informing me that you have arranged with the Taotai for a joint investigation of the Northern boundary of, Hongkew. upon, the Vth instant by the City and Mixed Court Magistrates and Mr. Emens of the United States Consulate-General, and in compliance with your suggestion the Municipal Surveyor has been instructed to he present at the time in order to point out to them the Seward line which is the boundary now claimed by the Council.
Thave the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, J. Maccnecor, Chairman, General J. D. CLY, Consul-General, Shanghai.
Dredying of the Souchow Creek.—The inllowing correspondence is ordered to be published General, 1 shanghai, 4th March, 1839.
S1n,—Referring to previous correspondence on the subject of the dredging of the Soochow Creek, I beg to enclose for the information of the Council translation of a letter which I have received from the Twotai, covering a report from the officials in charge of the dredging operations.
will be seen that no date can yet be fixed for the completion of the work; which would, however, be facilitated by the moving; of the pleasure yachts, small steamers, and other craft from their present mooring, These vessels belong to persons of various nationalities; and I'venture to suggest that, in the public interest, the police should be structed to notify their owners of the neces sity of altering their moorings from time to time, to enable the dredging of the Creek to be properly effected.
have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, P. J. Heaues, H.B.M.'s Consul-Generat and Senior Conenl.
Jony, Macaxeor, Esq.
Chairman Municipal i Councit, Shanghai, From Kryo, Taot'ai to Consul-General Hrones.
Dated K.S. XV, 1, 29 (28th Feb. 1889),—I have the honour to refer you to my vious reply to your letter of 2ist January, probable date of the completion of the works ich you requested to be informed of the how in progress at the Soochow Creek. As I then wrote to you, I had instructed Mr. Sub-prefect Wang, and the other members of the Board in charge of these operations, to report on the subject, and I have now ree the report of which'I enclose copy. In it they request to inform you that they are arable to indicate the exact date at which works may be expected to be completed. They also request that to prevent obstruction and delay you will be so good as to direct the foreign merchants and others whose boats have, they state, not yet been removed from their positions against the sides of the Creek at the spot where {the work of dredging is jing, to have them moved on into the next section of the Creek.
As this statement of theirs is in accordance with the facts, I have the honour to request that you will give the directions which they request. I have replied to the writers of the report by instructing them to order the workmen, ete., under their directions, to proceed with the dredging operations with all possible celerity.
Thave, ete., (Card of Kose Taor'at).
Enclosure in above:—Copy of Report of Wang and other members of the Soochow Creek Works Committee, to the Taot'
On receiving Your Despatch: enclosing copy of letter from Mr. Hughes, H.B. M.'s Consul-General, enquiring the probable date of the completion of the Soochow Creek Works, we beg to report as follows The Soochow Creek had been silting up for 'a number of years, becoming rapidly narrower and shallower, when orders were received for it to be cleared by dredging, as a measure which would confer benefit on both Chinese and foreign merchants and people, and the sooner carried out the better for all. The so-called Creek, however, being a tidal river, it is only when the ebb tides have left bare the accretions of sand or mud banks on both sides which are now being cut away, that the coolies who have been engaged to carry away the sand and mud can work. Not takin into account the delay caused by rain and snow, on any day when there is a high tide, this is practicable only during about 4 or 3 hours; and on low tide days, owing to the water not having totally retired in time, only during 3 or 4 hours: the rest of the time, human strength is unavailing, and the men can only stand looking idly at the water. The method now employed cannot be compared with the dam system, by the employment of which we might be enabled to fix a date for the expected completion of work.
caumot be brought in to work owing tw the As regards midstream, the dredger nding obstacle of the Garden Bridge, and so the Chun-ch'wan machine dredger is at work negotiations are also in progress for the loan of a dredger from the Arsenal, to commence dredging by sections within the Settlement, our desi ug to do all in our power to have the work finished at an early date. These dredgers only bring up one bucket-full at each revolution, and it is only at slack water or low tides that they can bring up a Unucket-fall each time; for at high tes when the water is running strong, the bucket, in shaken by the water, and comes out only ite of its great weigh ved about and half-full, sometimes even with only a handful of mud in it.
There must also be taken into con: the constant risk of injury, entail for repairs, to the machinery from the continual friction to which it is subjected, constantly working as it does from moraing till night.
Swing to the above genuine reasons, we are unable to name a date when the operations will be probably completed. Some thie back as the ts which ply on the Creek were moving about as usual, we sent in a joint Proclamation addressed to them. The great number of craft anchored along the sides of the Creek being an impediment to the work, they were enjoined to clear the way by mov: which entailed no inconvenience upon them: ing on from section to section as required,
As regards small steamers, not only because the dredging operations, but at all times, independently of such operations, it is their duty to slow down, to avoid collision with the boats crowded together in the upper parts of the Creek. As for the bamboos, wooden poles, and stones heaped upon the banks lining the Creek, they are great causes of silting by checking the mud which would flow out but for them, and when the dredging is finishing, it will be necessary again to notify the people of the neighbourhood by Proclamation, not to let them accumulate there again,—a penalty to be inflicted on such as disobey this order.
Inside the Garden Bridge, at the place where the dredger is at work, the pleasure cannes have not wade way at all, nel yachts moored at each side and the small
the dredging progresses from East to Wes! their obstruction will be more and more felt, as the river narrows more and more in that direction. It is therefore our duty to submit that you should address an official commusication to the Senior Consul, H. B. M.'s Consul-General, 60 that the foreign merchants concerned may be moved to have these moved an into the next section to that in which the inacroriance with the Proclamation caeady dredging is going on, and so on as required,
While submitting the above Keport and respectfully awaiting your instructions, we have the honour to state that we have ordered the workmen under our directions to proceett with the dredging work with all possible celerity, ete., etc.
Translated by INF. A. Fraser, Stm,—I have the honour to acknowledge Shanghai 8th March, 1889, the receipt of your letter of the 4th inst, enclosing translation of a despatch from the Taotai and of a report from the officials in charge of the dredging of the Soochow Creek, all which have been submitted te the Council, and in reply I beg to say that in compliance with your suggestion " notification has been published requesting the Owners of all the ts moored in the Creek between the Garden and Honan road bridges, to have them moved from time to time, as may be required so that they may not interfere with coolies employed in excavating the mud.
This notification is now being translated into Chinese, and copies will he sent on bourd the different boats in the Creek, and Captain McEuen has been instructed to put, hituselt in communication with the Native Officials in charge of the dredging operations and to do everything in his power to assist in carrying out any arrangement that may appear neces: sary in connection with the moving of the boats for the purpose of facilitating the work entrusted to them.
T have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant J. Macengcon, Chairman.
J. Hvones, Bsq., H.B.M.'s Consul-General and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.