Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 1092

HONGKONG

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of the disturbances which occurred on the taking over of the leased area, the Home Government determined to mark their sense of the duplicity of the Chinese in a suitable manner and orders were accordingly issued to the military authorities to seize Kowloon walled city and Shamchun. This was done on the 16th May, 1899, no opposition being encountered at either place. The Hongkong Volunteer Corps took part in the expedition to Kowloon City. Shamchun, the other place seized, is an important town on the river of the same name just beyond the boundary originally agreed upon. It was, however, restored to the Chinese authorities in November, 1899. The New Territory under British jurisdiction is being rapidly developed by the construction of roads; one of these, recently opened, runs from Kowloon to Castle Peak, affording magnificent sea-scapes to the motorist, who can return by way of Fan Ling and Taipo, the total distance being about sixty miles. Police stations have been established, and a system of adininistration by means of village communities organised. The headquarters of the administration are at Taipohu. The railway from Kowloon to Canton, which passes through the New Territory to Shamchun, has already done much to develop it. The Hongkong Golf Club acquired an area of 55.62 acres in the valley stretching West from Fanling and have converted it into a Golf Course of 18 holes, with two relief Courses of 9 holes each, the whole promising to be the best in the East. This neighbourhood and Taipo are coming into favour with Europeans for residential purposes by reason of the picturesque scenery. The principal islands and their populations are as follows:- Lantao, 5,844; Cheung Chau, 5,035; Lamma, 1,256. These figures do not include the floating population. The islands to the west of Hongkong contain 1,925; those to the east, 1,169. The Chinese population of the New Territories is 92,619.

Of the islands and islets in the waters of the Colony (exclusive of the above acquisitions) the most important is Stonecutter's Island, formerly known as Wong Chune-chow, opposite to and about three-quarters of a mile from the north-western extremity of the Kowloon peninsula. The island is an irregular ridge about a mile in length, and a little over a quarter of a mile broad; the principal eminences are occupied by batteries and no one is allowed to land without a permit. The Quarantine Station also is located here. After the great typhoon of September, 1874, two or three thousand bodies of the victims found afloat were interred on Stonecutter's Island. Kellet's Island is a small rock near East Point, on which formerly stood a fort, now replaced by a small magazine. Green Island, at the western entrance of the harbour, has been planted with trees and now justifies its name all the year round. A lighthouse has been placed on its south-western extremity. One Tree Island is a tiny rock near the entrance to Aberdeen. Aplichau, a considerable island opposite Aberdeen, of which harbour it forms part, has a populous fishing village on its northern shore facing Aberdeen. Lantao and Lamma Islands were brought under British jurisdiction by the Kowloon Convention of 1898. The former has a considerably larger area thar Hongkong, but both this island and Lamma are very sparsely populated by agriculturists and fishermen. Cheung Chau is becoming popular as a summer resort for Europeans, numerous bungalows having been erected in the European reservation by missionaries and others.

POPULATION AND DEFENCES

A census taken in April, 1921, showed the total population of the Colony to be 625,166, but the Census Officer estimated that, for various reasons, the normal population was greater than that by 30,000. The smaller total, however, gave an increase of 168,427, or 36.87, on the figures for 1911-"the greatest relative increase ever recorded for the Colony." The bulk of the increase took place in the City of Victoria and Kowloon. On the Island of Hongkong there were 347,401; on the Kowloon peninsula 123,448; in the New Territories 83,163 (i.e. 66,114 in the Northern district and 17,049 in the Southern district); and afloat 71,154. Of the boat population, 38,570 were in Victoria harbour.

The non-Chinese population consisted of 32 nationalities, of which the following were the principal in point of numbers: British, 7,889 (4,706 males and 3,183 females); Portuguese, 2,057; Japanese, 1,585; United States of America, 470; Filipino, 232; French, 208; Dutch, 104; Danish, 36; Italian, 56; Spanish, 59; Russian, 36.

No fewer than twenty-one of the component parts of the British Empire were represented in the population. Of the British inhabitants, 2,024 (1,199 males and 825 females) were born in England, 575 (389 males and 186 females) in Scotland, 25 (16 males and 9 females) in Wales, 153 (104 males and 49 females) in Ireland, 2,759 (1,258 Portu- guese, 95 Japanese, and 154 others) in Hongkong, 1,480 in India 125 in Malaya, 153 (67