:
.412
HONGKONG
offices east of the 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 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 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 1902 was 21.70, as compared with 23.55 during the previous year and an average of 22 during the preceding five years. The death-rate among the British and Foreign races was 19.0, and among the Chinese
21.93.
Minimum
92.984 3 157 3 .311 30.444 30 444 28.876 29.089 29.575 29.757 28.762
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. kt. Nov. Dec. Year. Bar. Mean pressure ....30.159 30.132 30.055 29.058 29.863 29.764 29.738 29.755 29,824 £1.982 30.103 30.181 29.960 Maximum
,30,307 30.390 30,308 30.158 30.045 29,880 29-882 29.851 .29.686 29.421 29,552 29.576 29.447 29.284 28762_29,-88
59.7 57.7 83.2 09.0 76.6 80.7 81.6 81.0 8.4 76.2 69.2 624 71.6 64.1 61.7 66.4 74.5 81.2 85.2 86.2 86.0 85.8 80.7 74.3 67.5
76.1 56.0 54.5 58.9 66.7 73.5 77.4 78,0 77.3 76.6 72.5 65.3 68.3 67.9 79.2 79.0 82.1 88.6 91.5 93.6 04.0 92.9 94.0 93.8 85.6
81.9
94.0 32.0 40.3 45.9 55.0
61.1 69.2
721 71.6 65.0 60.8 60.6 40.7 82.0 8.1 7.2
7.7 7.8 8.2 8.7 8.7 8.3 9.0 9.2 8.2
83
83
83
83
65 5.980 13.159 16.496 14.210 13.482
1.302 5.875 01.70 20.496
Mean temperature
Mean maximum
64 87
0985 86,867
0.843 0.522 8.646 1.620 0.500 8.480
Mean minimum
Maximum
Minimum
Mean daily range
7.4
7.7
Mean humidity
74
79
Mean rain
1.545
2.091
84 2.901
85
77
8.833
71 5.794
Maximum in 24 hours
3.920
2.185
3.580
Mean max. in 24 hours 0.688 0.710
Maximum in 1 hour
Mean max. in 1 hour
Hours of rain
Wind direction
Wind velocity mean Maximum
14.4 15.0
46
Hours of sunshine
136.7
1.100 0.510 0.525 1.570 2420 0.188 0.249 0.484 1.018 65 94 87 88 .E15°N E14°N E8°N E2o N 186 14.9 53 49 46 77.7 79.5 110.7
6.210 20.495 12.630 13.480 2.256 4.844 4.438 3.973
6.555
6.855
10.190
8.257
2.951
2 743
8.400 2.550 3.480 2.140 1.400 1.360 1.333 1.187
94 96 79 78 57
44 26 34 838 E11°8 839°E 843°E 833°E E15′′N 21°N E29°N E27°N E34
13.5 12.5
11.2 9.6 12.2 E 14.7 13.8 12.7 13.8 42 48 108 66
85 49 63 108 152.1 155.4 107.6 197.2
214.5 196,2 180,7 1907.4
1.720
1.650
1.004
0.702
0.285 0.185 2,116
86 200.1
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 1902 the following tonnage entered and cleared :—
NATIONALITY
EXTERED
Vessels. Tona.
CLEARED Vessels. Tons.
NATIONALITY
KNTERND
CLEARED
American
96
187,721
Austrian
50
125,929
93 41
131,771 100,950
Belgian
2
2,416
British
Chinese
3,319 214
4,520,183
Chinese Junks.. 12,684
150,924 1,033,546
3,321
215 12,709
4,425,703 102,944
German Italian Japanese Norwegian Portuguese
1,184,202
23,428 838,262
Vessels. Tons. Vessels. Tons.
771 14 393
751 1,119,096
13
22,634
346
720,808
261 230,484
195
179,187
105
17,082
111
18,427
1,249,424
Russian
15
29,436
14
28,723
Danish
11
21,347
13
23,374
Sarawak
2
1,838
Dutch.
20
23,129
16
16,977
Swedish.
15
14,325
15
14,325
French
452 283,767
447
278,595
:
A total of 20,218 vessels of 8,734,308 tons entered, and 20,094 vessels of 8,595,817 tons -cleared with cargoes. There also entered in ballast 5,819 vessels, of 1,133,178 tons, and
cleared 6,215 vessels of 1,246,148 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 Taconia, 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
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