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HONFLEUR
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HONFLEUR , a seaport of See also:north-western See also:France, in the See also:department of See also:Calvados, 57 M. N.E. of See also:Caen by See also:rail. Pop. (1906) 8735. The See also:town is situated at the See also:foot of a semicircle of hills, on the See also:south See also:shore of the See also:Seine See also:estuary, opposite See also:Havre, with which it communicates by steamboat. Honfleur, with its dark narrow lanes and old houses, has the typical aspect of an old-fashioned seaport. The most noteworthy of its buildings is the See also: On the rising ground above the town is the See also:chapel of Notre-See also:Dame-de-See also:Grace, a See also:shrine much resorted to by See also:pilgrim sailors, which is said to have been founded in 1034 by See also:Robert the Magnificent of See also:Normandy and rebuilt in x6o6. The town has a tribunal and a chamber of See also:commerce and a communal See also:college. The See also:port, which is protected from the See also:west winds by the height known as the Cote de Grace, consists of the tidal See also:harbour and four floating basins—The West See also:basin, dating from the 17th century, and the Centre, See also:East and See also:Carnot basins. A See also:reservoir affords the means of sluicing the channel and supplying the basins. The See also:surface available for vessels is about 27 acres. Numerous fishing and See also:coasting vessels frequent the harbour. In 1907 there entered 375 vessels, of 133,872 tons, more than See also:half this See also:tonnage being See also:British. The exports go mainly to See also:England and include poultry, See also:butter, eggs, See also:cheese, See also:chocolate, vegetables, See also:fruit, seeds and See also:purple ore. There is See also:regular communication by steamer with See also:Southampton. Timber from Scandinavia, See also:English See also:coal and artificial See also:manures See also:form the bulk of the imports. There are important saw-See also:mills, as well as See also:shipbuilding yards, manufactories of chemical manures and See also:iron foundries. Honfleur dates from the See also:lath century and is thus four or five See also:hundred years older than its See also:rival Havre, by which it was supplanted during the 18th century. During the Hundred Years' See also:War it was frequently taken and re-taken, the last occupation by the English ending in 1440. In 1562 the See also:Protestant forces got See also:possession of it only after a regular See also:siege of the suburb of St Leonard; and though See also: On the See also:northern shore of Hong-Kong there is a patent slip at East or See also:Matheson Point. which is serviceable during the north-east See also:monsoon, when sailing vessels frequently approach Victoria through the Ly-ee-mun Pass. The See also:ordinary course for such vessels is from the westward, on which side they are sheltered by See also:Green Island and Kellett See also:Bank. There is good anchorage throughout the entire channel separating the island from the mainland, except in the Ly-ee-mun Pass, where the water is deep; the best anchorage is ih ' Hong-Kong roads, in front of Victoria, where, over good holding ground, the depth is 5 to 9 fathoms. The inner anchorage of Victoria Bay, about l m. off shore and out of the strength of the See also:tide, is 6 to 7 fathoms. Victoria, the seat of See also:government and of See also:trade, is the See also:chief centre of See also:population, but a See also:tract on the mainland is covered with public buildings and See also:villa residences. Practically an outlying suburb of Victoria, Kowloon or (Nine Dragons) is See also:free from the extreme See also:heat of the capital, being exposed to the south-west monsoon. Numerous villas have also been erected along the beautiful western coast of the island, while Stanley, in the south, is favoured as a watering-place. The island is mountainous throughout, the See also:low granite ridges, parted by See also:bleak, tortuous valleys, leaving in some places a narrow See also:strip of level coast-See also:land, and in others overhanging the sea in lofty precipices. From the sea, and especially from the magnificent harbour which faces the capital, the See also:general aspect of Hong-Kong is one of singular beauty. Inland the prospect is See also:wild, dreary and monotonous. The hills have a painfully See also:bare See also:appearance from the want of trees. The streams, which are plentiful, are traced through the uplands and glens by a See also:line of straggling brushwood and See also:rank herbage. Nowhere is the See also:eye relieved by the evidences of cultivation or fertility. The hills. ,which are mainly composed of granite, See also:serpentine and See also:syenite, rise in irregular masses to considerable heights, the loftiest point, Victoria Peak, reaching an See also:altitude of 1825 ft. The Peak lies immediately to the south-west of the capital, in the extreme north-west corner of the island, and is used as a station for signalling the approach of vessels. Patches of land, chiefly around the coast, have been laid under See also:rice, sweet potatoes and yams, but the island is hardly able to raise a See also:home-See also:supply of vegetables. The See also:mango, See also:lichen, See also:pear and See also:orange are indigenous, and several fruits and esculents have been introduced. One of the chief products is See also:building-See also: There are several docks and See also:ware-
houses, and manufactures are being See also:developed.
