680677-1881-Despatches-respecting-Tree-planting-in-Hongkong- — Page 3

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 5TH FEBRUARY, 1881.

91

15. I take this opportunity of laying before Your Lordship some papers that I printed for the Legislative Council last year respecting the rival claims of Mr. PRICE and Mr. FORD to be Superintendent of the Gardens and Tree Planting Department. Your Lordship had duly appointed Mr. FORD to this office in 1871; and Governor Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL issued the necessary Minutes, under which the Government Gardens and the Planting of Trees were declared to be under the sole control of Mr. FORD, who was to render all accounts for his Department.

16. Subsequently, Mr. PRICE arrived in the Colony and induced Governor Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY to make the Gardens a sub-Department of the Surveyor General's Office. Mr. FORD was, however, left the sole control of the aboricultural Department. During Mr. FORD's absence in 1877, I trans- mitted to Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH a further proposal of Mr. PRICE to get rid altogether of Mr. FORD. Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH did not, however, approve of this suggestion of Mr. PRICE, and he transmitted to me for my guidance a memorandum of Sir JOSEPH HOOKER, recommending that I should recur to the original plan and encourage Mr. FORD to enlarge the scope of his activity. Accordingly, I replaced Mr. FORD in the position to which he had been originally appointed by Your Lordship, and in which he had been installed by Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL. This was unani- mously approved by the Legislative Council. It was felt to be a simple act of justice to Mr. FORD, and it has contributed more than anything else to the successful afforestation of the Island that is now proceeding, and to the present satisfactory state also of the Government Gardens.

17. The enclosed Report by Mr. FORD on the Gardens and Plantations, dated 15th April, 1880, shows how well this interesting Department is now conducted.

I have, &c.,

(Signed)

J. POPE HENNESSY.

The Right Honourable THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY,

Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,

&c.,

&C.,

&c.

No. 181.

Governor Sir JOHN POPE HENNESSY, K.C.M.G., TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY.

GOVERNMENT House, HONGKONG, 2nd November, 1880.

MY LORD,Adverting to my Despatch No. 116 of the 2nd of August, 1880, on the Tree Plant- ing, I have the honour to lay before Your Lordship a further brief Report from the Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens and Plantations, from which it appears that Mr. FORD calculates on planting 666 acres with 800,000 trees next year.

I have, &c.,

(Signed)

J. POPE HENNESSY.

The Right Honourable THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY,

Her Majesty's Pricipal Secretary of State for the Colonies,

&c.,

&c.,

&e.

(Copy).

No. 26.

TREE PLANTING, 1881.

THE SUPERINTENDENT BOTANIC GARDENS AND PLANTATIONS TO THE

ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY.

BOTANIC GARDENS,

26th October, 1880.

SIR,-Before commencing tree-planting operations for 1881, I beg to have the honour of submit- ting the appended scheme of the proposed localities, and number of trees to be planted, and seeds sown in situ in them, for the approval of His Excellency the Governor.

The increase in the tree-planting vote placed at my disposal for next year, will enable us to increase the annual number of trees planted by the large number of 600,000, which will cover an area of about 500 acres, giving a total for next year of about 300,000 trees, on about 666 acres of land planted.

I have, &c.,

(Signed)

CHARLES FORD,

Superintendent, Botanic Gardens and Plantations

The Honourable Dr. F. STEWART,

Acting Colonial Secretary.