CO129-292 - Governor Sir Blake - 1899 [6-8] — Page 159

॰ ཏྠི སཱི,

COPY

Sír,

Enclosure.

Zerti

00000

RECO

REO 31 JUL 19

157

Sanitary Board Offices

Hongkong, 14th. June, 1899.

I have the honour to submit, for the informa-

tion of His Excellency the Governor, the following report, upon

the outbreak of Bubonic Plague during this year, to date.

The total number of cases reported ( to the 18th

instant ) has ben 706, of which 622 occurred in the City of

Victoria, the muumber of deaths inthe City has been 564, giving

a mortality of just over 90 per cent.

The first case was reported on January 17th

from 21 Albany St. Wanchai ( No. 2 Health District ); the

second case also occurred in Wanchai but not until February

28th ( six weeks later ), and on the same date a case was

reported from Sheung Fung Lane ( No. 9 Health District. ).

Irring March 25 cases were reported, eight of which were in

No. 9 District, five in Wanchai and two outside the City.

3

I could obtain no evidence as to the importation

of any of these earlier cases, but. I have very little doubt

that the occurrence of the Annual Race meeting on February

21st, 22nd, and 23rd, was as in former years largely responsi-

ble for the sudden increase in the number of cases during the

month of March. The Race Meeting unfortunately attracts hun-

dreds of Chinese of the worst and dirtiest class from the

mainland, owing to the opportunities for gambling which then

obtain, and many of them doubtless come from infected centres

and leave behind them a legacy of Plague and Smallpox germs

in the dwellings which they have temporarily occupied.

on. J.H.Stewart, Lockhart,

Colonial Secretary.

In