393
There has also been a partial widening of Queen's Road, carried out from 1899 onwards, but the contour is little changed.
It might be added that the name for the road was not adopted until 1842. In a Government notification dated March 22, 1842, the Governor, Sir Henry Pottinger, announced the forthcoming appointment of a Land Committee who were to investigate claims along the road, the only one of any pretensions in the Colony at the time, mark off boundaries, and to fix the direction and breadth of the highway, then for the first time officially referred to as Queen's Road.
That the Canton Bazaar remained for some years longer is proved by old maps and plans preserved in the Land Office and elsewhere, one of these, dated 1873, having been reproduced in connexion with these articles (see 25-9-33). The old bazaar is still shown therein.
The sixth of the series of old Hongkong pictures in possession of the Government is reproduced to-day. It is another of Mr. Bruce's excellent drawings which were lithographed in London: it is now definitely ascertained that the artist was Mr. H. Bruce, an architect by profession who was appointed Inspector of Buildings in the first Civil Service of the Colony under Sir Henry Pottinger, the first actual Governor, in the year 1843. From a pencilled note on the picture it is learned that the artist had been in India before coming to join the Hongkong Government service, and was a Highlander, well educated and a good performer on the bagpipes. He made quite a number of drawings of scenes and premises in the Colony during the year 1846, which were later published at Home, and these fortunately remain to give us a faithful view of Hongkong in the first few years of its existence.
The picture given to-day shows the residence of the Lieutenant Governor, the Hon. Major-General G.C. D'Aguilar, after whom D'Aguilar Street and Cape D'Aguilar are called. It is worthy of note that the Colony had, at that time, a Lieutenant-Governor in addition to the civil Governor of Hongkong. This subsidiary post was later abolished, as within a few years it was found cumbersome: a relic, in fact, of the practice introduced by "John Company" in the so-called Indian Dependencies, such as the Straits Settlements.
What is of chief interest is the identification of this old building - it stands to-day, being none other than Flagstaff House (until recently known as Headquarter House) the residence of the General Officer Commanding the Troops. The dwelling has been used thus since its erection about 1844-5, and is therefore one of the oldest in the Colony, and certainly of great historical interest. It was erected owing to strong protests by the Lieutenant-Governor when he first came here and found no provision for his accommodation.
Incidentally Major-General D'Aguilar, C.B., was appointed to command the land forces in China, in addition to being Lieutenant-Governor of Hongkong, in 1843, and arrived here in December that year, being commissioned Lieutenant-Governor
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There has also been a partial widening of Queen' Road, carried out from 1899 onwards, but the contour. is little changed.
S
It might be added that the name for the road was not adopted until 1842. In a Government notification dated March 22, 1842, the Governor, Sir Henry Pottinger, announced the forthcoming appointment of a Land Committee who were to investigage claims along the road, the only one of any pretensions in the Colony at the time, mark off boundaries, and to fix the direction and breadth of the highway, then for the first time officially referred to as Queen's Road.
to
That the Canton Bazaar remained for some years longer · is proved by old maps and plans preserved in the Land Office and elsewhere, one of these, dated 1873, having been reproduced in connexion with these articles (see 25-9-33.) The old bazaar is still shown therein.
The sixth of the series of old. Hongkong pictures in possession of the Government is reproduced to-day. It is another of Mr. Bruce's excellent drawings which were lithographed in London: it is now definitely ascertained that the artist was Mr. H. Bruce, an architect by profession who was appointed Inspector of Buildings in the first Civil Service of the Colony under Sir Henry Pottinger, the first actual Governor, in the year 1843. From a pencilled note on the picture it is learned that the artist had been in India before coming to join the Hongkong Goverment service, and was a Highlander, well educated and a good performer on the bagpipes. He made quite a number of drawings of scenes and premises in the Colony during the year 1846, which were later published at Home, and these fortunately remain to give us a faithful view of Hongkong in the first few years of its ex- istence.
The picture given to-day shows the residence of the Lieutenant Governor, the Hon. Major-General G.C. D'Aguilar, after whom D'Aguilar Street and Cape D'Aguilar are called. It is worthy of note that the Colony had, at that time, a Lieutenant-Governor in addition to the civil Governor
of Hongkong • This subsidiary post was later abolished, as within a few years it was found cumbersome: a relic, in fact, of the practice introduced by "John Company" in the so-called Indian Dependencies, such as the Straits Settlements.
What is of chief interest is the identification of this old building - it stands to-day, being none other than Flagstaff House (until recently known as Headquarter House) the residence of the General Officer Commanding the Troops. The dwelling has been used thus since its erection about 1844-5, and is therefore one of the oldest in the Colony, and certainly of great historical interest. it was erected owing to strong protests by the Lieutenant- Governor when he first came here and found no provision for his accommodation.
Incidentally
Major-General D'Aguilar, C.B., was appointed to command the land forces in China, in addition to being Lieutenant-Governor of Hongkong, in 1843, and arrived here in Decembx r that year, being commissioned Lieutenant-Governor
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