Directory_and_Chronicle_1892 — Page 650

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HONGKONG

Barracks, and the Naval Authorities have another large establishment on the Kowloon side near to Yau-ma Ti.

Climate and TEMPERATURE.

As intimated in earlier paragraphs, Hongkong formerly enjoyed a most unenviable notoriety for unhealthiness, and in years past the troops garrisoned here suffered grievously from malarious fevers. A great deal of the sickness in the early days of the Colony was caused by excavating and otherwise disturbing the disintegrated granite of which the soil of the island mainly consists, and which appears to throw off malarious exhalations when upturned. At the present time, however, the Colony is one of the healthiest spots in the world in the same latitude. The influence of the young pine forests created by the Afforestation Department has no doubt been beneficial in checking malaria, and the attention latterly bestowed on sanitation has not been without its due effect. The annual death rate per 1,000 for the whole population in 1890 was 22.90, for the British and foreign population 17.13.

The following table shows the barometer, temperature, and mean rainfall for Hongkong on sea level averaged for ten years, compiled by the Director of the Observatory :-

BAROMETER.

TEMPERATURE. RAIN.

April 29.96

May

Mean. Hight. Lowst. Mean. Hight. Lowst. Mean. Jan. 30.17 30.47 29.80 60 74 42 1.47 ins. Feb. 30.15 30.45 29.87 55 70 March 30.06 30.36 20.80 62 30.27 29.70 70 29.88 30.11 29.59 78 June 29.78 39.99 29.40 80 July 29.72 29.90 29.22 82 93

Aug.

41

1.66

Sept.

78

49

3.53

Oct.

85

56

6.55

Nov.

88

68 9.82

Dec.

BAROMETER. TEMPERATURE. RAIN. Mean. Hight. Lowst. Mean. Hight. Lowst. Mean. 29.75 29.96 29.38 81 90 72 16.99 29.83 30.09 28.99 80 91 30.02 30.31 29.72 70 30.13 30.43 30.18 30.42

71 0.89

86

61

5.06

29.78 69 29.87 62 76

83

55

1.04

45

0.49

89

69 12.67

74 16.41

YEAR 29.07 30.47 28.99 71 93 TRADE.

41 85.52

Hongkong is a free port, and there is no official return of the imports and exports compiled, but the value of its trade is estimated at about £40,000,000 per annum. During the year 1890 the following tonnage entered and cleared with cargoes:-

CLEARED Vessels. Tons.

59,840

44.. 65,177.. 39..

NATIONALITY

EXTERED Vessels. Tons.

American

Austrian

British

Chinese

12.. 24,063.. 11.. 22,987 2,726.3,457,505.. 2,529.. 3,207,037 271.. 303,460.. 275.. 307,982

CLEARED

NATIONALITY

German Italian

ENTERED Vessels. Tons. Vessels. Tons.

678.. 630,754.. 610.. 565,087

12..

17,988..

14..

20,511

Japanese

47..

71,944..

10..

13,008

Norwegian

9..

10,576..

5..

4,255

Peruvian

2..

642..

64..

24,782.. 69..

25,730

Russian

3..

6,905..

2..

4,060

7.. 9.457.. 5..

5,803

86.. 136,617.. 80.. 129,050

Siamese Spanish

1,288..

2..

1,286

22..

13,447..

18..

11,303

Chinese Junks.. 12,910.. 1,052,191.. 15,899.. 1,396,609

Danish

Dutch..

French

A total of 16,895 vessels, of 5,834,793 tons entered, and 19,558 vessels, of 5,774,138 tons, cleared with cargoes. There also entered in ballast 10,731 vessels, of 854,201 tons, and there cleared 7,721 vessels with 880,688 tons. The total arrivals show a slight decrease as compared with the previous year.

The trade chiefly consists in opium, cotton, sugar, salt, flour, oil, cotton and woollen goods, metals, earthenware, amber, ivory, sandalwood, betel, vegetables, granite, &c., &c. There is still an extensive Chinese passenger trade, now chiefly restricted, however, to the Straits Settlements, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, Siam, and Indo-China.

Hongkong possesses unrivalled stean communication. The P. & O. S. N. Co. and the M. M. Co. convey the European mail weekly, the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co. maintain a regular monthly mail service between Bremen and Hongkong, the P. M. S. S. Co. and the O. & O. S. S. Co. maintain a mail service with San Francisco, the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. a regular mail service with Vancouver, B.C., a regular line has been esta- blished to Portland, Oregon, a line of steamers to Mexican ports has recently been started, and the E. & A. S. S. Co., and the C. N. Co. keep up a frequent but irregular service with the Australian Colonies. In addition to all these, several great lines of merchant steamers run between London, Liverpool, and Hongkong, of which the Ocean S. S. Co. and the Glen, Shire, and Castle lines are the most conspicuous. The Austro- Hungarian Lloyd's steamers also ply from Trieste to Hongkong, and the Navigazione Generale Italiana Company's steamers run monthly from Genoa. There is frequent but irregular steam communication between Java and Hongkong. Between the ports on the east coast of China and Hongkong the steamers of the Douglas S. S. Co. ply regularly twice a week, and there is constant steam communication with Hoihow, Manila, Saigon, Haiphong, Tourane, Bangkok, Borneo, &c. With Shanghai, Tientsin, and the ports of Japan there is frequent communication in addition to the English and French mail steners, which leave weekly. Between Hongkong, Macao, and Canton there is a daily steam service. The telegraphic communication of the Colony extends to nearly every part of the world.