HONGKONG
CLIMATE
385
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 believed to have been 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 Deapartment 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:-
Jan Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year.
Bar. Mean pressure Maximum
Mean temperature
30.169 30.132 30.055 29.958 29.363 20.764 29,738 29.755 2»,824 29.082 30.103 30.131 29.959 .30.367 30.390 30.303 30.158 30.045 29.881 20-382–20.851 92.984 3.157 3.311 3,444 30.444 29,686 29.421 20,552 29.576 29.447 29.284 28 762 29.-88 28.876 20.089 29.575 29.757 23,702
59.7 67.7 62.2 64.1 61.7 66.4 56.0 54.5 58.9
Minimuni
69.9 76.6
80.7 81.6
81.0
3.4 76.2 69.2 62.4 71.5
Mean maximum
74.5 81.2
85.2 $6.2
86.0
85.3 80.7
74.3 07.5 76.1
Mean minimum
66.7
73.5
77.4
78.0
77.3
76.6
72.5
65.3
53.8 67.9
Maximuur
79.2 79.0 82.1
88.6
91.5
93.8
94.0
92 9
94.0
08.8
85.6
81.9 94.0
Minimum
32.0
40.3 45.9
55.0
61.1
69.2
721
71 6
05.6
60.8
50.6 4.7
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 hudmiity
74
70
84
85
83
83
83
83
77
71
65
01
78
Menn rain
1.545
2.091
2.991
5.980. 13.150 10.496 14.210 13.482
8.833
5.791
1.302
0 995 80.807
Maximum in 24 hours
3.920
2185
3.580
5.210 20.495 12630 13.480
6.555
6.855
10.190
5 875
Mean max. in 24 hours
0 688
0.710
1.160
2.256 4.844 4.438
3.973
3.257
2.951
2 743
0.843
Maximum in 1 hour
0.510
0 525
1.570
2420 3.400
2.550
3 480
2140
1 720
1.050
1.7 2.495
0.522 8846
1.620 0 500 3.480
Mean max in 1 hour
0.188
0.249
Hours of rain
65
94
Wind direction
‚E16°N E14°N £8oN
Wind velocity mean Maximum
Hours of sunshine
1.018 88 E2oN 14.4 15.0 185 14.9
40 53 49
40 136.7 77.7 79.5 110.7
0.484
1.400
1.369
1.033
1.197
1.004
0.702
87
94 90 79 E11°S £39°E £43oE
13.5 12.5 11,2
42
48 108 152.1 155.4 197.6
73
57
44
0.285 26
0.165 34
2.116
838
S‰oE E15′′N E21oN E29oN E27oN_E3°S 0.6 12.2 14.7 13.8 12.7 13.4 06 89 85 49 63 108 197.2 200.1 214.5 196,2 189,7 1907.4
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 1900 the following tonnage entered and cleared :---
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
Vessels. Tong.
CLEARED Vessels. Tons.
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
CLEARED
Vessels. Tons.
Vessels. Tons.
American
Austrian
80 41
126,262 102,727
81
128,834
German
650
959,173
660
958,571
43
102,727
Italian
14
20,502
13
19,782
Belgina
British
Chinese
8,784 104
5,963 4,589,610
4
5.963
Japanese
315
649,603
310
649,027
3,747
130,965
Chinese Junks.. 17,732
1,604,632
169 17,693
4,566,588 138,507 1,620,224
Norwegian
111
123,374
1.9
120,181
Russian
12
24,799
12
24,799
Danish
10
18,684
9
18.320
Portuguese Swedish
34
5,866
39
6,856
5,934
5,934
Dutch..
13
French
22,846 235 230,291
13
22,840
236
2:1,030
A total of 16,935 vessels of 7,681,819 tons entered, and 17,458 vessels of 7,571,790 tons cleared with cargoes. There also entered in ballast 6,270 vessels, of 944,795 tons, and cleared 5,702 vessels of 1,048,619 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, and the Portland and Asiatic S. N. Co. also run a line of steamers to Port- land; the Eastern and Australian S. S. Co. and the China Navigation Co. keep
13
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.