Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/170

162 TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAI, ETC. numbers of entertainments are given both by travelling companies and by the Hongkong Amateur Dramatic Club. Every precaution is taken to guard against fire.

The assembly and ball-rooms are largely in request for dances, concerts, meetings, and lectures. Dances are usually held in St. George's Hall, in which hangs the fine portrait of the late Queen Victoria, presented to the city in 1900 by Sir Thomas Jackson, Bart. St. Andrew's Hall serves as an additional ballroom when required. Ordinarily it is used for meetings and concerts.

The nucleus of the Public Library was the library received in 1869 from the Morrison Education Society "as a free gift for the use of the public, on condition that in consideration of this gift and of the great services of Dr. Morrison to both Europeans and Chinese, the books be kept distinct from all other collections in the City Hall, and designated 'the Morrison Library' in perpetuation of the great missionary's memory." In 1871 the library consisted of 8,000 volumes, 3,000 of which were unconditionally presented by the trustees of the Victoria Library. Since that date it has been added to from time to time, and now contains 3,332 volumes in the Morrison Library ; 6,220, including 320 Chinese religious and devotional books, in the Cily Library ; and 3,287 in the lending collection— a total of 12,839 volumes. There are many valuable philological, biographical, and other works, including some rare tirst editions, the department dealing with China and Japan being especially well filled. The most treasured books, however, are those presented by the late Queen Victoria. They are "The Early Years of the Prince Consort," "The Prince Consort," "Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands," and " More I^eaves from the Journal of a Life in the Highlands," and they bear the auto- graph of Her late Majesty. The library is freely used, the register bearing the names of nearly five hundred borrowers. The visitors to the reading-room, which is well supplied with local, home, and American newspapers and magazines, average about 1,412 non-Chinese and 628 Chinese a month. The library is open from nine till nine. The museum contains a miscellaneous col- lection of valuable exhibits, and attracts thousands of Chinese visitors. It is open from ten till one aid from two till five, the mornings being reserved {or Chinese and the afternoons for non-Chinese. The number of visitors average about 29,321 and 844 respec- tively each month. On Satmday mornings Chinese women and children only are ad- mitted. Within the last year or two the collections have been rearranged and labelled in Chinese, but much remains to be done in the w.iy of classification. The affairs of the City Hall are managed by a committee, of which the chairman is usually a senior member of the firm of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., who were chiefly instrumental in raising the original subscriptions. The present mem- bers of the committee are the Hon. Mr. H. Keswick (chairman), Mr. B. Langton (hon. treasurer), the Hon. Mr. H. E. I^ollock, K.C., Mr. A. G. Wood, Mr. H. N. Mody, Mr. N. A. Silbs, and Mr. Denman Fuller (secretary, librarian, and curator).

THE NEW GOVERNMENT OFFICES.

The day is not far distant when Hongkong will be able to pride itself upon having its principal Government departments housed in premises worthy of their importance and in harmony with the many imposing commercial buildings in the European quarter. The new Government Offices, now in course of construction, have been designed in the Renaissance style of architecture, freely treated, and are being built with granite and red brick. A bold stonework entrance in the centre of the main elevation, facing Pedder Street, will give access to the postal hall, a graceful turret will surmount each of the eastern angles of the building, while the line of the parapet will be broken by three ornamental gables. The facade will be 78 feet in height, and the turrets will rise to a further height of 44 feet. The other elevations will be similar in character and will face Connaught Road on the north, Des V^oeux Road on the south, and a private lane, intersecting these thoroughfares, on the west. In the centre of the northern front, directly facing the harbour, a bold square clock tower will rise to a height of over 200 feet. The building will cover an area of considerably over half an acre.

The ground floor will be devoted to the needs of the postal service. A large public hall, with extensive counter-space, will be provided on the eastern side of the building, and the remainder of the floor will consist of lofty apartments for the sorting of incoming and outgoing mails, with special accommodation for registered articles, money orders, &c. Strong-rooms of fire-resisting construction will be provided for the safe keeping of made-up mail bags and registered articles. Of the basement, part will be reserved for the use of the Post Office, while the remainder will be used as storage space for various Government departments.

A wide teak staircase and a passenger lift in the south-east angle of the building will give access to the first, second and third floors, and there will also be two stone staircases on the western side. The first floor will provide accommodation for the Colonial Treasurer, the Registrar-General, and the Assessor. The greater portion of the second floor will be reserved for the use of the Sanitary Board, with Board room and offices for the President, the Medical Officer of Health, and the Sanitary Surveyor. The Local Auditor and the Inspector of Schools will also have offices on this floor, and a suite of rooms will be provided for the Chief Clerk of the Post Office. The third floor will be divided into numerous large and well-lighted offices.

The whole of the building will be lit by electricity, and the public portions will be heated by means of radiators on a low-pressure hot-water system, whilst open fireplaces will be provided in the various offices. The total cost of the structure, which it is expected will be ready for occupation during 1911, is estimated at $930,000.