THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH SEPTEMBER, 1880.
693
pect to the harbour of refuge for Chinese junks, that also is a subject to which I have given a good al of attention from the moment I arrived in the Colony. I ascertained on my arrival that four or ive thousand of the Chinese were drowned in their boats in the typhoon of 1874, and I also found, on
alling for the papers, that the leading Chinese gentlemen had memorialised the government for some-
year
hing to be done in the way of a breakwater. However, for some years nothing was done, and accord- ugly in 1877 I referred the matter to a committee of local gentlemen. That committee made a report, and upon
that report I have acted. Her Majesty's Government, in accordance with the request I made them, have allowed me to expend $40,000 upon that work, to be taken from the Special Fund. Now, my honourable friend having touched on these two points which are in the Estimates, also dealt with certain omissions. He called attention to the omission with respect to fire tanks, the water apply and the Central School. I told the Council at the last meeting, or the mecting before last, that our xpenditure for 1879, though returned, as audited by Mr. MARSH in April this year, at a sum of 3926,000, was in fact much larger, and I said that I would lay before the Council the actual expend- fare of the Colony during that period, inasmuch as Mr. MARSH had omitted from his statement all xpenditure on the Praya wall. Now, we laid out, I find, on the Praya wall $152,816 in the 1879. The total expenditure of the public works department in the year 1879 amounted to $272,922. In the history of this Colony that is the largest sum that in one year was ever expended by any Sur- revor General. The total expenditure of the Colony was $1,079,000. I have mentioned these practical acts, because they bring me to the general statement why it is that we did not make the breakwater, he Observatory building, the Central School building, the separate system prison-why all theze things were not done in 1879. Now, it may be said that the Governor, with a full knowledge of the act that the Surveyor General was expending the largest sum that any Surveyor General ever before spent in this Colony, could hardly press the Surveyor General to take any of these works. Well, I think a good deal may be said to the effect that having in hand that large work, the repair of the Praya Wall, the Surveyor General was really incapacitated from doing any of these other works. However, I had carefully considered the question, and it did occur to me that it was possible, inasmuch as the cheme for the Praya works had been sent to London to a first-rate consulting engineer, that all the Plan's and Estimates had been considered and returned, and inasmuch as four European overseers had ome out for that work, and as the work was going on-I say it did occur to me that early in 1879 the Central School Plans and Estimates, and the Plans and Estimates of a gaol on the scparate system might be undertaken by the Surveyor General. I know there is some little misapprehension in the Colony on this subject, and therefore I will read to you a few extracts from the official records bearing.
D this question. I find a minute of mine to this effect:-
"GOVERNMENT HOUSE, Hongkong, 28th March, 1879.
Having placed in Mr. STEWART's hands the despatch of Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, No. 15 of the 6th of February, 1879, he has read the decision of the Secretary of State on the various points respecting Education in Hongkong raised in my despatches and Mr. STEWART's reports upon them.
"2.--Having thus before him the views of the Secretary of State on the resolutions of the "Education Conference, and on the question of raising the fees at the Central School, he will be able to let the Surveyor General know the probable number of pupils the new School should be built to "accommodate, and thereupon, Mr. PRICE can, at once, prepare the final Plans and Estimates for
approval.
3.
As to the future fees payable at the Central School, the Secretary of State thinks it might -be sufficient to commence by raising the fifty cents fee to a dollar; but if Mr. STEWART should be of opinion that this increase is too much to begin with, I shall sanction (subject to the Secretary of State's approval) any other arrangement Mr. STEWART might prefer, so as not to materially diminish the number of his pupils.
"4.--Any other modification in the future arrangement of the School that Mr. STEWART might desire shall also receive my most favourable consideration, as I believe the success of the School will mainly depend on leaving so able and experienced a Head Master as unfettered as possible in the arrangements and management of the institution.
"J. PorE HENNESSY."
On the 29th Aprill, 1879, that is, the following month, a letter was received by Mr. MARSI, the Folonial Secretary, from Mr. PRICE, in which he says--
"SIR,I have the honour to hand you herewith copies of letters between Mr. STEWART and myself on the subject of the proposed new Central School."
"2.--As I have understood accommodation would only be required for 500 scholars, and as Mr. STEWART's suggestion of 700 is considerably in excess of this estimate, I would be obliged by your informing me, before I proceed to prepare the design, whether the larger figure has the Governor's - approval
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