726255-1855-NOTICE — Page 1

The Hongkong Government Gazette.

PROCLAMATION.

JOHN BOWRING.

By His Excellency Sir JOHN BOWRING, Knight, LL.D., wernor and Commander in-Chief of the Colony of Hongkong and its Dependencies, and Vice-Admiral of the me, Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and Chief Superin

dent of the Trade of British Subjects in China. Whereas the Commands of Her Most Gracious Ma- THE QUEEN, Conveyed through The Right Honorable John Russell, M.P., Principal Secretary of State the Colonies, have been received, approving of and firming the two following Ordinances; namely Ordinance No. 2 of 1855, entitled "An Ordinance to provide for and regulate Process in Actions at Law against Persons absent from the Colony;"

I made the south point of the entrance to the port to be in lat. 23o 5′ 59′′ N., long. 120o 5′ E., var. 0° 33′ W., high water, full and change, 11h, 30m., rise of tide at springs about three feet, but very irregular.

This port is the outlet of several small shallow streams which here-- unite and form a channel through the mass of sandbanks fronting the coast. This channel or port runs N.E. and S. W., and, taking the three fathom line as its boundary inside, is three quarters of a mile long and only two cables broad, with 44 fathoms in the middle ;; it is, therefore, necessary to moor N.W. and S.E. The bar has. twelve feet at low water springs. The deepest part is generally marked by the natives with bamboos; but, as the channel is both difficult of access for vessels of twelve or thirteen feet, at high water.. wide and straight and the bottom remarkably even, it is by no means The Saracen sailed in with a draught of 13 ft. 2 in., but then the sea was remarkably smooth, and I think that generally vessels. drawing over thirteen feet should not attempt to enter, particularly with any swell on. The tide from the bar inside sets fairly through the channel-its greatest strength about a knot. Outside the bar, the flood sets to the northward, along the coast, the ebb to the southward; its strength varies in different positions, running with. much greater velocity off the West sand bar or the edge of the deep water than in the shoal water bight off Taï-wan, where it is occa

And Ordinance No. 3 of 1855, entitled "An Ordinance *to remove Doubts as to the Legality of the Jury List to be in force from the First Day of March, 1855, and for enabling the Sheriff to render Names with greater accu-sionally variable in strength and direction. racy in future Lists :"

Now, therefore, it is hereby declared, that the said two dinances have been so approved and confirmed as foresaid.

By His Excellency's Command,

W. T. MERCER,

Colonial Secretary. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

Given at Victoria, Hongkong,

this 29th Day of August, 1855.

NOTIFICATION.

Diplomatic Department.

The following information has been printed by the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty, and is now Slished by direction of His Excellency the Chief Su- rintendent of Trade in China, for the information of rsons visiting the coast of Formoza. Qiwan.

HYDROGRAPHIC NOTICE. [No. 6.] CHINA.

Formoze

HARBOURS OF KOK-SI-KON AND TAKKU-KON, AT THE SOUTH-WEST End of taï-wan, or formoza.

Mr JOHN RICHARDS, Master Commanding H. M. Surveying

Vessel Saracen,”

Fresh water is procured from the town of Tai-wan-fu, and if a vessel should only require this article, she will do better by anchor- ing at once off the town, about three quarters of a mile from the shore; where, in 5 fathoms, with the old Dutch fort bearing N.E., she will find capital anchorage and good shelter, from December to March. During the rest of the year the chances of S.W. winds would render this position unsafe, and vessels should of course anchor farther out.

At the distance of a mile and three quarters N.W. of the old Dutch fort of Zelandia there is a large clump of trees on the outer sand bar.

The ruins of the fort are about two-thirds of a mile inside the sand, about sixty feet above the sea level, and the only conspicuous landmark in this neighbourhood; they can be seen eight or nine- miles from a ship's deck. The principal town of the island of Taï- wan-fu, Formosa, lies two miles S.E. from the Dutch fort, and large junks. trading to the place in the N.E. monsoon generally anchor off the fort and send their cargoes by this route to the city.

Here the mainland of Formoza approaches within a mile of the sand bars fronting the coast, and, although it is generally marshy and flat, it is cultivated with rice, &c. The sand bars are also oc- casionally clothed with bushes and grass, and are densely populated by fishermen, who appear to be well fed and clothed and a happy and contented people. These fishermen pursue their vocation gene-. rally in divisions under the direction of particular Chiefs, and their rafts hauled upon the beach, placed in tiers on their sides, form a feature in the appearance of the coast. Whenever we landed, we were treated with the greatest civility and deference, and our survey, ing marks although sometimes made of an article most tempting to them (white calico) were never in one case interfered with.

