CHINA.
ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG--THE OPIUM
TRADE--IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF
A FRESH WAR--CHUSAN--HOW TO RAISE A REVENUE--
CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY--RAPID PROGRESS
OF THE SETTLEMENT--PORTUGUESE PENURY--
MARKETS--SANATORY HINTS.
Having spent twelve months in Hong Kong, I will now endeavour to give an
impartial sketch of its situation as to trade, its importance in the
event of another Chinese war, and of its climate, general appearance,
and commercial progress.
Situated as this island is at the mouth of the Canton river, and in the
immediate neighbourhood of an immense trade, one can hardly question the
prudence of the choice that fixed upon it for a British settlement. It
has not yet (July 1844) been two years in our possession; and already
its magnificent harbour is crowded with the ships of England, America,
and other nations, while its warehouses on shore are filled with the
manufactures of those countries, brought here direct from the places
where they are produced, to be distributed to the different Chinese
ports recently opened to the commerce of the world by the arms of Great
Britain. Hundreds, nay, thousands of Chinese boatmen, fishermen,
porters, bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors,
bakers, shopkeepers, &c., are already earning their bread here. Since
the ratification of Sir Henry Pottinger's Treaty, and the confirmation
of the cession of the Island as part and parcel of the dominions of
Queen Victoria, many wealthy Chinese merchants have been making
arrangements for the establishment of branch-houses here; and more than
one of them had, previously to my departure last March, chartered
British ships, and despatched them to the northern ports, loaded with
British goods. As a _dépôt_ for goods intended for the Chinese market, I
conceive the situation of Hong Kong to be unrivalled, and, in this
single point of view, of great importance. On the arrival of a ship from
London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, with a general cargo of British goods,
the consignees unload them, and send the ship home again with tea or
such other produce as they may have ready for her, storing and holding
the goods in readiness for any opening that may present itself: such
portion of them as may be suited for markets in the immediate vicinity,
are either sold on the spot, or sent to Canton, while the rest is
shipped off in fast-sailing vessels, kept for the purpose of making sure
of their voyage against the monsoon, to Amoy, Chusan, and other ports to
the northward.
Great complaints used to be made at Canton and Macao, because goods
could not be landed, unless they were sold, or the consignees chose to
advance the duty, and let the articles lie till an opportunity of
disposing of them occurred: in other words, the want of a bonding system
was universally felt and complained of. The establishment of Hong Kong
completely obviates this inconvenience, and enables the ship from Great
Britain or elsewhere to dispose of her cargo in a few days after her
arrival, and proceed home again, thus saving time, expense, and trouble
to an incalculable extent.
A decisive proof of the eligibility of Hong Kong as a place of trade,
and of its importance in the eyes of the Chinese themselves, is afforded
by the immense sums paid by some of them for ground on which to build
_Hongs_, where they can deposit their goods with safety, beyond the
reach of their grasping Mandarins. This advantage to a China-man is
something so new, and so far beyond any thing he ever dreamed of
enjoying, that I conceive the benefits likely to accrue from it to Hong
Kong to be incalculable.
Goods stored in Canton or Macao, the property of a China-man, were
never safe in the event of their owner getting into trouble with the
Chinese Authorities; and, if the property of foreigners, they could not
be insured against fire, the risk arising from the universal
carelessness of the Chinese, and the consequent very frequent occurrence
of extensive conflagrations, being considered too great by the
under-writers. Both these difficulties are completely obviated in Hong
Kong; and every substantially built house and warehouse, together with
the property in them, were insured against fire, previously to my
quitting the Island. One China-man had, in March last, completed
buildings for the storage of property collected from the different ports
on the coast, on which upwards of 40,000 dollars had been laid out; and
what is more, they were already well filled.
