GOVERNORS
Continuation
The next Governor was Sir Richard Graves Macdonnell, whose career has already been given fairly fully in this series of historical sketches (see 14-10-33). Sir Richard's regime lasted from March 1866 to April 1872. He was another well-liked and able administrator, even though in certain things - such as his advocacy of licensed gambling - he displeased certain sections of the Colony. But he instituted some of the outstanding reforms of the time, including the reorganisation of the Police force, and when he left here, was almost unanimously voted one of the ablest Governors the place had ever known. He raised the Colony to the status of a revenue-producing portion of the Empire, and departed in the knowledge that he made it a better place to live in. Hongkong's sole memorial to this great man is in the name of Macdonnell Road.
We come next to Sir Arthur Kennedy, who governed the Colony from April 1872 to March 1877. He was another of the well-liked Governors, and besides the commemoration in Kennedy Road and Kennedy Town, was honoured by the community with a statue, erected in the Botanic Gardens a few years after his death. Sir Arthur's term of office here has already been referred to, and mention made of his able administration, in a previous article (see 7-11-33). He died in 1883. Perhaps Sir Arthur Kennedy was so well liked because he did nothing really outstanding in the way of big reforms, and as one chronicler has it, "his memory was cherished by the Colonists who looked upon him as the Governor who ruled them always with their own consent."
There followed the administration of Sir John Pope Hennessy, lasting from April 1877 to March 1882.
It is interesting to note that until the naming of Hennessy Road, in the new Praya East reclamation, a few years ago, this Governor had not been given any form of memorial in the Colony. Arriving here as plain Mr. Hennessy, he met a critical and possibly somewhat aloof community, prepared to judge him in due course on his merits. He had been a Member of Parliament for King's County (he was, of course, Irish) from 1859 to 1865, and had later entered the Colonial service, going out to Labuan as Governor of that small Bornean territory in 1867, subsequently gaining further experience in the West African settlements, Bahamas, and Windward Islands. The subsidiary title of Lieutenant Governor of Hongkong still survived up to his time, and it was as such that he was provisionally appointed in 1877. He was knighted in April 1880.
Of Sir John's term little seems to call for special notice, except the formation of the department of the Government Marine Surveyor, in 1881. This was a much-needed sub-department of the Government service, and came into being under the Merchant Shipping Consolidation Ordinance of 1879. The Governor also combined the English and Chinese issues of the Government Gazette (see 14-3-34), and ensured adequate translations of Gazette notifications into Chinese, publishing them along with the English text. One of his
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GOVERNORS
Continuation
The next Governor was Sir kichard Graves Macdonnell, whose career has already been given fairly fully in this series of historial sketches (see 14-10-33). Sir Richard's regime lasted from March 1866 toApril 1872. He was another well-liked and able administrator, even though in certain things - such as his advocacy of licensed gambling he displeased certain sections of the Colony. But he instituted some of the outstanding reforms of the time, including the reorganisation of the Police force, and when he left here, was almost unanimously voted one of the ablest Governors the place had ever known. He raised the Colony to the status of a revenue-producing portion of the Empire, and departed in the knowledge that he made it a better place to live in. Hongkong's sole memorial to this great man is in the name of Macdonnell Road.
We come next to Sir Arthur Kennedy, who governed the Colony from April 1872 to March 1877. He was another of well-liked Governors, and besides the commemoration in Kennedy Road and Kennedy Town, was honoured by the community with a statue, erected in the Botanic Gardens a few years after his death. Sir Arthur's term of office here has already been referred to, and mention made of his able administration, in a previous article (see 7-11-33). He died in 1883. Perhaps Sir Arthur kennedy was so well liked because he did nothing really outstanding in the way of big reforms, and as one chronicler has it, "his memory was cherished by the Colonists who looked upon him as the Governor who ruled them always with their own consent."
There followed the administration of Sir John Pope Hennessy, lasting from April 1877 to March 1882.
It is interesting to note that until the naming of Hennessy Road, in the new Praya East reclamation, a few years ago, this Governor had not been given any form of memorial in the Colony. Arriving here as plain Mr. Hennessy, he net a critical and possibly somewhat aloof community, prepared to judge him in due course on his merits. He had been a Member of Parliament for King's County (he was, of course, Irish) from 1859 to 1865, and had later entered the Colonial service, going out to Labuan as Governor of that. small Bornean territory in 1867, subsequently gaining further experience in the West African settlements, Bahamas, and Windward Islands. The subsidiary title of Lieutenant Governor of Hongkong still survived up to his time, and it was as such that he was provisionally appointed in 1877. He was knighted in April 1880.
Of Sir John's term little seems to call for special notice, except the formation of the department of the Government Marine Surveyor, in 1881. This was a much-needed sub-department of the Government service, and came into being under the Merchant Shipping. Consolidation Ordinance of 1879. The Governor also combined the English and Chinese issues of the Government Gazette (see 14-3-34), and ensured adequate translations of Gazette notifications into Chinese, publishing them along with the English text. One of his
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