Interesting Account by "Former Governor on Steps Taken to Combat Canton Agitators'
Work in Hongkong: Great "At the Cannon Street Hotel, fon December 15, the Royal Colonial Institute gave a luncheon in honour of Sir R. Edward Stubbs x.car.c, late Governor of Hongkong, and Governor-Designate of Jamaica, The Right Hon. Lord Stanley of Alderley, Chairman of the "Councit, presided. "The King and. United Bmpire"" having been duly honoured, the Chairman bri ly proposed the health of the guest.
Sir Edward Stubbs said: Tt is not very easy to talk about Hong. Kong in any circumstances, for al though T may ba excused for regarding it as a place of great imortanco, I am afraid that that view not shared by the general pcblie who are inclined to regard it solely as a red spot on the map.
bury advised people to study large On a famous occasion Lord Salis crile maps, and I could only wish that that advice had been taken in this case, as I do not. think quite sufficient importance has been given England to what was and. isa very serious and a very interesting situation.
The great difficulty of addressing a public audience on the subject fof Hongkong is that it is almost impossible to do so without dealing to some extent with the affairs of China, and that for many, reasons T do not desire to do, 'The main facts of the history of Hongkong fare doubtless well-known to all of you, Th any case they are readily Available in any of the usual books of reference and Twill not take up your" time by reeapitula these, T may' perhaps remind you that Hongkong was acquired, in early forties, as a refuge for the merchants who had been driven out of Canton and Macao and as a base for British trade. During. the 80 years we have held Hongkong, we have developed it in a way which a great tribute to the colonizing power of the English and the Scot-Aish race. The island that was taken over was little more than barren, granite rocks, inhabited by a. thou Sand or two fishermen and pirates, Whose successors still carry on on Toast of the same trades. have converted it into a really fine city, clinging to the sides of the somewhat precipitous granite mountain, out of which all our houses have been hewn with great engine-ring skill and at great expense. The buildings are good, though to my mind exceedingly ugly.
ed by my guests from _foreigt road system has been admire
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.