Scenes in the street are interesting and very cosmo politan. Here you see the Britisher intent on business ; there the tourist in gay attire, men and women just landed from a liner, and making the most of a little stay in port to see all they can ; there, again, the shout ing chair-coolies, anxious for a fare. All animation and business is this Gate of the East.
A most interesting walk is that along the front facing the harbour. Starting west from the Hong Kong Club, hub of the colony, one sees the Star Ferry Wharf, from whence plies the steam-ferry to and from Kowloon. Then there are various wharves and landing-places opposite great modern buildings, the offices of the shipping and other merchants. Between these wharves and jetties, packed closely, lie many native boats on which the owners live. They are ready to carry cargo of any kind, to ships in the harbour, •or to other parts of the colony ; there are smaller boats or sampans for passengers, and others for fishing. All these native craft must push off to a certain distance from the land at night, and all are numbered, and the passenger-boats licensed, so that passengers may embark in safety, the police knowing each boat. Farther on, one notices that the houses are mostly occupied by Chinese, and along and across this busy street coolies are carrying to and from the craft all sorts of goods, from bales of cotton to pigs squealing and kicking tied up in baskets ; farther on still, are the wharves of the various companies running steamers to Macao, Canton, and the West River.
The blue gown is the prevailing colour and costume of the better-class native, but amongst the coolies all colours are to be found in picturesque confusion. The wide straw hats seem to serve as umbrellas to keep off either sun or rain. Or again, from the Post Office, get on one of the smoothly running electric cars and go east past the barracks, and so on till again you are on the sea front (one sees many Japanese names on the shops here), on past East Point, where is one of the oldest Hongs of the colony, built here in the early days, and still going Here is the Harbour of Refuge, constructed to pro vide shelter for the many native craft. On farther, we
see to one side the fine racecourse, where at certain times great crowds gather, not only from Hong Kong, Canton, but even Shanghai and other ports, sending their racing enthusiasts to swell the crowd. Continue on the car and we come to the great sugar-mills, and, near by, the New Dock, built by one of the great and enterprising firms of the Far East. And what an enterprise this is 1—cut out of a granite hillside, and, at the time I saw it, near ing completion, with all the latest equipment necessary for docking large vessels — another instance of British colonial energy.
Farther on, the car runs along a pretty road by the water-side and finally stops at the entrance to the village of Sha-kai-wan, which, but a few years ago, was the home and headquarters of many of the pirates which infested these waters. It now has the appearance of a small fishing village ; but, personally, I would not like to vouch for the strict honesty of all its amphibious-looking inhabi tants. At any rate, it does not call for great imagination to fancy them as dressed and armed in old-time style, and waiting ready to pounce on any peaceful craft passing by.
One cannot fail to notice another engineering feat— the Peak tramway, which I have heard described as ugly. But if one will travel by it, and watch from the car as it ascends or descends, he will be rewarded by most beautiful glimpses through semi-tropical foliage along the hillside or over the harbour. From a station half way up I saw one of the most delightful views.