Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/815

 HONG estuary of the Seine, here 7 m. wide, and nearly opposite Havre; pop. in 1866, 9,946. It has a commodious port, which is only acces- sible however at high tide, and is resorted to chiefly by fishing vessels and craft engaged in the timber trade. Its commerce, which was once important, is now engrossed by Havre, but it retains a trade in farm and dairy pro- duce, large quantities of eggs, fruit, and vege- tables being exported to England. It has fish- eries of herring, cod, and mackerel, and manu- factories of lace, rope, leather, casks, mineral acids, and ship biscuit. Ship building is also carried on to some extent. The town is ill built and ill fortified, but contains some old and interesting edifices. The principal public buildings are the custom house, bank, and a chapel on a neighboring hill which is a favor- ite shrine for sailors. It contains a communal college, chamber of commerce, exchange, and school of navigation. Honfleur was long in the i possession of the English, and figures largely in their French wars. HONG, the Chinese name for a foreign fac- tory or mercantile establishment. The word means a row or series, and is applied to ware- ! houses because they consist of a succession of j rooms. The factories at Canton are built in this manner, and each block is called by the natives a hong. Formerly the European trade at Canton on the part of the Chinese was granted by the government as a monopoly to I 10 or 12 great merchants, called the hong mer- chants, through whose hands all foreign car- goes passed, and by whom the return cargoes i were furnished. They became security for the maintained a high reputation for integrity. This monopoly is now abolished. HONG RONG (Red Harbor), or Hiang Riang (Fragrant Streams), a British colony in China, comprising the island of Hong Kong and a part of the peninsula of Kooloon on the mainland opposite. The island lies off the coast of the province of Kwangtung, on the E. side of the estuary of the Chu-kiang or Canton river, 35 m. E. of Macao and 75 m. S. E. of Canton; area, about 29 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 124,198. The peninsula of Kooloon has an area of 5 sq. m. The island has a coast line of about 26 m., and is very irregular in shape, being indented by numerous bays. Two of the lar- gest of these are on the S. E. side. Tytam bay, the most easterly one, extends 4 or 5 m. inland, forming two long peninsulas. Tytam peninsula, on its W. side, separates it from Stanley bay, at the head of which is the small town of Stanley. On the N. side the island is il separated from the mainland by a narrow ir- I regular strait, which at the Liinoon pass at its I E. end is only a quarter of a mile wide, and at I Kooloon point a little .more than a mile. At the W. end of this strait are Hong Kong road i and Victoria bay, the latter a spacious harbor, having deep water close in shore and affording the best of anchorage. The surface of the isl- HONG KONG 797 and is rugged and uneven, consisting of a range of barren granite rocks, running nearly E. and W., the highest of which is 1,825 ft, above the sea, broken by occasional narrow valleys, with a little level land along the beach. The natu- ral vegetation is confined mostly to rank herb- age and brushwood growing in the interstices of the rocks, and a few plants on the margins of the streams. There are no large trees. The mango, the orange, and the pear are indi- genous, and the English have introduced the fruits of Canton and Macao. But a very small part of the island is susceptible of cultivation, scarcely enough to produce vegetables for the consumption of the inhabitants. Rice, sweet potatoes, and yams are raised by the natives, and potatoes and various European vegetables have been sucessfully grown. The island is abundantly supplied with good spring water. The climate is hot but comparatively healthy, although in some seasons there has been a large mortality from malaria. Of the population in 1871, 115,444 were Chinese, 5,933 Europeans and Americans, including the military and na- val establishments, and 2,623 East Indians. The resident white population was only 2,736, of whom 1,367 were Portuguese, 869 English, 170 Germans, 133 Americans, and 60 French. The chief settlement on the island is the city of Victoria, on the bay of the same name, in lat. 22 16' 30" N., Ion 114 8' 30" E. In- cluding the Chinese town, it extends 3 m. along the shore, occupying all the space be- tween the water and the foot of the hills, and rising up the latter in terraces. The public buildings, which are of stone and brick, are superior to those usually seen in China. The houses of the merchants are large and elegant, with broad verandas and fine gardens. There are water works and gas works, and the main thoroughfare is protected by a sea wall. Among the public buildings are the government house, magistracy, court house, exchange, jail, ord- nance and engineers' department, club house, and public offices. There are also a cathedral and bishop's palace, the chapel and school of the London missionary society, hospital of the medical missionary society, Morrison edu- cational society, and seamen's and military hospitals. All the principal foreign nations have consulates. There are ten banking houses, one French, one local, and the rest English ; two daily newspapers, one semi-weekly, one weekly, and one fortnightly, all English, and the weekly a government publication; one Portuguese weekly, and one in Chinese pub- lished every second day. Fine government gardens have been laid out, and much has been done of late to improve the appearance and the sanitary condition of the city. The popu- lation is about 95,000, of whom more than 90,- 000 are Chinese. Many of the latter are mer- chants, but the greater part are laborers and boatmen. About 13,000 of the poorer class live in boats in the harbor. The natives are not allowed to go abroad without a pass after
 * payment of duties by the foreign ships, and