NAVAL YARD
(Contd.)
719
rigged, equipped with an auxiliary steam engine which gave her a speed of about 12 knots having a tonnage of some 4,650. She paid her first visit to Hong Kong in 1878 and again in 1886, finally returning in June 1895, since when she has been acting as Receiving Ship of His Majesty's Naval Establishment in the Colony. During the winter the Commodore has his residence in the Tamar, which has been moored alongside the west wall of the Naval Yard basin since 1913, with occasional "moves" for docking.
*
The old bell shown here was a Chinese temple bell, as its inscription denotes. The four large characters are a wish for good weather "gentle wind, abundant rainfall". The history of this relic, however, is unknown: probably it was acquired in one of the campaigns in the China Wars.
The sundial is of much interest showing the close Anglo-American naval co-operation, previously commented upon. It marks the spot where a United States warship in 1881 took a carefully checked reading of the Royal Naval Yard position. The inscription on the marble slab reads: "Observing Station U.S.S. Palos. 1881. Lat. 22° 16' 58".19 N. Long. 114° 09' 42".75 E."
$
The early history of the Naval Yard at Hong Kong was given yesterday, in which reference was made to the Government's project in the Eighties for a Praya reclamation seaward of Naval property. It would be as well to quote fairly fully in this connexion. The following correspondence explains the scheme:
Government House, Hong Kong,
June 25, 1883.
"To the Secretary of the Commodore"
"Sir,
As you are already aware, there has at different periods been much official correspondence respecting the junction of the eastern and western Prayas (or quays) of the city by an embankment and roadway. The two main portals of the city are now separated from each other in a most inconvenient way by the naval and military buildings and 'it has long been considered of great importance to re-unite them by an embankment in front of these buildings. It appears by a letter from the Colonial Office to the War Office, June 29, 1877, that at that period the War and Colonial Departments had agreed on the importance of this work and that it was desired that "some arrangement might be arrived at by which the work might be carried out by the three departments." (That is by the War Office, the Colonial Office and the Admiralty.).
This
"Nothing practical, however, has hitherto been done. question has now been raised by Mr. Chadwick (the engineer sent out from England to report on the sanitary condition of Hong Kong) who strongly recommends the execution of this work on sanitary grounds."
*
*
The letter continues to quote from Mr. Chadwick's report in which he urged the reclaiming of the foreshore opposite the naval and military property (the present Naval Yard.) In the course of his report H. Chadwick states:
"It is probable that the additions which the public would obtain by the completion of the Praya past the War Department property would be sufficient to justify the Colonial Government in incurring a very considerable proportion of the expenses of this work."
!
NAVAL YARD
(Contd.)
719
rigged, equipped with an auxiliary steam engine which gave her a speed of about 12 knots having a tonnage of some 4,650. She paid her first gisit to Hong Kong in 1878 and again in 1886, finally returning in June 1895, since when she has been acting as Receibing Ship of His Magesty's Naval Establishment in the Colony. During the winter the Commodore has his residence in the Tamar, which has been moored alongside the west wall of the Naval Yard basin since 1913, with occasional "moves" for docking.
*
The old bell shown here was a Chinese temple bell, as its inscription denotes. The four large characters are a wish for good weather "gentle wind, abundent rainfall". The history of this relic, however, is unknown: probably it was acquired in one of the campaigns in the China Wars.
The sundial is of much interest showing the close Anglo- American naval co-operation, previously commented upon. It marks the spot where a United States warship in 1881 took a carefully checked reading of the Royal Naval Yard position. The inscription on the marble slab reads: "Observing Station U.S.8. Palos. 1881. Lat. 22° 16'-58" 19 N.. Long. 11409′-42" 75 E."
$
The early history of the Naval Yard at Hong Kong was given yesterday, in which reference was made to the Government' project in the Eighties for a Praya reclamation seaward of Naval property. It would be as well to quote fairly fully in this connexion. The following correspondence explains the scheme:
Government House, Hong Kong,
June 25, 1883.
"To the Secretary of the Commodore"
"Sir,
-
As you are already aware, there has at different periods been much official correspondence respecting the junction of the eastern and western Prayas (or quays) of the city by an embankment and readway. The two main portals of the city are now separated from each other in a most inconvenient way by the naval and military buildings and 'it has long been considered of great importance to re-unite them by an embankment in front of these buildings. It appears by a letter from the Colonial Office to the War Office, June 29, 1877, that at that period the War and Colonial Departments had agreed on the importance of this work and that it was desired that "some arrangement might be arrived at by which the work might be carried out by the three departments." (That is by the War Office, the Colonial Office and the Admiralty.).
This
"Nothing practical, however, has hitherto been done. question has now been raised by Mr. Chadwick (the egineer sent out from England to report on the sanitary condition of Hong Kong) who strongly recommends the execution of this work on sanitary grounds."
*
*
The letter continues to qute from Mr. Chadwick's report in which he urged the reclaiming of the foreshore opposite the naval and military property (the present Naval Yard.) In the course of his report H. Chadwick states:
"It is probale that the additions which the public would obtain by the competion of the Praya past the War Department property would be sufficient to justify the Colonial Government in incurring a very considerable proportion of the expenses of this work."
!
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