inspection, &c. This proposal, which I made personally to the Viceroy LI HUNG CHANG when on his way to the North, to the Tsung-li Yamen, and to Sir ROBERT HART, was accepted by all three. It was referred to a Committee in Canton ap- pointed by the Acting Viceroy, and, for some reason that I have not discovered, it was recommended by them that the proposal should be rejected. I hope that the proposal may yet be accepted, as its adoption would be effective in checking the piracy so difficult to cope with on the West River, by affording to Chinese travel- ling to Canton with valuable property or returning with large sums of money a safe means of transit to their own towns in a British steamer carrying a regular guard.
13. On the 9th of November the Colony was visited by a very severe typhoon, the centre of which passed over the town and harbour. Although due notice had been given of its approach, there was but little precaution taken, as it was assumed that at this season no typhoon would be more violent thau an ordinary gale at most. There had been besides several typhoons signalled during the sum- mer, the tracks of which went north or south of Hongkong, so people had become careless. The wind reached typhoon force about 10 o'clock at night, the smaller vessels having taken shelter from the north-easterly gale. At 4 a.m. the centre passed over the harbour and the wind suddenly veered to South-west when the boats, junks and steam-launches found themselves on a lee shore. At 7 o'clock, 10 launches and over 110 junks were sunk, and the harbour was a mass of wreckage. H.M.S. Sandpiper sank at her moorings, and a large dredger just out from England foundered. Over 200 lives were lost in those fatal three hours. As soon as a launch could live, I went along the shores of Kowloon; the whole sea face of which was a mass of wreckage among which the Chinese were already hard at work to effect what salvage they could, and I found that the directors of the Tung, Wah Hospital-a charitable Chinese Institution had at once sent out two steam launches with all the appliances for affording immediate assistance. I men- tion the fact as I find a widespread idea that the Chinese among themselves are callous and uncharitable, an impression that is entirely opposed to my experience. After the hurricane a public meeting was held and a Committee formed to collect subscriptions. In a few days twenty-eight thousand four hundred and thirty-four dollars were subscribed, of which the Chinese subscribed twenty-one thousand three hundred and sixty-three dollars.
14. In the early part of the year the Colony had subscribed $153,555 to the South-African War fund so that within twelve months the European and Chinese people of the Colony voluntarily contributed to patriotic and charitable purposes the sum of $181,990 over and above the ordinary charities of the Colony, a sum equal to over 53 per cent. of the amount of the public revenue.
I have the honour to be,
Sir.
Your most obedient. humble Servant.
HENRY A. BLAKE,
Governor, &c.
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