There is no remarkable feature in the coast until you are within eight miles of Ape Hill, whère commence some low mud cliffs, and there is also a small piece of table land about a mile inland. The coast between the old Dutch fort and Ape Hill is nearly à straight

in the present dearth of information relating to the S.W. coast of Taï-line of beach, pierced by four small streams, navigable only for boats,

or Ilha Formoza of the Portugueże, the following notes on the Har of Kok-si-kon and Takau-kon, and some other well-determined ons, by Mr John Richards, commanding H.M.S. Saracen, will be able to seamen. It will be seen that the longitudes bring the coast ten miles farther west than laid down in the Admiralty chart, taken alrymple from a Dutch original.]

Fch 24th 1855.—The wind failing at sunset, I anchored for the At daylight next morning I dispatched an officer with the rpreter to obtain information, and from the report on his return zbarked a fisherman as pilot and entered the small harbour of

-kon.

*

re we found sixteen sail of large junks, and as they occupied best part of the anchorage, we had to put up with an outs.

and imperfect shelter.

this part of Formoza is fronted by sandbanks elevated only or three feet above high water. They run in lines, generally el to the coast, from two cables to half a mile broad, and are red at every mile or so by narrow channels, depths varying from feet and under. There is no vegetation in sight from the tern sand bar the mainland of Formoza can only be seen in very weather from it, and the whole intermediate space seems to be tricate mass of sand and mud banks and shallows, with occa- l patches of sedge. These sandbanks are occupied by a few Esherioen, whose miserable huts and bamboo rafts are the only ring features of this dreary scene.

Pet Kok-si-kon can only be distinguished by a stranger by three clumps of huts than can be found on any of the outer sand- and by the number of large junks generally at anchor inside. Are Hill, to the southward, and the South Ponghu, or Pescadores to the westward, will be found useful marks to run in for the Esi-kon bears N. 21 W. thirty miles from Ape Hill, and 15. twenty-six miles from the South Pescadores [East ?]. * Dutch fort of Zelandia, built in 1634, is just in sight from

chorage; from which it bears S. 12 E. seven miles and a half, i

Ape Hill, called by the natives Ta-kau, bears S. 14o E. 22) miles from the Dutch fort. It appears like a truncated cone, on a North and South bearing. It is 1,035 feet high, sloping towards the land side, and appearing at a distance like an island. Its apex I made in lat. 22° 38′ 3′′ N., long. 120° 16' 30" E. Four miles and a half N.E. of Ape Hill is another remarkable hill, which, from its resemblance to a huge whale sleeping on the water, I named "Whaleback." Then, N.N.E., twelve miles, there is a small triangular shaped hill and a large detached piece of table land, resembling a quoin on a North and South bearing. These are the only landmarks on this part of the coast (which is all very low), and of these Ape Hill is. the most useful, as standing out on the coast line. It is frequently seen distinctly when all the others are shrouded in mist.

This hill is one vast block of coral, and, although resembling the crater of a volcano in the peculiar form of its apex, I could not dis-- cover any traces of volcanic action. From its summit to the south- ward it descends in a gradual though somewhat rugged slope, and. terminates in a huge nearly level block of a mole-like appearance, which, jutting through the beach to seaward for about 300 yards, forms a sheltered anchorage for small vessels in the strength of the N.E. monsoon. This mole is separated from Ape Hill by a deep chasm fifty fathoms wide, and within this is the little harbour of Ta-kou-kon.

The S. W. part of the mole (a steep cliff) I named Saracen Head. It bears S.S.E. thirty-four miles from West Point, and thirty-two miles from Gull Point, on the same line of bearings. It is in lat 22" 36′ 15′′ N., long, 120° 16′ 41′′ E., var. 0° 34′ W.

The inlet of Ta-kau-kon has a narrow bar, of eleven feet depth at low water, extending from the South side of the entrance, curving to the NW. and N.N.W, in the direction of Ape Hill; but directly this is passed, the water deepens to four, six, and nine fathoms just. within the port.

The entrance, though narrow, is steep to and perfectly safe of approach, but unfortunately the anchorage within is so very con