962
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 20TH OCTOBER, 1888.
Inspector-General of the Chinese Imperial Customs, who has thus found the means of further- ing the interest of British trade while at the same time loyally conforming to the natural
very and intelligible prejudices of the Chinese Government.
And while recognizing the means by which this benefit has been obtained, the Governor desires also to express his regret that any words used, or reported to have been used, by him in Council in connection with this question should have been considered as reflecting upon His Excellency Sir JOHN WALSHAM, Her Majesty's Minister at Pekin.
Nothing in the knowledge of the Governor has furnished any ground for such reflection; on the contrary he considers that Sir JOHN WALSHAM deserves the thanks of the Colony for taking the only course which was at all likely to achieve success, and for thus bringing to a satisfactory termination, a question which has been the subject of much futile correspondence with his predecessors.
In connection with this Gap Rock arrangement, the Governor had hoped to be able to secure another improvement in the lighting of the approaches to Hongkong by the removal to Waglan Island of the Light-house now at Cape D'Aguilar. But, though his efforts in this direction have so far proved unsuccessful, he does not propose to relinquish them, if such course be approved by the Council.
The erection of a Light-house at Waglan would be far less difficult than at Gap Rock; and it is possible therefore that the Chinese Government might be more easily induced to undertake the work with its own staff, if a sufficient subsidy were promised by this Colony.
But pending any such negotiation, the issue of which would of course be uncertain, the Governor considers that there should be no delay of the work at the Gap Rock, if the arrange- ment respecting it should meet with the approval of the Council, and receive the sanction of the Secretary of State.
For this reason the proposal recently made (with a view to save time in construction) for placing a flashing Light at Waglan and a fixed Light at the Gap, will require to be abandoned; and it is deemed to be on the whole expedient to revert to the original plan of a flashing Light at the Gap. Placed at the same height there seems to be no doubt that a flashing Light would be much more useful than a fixed Light; and apparently Sir ROBERT HART, whose experience on the subject is entitled to very great weight, is of opinion that the greater height required for the former is a disadvantage which would not be sufficient to out- weigh this superiority.
The two Light-houses, if we should succeed in obtaining both, would thus be more costly than would have been the case if the Governor's proposal to include them in the same arrangement had met with success; but considering that there now annually enter the Port of Victoria vessels with an aggregate measurement of nearly six millions and a half of tons (a tonnage it may be remarked which according to the published returns is larger than that of the Ports of all the British Possessions on the Continent of America and larger also than that of the total of the three leading Colonies of Australia) and considering that the Southern is, if anything, the more important of the two approaches to the Island, it may be taken as certain that no expense which is at all likely to be incurred can be otherwise than very in- considerable by comparison with the advantage gained in the saving of time alone, and without reference to the losses of vessels directly attributable to the absence of Lights.
The cost which would have been saved to the shipping trade, if a Light at the Gap Rock had been provided at the time when the subject was first mooted would now amount to a sum which could probably be only expressed in hundreds of thousands of Pounds; and the Governor trusts therefore he has reason in congratulating the Council and the Colony that a want of such very great importance is at length to be supplied.
By Command,
FREDERICK STEWART, Colonial Secretary.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
Hongkong, 27th August, 1888.
VOTES REFERRED TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.-Read the following Minutes by His Excellency the Governor :-
C.9.0. $15 of 1888.
G. WILLIAM DES VEUX.
(1.)
The Governor recommends the Council to vote the sum of Thirteen thousand Dollars for $15,000. the drainage of the Wongnaichung Valley.
out.
The advantages to be found by this proposed work are too well known to require pointing
• Government House, Hongkong, 18th June, 1888.
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