H. E. Sir H. Blake formally opened the now pier which is named after himself, on the 20th ult. in the presence, of large concourse of people. His Excellency was acevmpanied by Lady Brake, and their Highnesses the Maharajah of Bikanic and the Mxharajah Scindia of Gwalior, as also by Viscount Suirdale, A. D. C., and Lieut. Spence. All the members of Council, the Foreign Consuls, the Chief Justice, and the Bishop of Vietoris were present. The Blake Pier takes the place of the old Pedder's Wharf. I is 200 feet in length, 40 feet wide with eight flights of steps. The base of the pier is 126 feer wide and projects 40 feet from the Praya Wall, is of solid granite, and designed to carry the new clock tower which will be erected there when the old one is removed from Pedder Street. The total cost of the ier has been $122,774. The design was prepared by the eminent har-dour engineers, Messrs, Coade, Sun, and Matthews, who' were well-acquainted. with Hongkong Harbour. The work has been carried out by Messrs. Kinghorn and Muedonald of Hongkong. After the Governor had delivered his speech he cut a green ribbon which had been stretched across the central arch and led the way on to the pier. The scissors used fur cutting the ribbon were of silver and inscribed:—Presented to Sir Henry Bluke, G.C.M.G., at the opening of the Blake Pier, Hon; 29th November, 1900, by Messrs. Kinghorn and Macdonald, contractors. The health of the Queen was drunk and also that of the Governor, and the proceedings came to an end. The pier was very tastefully decorated, and photographers much in evidence.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.