Granite is quarried in the peninsula. An agreement
was entered into in 1898 whereby China leased to
See also:Great See also:Britain for ninety-nine years the territory behind Kowloon
peninsula up to a line See also:drawn from Mirs Bay to Deep Bay and
the adjoining islands, including Lantao. The new See also:district,
which extends to 376 sq. m. in area, is mountainous, with
extensive cultivated valleys of great fertility, and the coast-
line is deeply indented by bays. The alluvial See also:soil of the valleys
yields two crops of rice in the See also:year. See also:Sugar-See also:cane, See also:indigo, See also:hemp,
peanuts, potatoes of different varieties, See also:yam, taro, beans,
sesamum, pumpkins and vegetables of all kinds are also grown.
The See also:mineral resources are as yet unknown. The population
is estimated at about 100,000. It consists of Puntis (or Cantonese), See also:Hakkas (" strangers ") and Tankas. The Puntis are agricultural and inhabit the valleys, and they make excellent traders. The Hakkas are a See also:hardy and frugal See also:race, belonging mainly to the See also: In the government of the new territory the existing organization is as far as possible utilized. Hong-Kong or Victoria harbour constantly presents an animated appearance; as many as 240 guns having been fired as salutes in a single See also:day. Its approaches are strongly victoria. fortified. The steaming distance from See also:Singapore is 1520 M. Victoria, the capital, often spoken of as Hong-Kong (population over 166,000, of whom about 6000 are See also:European or See also:American), stretches for about 4 M. along the north coast. Its breadth varies from -1- in. in the central portions to 200 or 300 yds. in the eastern and western portions. The town is built in three layers. The " Praya " or esplanade, 50 ft. wide, is given up to shipping. The Praya reclamation See also:scheme provided for the See also:extension of the land frontage of 250 ft. and a depth of 20 ft. at all states of the tide. A further extension of the See also:naval dockyard was begun in 1902, and a new commercial See also:pier was opened in 'goo. The See also:main commercial street runs inland parallel with the Praya. Beyond the commercial portion, on each side, See also:lie the Chinese quarters, wherein there is a closely packed population. In 1888, 1600 people were living in the space of a single See also:acre, and over 1oo,000 were believed to be living within an area not exceeding m.; and the over-crowding does not tend to diminish, for in one district, in 1900, it was estimated that there were at the See also:rate of 640,000 persons on the sq. m. The See also:average, however, for the whole of the See also:city is 126 per acre, or 80,640 per sq. in. The second stratum of the town lies ten minutes' climb up the side of the island. Government See also:house and other public buildings are in this See also:quarter. There abound " beautifully laid out gardens, public and private, and solidly constructed roads, some of them bordered with bamboos and other delicately-fronded trees, and fringed with the luxuriant growth of semi-tropical vegetation." Finally, the third layer, known as"the Peak, "and reached by a See also:cable See also:tramway, is dotted over with private houses and bungalows, the summer See also:health resort of those who can afford them; here a new See also:residence for the See also:governor was begun in ',goo. Excellent water is supplied to the town from the Pokfolum
and Tytam reservoirs, the former containing 68 million gallons, the latter 390 millions.
