HONGKONG
341
Artillery Barracks, and the Naval Authorities have another large establishment on the Kowloon side near to Yau-ma-Ti.
CLIMATE
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 malarial 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 1898 was 22.3, as compared with 18.85 during the previous year and an average of 23 during the preceding five years (exclusive of 1894); these deaths, however, include no less than 1,175 from plague, and if these are omitted the death-rate appears at 17.7. The death-rate among the white races was 16.2, among the Chinese 22.5, and among the coloured races 33.6.
The following table shows the fifteen years' means of the annual and monthly values of the principal meteorological elements, taken from the Observatory Report for 1898:
Bar. Mean pressure. Maximum
Mean temperaturs
Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year.
.30.159 30.132 30.055 29.958 29.883 29.764, 29.738 29.765 29.824 29.982 30.103 30.181 29.959 .30.367 30.390 30.308 30.158 30.045 29.880 29.882 29.851 29.984 30.157 30.311 30.444 30.444 .29.686 29.421 29.552 29.576 20.447 29.284 28.762 29.088 28.876 29.089 29.575 29.757 28.762
59.7 57.7 62.2 69.9 76.6 80.7 81.6 $1.0 $0.4 76.2 69.2 62.4
Minimum
71,5
Mean maximum
64.1 61.7 66.4
74.5 81.2
85.2 80.2
86.0 85.3
80.7
74.3
67.5 76.1
Mean minimum
56.0 51.5 58.9
66.7
73.5
77.4.
78.0
77.3
76.6
72.5
65.3
58.3
67.9
Maximum
79.2 79.0 $2.1
88.0
91.5
93.6
94.0
92.9
94.0
93.8
$5.6
81.9
94.0
Minimum
32.0 40.3
45.9
55.6
04.1
69.2
72.1
71 6
65.6
60.8
50 6
40.7
32.0
Mean daily range.
8.1 7.2
7.4
7.7
7.7
7.8
8.2
8.7
8.7
8.3
9.0
9.2
8.2
Mean humidity
74
79
84
85
83
83
83
83
77
71
65
64
TS
Mean rain
1.545
2001
2.991
5.980 13.159 16.496 14.210
13.482
8.833
5.794
1302
0 935 86.867
Maximum in 24 hours.. 3.920
2.185
3.580
5.210
20.495 12.630 13.480 6.555
5.855 10.190
5.875
1.70 20.495
Mean max. in 24 hours 0.688
0.710
1.100
2.256
4.844 4.438 3,973
3.237
2,951 2.743
0948
0.522 8.646
Maximum in 1 hour.... 0.510
0.523
1.570
2.420
3.400 2,550
3.480
2.140
1.720
1.650 1,620
0.500 3480
Menu max. in 1 hour
0.188
0.249
0.484
1.018
Hours of raiu
Wind direction .
65 .E15°N E14°N ESoN
91
87
Wind velocity mean Maximum
14.4 15.0
16 5
Hours of sunshine
46 136.7
53 77.7
1.406 88 94 96 E2°N E11'S $39°E 14.9 13.5 12.5 49 46
42
48 79.5 110.7 152.1 155,4
1.369
1.333
1.187
79 S43°E 11.2 108 197.6
1.004 0.702 0.285 73
57
44
26 $33′′E E15′′X E21°N E29°N E27°N
96 12.2 14.7 13.8 12.7 13.4 06 89 85 49 63 108 197.2 200.1 £14.5 196.2 189,7 1907.4
0.105 34
2.110
$39 E3°S
TRADE
Hongkong is a free port, and there is no complete official return of the imports and exports compiled, but the value of its trade is estimated at about £50,000,000 per annum. During the year 1899 the following tonnage entered and cleared :-
CLEARED
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
American
Vessels. Tons. 102 118,56)
CLEARED Vessels. Tons.
99 113,213
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
German
Vessels. Tons,
637 835,516
Vessels. Tons.
637
835,537
Austrian
27
71,195
27
Belgian
4
4,57 £
British
3,690
4,362,200
3 3,722
71,195 5,474
Hawaiian
?
4,596
2
4,590
Italian
16
27,594
17
28,299
4,362,810
Japanese
330
671,817
328
667,158
Chinese
227
252,805
220
253,891
Norwegian
125
117,220
127
117,579
Chinese Junks.. 22,506
Danish
11
Dutch..
French
1,819,435 23,560 2,470 221 218,600
22,501
1,846,749
Russian
4,899
5
6,92%
13
2
223
24,545 2,570 218,724
Portuguesa Spanish
31
1,672
31
1,672
6
3,516
4,190
A total of 18,260 vessels of 7,472,572 tons entered, and 18,434 vessels of 7,576,314 tons cleared with cargoes. There also entered in ballast 9,750 vessels, of 1,097,622 tons, and cleared 9,528 vessels of 986,813 tons.
The trade chiefly consists in opium, cotton, sugar, salt, flour, oil, cotton and woollen goods, cotton yarn, matches, metals, earthenware, amber, ivory, sandalwood, betel, vegetables, granite, &c., &c. There is 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 steam communication. The P. & O. S. N. Co. and the M. M. Co. convey the European mail weekly, the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co. maintain a regular fortnightly mail service between Bremen and Hongkong, the P. M. S. S. Co., O. & O. S. S. Co. and the Toyo Kisen Kaisha 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 established by the Northern Pacific S. S. Co. to Tacoma, and Oregon, Portland; the Eastern and Australian S. S. Co. and the China Navigation Co. keep
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