As a convenient and safe _dépôt_ for opium, (a trade, in my opinion,
quite as legitimate and honourable as that in brandy, gin, and other
spirits,) Hong Kong is admirably situated: the purchaser from the
western ports, as well as from the northeastern, finds the distance he
has to travel moderate, and, on his arrival, has no one to dread, no
Mandarin daring to shew his face on shore. The ships that bring the drug
from India, here find a safe and commodious harbour, where they can
unload their cargoes in open day, without hinderance or molestation, and
where they are not driven to the necessity of carrying on their
operations in the dark. Were the opium-trade actually one of mere
smuggling, I would be as ready as any one to condemn it, and to raise my
voice against those concerned in it; but when one considers that not a
hundredth part of the quantity sold annually is really smuggled,--that
ninety-nine chests out of every hundred pay a heavy duty, (mis-called a
bribe,)--that the Chinese Government derives from it indirectly, but not
the less certainly, a very considerable revenue,--and finally, that
large quantities of it are known to be consumed within the walls of the
imperial palace at Pekin,--I confess I see no reason for the clamorous
indignation with which this traffic has of late been assailed by
European moralists. I have said, that the Chinese Government derives a
considerable revenue from the opium trade; and I will prove it. A
Mandarin who pays for his situation, and is left to make the most of it
by squeezing the inhabitants of his district, will give a great deal
more for an appointment where an extensive opium-trade is carried on,
than he would for any other. Knowing the handsome sums paid by the
dealers in the drug, to "make Mandarin shut eye," he hesitates not for a
moment about paying his Imperial Master in proportion for the situation
which puts him in the way of reaping so rich a harvest. What is more;
his said Imperial Master knows perfectly well what makes the situations
in certain districts so much coveted, and enables the parties to pay so
high for them. Away, then, with all the mawkish cant about corrupting
the morals and ruining the health of the Chinese by selling them poison!
The Chinese are just as capable of taking care of themselves as their
would-be guardians are; and as for their morals, many of them lead lives
that might be copied with advantage to themselves and families, by
thousands of gin-drinking Englishmen. China is decidedly an
over-populated country. Opium-smoking checks the increase, and thereby
does good; a view of the question not altogether unworthy of attention.
Checking the increase of population in this way is, at all events,
better than adopting the plan of drowning female infants; not an
uncommon one in China.
The importance of Hong Kong in the event of another Chinese war, (an
event, in the opinion of many, not very improbable,) cannot, I conceive,
for a moment be doubted. Should our merchants again be expelled from the
ports of China, they will here find a safe asylum for their persons and
property, while their ships may ride in the harbour under the protection
of two or three of Her Majesty's ships in perfect security, in defiance
of all the marine of China. Here also Her Majesty's Government may have
_dépôts_ of military stores, provisions, coals, &c., all stored in
perfect safety, in place of being kept, as they were during the late
war, in transports hired at an enormous expense for the purpose. Now
that passages along the coast of China are made, even by sailing
vessels, at all seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons, a steamer
sent from the seat of war (wherever it might be) to Hong Kong, would be
sufficient, at any time, to procure ample supplies of money, ammunition,
and other stores for the army, from India, if need be, in a few weeks.
Every one at all acquainted with the inconvenience and expense suffered
by the late Expedition for want of proper and regular supplies, will
appreciate the value of the Island in this point of view. What was it
that carried off so many of the Cameronians and Royal Irish stationed in
Chusan during the first expedition to the North? Not the climate of that
beautiful island, certainly; for the troops that have since occupied it,
have been remarkably healthy; and I saw four hundred of them land at
Hong Kong, _en route_ to England, much against their will, looking as
rosy and stout as if they had just come from home! What occasioned the
mortality among the troops, was, the want of a _dépôt_ from which they
could obtain supplies to replace the putrid, ill-cured Calcutta beef and
other unwholesome stores that were served out to convalescents, who died
by hundreds for want of nourishing food to restore their exhausted
frames.