See also:Climate.—The temperature has a yearly range of from 45° to 990, but it occasionally falls below 40°, and See also:ice occurs on the Peak. In See also:January 1893 ice was found at sea-level. The wet See also:season begins in May, after showers in See also: In 1898 only 57.025 in. See also:fell, while in 1897 there were 100.03 in.; in 1899, 72.7 in. and in 1900, 73.7 in. The See also:damp is extremely penetrating. During the dry season the climate is healthy, but See also:dysentery and intermittent See also:fever are not uncommon. Bilious remittent fever occurs in the summer months, and smallpox prevails from See also:November to March. The See also:annual See also:death-rate per 1000 for the whole population in 1902 was 21.70. Jopulation, Fsc.—The following table shows the increase of population: See also:Europe and See also:Total (including Total Military and Naval Year. American Chinese See also:Civil. Establishments and Civil. See also:Indians, &c.). 1881 3,040 148,850 160, 402 1891 4,195 208,383 221,441 1901 3,86o 274,543 283,978 1906 12,174 306,130 326,961 is provided by a few government See also:schools and by a large number receiving grants-in-aid. The See also:foundation-stone of Hong-Kong University was laid in March 1910, the buildings being the See also:gift of See also:Sir Hormusjee Mody, a colonial See also:broker. The See also:Queen's College provides secondary See also:education for boys. There are several hospitals, one of which is a government institution. The Hong-Kong savings bank has deposits amounting to about 81,1oo,000. There is a See also:police force composed of Europeans, See also:Indian Sikhs and Chinese; and a strong military See also:garrison. Mainland territory. See also:Industries.—Beyond the cultivation of veget :ble gardens there is practically no agricultural indusi ry in the See also:colony. But although only 400 acres are cultivated on 1long-Kong island, and the same number of acres in Kowloon, there are 90,000 acres under cultivation in the new territory, of which over 7000 acres were in 1900 planted with sugar-cane. Granite quarries are worked. The chief industries are sugar-refining, the manufacture of See also:cement, See also:paper, See also:bamboo and rattan ware, See also:carving in See also:wood and See also:ivory, working in See also:copper and iron, See also:gold-beating and the See also:production of gold, See also:silver and See also:sandal-wood ware, See also:furniture making, See also:umbrella and jinricksha making, and industries connected with kerosene oil and matches. The manufacture of See also:cotton has been introduced. See also:Ship and boat building, together with subsidiary industries, such as rope and See also:sail making, appear less subject to periods of depression than other industries. Trade.—Hong-Kong being a free port, there are no See also:official figures as to the amount of trade; but the value of the exports and imports is estimated as about £50,000,000 in the year. Among the See also:principal goods dealt with are See also:tea, See also:silk, See also:opium, sugar, See also:flax, See also:salt, earthenware, oil, See also:amber, cotton and cotton goods, sandal-wood, ivory, betel, vegetables, live stock and granite. There is an extensive Chinese passenger trade. The following are the figures of See also:ships cleared and entered: Year. Tonnage. British. Year. 1880 8,359,994 3,758,160 1890 13,676,293 6,994,919 1898 17,265,780 8,705,648 1902 19, 709,451 8,945,976 Chinese ships rank next to British ships in the amount of trade. See also:German and See also:Japanese ships follow next. See also:Finance.—The See also:revenue and See also:expenditure are given below: Year. Revenue. Expenditure. I 81,069,948 1,995,220 2,918,159 4,901,073 $ 948,014 1,915,350 2,841,805 4,752,444 1880 1890 1898 1902 The main See also:sources of revenue are licences, See also:rent of government See also:property, the See also:post-See also:office and land sales. The See also:light dues were reduced ui 1898 from 22 cents to 1 cent per ton. There is a public See also:debt of about £340,000, borrowed for public works, which is being paid off by a sinking fund. The only legal See also:tender is the Mexican See also:dollar, and the British and Hong-Kong dollar, or other silver dollars of See also:equivalent value duly authorized by the governor. There are small silver and copper coins, which are legal tenders for amounts not exceeding two dollars and one dollar respectively. There is also a large paper currency in the form of notes issued by the Chartered Bank of See also:India, See also:Australia and China, the Hong-Kong and See also:Shanghai Banking See also:Corporation and the See also:National Bank of China, Limited. The foundation of new See also:law courts was laid in 1900. See also:Administration.—Formerly an integral part of China, the island of Hong-Kong was first ceded to Great Britain in 1841, and the cession was confirmed by the treaty of See also:Nanking in 1842, the See also:charter bearing the date 5th of April 1843. The colony is administered by a governor, executive See also:council and legislative council. The executive council consists of the holders of certain offices and of such other members as the See also:crown may nominate. In 1890 there were nine members. The legislative council consists of the same officials and of six unofficial members. Of these, three are appointed by the governor (of whom one must be, and two at See also:present are, members of the Chinese community) ; one is elected from the chamber of commerce, and one from the justices of the See also:peace. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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