Directory_and_Chronicle_1887 — Page 272

HONGKONG.

This, the most eastern of British possessions, is situate off the coast of the Kwangtung province, at the mouth of the Canton river. It is distant about 40 miles from Macao and 90 from Canton, and lies between 22 deg. 9 min. and 22 deg. 1 min. N. lat., and 114 deg. 5 min. and 114 deg. 18 min. E. long. The name of the island (Heung Kong) signifies Good Harbour. Hongkong is a Crown Colony and was ceded to Great Britain by the Chinese Government in 1841. The Government is admi- nistered by a Governor, aided by an Executive Council of five officials. The Legis- lative Council is presided over by the Governor, au is composed of the Chief Justice, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Treasurer, the Surveyor-General, and the Registrar-General, and five unofficial members.

The island is about 11 miles long and from 2 to 5 broad; its circumference is about 27 miles. It consists of a broken ridge of lofty hills, with few valleys of any extent and scarcely any ground available for cultivation. It is well watered by numerous streams, many of which are perennial, and from the waterworks at Pok- folum water of excellent quality but in limited quantity is supplied to all parts of the city of Victoria. New and extensive waterworks at Taitam to provide an ample supply were commenced at the close of 1882 and are now nearing completion.

The harbour of Hongkong is one of the finest and most beautiful in the world, having an area of ten square miles, and with its diversified scenery and varied ship- ping, presents an animated and imposing spectacle. It consists of the sheet of water between the island and the mainland, and is enclosed on all sides by lofty hills, unfortunately bare of foliage, except where trees have been planted near the city, but pleasingly green during the south-west monsoon. An extensive scheme of afforesta- tion is, however, being carried out. The City of Victoria is magnificently situated, the houses, many of them large and handsome, rising, tier upon tier, from the water's edge to a height of several hundred feet on the face of the Peak, while several bungalows are visible on the very summit of the bills. Seen from the water at night, when lamps twinkle among the trees and houses, the city, spreading along the shore for upwards of four miles, affords a sight not to be forgotten.

Nor on landing are the favourable impressions of the stranger dissipated. The city is well built, the roads and streets are for the most part admirably made and kept, the Public Gardens almost unrivalled for their beauty, and many of the thoroughfares delightfully shaded with well grown trees. The chief public building is the City Hall, erected in 1866-9 by subscription; it contains an elegant theatre, numerous large rooms used for balls and public meetings, an excellent and valuable Library, and a Museum yearly increasing in importance. The Government Offices, Supreme Court House, and Post Office are plain but substantial edifices. Government House occupies a commanding situation, in picturesque grounds pleasingly laid out, in the centre of the city. The Gaol is a large and massive structure, but the accommodation afforded by it is not in excess of the large demands made on it, owing to the inroads of the criminal population of Kwangtung being so constant and persevering. The Civil Hospital is a large but plain building in Taipingshan. The Government Central School, a most important institution, having some six hundred pupils, is very badly housed at present, but will soon be removed to a stately and commodious structure, to be called Victoria College, now in course of construction. The Tung Wa Hospital, a Chinese institution, occupies a large and roomy building. The Barracks for the garrison are large, and constructed with great regard to the health and comfort of the troops, and the buildings belonging to the Naval Establishment are substantial and spacious. The Central Market is a dirty and inconvenient place, which is entirely given up to the natives owing to its repulsive condition; a new market is, however, about to be erected. The Praya wall, which was reconstructed in 1879-80, is a work of much solidity and strength, reflecting the greatest credit on the Survey Department. It is faced with large blocks of dressed granite and backed with concrete, and presents a good effect from the water. The Clock Tower, near Pedder's Wharf, was erected by public subscription in 1862, and the illuminated clock was presented to the Colony by the firm of Messrs. Douglas Lapraik & Co.