į
August 3, 1901.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
the meantime a large mass of facts as to the incidence of disease is being accummulated that may assist the Expert, for whose services application has been made, in his investigation into the Sanitary condition of Hongking.
I have the honour to be, Sir.
Your most obedient Servant,
J. H. STEWARt Lockhart,
Colonial Secretary.
to me the expense of such an examination and 3. However, much remains to be done, and in report when I can lay the matter before the Legislative Council for approval? Mr. Osbert Chadwick's exhaustive and able reports of 1882 and 1889 on the sanitation of Hongkong are now being widely read and considered. By some it is held that his recommendations have been neglected, indeed this appears to be the opinion of the majority. My study of the conditions does not lead to this conclusion. The matter will be set at rest by such a report as I suggest upon the present necessities of the City of Victoria and the rapidly growing town on Kowloon Peninsular as regards sanitation.
14. I have in this despatch only dealt with the question of sanitation in relation to plague, but much has been done and is being done by the Public Works Department in dealing with the Anopheles Mosquito, and I see solid ground for hope that with continued effort the curse of malarial fever may ultimately practically disappear from our returns.
15. I enclose for your information three of the returns that are sent to me daily. I have had these returns made in the hope that one day the accumulated facts might afford some clue to the etiology of the disease; hence I have requested that in the history of the cases, the places where employed, and the places where food was procured, should be noted, as it is possible that mouldy rice might be the original host of the plague bacillus, and if many cases could be traced to the same source of supply a elne might possibly be afforded.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
HENRY A. BLAKE.
To the Right Honourable
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE
COLONIES,
The SECRETARY,
Chamber of Commerce.
The following is the Governor's letter of the 18th ult, with which H.E. forwarded the Memoranda drawn up by the Colonial Secretary, the Acting Director of Public Works, and the Captain Superintendent of Police on the various statements in the Petition :-
Government House,
Hongkong, 18th July, 1901. Sir, I have the honour, in reference to my despatch No. 254 of the 13th instant, to forward for your information the Memoranda drawn up by the Colonial Secretary, the Acting Director of Public Works, and the Captain Superinten- dent of Police on the various statements in the Petition.
2. I fear that the signatories to the Petition were not acquainted with the facts and that it was largely signed on the simple issue that the sanitation of the town required thorough er. amination by an Expert of eminence. I observe that some of the signatures are those of aliens. The few Chinese whose signatures were obtained are, I am informed, men of small consideration among the Chinese community, but, apart from this, the Petition is influentially signed.
3. The Memoranda show that the Govern. ment has not been neglectful. It
appears that the Sanitary Ordinances introduced since the The following is the letter of H.E. the Goy-year 1887 were carried by the Government and that during the past 18 years the sum of sgainst the opposition of the Unofficial members,
84,748,522 has been spent in works of Sanitation. 4. Still the fact remains that the expenditure the recurrence or severity of Bubonic Plague, a of this money has had apparently no effect upon disease as mysterious and as fatal now as it was in 1894.
ernor forwarding the Petition to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
Government House, Hongkong, 13th July, 1901. Sir-I have the honour to forward Memorial handed to the Colonial Secretary on the 11th instant to which over 1,000 signatures are appended.
5. In my despatch No. 244 of the 5th instant, 2. As certain statements in the Memorial require examination I have requested the disinfecting a small district. That disinfection I mentioned the experiment of thoroughly Colonial Secretary, the Director of Public took place on the 21st and 22nd of last June. Works, and the Captain Superintendent of Police to look into the matter and report. II regret to find that in the short time that has shall forward their report for your information since elapsed, and with a rapidly decreasing In the meantime the Memorial, which I had plague return, there have been reported eight not seen before writing my despatch No. 244 cases from this small disinfected ares. This of the 5th instant, supports my statement as to extensive and expensive experiment of disinfect- does not promise much hope of success from the the public anxiety that an expert report should be obtained upon the general question of the ing the entire town next Spring as suggested by sanitation of the Colony.
me. We might possibly reduce the death rate by producing an exodus, but this places us no nearer to a solution of this terrible difficulty. I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
HENRY A. BLAKE, Governor, &c.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient, humble Servant,
HENRY A. Blakk,
Governor, &c.
The Right Honourable
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,
&o.,
&o., ko.
There follows the letter of the 18th ult. from the Colonial Secretary to the Chamber of Commerce:
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hongkong, 18th July, 1911. Sir,-In continuation of my letter of the 6th instant, and in pursuance of the statement made in paragraph 2 thereof, vis.. that direc- tions have been given that a full report as to the action taken by this Government since 1882 in connexion with sanitation should be prepared and made public, I am now directed by, His Excellency the Governor to forward for the information of your Committee the attached two reports, one by Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police, on the Sanitary legislation, and the other by the Honourable W. Chatham. Acting Director of Public Works, on the Publio Works carried out in pursuance of sanitary measures.
2. As was to be expected, experience has modified the views of some who in 1887 opposed Government proposals on Sanitation, but His Excellency thinks the two reports will satisfy the community that the Government has not lagged behind but has rather been in advance of local public opinion in this important matter.