The diseases from which those unfortunate soldiers suffered, were
originally contracted from improper food and bad accommodation; and all
this took place on a Chinese island overrun with cattle, pigs, and
poultry, and with the town of Ting Hae, deserted by nine-tenths of its
inhabitants, under their feet. The Commander-in-Chief's over-scrupulous
conscience would neither allow the cattle to be purchased, nor the empty
houses in the town to be occupied by the sick and dying. No better
stores were to be had nearer than Calcutta,--a six months' trip to and
fro! So bad were the beef and pork, that I afterwards saw hundreds of
casks of both sold by public auction at Singapore, for three quarters of
a dollar (3s. 4-1/2d.) per cask. The meat was used for manure, and the
barrels were used for firewood. The possession of Hong Kong will prevent
the possible recurrence of any thing of this kind.
I am not prepared to say that Chusan would not have been a better
situation for a military _dépôt_ than Hong Kong. Her Majesty's
Government, however, thought proper to prohibit the permanent occupation
of the former, while that of the latter was sanctioned, so that we have
now no choice. For mercantile purposes, the absolute and permanent
possession of both these islands would have been highly advantageous.
Chusan, I have never had the good fortune to visit, but have invariably
heard it spoken of as a delightful place, in a high state of
cultivation, possessing an extensive commerce, with fine harbours, and,
lastly, with a numerous population already made acquainted with the
difference between living under a free and enlightened Government and
under that of a despot. These people (if one can credit even half of
what one hears from them) are, one and all, anxious that Great Britain
should retain their island, and seem to dread the day, now fast
approaching, when, according to the Treaty, it must be evacuated by the
British, consigning them again to the tender mercies of the Celestial
Mandarins. Several English merchants have erected warehouses on Chusan,
in the hope that it will ultimately be retained by Great Britain, or
that the Chinese Authorities will not object to their remaining on the
Island subsequently to its restoration to their Imperial Master. I hope
that their expectations may not prove fallacious.
Hong Kong is a free port, and, in my opinion, ought never to be
otherwise than free. Let its harbour be a refuge for the shipping of all
nations, and its stores will then be filled with their goods. I would
not encumber the commerce of this Island with one single dollar of
charges: no port-charges ought for a moment to be thought of; and, as
for import and export duties, the most moderate charges of this kind
would ruin the place. What brought Singapore forward so rapidly, was,
the entire freedom of its trade. If Hong Kong is but treated in the same
way, its progress will be, if possible, still more rapid than that of
its sister settlement.
A revenue more than sufficient to remunerate Government for the annual
expenses of Hong Kong, may be raised on the spot, without hampering its
commerce, by taxing the retail opium-trade, the retail spirit-trade,
carriages and horses, licensed gambling-houses, rents from public
markets, ground-rent on building and other lots, and an assessment on
rents, say of five per cent. The revenue derived from such sources in
Singapore, is cheerfully paid, and it more than pays the expenses of the
place. That all the houses in which opium is smoked, spirits are drunk,
and gambling is carried on, should be under a strict surveillance, is
absolutely necessary. To check either the one or the other, is
impossible; and, as they are legitimate objects for taxation, I see no
reason why Government should not derive benefit from them. The
opium-smoker and the rum-drinker pay as much for the indulgence of their
appetites, under existing circumstances, as they would do, were the
privilege of supplying them farmed out to individuals, who would be
responsible to the Authorities for the good conduct of their
establishments.
I should advocate the suppression of gambling-houses _in toto_, did I
not know the utter impossibility of effecting this among either a
Chinese or a Malay population. As their existence, then, must be
tolerated, and as they are, to my certain knowledge, the scene of
robbery and murder, much more frequently than persons unacquainted with
the criminal calendars in our Asiatic courts of justice suppose, I say,
let them be registered, taxed, and made subject to the visits of the
police at any hour of the night or day. By the means I have pointed out,
a revenue amply sufficient for the purposes of the Hong Kong Government
might be raised; and I should have no hesitation in undertaking to
defray every fraction of its expenditure, had I the privilege of farming
the opium-tax and the spirit-tax.
Of the climate of Hong Kong, I have little that is favourable to report.
