Directory_and_Chronicle_1890 — Page 412

HONGKONG.

among which are the Diocesan Home and Orphanage, the German Foundling House, Baxter Vernacular School, &c.

The Protestant, Roman Catholic, Parsee, Jewish, and Mahomedan Cemeteries occupy sites in Wong-nai Chung Valley, and are kept in good order. The Protestant Cemetery is almost a rival to the Public Gardens, being admirably laid out and charm- ingly situated.

There are several Clubs in the Colony. The principal are the Hongkong Club, the Club Germania, in Wyndham Street, the Lusitano Club in Shelley Street, and the Masonic Club in Icehouse Street. There is the Victoria Recreation Club, which possesses Bath and Boat houses and Gymnasium on the Praya near the Cricket Ground, a Cricket Club, a Football Club, a Polo Club, Racquet Club and Golf Club, a Rifle Association, and a Yacht Club, all kept up with considerable spirit.

There are three good hotels in Victoria. They are, the Hongkong Hotel, close to the Clock Tower, the Victoria Hotel, facing the Queen's Road and the Praya, and the Stag Hotel, in Queen's Road, all of which are centrally situated. There is also the Kowloon Hotel on the opposite side of the water.

The annual races are held at the latter end of February, under the auspices of the Hongkong Jockey Club, on the Race Course in Wong-nai Chung Valley at the east end of the town, a beautiful spot enclosed by fir-clad hills. Оп this occasion the whole colony makes holiday, and the stands and course are crowded with one of the most motley collections of humanity to be seen in any part of the world. Most of the races are run with North China ponies, and there is generally good sport. A regatta is held in December in the harbour, but it does not evoke the same enthusiasm as the races. Athletic Sports are also got up every year by the residents and the garrison, and occasionally swimming matches and boat races take place. There is an Amateur Dramatic Club, the members of which give several performances in the City Hall Theatre during the season; and the Choral Society also provides a series of entertainments.

There is excellent Dock accommodation. The Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company, Limited, have three extensive establishments, two at Kowloon, the other at Aberdeen. The Docks of this company are fitted with all the best ap- pliances for engineering and carpenter's work, and in the Admiralty Dock the largest ironclad can be received. The docks are of the following dimensions:-Kowloon:- Admiralty Dock.-500 feet in length, 86 feet in breadth at entrance at top and 70 feet at bottom, and 29 feet deep. No. 1 dock-Length over all, 340 feet; breadth at entrance, 74 feet; depth over sill at ordinary spring tides, 18 feet. No. 2 dock-Length over all, 245 feet; breadth at entrance, 49 feet; depth, 13 feet. Patent Slip-Length over all, 250 feet; breadth, 60 feet; depth, 11 feet. Tai Kok Tsui: Cosmopolitan dock-Length over all, 465 feet: breadth at entrance, 85 feet; depth, 20 feet. Aberdeen: Hope dock-Length over all, 433 feet; breadth at entrance, 84 feet; depth, 24 feet. Lamont dock-Length over all, 340 feet; breadth, 64 feet; depth, 16 feet. There are other establishments at which shipbuil- ding and foundry work are carried on, and some good sized steamers have been launched in the Colony. Her Majesty's Naval Yard likewise contains machine sheds and fitting shops on a large scale, and repairs can be effected to the machinery of the British men-of-war with great expedition.

Three daily papers are published in English: the Hongkong Daily Press, which appears in the morning, the China Mail and the Hongkong Telegraph, issued in the evening. There is a weekly paper, the Overland China Mail, and one fortnightly paper, which is published on the morning of the departure of the English mail, namely, the China Overland Trade Report (the commercial journal of the Far East). A mail issue of the Daily Press is also printed weekly. O Extremo Oriente, a Portu- guese journal, is issued weekly. The Chronicle and Directory for China, Japan, Straits Settlements, &c., appears annually, and is printed at the Daily Press office. The China Review, which is devoted to reviews and papers on Chinese topics, is published once every two months. The native Press is represented by five daily papers-the