The Right Honourabla
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P., &o., &., &.
H.M.S. "ECLIPSE " IN HONGKONG.
H.M.S. Eclipse, which arrived in Hongkong Harbour on Monday evening, was commissioned at Chatham on May 30th of this year, when the following officers were appointed :---
Captain.--R. H. S. Stokes. Commander.-R. G. Gregory. Lieutenants.-L. J. MaoHutchin, H. Bon. ham-Carter, M. T. Daniel, R. A. Preston, A. V. Gouldsmith.
Staff-Surgeon.-C. G. Matthew, M.B. Paymaster.-8. L. Clarke. Chief Engineer.-G. P. Webster. Surgeon.-A. J. Hewittt. Assist. Paymaster.-B. W. G. Cook. Engineer.-G. R. Bylon. Assist. Eng.-H. L. Robinson. Gunners.-W. Wray, G. A. Berry, Carpenter.-H. F. Kensbett.
Midshipmen.-R. Baochus, B. Vigne, C. J. L.. Noakes, A. 8. Douglas, G. P. N. Fizgerald, J.D. Clarke, F. N. Biggs
Naval Cadet.-C. H. Phillips, A. G. Onslow.
Hi
H.M.8. Eclipse, which is certainly larger and better equipped than the Hermione (whom she has relieved) is a twin screw vessel of 5,600 tons. She was built at Portsmouth in 1894 at a cost of £279,343, and her principal dimensions are-length, 350 ft. beam, 53 ft; draught, 20 ft. 3 in. Her main arm- ament consists of five 6in. quick-firers, six 4.7in. and 15 smaller guns. Her engines, which indicate 9,650 horse-power, give her a speed of a little more than 19 knots, and she has at present a crew of 453 men.
|
Colombo on the voyage out, a man fell over- When the Eclipse was three miles off board. fellow was not saved. He was seen within about A boat was lowered, but the poor four feet of the life-buoys, and the people on board fancy that a shark most have got hold of him. The Eclipse experienced bad weather coming from Aden, having one of her boats smashed up by the sea.
CHINA FIELD FORCE STAFF.
The following, says a Simla telegram of the 13th ult., will be the Staff of the China Field Force when Sir Alfred Gaselee leaves next month:-
General Officer Commanding, Major General Creagh, V.C.
Chief Staff Officer, Colonel Sullivan, R.E. D. A. A. G., Captain Grimstone, 18th Bengal Lancers.
5th Bengal Infantry.
D. A. Q. M. G., Captain Drake-Brookman,
Intelligence Officer, Capt. Wingate, 14th Bengal Lancers.
Principal Medical Officer, Colonel Connor, I.M.8.
Commanding Royal Engineers, Major Pren dergast, R.E.
Field Engineers, Captains Pieton and Rolland, R.E.
derson and Brunner (the latter for telegraphs). Assistant Field Engineers, Lieutenants Hen-
Provost Marshal and Head of Police, Captain Lane, 1st Punjab Cavalry.
R. A., and Captain Adye, Hyderabad Contin
Special Service Officers, Major Goold-Adams,
gent.
Special Service Officers for treaty porta, Captains Tweeddell, 22th Bengal Infantry, and Rennick, 40th Pathana.
†
Ordnance Officer, Captain Woods, R.A. Chief Commisariat and Transport Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Bond.
Assistant Commissariat and Transport Officers, Captains Forteath and Cripps, Lients. Young and Longrudge.
Senior Transport Officer, Captain Luch, 23rd Madras Infantry.
Assistant Transport Officers, Lieuta. Sproule, 4th Rajputs, and Cotton, Hyderabad Cou- tingent.
Senior Veterinary Offloer, Lieutenant Axe. Director of Railways, Major Clem. Browne, R.E.
Railway Staff (Royal Engineers), Major Craster, Lients. Hunter, Fesland, Cowie, Chaldecott, Mahon and F. G. Turner.
Railway Staff Officers, Major Whittals, Hyderabad Contingent, Captains Dunsterville, 20th Punjab infantry, Dick, 2nd Punjab Cavalry, Maxwell, 16th Punjab Infantry, Heale, South Staffordshire Regiment, and Menzies, South Lancashire Regiment, Lients.
Twins, 25th Madras infantry,
Railway Police, Lients. Cox, 16th Bengal Lancers, and Keblo, 14th M. I. (gended) an Staff Captains).
Postal Service, Mr. Thompson.
The Staff at Shanghai will be: General Offorr Commanding, Brigadier General Bickardson.
D.AA. and QM.G., Capt. Colomb, 4th Gurkhas..
Field Intelligence Oflcer, Capt. Selwyn, 12th Bengal Cavalry.
Provost Marshal, Captain Rose, 1st Gurkhan. Commissariat Officer, Liont. Turpin.
The following officers will be employed tem- porarily under the provisional government at Tientsin: Lieut. Col. Bower, Capt. Mockler, 5th Barma Battalion, Capt. Duckal, 44th Bombay Cavalry, 2nd Lieut. Hall, 34th Plowsèri,
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