Hitherto, it has been decidedly inimical to the European constitution;
and hundreds of our countrymen are already buried there. Last summer
(1843), from the first of August till the end of October, a very
malignant fever raged among all ranks, and carried off soldiers,
sailors, Government servants, mercantile men, and tradesmen. There were
some peculiarities attendant upon this fever, however, which I shall
mention, in the hope that my observations may lead future residents to
be a little more careful of their health, than most of the present
inhabitants have shewn themselves to be. In the first place, then, the
fever, with few exceptions, was limited to particular localities.
Secondly, not one European female died of it, and only two suffered from
it severely. Thirdly, those who occupied spacious _upper-roomed_,
well-aired houses, almost to a man escaped. Fourthly, those who exposed
themselves to the sun, suffered most. And, lastly, the new comer from
Europe was more subject to take this terrible fever, which the medical
men characterize as a mixture of the yellow fever of the West and the
bilious fever of the East Indies.
A stranger landing in Hong Kong, particularly if coming from many parts
of India, and acquainted generally with tropical countries and climates,
would naturally, on hearing of its insalubrious climate, express
surprise, since he could see no exciting cause. I have stated, that the
fever attached itself to particular localities. These were, the eastern
and western extremes of the town of Victoria. At the eastern end, to the
eye the most delightful spot in or near the town, there are several
patches of paddy-fields, situated in deep valleys between the hills, of
limited extent, but which, under this climate, seem to generate malaria
in quantities quite disproportionate to their size. In the morning,
these valleys may be seen, from the middle of the town, completely
filled with a dense fog, which rolls down from the neighbouring heights
immediately after sun-set, settles upon them all night, and does not
clear off till nine or ten o'clock in the morning. I know of no other
reason why this neighbourhood should be unhealthy: that it proved so
last summer, the number of its victims sufficiently testify. Of six
gentlemen who took up their quarters here, five died; and the other had
a very severe attack of fever, from which he ultimately recovered.[23]
[Footnote 23: Since these remarks were penned, another summer
has passed over Hong Kong. Sickness and death have again
prevailed there to an unusual extent, and the neighbourhood
just mentioned had its victims; amongst others, two English
ladies whose husbands I had cautioned, in March 1844,
respecting the spot they were taking their families to reside
upon. The last mail from the East continues the outcry against
the climate.]
The land at the western extremity of the town is swampy, the grass, even
on the declivities, being of a rank, spongy nature, and quite unfit for
any thing. Here the Government built barracks, in which a detachment of
Her Majesty's 55th regiment was for some time quartered: its ranks were
decimated by fever, which latterly became so virulent, that the
Authorities chartered shipping in the harbour, to receive the men still
alive. Unfortunately, the poor fellows, being weakened from the effects
of the summer, and having in all probability the seeds of disease in
them before they embarked, died afloat in great numbers. It has been
thought, that many lives might have been saved at West Point Barracks,
had that building been raised off the ground so as to admit a free
circulation of air _under_ the rooms. This, however, is but
problematical, as the deaths at the other end of the town took place in
two-storied houses.
From what I observed at West Point, there appears to be a constant drain
of water down the hills, about six inches under the surface of the soil.
This water settles under improperly ventilated houses, rots the beams,
and _throws up a crop of mildew in every room_, as I can testify from
actual observation.
That no European female has fallen a victim to this fever, is certainly
a remarkable feature in its history; but it must be borne in mind, that
there were no ladies residing in the immediate neighbourhood of the two
localities just mentioned. Perhaps, the Morrison Education Hill may be
an exception, where two families passed last summer. None of the females
suffered a day's illness, though a young man living in the house, who
was occasionally exposed to the sun, caught the fever and died.
I have no doubt, (and I have heard others express a similar opinion,)
that regular habits and non-exposure to the sun, are the principal
causes to which those Europeans who have escaped illness when their
friends and neighbours have sickened round them, owe their preservation.
The occupants of spacious, two-storied, well-aired houses escaped, with
only a single exception, in the case of a young man who probably
brought on his illness by imprudent exposure to the sun for hours
together, although he was repeatedly warned of the consequences. I know
several instances of families passing last summer in houses of this
description without any interruption of health. My own household was
composed of two ladies, three children, myself, and a European female
attendant: not one of us had an hour's illness during all the hot
weather; yet we took no further care of ourselves than is customary with
people who have resided for several years within the tropics.
