Enclosure 3.
The China Mail.
HONGKONG, FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1896.
THE UNVEILING OF THE QUEEN'S STATUE. Probably never in the history of Hong- kong has such a brilliant spectacle been witnessed as that in connection with the unveiling of the Jubilee Statue of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen yesterday, by H. E. the Governor, Sir William Robinson. When the Jubiles of Her Majesty was being celebrated in 1887 throughout the Empire, various proposals were made as to what form Hongkong's tribute should take. Ul. timately a large General Committee was formed to make arrangements for the celebration of the Jubilee. The most fa- voured proposal was the erection of a permanent recognition of the auspicious event in a prominent part of the Colony, and accordingly the erection of the present statue was agreed upon by the members of the Jubilee Committee, and the detailn were handed over to a smaller Working Committee. Subscriptions were wil- lingly given by the inhabitants. Ar- *rangements were then made with Signor M. Raggi, the sculptor of the famous staine of the Earl of Beaconsfield in Parliament Square, London, to submit designs of the proposed statue, A marble statue was chiseled by the sculptor, but it was thought it would be unsuitable for the cli- mate of Hongkong, and orders were given for a bronze statue. The marble statue- magnificent piece of sculpture--was bought by Sheffield for double the price it was of- fered at to Hongkong. Some delay was occasioned owing to difference of opinion as to whether the statue should be a representation of the Queen in & sitting posture or whether the statue should represent Her Majesty stand- ing. The Committee decided to have a sitting posture. The statue was soon completed, and after having been on ex- hibition in London for some time it was shipped out to Hongkong. At the time of the arrival of the statue there was no suit. able public place for its erection, so the Committee decided to wait until the New Praya Reolamation was finished, and then erect the statue on the most commanding spot in the Colony. The Reclamation was completed last year, and then the erection of the pedestal began. The weather put a stop to the work for some time, but at the beginning of this year the work was rapidly pushed forward. To protect the status from the influences of the weather a very pretty canopy—or, rather, a domed pavilion-of Portland stone has been erected.
DEKURIPTION OF TÉR BYAKUE. Probably the beat view of the status la abtained in profile. Judging from the photographs, we think a standing figure would have been more majestic and impos ing as it gave the sculptor more scope to impart that imperial dignity which is character aid of Her Majesty the Queen. As it is, the statue might be termed, in hackneyed phraseology ** speaking likeness. In her right hand, Her Majesty holds the sceptre; the orb and cross roat in her left” hand. The pogišios the status acqupiss is on the now
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Prays Reclamation in front of the Hong- kong and Shanghai Bank, where Wardley Street intersects the new street running
38
from Murray Pier to Ice House Street. In 159
course of time, it is hoped that the new Government Offices will be erected with a frontage on Wardley Street facing the statue. Meanwhile, it stands out against the sky-line in solitary grandeur. The statue is placed on a Portland stone base at the top of a circular base of granite stepa, and is thus raised some thirteen feet above the level of the street. The dowed canopy in which the statue is enclosed is con- structed of Portland stone, and is designed in the Renaissance style. The canopy is carried on groups of fluted columns, and on each angle is a Corinthian capital. The lower parts of the columns are richly folia- ted. The cornices are classical with a letter V' standing out prominently on the centre of each panel. On the dome are dormer openings, and above each column is a finiai in keeping with the ra- mainder of the structure. The canopy is surmounted by a gun-metal terminal with the Royal Crown on the summit. The Portland stone will, we understand, tone down in time, and will become rich brown in colour, resembling the Houses of Parliament in London, From Signor Mario Raggi's studio in Osnaburg Street many of the best statues and memo- rials of the day have emanated. We have already mentioned the bandsome statue of the late Earl of Beaconsfield in Parliamont Square, London, and the original design (in marble) of the Queen's Statue which went to Sheffield, and to these might be added the statue of Her Majesty presented re- cantly to Rangoon, the equestrian statue of the Prince of Wales in Bombay, and the fine statue of Sir Arthur Kennedy in our own Botanical Gardens. The statue was cast at the well-known art foundry of Messrs H. Young and Co., Pimlico, London.
THE CEREMONY,
Yesterday, being the day fixed by the Government for the celebration of the seventy-seventh anniversary of the birth- day of Her Majesty the Queen, the Co- mittee decided that that would be a suitable day to have the statue unveiled. H.E. the Governor, on the invitation of the Com- mittee, willingly consented to perform the ceremony. For the last few weeks work- men have been engaged erecting a large bamboo grand stand for the accommodation of ticket-bolders to the unveiling care-
The stand mony.
presented a very pretty appearance yesterday, having been constructed in a curved form, with arched front, and decorated with
scarlet and
cloth. evergreens
The flights of steps at the base of the statue were also tastefully decorated at each corner with graceful palma and scarlet cloth, while Mr Ford had also turned the ap- proach from the city aide to good ac- count with ferns and palms. The statue itself was hidden from sight behind a Royal Standard. The shipping in the harbour was gaily decorated with bunting, and the Portuguese gunboat Bengo had come over from Macao for the occasion. At twelve o'clock the usual salutes were fired from the men-of-war. The time for the unveiling ceremony was fixed at half- past five. The ares from Murray Pier to Pedder's Wharf, including the cricket ground, was kept clear for the military. Two large heaps of stones and sand inside the enclosure were open to the public, and long before the ceremony commenced these heaps were taken possession of by a mass of spectators. By five o'clock the military had all taken up position and the Grand Stand was well filled with ticket-bolders, while there was a large gathering of foreign military and naval officers and the differ ent Consuls in full uniform. The veran dahs of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank,
Ka.
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