Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-01-12

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington, D. c.
Among all the far flung possessions
Of tne British Empire, Hong Kong
might be called the gem. Many Brit
ishers look upon it as their local col
Ony; and it is indeed a city of super
latives. 1t is the pivot of British COM
merce, naval power and influence in
the Far East. Travellers acclaim it's
terraced city the most beautiful in the
Far East; its deep, commOdious har-
Dor is one of the best in the world !;
and in the tonnage of shipping entered
and cleared it is outranked-since the
World war reduced Hamburg's i'm
portance- only by New York. 1t is
the commercial gateway to the vast
era of southern China and the islands
to the south.
On the military side Hong Kong is
stronger than Gibraltar and is the
base of one of the most powerful fleet
units in existence, the British Asiatic
squadron. Finally it is one of the
most prosperous communities to be
found either East or West.
Much Of Great Britain's pride in
Hong Kong arises from the fact that it
has been built from nothing in just
four score years. In 1889 Hong Kong
was a bare granite island, nominally
a part of China, but inhabited only
by a few thousand fishermen and
Of hn MI. yha
merce off the Chinese coast a thing of
hazard and uncertainty in those days
When British merchants clashed with
the Chinese in Canton in 1889 and
found it necessary to leave that city
they retired first to the Portuguese
settlement at Macao, seventy-five miles
down the Canton river, and then com.
pletely off the mainland to the rocky
island of Hong Kong. War followed
this commercial friction, and when
Great Britain emerged as the victor
in 1S41 she demanded, and the fol
lowing year was given, outright title
to Hong Kong.
Despite the common idea, Hong
Kong is not city, but an island. 1t i:
eleven miles long and from two tc
five miles wide with an area Of more
than thirty square miles. The city
which to the popular mind constitutes
Hong Kong, is officially named Vic
tOria for the queen who ruled in Bri
tain during its greatest growth. But
though the name Victoria is used IL
official documents and on some maps
to most Of the islanders the big com
munity of half a million souls Is
merely ''the city,"
Victoria and the matchless harbol
are on the inner side of the island
and as the ship approaches Hong
Kong only the little developed sea
seems little different, except for its
size, from the bare granite islands
among which it lies. AS the steamer
draws near differences appear; patch
es of verdure are discerned; the line
of a highway stands out on the side:
Of its towering hills. an occasional
pane of glass reflects a flash of light
from among the trees. Yet there i:
little hint of the presence of great
city of half a million souls on the fal
side Of the island.
Has Wonderful Harbor.
When the ship has nosed around
the end of the island at the west Of
through the narrow passage near the
eastern end, the great harbor and city
come into view. Due to two peninsula'
which extend from the mainland clOst
to the island and to the indentation'
| of the shore of the island itself, the
harbor, covering 10 to 10 square miles
seems landlocked. 1t has the appear
ance Of pond set down in a vas
| irregular granite bowl. In tEs5 dec