That exposure to the sun in that zone is uniformly prejudicial to the
health of Europeans, does not admit of a question; but, in China, the
sun's rays seem to exert a more injurious effect than in most other
places I have visited. The residents in Hong Kong, it is true, were
somewhat careless in the matter. Few, if any of them were provided with
carriages or other conveyance to protect them from it when business
called them abroad during the day; and it was quite common to see them
moving about, on foot and on horseback, with no other precaution than an
umbrella carried over the head, in spite of the daily examples of
parties suffering from such imprudence.
The number of European inhabitants in Hong Kong will this summer (1844)
be trebled by the removal of most of the merchants from Macao; and the
general health of the place will be anxiously watched. Should it prove
as bad as last summer, (which God forbid,) it will drive many people
away, and injure the settlement irreparably. The prejudicial effects of
going into the sun might be avoided, almost entirely, even by men of
business, were they to adopt the Calcutta system of note-writing. There,
a merchant seldom or never moves from his office; and when he does, it
is in a covered vehicle. Let the Hong Kong residents follow their
example, and their numbers will not be thinned as they have hitherto
been.
That the European fresh from home, full-blooded, and in robust health,
should be more liable to fever than his acclimated countrymen, is not to
be wondered at; but many of the new comers might escape disease by
common prudence. Confident in their strength of constitution, and
wearied with a long confinement on ship-board, they sally forth, day by
day, to take a walk, just as they would in England, heedless of the
fierce luminary that is pouring his rays on their exposed heads, and
bent only on amusement or variety. A week of such folly (to call it by
no stronger name) has sufficed to bring many a youth to a premature
grave.
The weather begins to grow warm in China (I speak of Hong Kong, Macao,
and Canton) about the middle of April; in June, it is oppressively hot;
and during the following three months, which are the most unhealthy, the
thermometer in the shade ranges from 85° to 90°. This is a degree of
heat that ought not to be much felt by experienced Indians; and in Java,
or in the Straits of Malacca, I should not complain of it; but there is
a peculiarity, an oppressiveness, in the heat of China, that makes even
respiration difficult, and excites such copious perspiration as to
weaken the frame. In October, the weather becomes cooler, and, for the
next five months, is sufficiently cold to render fires a comfort morning
and evening; and occasionally during the whole day. Were it not for
their winter, I know not what would become of the European residents in
China: this season braces them up for the coming summer, and, in short,
saves their lives.
The progress made in Hong Kong since its occupation as a British Colony,
is astonishing, and perhaps unsurpassed in the history of civilization.
Owing to the peculiar features of the locality in which Victoria stands,
that town has been extended along the beach, till it is now upward of
four miles long, with three short streets extending a little way up the
hills about its centre. The Queen's road extends along the beach the
whole of this length, and has been cut with great labour and expense.
The lots between this road and low-water mark are considered as the best
for mercantile purposes, and are nearly all in the possession of
mercantile men, who have built, in most cases, handsome warehouses with
dwelling-houses above. There are, however, some exceptions, a portion of
the ground being occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, who inhabit low
ill-built houses, which, as ground with water-frontage becomes more
valuable, will have to give way to better buildings, raised by a higher
class, who will buy out the present occupants. The lots on the south
side of Queen's Road are not so valuable as those opposite;
nevertheless, they are nearly all in the possession of monied men, who
will before long find it to their advantage to level the many wretched
buildings that now disfigure the road, and to erect houses worthy of a
town bearing the royal name.
On my departure from the Island, building was going forward in all
directions, notwithstanding the somewhat illiberal terms on which alone
lots were obtainable; and I have no doubt that, by this time, many
smiling cottages adorn the hills in and near the town, while more
stately buildings rear their prouder elevation on the level below.
