The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-15
HONG KONG.

Christian Science Monitor: Speaking
Of the harbor of Hong Kong, which is,
of course, famous throughout the East
well-known traveller has described it
as zone of the few harbors i'm the world
which may be called perfect" How
ever this may be, it presents scene Of
great animation, on almost any day in
the year Whole fleets Of junks and
fishing boats are constantly coming in
or going out, and merchant vessels come
to Hong Kong from all parts Of the
world The harbor, indeed, is one Of the
most notable features Of the city, which
for more than four miles, runs along
its southern rim, or climbs quantity into
the hills beyond. The official name of
the city is, of course. Victoria; but most
people allude to the island or the city
indifferently as Hong Kong. 1t is a
place of beautiful buildings and many
trees. and the way it has Of mounting
the hillside, terrace by terrace, at first
closely compact but, ultimately, spread.
| ing out as it reaches higher ground,
with country houses and bungalows,
gives it peculiarly striking appearance,
as viewed from the sea.
Hong Kong, in fact, is divided into
three layers, extending up the hillside
one above another. First comes the
"Praya,' or esplanade, some fifty feet
wide, given over to shipping. The main
commercial street runs inland, parallel
| to the Praya, and beyond this, on either
side lies the Chinese quarter with a
| population of almost incredible density.
| The second stratum Of the town lies ten
minutes climb up the side of the ISL
and" and this is the beautiful part.
| Government House and other well.
known public buildings are here, and
everywhere are TO be seen well-laid-out
gardens. both public and private; whilst
many of the roads are bordered with
bamboos and other delicately fronded
trees. and are fringed with the luXuriant
growth Of semitropical vegetation. Fin.
ally, there is the third layer, known as
the Peak" and it is here that the hill
sides, as already noted, are dotted with
summer houses, with the governors
summer residence occupying the highest
point.
As for history, Hong Kong has very
| little. for. compared with immemorial
China, of which it was, Of course, once
part, il is very much a place of yes
terday. 1t was in lS4l that it first came
! into the hands of the British. The war
Of 1870 had been brought to a hasty end,
by the authorities at Pekin, when Sir
Hugh Cough, having occupied Annoy,
Ming-Po, Shanghai, and other places Of
importance, threatened Nankin. Dread
| ing to lose the Southern capital" the
| Chinese government proposed terms Of
| peace. and, about a year later, "A treaty
was signed by Sir Henry Pottinger, at
Nankin, one Of the provisions Of which
was that Hong Kong. which the British
had occupied two years before, should be
ceded to the United Kingdom.
The whole history OF modern Hong
Kong, as the traveller sees it today, is
comprised within these eighty years or
so. They have, however been years Of
enterprise and steady growth. OF late,
the city has specially engaged in spread.
ing itself over the mainland at the other
| side Of the narrow channel known as
the Ly-e-Mun, Of Carpfish Pass. At first
only four square miles on the mainland
were leased from the Chinese. but this
was ceded in perpetuity, by the Pekin
convention of 1860. and, in 1898. the
British government feeling the need Of
more land 10 allow Of development and
adequate defense secured from China.
on lease Of ninety.nine years, the ter
ritory behind the Kowloon peninsula,
consisting. in all. OF some 376 square
miles Hong Kong Is today. OF course.
the great distributing port of the world
for Southern China as Shanghai Is for
the north, and, as China develops the
city surely has before il unlimited pros
| poets Of DrOsDeritv