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2. A ridiculously small number of rats are caught in houses.

3. There is no way at present of making sure that the addresses given of rats caught are correct, as foremen and coolies are not to be trusted. In support of this I may mention that Inspector ALLEN found some little time since a group of rat-catchers sorting out rats in a back lane and putting on address tickets promiscuously.

4. There is a suspicion that the coolies have given wrong addresses out of revenge in order that a house might be disinfected. It has not been possible to prove this, but it is clear that this might be done. 5. The bonus of 5 cents for each rat is probably the incentive to the import- ation of rats. It is highly probable that a brisk trade in rats has been going on. It would no doubt pay to bring rats into the city from outlying villages and from boats and even from Macao and Canton. Inspector REIDIE has reported that he heard of a meeting of rat-catchers at Possession Point where rats arrived in parcels and were distributed. He was too late to catch them, but these rumours have the colour of truth.

The proposal to adopt next year's scheme in the matter at once will involve (1) the immediate appointment of 6 extra Portuguese foremen at $50, one for each Plague Inspector; (2) the raising into line with this the salary of the present permanent plague foremen; and (3) the appoint- ment of 14 coolies for collecting rats at a fixed salary of $12 per month; (4) the abolition of the bonus.

W. P."

6. In the meantime it appeared to me that however theoretically perfect our Sanitary machinery, we were not controlling the epidemic, which in this year as in all that had gone before was running precisely the same course as in Canton and the coast ports: appearing, increasing, culminating, and disappearing, at the same time. To those who know how Chinese houses are constructed it will be apparent that effective fumigation is practically unattainable. While even if the spraying process, scrubbing, and disinfection of clothing reached externally every thing in the room, it would not kill vermin lying deep in the joints and cracks of tables, chairs and settles, or beds. Nor would it reach the vermin with which the heads of the poorer classes of coolies are infested. But apart from this, what took place in many cases when a case of plague was discovered was that before the constable could arrive to take charge of the house, goods liable to injury by disinfection were removed, by the door, or if too late for this, were taken on to, the roof, always easily accessible, and deposited in some neighbouring house.

7. The question then presented itself whether the passive resistance of the population to disinfection might not be overcome and whether if the Chinese could be brought to realize the necessity for it, their attitude might not be entirely changed. The East finds great difficulty in seeing eye to eye with the West. But the Chinese are a reasonable people; they are accustomed to have Government orders explained to them, and even Imperial edicts always contain the reason for their issue, as our own laws down to a late period embodied the reason for the act in the preamble. I determined to make the attempt, feeling it my duty to exercise directly any personal influence that I might possess to assuage the growing feeling of antagonism to the Sanitary Authorities and induce the people to take upon them- selves the active participation in the work of sanitation.

8. Early in April I broached the matter to Dr. ATKINSON, the Principal Civil Medical Officer and President of the Sanitary Board, and proposed to him that the Sanitary Board should hand over to me a district of the most plague stricken portion of the City of Victoria of an area sufficiently large to give a prac- tical basis of comparison of results but not too large for my personal supervision. He consulted the members of the Board and obtained their assent, and after consultation with the Acting Medical Officer of Health he suggested that I should take over a block bounded on the North by Second Street and on the South by Third Street with the Wai On and Sheung Fung Lanes lying between. The block thus handed over comprised the houses on the South side of Second Street and on the North side of Third Street. These streets have an evil record in every epi- demic of plague since 1894. They are inhabited by very poor people, but the houses themselves are by no means the worst in the City. Second Street is 30 feet wide, while the houses being three-storied averaged about 30 feet in height, and