House-rent, as might be expected, is very high, and will probably
continue so for ten years to come. It took that time to reduce the rents
in Singapore; and as I expect that Hong Kong will become a place of
still greater trade, and attract a larger European population than the
Straits' settlement, I see no reason that the owner of property in
houses there should not look for a handsome return for his outlay for
ten years, and for a fair remunerating price at the expiration of that
time. Something like a hundred per cent. per annum has been got for the
small houses occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, while twenty-five, thirty,
and even forty per cent. is a common return for substantially-built
warehouses.
Some idea of the rapid progress which this settlement has made, may be
formed by the reader, when I state, that one firm had laid out upwards
of 40,000l. sterling in building, and was still laying out more, when I
quitted it. This is, certainly, by far the largest expenditure that has
been made by any single establishment: but many others have spent from
6000l. to 10,000l. in a similar way; and the outlay by individuals on
speculation, is by no means inconsiderable.
The Chinese population of Victoria and the neighbourhood amounted, last
January, to ten thousand souls; certainly not the choicest collection
that could be wished, as the number of robberies that take place in and
about the town sufficiently testify. This evil the magistrates were,
however, doing their best to remedy; and some scores of idle vagabonds
had been sent across the Channel dividing the Island from the main land
of China. Some of the chiefs of the robber-gangs had been apprehended
and set to work on the roads, in irons; a proceeding that alarmed their
confederates not a little.[24]
[Footnote 24: An account of the capture of two of these scamps
was given to me by the chief magistrate, the day before I left
Victoria, and was to the following effect:--A China-man in the
pay of the police, though never seen by any magistrate, came to
the police compradore's house one evening, and said: "If you
will send two European constables to a certain spot (which he
named) at nine o'clock to night, I will shew them where they
will find two robber-chiefs smoking opium and looking over
their gains." This hint was immediately communicated to the
chief magistrate, who at once resolved to act upon it, and sent
the constables to the spot indicated. There, the spy met them,
masked, and made signs for them to be silent and follow him. He
guided them down past West Point upwards of a mile, when he
turned up the hill by a footpath, which, in half an hour,
brought the party to a small hut, through the crevices in the
wall of which a light was visible. To the door of this hut, the
guide significantly pointed, and instantly disappeared without
uttering a word. The constables took the hint, and burst the
door open, when they found what they had been led to expect;
two men smoking opium, the room almost full of European
clothing and other stolen property, quite sufficient to convict
the smokers of unfair play towards the late owners of it. These
men were of course secured; and the day I sailed from Hong
Kong, I saw them at work on the roads in irons. Their
apprehension caused a complete cessation of robberies for the
time being, the sight of the noted chiefs on the roads having
terrified their followers.]
The general appearance of Hong Kong, from the sea, is picturesque and
curious. That part of the Island on which the town is situated, is
hilly, and, with the exception of the few paddy-fields already
mentioned, presents no level space on which to build. The hills stretch
completely down to the sea; and Queen's Road has been formed by cutting
away their projecting spurs, throwing the earth into the sea in front,
filling up the gaps on each side the spur, and thus forming a long strip
of level. Above the level of Queen's Road, many terraces have been cut
in the hills, upon which private dwellings have been perched; and to a
person sailing into the harbour, these look suspended on the hill side,
and inaccessible. To speak the truth, the approaches to them are not the
most practicable; particularly in rainy weather, when, from the clayey
nature of the soil, they become extremely slippery. Several
water-courses descend from these hills, forming miniature ravines and a
few water-falls, which have a pretty effect after a day's rain. They
occasionally wash away an ill-built house; but this is the fault of the
clumsy and foolish builders.
Many of these hills are covered with a hard, tough, useless sort of
whinstone, which adds considerably to the expense of building on them.
Others are well stocked with granite, which the Chinese masons split
very neatly into any shape, by driving innumerable wedges into the
blocks. The adroitness with which they do this, is quite surprising. The
China pine (or fir) grows all over Hong Kong; but the young trees no
sooner attain the height of two or three feet, than they are cut down by
the natives, and carried off in bundles to clean the bottoms of the
countless boats that ply about the harbour. Thus, with one or two
exceptions, these hills are quite bare, and, in winter more
particularly, exhibit any thing but a lively spectacle. In summer, their
green covering of coarse grass improves their appearance.
