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(b.) A house to house inspection was made in the infected districts by the Medical Officer of

Health assisted by the following Officers :-

Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G., Captain Superintendent of Police.

Mr. FRANK BROWNE, Acting Government Analyst.

Mr. JOSEPH T. BRYAN, Assistant Sanitary Surveyor.

(c.) All cases of plague were removed to the Government Isolation Hospital at Kennedy Town, situated at the extreme west of the City and were under the charge of officers of the Medical Department.

Suspicious cases were placed in observation wards at the Government Civil and the Tung Wab Hospitals.

This occurred until the opening of the Native Plague Hospital on the 2nd of May after which date Chinese suffering from this disease were allowed the option of being sent to the Branch Hospital of the Tung Wab where they were treated by the so-called Chinese medical methods, or to the Government Isolation Hospital.

(d.) Removal of sick persons and dead bodies.--Until the 5th May this was undertaken by

the Inspectors of Nuisances, after that date this was effected by the Police.

Dead bodies were all taken direct to the Public Mortuary at West Point and were examined by the Medical Officer in charge. Those who were certified as having died from plague were removed to the Plague Cemetery at Kennedy Town and buried there. (e.) Segregation.-Compulsory segregation of those who had been in immediate contact with

the disease at the infected houses was not enforced, but the following was done:

Those who had been in contact with the sick were supplied with clothing and were detained in their own dwellings whilst their own was being disinfected, the clothing was then returned to the owners who were required to vacate the house whilst it was being disinfected and cleansed, during this time they could go to matsheds which had been erected in different parts of the city and stay there; they were at liberty to go to their daily work but were examined every morning by a Medical Officer; after the cleansing and disinfecting was finished they returned to their own houses.

(f.) Infected premises.-On 24th March the following neighbourhoods were declared to be

infected by plague :--

Health Districts 2, 4, 5 and 6.

The boundaries of No. 2 Health District are:-

East-Wanchai Road. North-Harbour.

North-Harbour. West-Garden Road. South-Tai-

tam conduit.

The boundaries of Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Health Districts are:

East-Wyndham Street and Glenealy.

Street and Tank Lane. South-Caine Road.

North--Harbour.

West-Cleverly

On the 14th April the villages in British Kowloon were declared areas infected with plague.

On the 9th June the villages of Aberdeen and Aplichiau were declared to be areas infected with plague.

Steps were taken to thoroughly disinfect all the premises in which cases were found and to cleanse and lime-wash those houses certified by the officers mentioned in section (b) as requiring it.

(g.) Maintenance of cleanliness throughout the city.

Special attention was paid to the cleansing and disinfection of all the latrines, chloride of lime being the disinfectant used.

The flushing of the sewers was effected by the Public Works Department.

With regard to sanitary legislation :-

The Insanitary Properties Commission issued their report this year, and the Sanitary Board were requested by the Government to consider and report on it.

This they did and their recommendations which were more drastic than those of the Commission, are practically embodied in a Bill entitled an Ordinance to make further provision for the sanitation of the Colony and to repeal certain enactments of the closed houses and insanitary dwellings Ordinance, 1894, which was first read in the Legislative Council on 22nd November, 1898.

EXISTENCE OF PLAGUE IN THE VICINITY OF HONGKONG IN 1898.

Macao. Information of the existence of plague at Macao was obtained towards the end of March. Canton.-Plague became prevalent in Canton in the month of April, previously cases had occurred in the surrounding districts.

Canton, Whampoa, and Macao-were proclaimed to be infected on the 9th April; this proclamation was revoked on the 2nd July.

Amoy was proclaimed to be a port infected with Plague on the 4th June; this proclamation was revoked on the 31st August.