position with regard to comfort, safety, and personal rights, in which the Jardine, Mathesons, the Dents, the Gibbs, Livingstons, the Turners, the Russells then carried on business in Canton.
As a description, however curtailed, of things as they were, these will bring into greater relief the points of differences and make a more effective contrast, and we shall, instead of going into long rows of figures and tables, adopt this method.
It is a mistake to think that Hongkong fifty years ago, was not thought of. The anxieties and annoyances of life at Canton had become so great that the conviction had entered the minds of the merchants, that nothing short of the possession of an island off the Coast of China, independent of the Chinese Government, could give the necessary security to life and property. Formosa, Chusan, Namoa, the Bonin Islands, and Hongkong were all suggested as more or less suitable.
Surveys were made among the Ladrones, of which Hongkong is one, and we find so far back as the time of the Queen's Accession, an anonymous writer, supposed to be the then head of a firm now intimately connected with the history and prosperity of this Colony, suggesting that Hongkong should be the island selected.
After describing the physical features and advantages as they are known to all of us, its beautiful, deep, landlocked harbour and clear springs of water, he becomes prophetic or is it the utterance of an oft-repeated prayer while writhing under a sense of official injustice? And says: "If the lion's paw is to be put down in any part of China, let it be on Hongkong. Let the lion, under his guarantee, declare it a free port, and in ten years it will be the most considerable mart East of the Cape."
It is worth while, in passing, to note what this Canton merchant of half a century ago thought were the conditions of the success of Hongkong and to remind our local Conscript Fathers of the duty of handing them down intact and unimpaired to our successors.
Life in the Old Factories had very little in common with the comparatively pleasant life that foreigners now enjoy in China. Home life was conspicuous by its absence. Foreigners in Canton were a community of mercantile monks, for the Government officials, ignorant of the refining influences of ladies' society, rigidly proscribed them and sternly banished them to Macao.
The site itself was insalubrious, and at low water, when the foreshore and neighbouring creeks were dry, smelled most abominably. The vilest rowdies inhabited the houses surrounding the factories, and the factory-site itself, if we mistake not, was not greater than the area of the base of the Great Pyramid. These were only minor evils. The residents, cooped up within their factories, were treated like so many denizens of a zoological garden. There they might amuse themselves as much as they liked so long as they made no uproar, as the officials...
Page 527
THE QUEEN'S
Enclosure
JUBILEE.
PROGRESS OF HONGKONG.
Her Majesty's Jubilee is one of those events that not only appeal to popular feel. ing but compel those reflectively inclined to study the changes during the past fifty years. It is not a time merely of state processions, of the pomp and circumstance of a Royal thanksgiving, of official odes of Jubilate ! and Io! Triumphe, but it is also a time of sober exlculation and comparison, so as to estimate what progress has been made. To the August Lady herself the occasion, though not standing alone in the annals of her house, ia of course, one of the highest moment and of liveliest satisfaction, and may be deemed by her as the crowning event of her long and well-spent lile. And there is not the slight- est doubt that this is also a feeling in which many of her subjects share, bence the desire to see the occasion worthily celebrated and permanently commemorated. Of the long list of English Queens, some of them may strike us with a sense of greater grandeur and dignity, a result due perhaps more to tradition and false historical perspective than to literal ac- euracy; some may have possessed stronger qualities of will and intellect, of wider oul- ture, of more learning; others may have bad greater personal attractions, or may be sur- rounded by a balo of chivalry and romance with which their misfortunes, merited or un- merited, and unrivalled beauty may have in- vested them, but there is no Queen in that long roll who has so entirely absorbed the tenthusiastic and respectful affection of all bur subjects as VICTORIA-and that only by the simple charm of true womanliness and pure goodness of heart. In the Greater Eng- land over the sea, abe is equally honoured by the descendants of the Cavaliers that founded Virginia, by the sons of the men of the old faith that founded Maryland, by the poste- ity of the Puritans that planted the tree of Democracy on Plymouth Rock, or by the pushing frontiersman of the West. In ali her relations she has been eminently Eng- lish; a loving wife, an affectionate mo- ther, a typical English matron; and in times of trial, a self-possessed, courageous English woman-in brief, a modsi Queen of England!