The only thing that reconciles one to the site chosen for building the
town of Victoria, is its beautiful harbour: in every other respect, the
choice was decidedly bad. A more awkward place on which to erect a town,
could not have been fixed upon; and its northern aspect adds, I suspect,
to the unhealthiness of the place, as it exposes the town to the cold
winds of winter, and completely shuts out the southerly breezes of
summer, which are so much wanted to refresh the worn-out colonist There
are situations in the Island much more eligible for a town, but their
harbours are exposed, so that, when we consider how well the shipping
are protected in Victoria bay, we feel disposed to allow that a better
choice could not have been made under all the circumstances.
The market of Hong Kong is well supplied with fish, flesh, and fowl,
vegetables, fruit, and game; and those who choose to take the trouble of
seeing to it themselves, may obtain supplies on reasonable terms: those
who leave these matters to their servants, are of course robbed, and are
apt, without making any inquiry, to come to the conclusion, that every
thing here is dear. The retail price of every sort of provisions is
pasted up on the market-gate, once a week, by authority of the
magistrates, in Chinese and English characters; so that the exorbitant
rates charged by _compradores_ may be easily detected and put a stop to.
Chinese boats of all descriptions, sizes, and sorts may be hired at
every wharf, at any hour from daylight till eight at night: their moving
about after that hour, is prohibited by the Authorities, who had strong
reason to suspect their being connected with the gangs of robbers that
occasionally land from the opposite shore, commit some daring robbery,
and disappear again before daylight.
When the fleet of men of war and transports arrived here, from the
North, in October 1842, the troops, amounting to upwards of fifteen
thousand, were regularly supplied, during their stay in the harbour of
Victoria, with fresh provisions, eggs, &c.; and no rise of prices took
place. On the departure of the fleet, the daily supply was reduced by
the Chinese to just sufficient for the consumption of the place. No
portion of the supplies for the market is produced on the Island: the
whole is brought from the innumerable creek and river-banks in the
neighbourhood. It is to be hoped that this state of things will, before
long, be altered, since, as matters now stand, the Cow Loon Authorities
could, at any time, deprive the inhabitants of Hong Kong of their daily
bread.
American, French, and English Missionaries are already congregated in
this infant settlement. The first have built a neat little chapel, where
Divine service is performed every Sunday morning in the Presbyterian
form, and, in the evening, in Chinese. The French Roman Catholics have
built a stately and handsome chapel with a good dwelling-house attached
to it: they have a large congregation among the Irish soldiery and the
Portuguese from Macao. The English Missionaries had only just arrived
with their establishment from Malacca, and, when I left the Island, had
neither house nor chapel, but had commenced building. A chaplain of the
Church of England had arrived, appointed by the Home Government: no
English church, however, had even been commenced, and the congregation
meet every Sunday in a neat house, where, if they escape fever during
the summer, and colds and ague during the winter, they ought to deem
themselves very fortunate.
Grog-shops and other resorts for the depraved and idle, are already
plentiful in Victoria. They are, however, all closed on Sunday; and the
sailor ashore, on liberty on that day, is fain to content himself with a
walk along the road, during which he may be heard muttering deep curses
on the heads of those who framed this (according to his notion) unjust
and tyrannical regulation.
Before concluding my remarks on Hong Kong, I will add a few words on
what I consider as the best means to be adopted with a view to render
the settlement more healthy. Much must be done by the Government; and
the rest may be left to the inhabitants themselves.
In the first place, the paddy-fields at the east end of the town must be
thoroughly drained, and the cultivation of paddy in the neighbourhood
entirely stopped. Proclamations on this last subject had been published
in March last. That the draining of these lands would decrease the
quantity of malaria generated in the valleys, there can be no doubt;
but, that it would entirely do away with it, I deem very problematical.
At all events, it would not stop the volumes of fog that descend from
the hill-tops at sun-set, and completely envelop the valleys and the
houses. Draining, indeed, would do good, and ought to be tried at once.
