Sessional_Paper_1899 — Page 186

Coast.

Harbour.

Mountain system.

REPORT.

183

The territory, including the islands, which China has agreed to lease to Great Britain under the Convention signed at Peking on the 9th June last (Appen- dix 1.), appertains to the district of San On in the province of Kwong-tung, and is indicated generally on Map L.,* which is a copy of the map attached to the Con-

vention.

MAPS AND PHOTOGRAPHS.

4

In order to facilitate consideration of this territory, a map of it has been spe- cially prepared by Mr. ORMSBY, Director of Public Works, Hongkong (Map II),* based on the excellent map made by Bishop VOLONTIERI in 1866, when a Mission- ary of the Propaganda in Sun On (Map III.),* and a series of photographic views has been taken, unfortunately in weather not always favourable for the photographer, by Corporal WHITEWOOD, R.E., under the superintendence of Lieut. RUNDALL, R.E., and by Mr. XAVIER, Surveyor in the Public Works Department, Hongkong. These maps and photographs, to the latter of which have been added a few taken by AFONG and MEE CHEUNG, photographers, Hongkong, are attached.*

ÁREA.

The area of the territory as shown on Map I.* is as follows:

Mainland, Islands,

Sq. Miles.

Acres.

286 = 183,040 90 = 57,600

376

240,640

•

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

The new territory is mountainous, with rich, extensive, cultivated valleys, and possesses a coast line deeply indented by bays.

The coast to the south and east is bold and rugged, with deep water close up to the cliffs, and numerous land-locked bays, affording good anchorages, which render them safe in all kinds of weather. The heads of the inlets of Mirs Bay, such as Starling Inlet, Taipó Hü Bay, and Tide Cove, or Sha Tin Inlet, are shal- low, the tide at low water leaving a mile or more of sand or mud exposed. Deep Bay in the west is extremely shallow, and at low tide miles of mud can be seen. This bay has, however, a deep channel, which is well known to native boatmen. No proper survey of the bay has ever been made. This should be taken in hand as soon as possible; and in the meantime the deep channel should be properly marked, in order to facilitate the navigation of these waters.

A report on the Harbours in Mirs Bay, with which Commander DE HORSEY, of H.M.S. Plover, kindly furnished me, will be found in Appendix No. 1A.

The

The general trend of the mountain system is north-east and south-west. There are two main ranges-the southern range and the northern range. southern range extends from Sharp Peak, which forms the south point of Mirs Bay, to the peaks opposite Stonecutters Island, and may be regarded as ending in the mountains of the island of Lantao. The most noticeable peaks in this range are Sharp Peak, 1,540 feet high, with one spur to the north, 1,630 feet high, and another spur running into Tolo Harbour, ending in the magnificent twin peaks named on English Maps the Hunchback Hills, and called by the Chinese "Saddle Mountain," with a height of 2,305 feet; peaks 1,895, 1,440, and 1,240 feet high immediately to the North of Kowloon City, ending in a peak 1,600 feet high to the north of Taikok tsui. The southern range here drops rapidly into Hongkong Harbour, opposite Stonecutters Island, but re-appears in the Island of Lantao, where it reaches an elevation of 3,050 feet near the west end of the island.

The northern range extends from Crooked Harbour in the north of Mirs Bay to Castle Peak Bay and the southern point of Deep Bay. It commences with elevations of 1,655 feet, 1,500 feet, and 1,200 feet, and in the Pat Sin Ling, or Eight Peak Mountain, north of Tolo Harbour, attains to a height of 1,857 feet. From Tolo Harbour it trends south-west, with elevations varying from 1,300 to 1,500 feet, until it reaches its highest point in the splendid range of Taimò Shán, which rises to a height of 3,000 feet. It then decreases in elevation in the direc- tion of Castle Peak, which is 1,806 feet high, but has a lower spur to the north, forming the southern arm of Deep Bay, in which there are two peaks rising to an elevation of 1,200 feet.

* Not printed.

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