H
Among contemporary Queens, our Queen stands on a pedestal apart. The late Pope, Prus IX., no mean judge of human nature, and in this respect not likely to be a biased judge, considered that she was incomparably the best of them all. "She stood," he said, on a pedestal apart." In her political life, amidst the ever changing vicissitudes of English party Government, her conduct has been above suspicion. She would not be a woman if she had not preferences towards this statesman or towards that, but, in ber constitutional relationship towards all parties she has maintained the dignified attitude of An English constitutional sovereign. The popularity and sympathy she won by her youth and natural grace of manner fifty years ago, she still retains, and that by her clear insight into the needs and aims of her poople. Her reign has been an eventful one; i bas been marked by many political strug- les, and in these, no one has taken greater interest than the Queen herself, who has re- cognized throughout them all that special characteristic of Englishmen-" to win re- forms by Agitation, what others attempt by Revolution P
Tempting as the subject is to review the progress, material and "scientific, commercial and political, of the Empire during the half wentury, we consider it more to our purpose to indicate what has been accomplished in
the
the Far East during that time than to re- view the reign generally. Great as have been the strides of advancement in the West, we have not been lagging so very far behind in the East, retarded though we have been by the inertness of an old and partially fossilised civilization. China fifty years ago was a very different country from the China of te-day. So different indeed, that unless a ¦ special study is made of the period in ques- tion, it is simply a sheer impossibility for the great majority of the residents here to realize the deplorable state in which affairs were then, to understand the helpless and hopeless position with regard to com. fort, safety, and personal rights, in which ahe Jardine, Mathesons, the Dents, the Gibb, Lavingstons, the Turners, the Russells then carried on business in Canton. As a descrip- tion, however curtailed, of things as they were, these will bring into greater relief the points of differences and make a more effec dive contrast, and we shall, instead of going into long rows of figures and tables, adopt this method.
It is a mistake to think that Hongkong. fifty years ago, was not thought of. The anxieties and annoyances of life at Canton had become so great that the conviction had entered the minds of the merchants, that no- thing short of the possession of an island off the Coast of China, independent of the Chi- nese Government, could give the necessary security to life and property, Formosa, Chusan, Namos, the Bonin Islands, and Hongkong were all suggested as more or less suitable. Surveys were made among the Ladrones, of which Hongkong is one, and we find so far back as the time of the Queen's Accession, an anonymous writer, supposed to be the then bead of a firm now intimately connected with the bis- itory and prosperity of this Colony, sug- gesting that Hongkong should be the island Belected. After describing the physical fea. tures and advantages as they are known to all of us, its he utiful, deep, landlocked har- bour and clear springs of water, be becomes prophetic or is it the utterance of an oft re- peated prayer while writhing ouder a sense of officialinjustine Pand says: "Ifthe lou's paw is to be put down in any part of China, let it be on Hongkong. Let the lion, under his guarantee, declare it a free port, and in ten years it will be the most considerable mart East of the Cape. Hongkong, deep water, and a free port for ever !" It is worth while, in passing, to note what this Canton merchant of half a century ago thought were the conditions of the success of Hongkong and to remind our local Conscript Fathers of the duty of handing them down intact and unimpaired to our accessors.
Life in the Old Factories had very little in common with the comparatively pleasant life that foreigners now enjoy in China. Home life was conspicuous by its absence. For- eigners in Canton were a community of mer- cantile monks, for the Government officials, ignorant of the refining influences of ladies' society, rigidly proscribed them and sternly banished them to Macao. The site itself was insalubrious, and at low water, when the foreshore and neighbouring creeks were. dry, smelled most abominably. The vilest rowdies inhabited the houses sur- rounding the factories, and the factory- site itself, if we mistake not, was not greater than the area of the base of the Great Pyramid. These were only minor evils. The residents, cooped up within their 1.ctories, were treated like so many denigeus of a goological garden, There they might amuse themselves as much as they liked so long as they made no uproar, sa the offojala
did
527
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