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CHAPTER II (C).

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(C.)—Communications.

(i.) Road and Water.

1. The communications with the several Sections are both by land and water, except with Kowloon and Stonecutters, which are reached by water only.

2. By Water-Steam-launches from Commissariat or Blake Piers reach Belchers in fifteen minutes, Stonecutters in thirty minutes, Kowloon in ten minutes, Kowloon Dock in fifteen minutes, and Lyemun in thirty minutes.

Launches from Kowloon reach Stonecutters in twenty minutes, Belchers in thirty minutes, and Lyemun in thirty minutes.

3. By Land.-The Sections in Hong Kong are connected by a road running round the island, passing, however, only the base of the peninsulas. From Victoria to Sai-ki-wan, on the west side of Lyemun, it is a carriage road, as also from Victoria viâ the east of Mount Davis to Aberdeen, whence a good 6 to 8-ft. way runs by Deep Water Bay and Stanley to Tytam Tuk; here it mounts the eastern range and runs along it by Pottinger Gap and Sai-ki-wan Gap to join the carriage road at the latter place. Lyemun and Sywan Hill have been connected by a 12-ft. concrete road.

No. II Section has good lateral communication by means of a 9-ft. hill path running | west and east from Mountain Lodge to Wanchai Gap. Here a path descends the steep slopes, joining the main road at the east end of Victoria, while a path with a gentle gradient connects this path with Aberdeen.

Another well-made hill track ascends from Aberdeen up the side of Mount Kellet, and joins the central road below Plunkett's Gap. Another good hill path connects Victoria Gap with the Aberdeen Road at Pokfulum Reservoir. The main road from Victoria to the Peak runs up the steep hill-side to Victoria Gap, throwing off about one-third of the way up the hill a path with a gentler gradient to Magazine Gap.

Two other hill roads connect the north with the south side of the island: one, starting from the east end of the Happy Valley, runs up to Wong-nei-Cheong Gap; here it bifur ates, one branch falling by an easy gradient joins the circular road a mile west of Deep Water Bay, while the other, passing the side of the New Reservoir, mounts to Stanley Gap, thence falling by generally an easy gradient by Tytam Reservoir to Tytam Tuk; the second road runs up the valley from Quarry Bay about 5 miles east of Victoria to the gap above Tytam Reservoir, there joining the road from Wong-nei- Cheong. These roads and hill paths are well kept up with good bridges, and are from 6 to 9 ft. wide. In no place would the destruction of a bridge stop the passage of infantry or that of light field-guns.

4. Wanchai Gap is now connected with Wong-nei-Cheong Gap by a 9-ft. road with an easy gradient.

The excellent Bowen Road and Aqueduct runs at a height about one-third of the way up the hill from the Happy Valley, Wong-nei-Cheong Road to the main Peak Road, but is of little tactical importance for lateral movement in the event of a landing on the south shore.

Roads have also been made from Victoria Gap to the western spur of High West, and from the landing place at foot of the hill to Devil's Peak Battery. A pathway has also been cut from the gap between Victoria Peak and High West to the Victoria Battery. This pathway will be improved, and will eventually connect the projected Pinewood Battery.

A catchment channel to lead the water falling on the southern slopes into Tytam Reservoir has been run round Mount Parker; a path on its banks gives communication between the Tytam Reservoir and the Sai-ki-Wan-Tytam Gap Road. A similar catchment channel has, on the west side of the Tytam Reservoir, been run round the hill mass projecting southward from the Wong-nei-Cheong-Tytam Reservoir Road, leading the water into this reservoir on the east, and on the west into the new reservoir constructed under Wong-nei-Cheong Gap; the path on its bank is convenient for patrols observing Repulse and West Bays.

5. On the mainland there are three broad metalled roads, suitable for the free movement of all arms, one running from Kowloon through Hunghom to Kowloon City,

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