681595-1881-Legislative-Council — Page 3

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH JUNE, 1881.

五時有耶數强 十有

the American population, and in the French pop-

ulation, but in each case there is an increase in

the number of women and children. This fact, I say, is of interest, because the tropical Colony

where European children flourish cannot be very

unhealthy. The vitality of a foreign child is a delicate test of climate, and I believe we can point to this particular item in the census returns

as affording some indication that Hongkong is growing more healthy. And now, proceeding to the question of the 20,000 additional Chinese,

we have to consider this:-Has the increase in the various mercantile occupations of the Chinese

been such as to justify the remarkable transfer of landed property I have referred to? The census

returns furnish us with an opportunity of testing how far in the harbour of Victoria itself the means we have of commercial movement-that is, the transference of goods from stemer to steamer, from steamer to shore, and vice versa-how far that has been facilitated since the year 1876. From the returns, I find that that movement is conducted by steam launches, cargo boats, and sampans. The steam launches have increased from 8 in 1876 to 37 in 1881, the cargo boats from 494 to 656, and the sampans from 1,357 to 2,088. So far for the machinery that we have in our harbour for conducting the commercial move- ment of the Colony; it has substantially increas ed. The returns I am laying before you are identical in form with the returns prepared in the time of Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, and probably his predecessors, and amongst these returns there is one which answers the question I have been ask- ing, and that is a return of the occupations of the Chinese adult male inhabitants of the Colony. On analysing that return, I find that the follow- ing are the changes that have taken place since the last census with respect to Chinese merchants and other Chinese directly concerned in the trade and commerce of the Colony.

The Chinese Trading hongs, that is, the Nam-pak hongs and other wealthy merchants

who now send the manufactures of England into China, have increased from 215 to 395. Chinese traders have increased from 287 to 2,377; Chinese brokers, from 142 to 455. Taking the Chinese

engaged in dealing in money; the Shroffs have

increased from 40 to 208; the Teachers of shroffing

have increased from 9.to 14; the Bullion dealers, who do not appear in any former census, are now returned at 34; the Money Changers, 111 in 1876, still remain at 111, but in 1876 there were no Chinese Bankers returned, and now we have in this census 55 Chinese Bankers. The piece- goods dealers have increased from 78 in 1876 to 109, and cotton and yarn dealers from 38 to 58. This is of interest, not merely to Manchester, Bradford or Leeds: these Chinese merchants of Hongkong are now facilitating an Indian trade with China, healthier, and with a safer future, than the trade in that drug which a few years ago was the only considerable commercial link between British India and China. Since 1877, the quantity of Bombay yarn received in Hong- kong has steadily risen from 21,000 bales to

417

在至

手藝貿易之事增減若何已可就一斑而觀全豹也 語卽詳察華人大丁業藝一款則由前次會計戶口册迄今所有華商及一切關涉本港華人 較堅制軍與歷任總督香港者所用格式無或少異格式中有一款可用以荅本部堂所問一 五十七隻有二千零八十八隻可知海面用以運貨之法實有加無已也現用戶口册各式 時有八隻現有三十七隻盤艇前有四百九十四隻現有六百五十六隻舢板前有一千三百

有增減了然册籍所載小火船盤艇舢板之數以驗渾貨之法則小火船一千八百七十六年 數多至二萬有餘可問華人貿易場中有無增益而買賣地段若是之多愈足釋明其故矣然 强壯衰弱足徵之也故本部堂在册籍内據此一事而言敢謂香江水土漸較和平至華人之 在彼之歐洲小子生齒日繁則不得謂彼水土之壞人身蓋水土之若何於小子之有無精神 耶否耶覽此册籍可查本港海面運貨之法卽如過懾起岸落船較諸一千八百七十六年所 錢銀一千八 至花旗大法男丁畧減惟婦稚則亦增多耳本部堂以爲此事乃最要者因藩屬所有熱蠟倘 華

年俗望貿三八百生華亦錢人十百十物華 載稱將易城間零理人如銀前現五七五人人 來孟來較有矣九銀之者已人十間中貿 花買更諸關此一號但一册二七矣土易 紗運為數涉事做千現一千籍百至而行 二來穩年且最花八則千八未零於華華亦口 萬香固前香爲紗百己八百嘗八華人人見如 -港計只港緊生七百七錄人人經客增南 千之自鴉要理十開七十有使商益北 包花一片商因者六銀十六金教用前前前行 紗千一所不前年號六年舖習銀只只只 遞八宗有第只時者年時現銀圓-二二類 年百生使與三只五時已已師僱百百百及 增七意印英十有十會有錄前用四八一大 益十者度國八七五一有只收十十十商 一七現與製間十人戶百三九銀二七五巨 千年在中造現八矣口一十人之名間間賈 八起更國則現至册十四現人現現現 百由通頭已則於未一間已前已已已運 七興商 有已做嘗現至十只四二三英 十啤盛-彩五有疋計在找四百千百國 七郎且切之十一頭及數換人十五三九貨