The owners of property in the neighbourhood were very sanguine as to the
result of the experiment. More good, however, would be done in the way
of purifying the air of these valleys, by entirely removing the small
hill on which the Morrison Education buildings stand. The task, at first
sight, may seem herculean; but is not so in reality. Thousands of men
are to be hired in the villages on the opposite coast, who would gladly
work for three dollars (13s. 6d.) per month. Were a couple of thousand
of these put upon this job for a twelvemonth, there would not be much of
the hill left. The pecuniary outlay would be considerable; but the
returns would do much more than pay the interest on it. The base of the
hill itself is of considerable extent; and the earth carried from its
top, if thrown into the sea at its foot, would create a large level
space for building, that would yield quit-rent enough to render the
speculation (were the work undertaken by private individuals) a highly
profitable one. This hill completely shuts up the largest of the
paddy-growing valleys; and its removal would admit into it the easterly
and northerly breezes, which might do more than any thing else towards
preventing the descent of the fog. There are other hills, near the one
alluded to, that might be levelled with great advantage to the
neighbourhood, as well as to the parties who might undertake the task.
In this case, there are individuals ready to execute the work on their
own private account, who actually made offers to the Government on the
subject; but their terms were rejected by the Authorities, and the hills
remain in _statu quo_. The sea being very shallow at the base of these
hills, the space filled up by cutting them down, would be very
considerable, and the task by no means difficult. Sir Stamford Raffles
removed one at Singapore, in size equal to the one known in Hong Kong
as Leighton's Hill, without incurring a shilling of expense to his
Government. To the parties who removed the soil, he gave the ground they
had made, charging them the same quit-rent that others paid on the
grants made to them.
At West Point, draining seems to be the only plan that can be
recommended to render the situation more salubrious. Neither there nor
any where else in the Colony, is it safe to reside in houses having only
a ground-floor. Of those who have done so, few have escaped the fever;
and still fewer of those who caught it, recovered. Draining upon a large
scale, is the part of the work I would leave to the Government: upon the
inhabitants, I would impose the task of making proper sewers all over
the town. The few that existed there last summer, were not simply a
disgrace to every person connected with the place, but tended in no
small degree to thin the population by the abominable effluvia they
threw out. In the immediate vicinity of every house or shop belonging to
the Chinese, might be seen a collection of impurities sufficient to
create a pestilence anywhere, much more in a place with the thermometer
frequently above 90° in the shade. The assessment of five per cent. on
all rents, would create a fund sufficient to purify the town, to keep it
clean, to provide a regular scavengers' establishment, and, moreover,
to pay night watchmen to protect the property of its inhabitants from
the gangs of robbers that infest the place. Were these suggestions
carried out, if the citizens of Victoria were but careful to avoid the
sun, and if not a few would but reduce by one-half their allowance of
brandy-and-water and cigars, I will venture to predict, that the medical
men of the place would have a comparative sinecure.
Among other arrivals in Hong Kong during the year 1843, were some fifty
or sixty emigrants from Sydney, (N. S. Wales,) consisting of mechanics
of different descriptions. They alleged, that the bad times in Australia
had driven them away. Poor fellows! I fear they have made a sad mistake
in the change they have sought. Here, they will find times, for persons
of their class, worse than those they have had to complain of, a climate
to contend against, from which they have not the means of protecting
themselves, and hundreds of Chinese artisans, who can afford to work for
less than half what they can live upon. Most of them were badly housed;
and it was to be feared, that the end of summer will see very many of
their number in their graves.
The colonists of New South Wales appear to hare formed the most
extravagant ideas of the benefit they are to derive from the new
settlement of Hong Kong. With the exception of salt provisions, I know
of nothing they can send to the new settlement with even a chance of
profit; and the prices of these must be lower than those ruling in
Sydney by the last accounts, to yield a profit. Some small lots of
timber have been found to answer; but the demand for this article will
cease, when the buildings now in progress in Victoria shall have been
completed. Cattle, horses, and sheep have been tried, and the experiment
has proved an utter failure.