At the meeting of the Legislative Council held on the 26th instant, the Governor laid the Estimates on the table and made his Budget, speech. After alluding to the losx the Empire had sustained in the death of Queen' Victoria, he said the people of Hongkong had, with their usual liberality, subscribed $7,860 towards the proposed Memorial in London, and to that he would propose "that the Council should add meet "with the approval of the members. After referring to the troudies in North China and expressing satisfaction that they had not spread south to Canton, H.E. passed on to speak of the ravages of the plague and malarial fever, and stated that Mr. Osbert Chadwick, the eminent sanitary engineer, would' probably be sent to examine and report on the sanitary condition of the Colony. The Governor expressed regret that the expenses of the New Territory had again been very heavy, but said when the settlement of land claims had been effected the country would begin to develop and the outlay incurred would be ated revenue for 1901 the estimated He referred to the Public Works Department, and said the acting Director had reported that the staff was not equal to carrying out the work tobe done, and provision had been made in the estimates for two additional engineers. He had also considered a recom-by the Chamber of Commerce d ordered provision to be made for assistant surgeons, one to he second alth Officer of the Port. Large sums would also have to be expended on sanitary improvements, and every effort was being male to render the Post Office efficient. He then enumerated list of Bills to be submitted to the Council during the session. The Coloifial Secretary moved, and Mr. Chater (as senior unofficial member) a sum of $50,000 in aid of the memorial to the late is vote was unanimously agreed ing Director of Public Works en moved the adoption of additional by-laws for the prevention of endemic or epidemic, or contagious disease, made by the Sanitary Board under Section 13 of the Public Health Ordinance of 1901. After some discussion these bye-laws, which were to enable the Board to carry out a general disinfection, were passed, and some other additional ones were then proposed and adopted. Mr. Whitehead asked a string of questions about the collapse of the houses in Cochrane Street, the number and details of other houses that have collapsed in other parts of the Colony, and for a return of the approximate number of fishermen engaged in taking coil snd shells on the sea adjoining the New Territory, and the extent of the ground over which stich fishing is carried on. Repli in the shape of returns and depositions were Jaid on the table. A number of Bills were then read a first time, several were put through all stages, and the Council then adjourned.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.