Sessional_Paper_1899 — Page 49

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having been overcome I have endeavoured to satisfy the people that they may safely depend upon British justice, and that no man's property will be confiscated, and I have no doubt that the people will soon recognize this.

Apart from the question of resistance to our occupation, it was found that the inhabitants suffered from frequent attacks by armed bands of robbers against whom the village watch- men were powerless, and there was a general indication of lawlessness not uncommon in South China. This necessitated a reconsideration of the l'olice Force necessary to secure that protection that we are bound to afford. The original estimate has been largely increased, and stations have been established at important points of sufficient strength to repel armed attack and furnish the necessary patrols. I am glad to say that the efforts of the Police have so far shewn satisfactory results, for of the twenty-seven cases of armed robbery reported from the New Territory twenty-two persons have been convicted and are suffering long terms of imprisonment. I hope to see a salutary change of conditions within a short time and to be in a position to reduce the strength of the various police stations.

Simultaneously with the troubles that developed in the New Territory there arose a much more serious danger. In the beginning of April, the Plague was again upon us, and notwithstanding the unwearied exertions of the Sanitary Board and its staff, it increased in intensity and virulence all through the summer, and has only ceased its ravages with the beginning of the present month. This year there have been 1,471 cases of which 1,413 have proved fatal, the percentage of deaths being the highest on record. Feeling the overwhelm- ing importance to the community of eradicating this scourge if possible, I have watched the operations of the Sanitary Staff with the keenest anxiety. Before the disease appeared, as it was assumed that plague was primarily propagated by rats, a Committee was appointed consisting of the Captain Superintendent of Police, the Medical Officer of Health, and the Government Analyst to wage war upon the rats by poison or traps, or both, and the neces- sary funds were placed at their disposal. They appealed to the Chinese for assistance and made

every effort to destroy the rats, but I believe they were not very successful. When the epidemic was at its height I satisfied myself by frequent personal inspection that the scavengers and the sanitary staff were doing their duty. The streets and lanes were perfectly clean, and whole streets filled with furniture while the houses were being lime- washed and disinfected bore evidence to the activity of the sanitary staff.

Yet nothing seemed to stay the onward progress of the Plague, until at last it has died out in the usual course, having lingered here rather longer than in other cities of South China where no such precautions were taken. An Insanitary Dwellings Bill had already been presented to you. During the summer it has been carefully reconsidered. and in its amended form it will be again presented to you to-day. A return has been made of all the cases of Plague during the present year with all the information available that possibly may throw light upon the causes of the disease. If we can decide upon the causes, no ex- penditure within the reach of the Colony would be too great to secure the blessing of freedom from such a scourge; but in considering the Bill it is well that you should be in possession of facts on which to form an opinion rather than be guided by assumptions that, however strongly held, afford no sound basis upon which measures should be adopted involving probably very large expense to the Colony.

I am happy to be able to congratulate you upon the general state of the commerce of the Colony. I have it on most excellent authority that business was never in a sounder condition and the commercial energy of the community was never more apparent. At the same time trade has suffered and is suffering from the disturbed state of the Southern pro. vinces, and the prevalence of piracy on the West River. The attention of Her Majesty's Government has been called to the great injury done to the trade of this Colony, and His Excellency the Admiral Commanding on this Station has despatched a gunboat up the West River to protect British interests, but I am convinced that the best protection to the interests of the commerce of this Colony would be the faithful carrying out by the Chinese Government of the Agreement made with Her Majesty's Minister at Peking for the opening of the West River under the Inland Steam Navigation Regulations as first proposed and agreed upon. I have had great pleasure in forwarding the letters of the Chamber of Commerce on this most important subject to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.