Communications.—An electric railroad of nine and one-quarter miles and a cable tramway connect the Peak district with the lower levels of Victoria. There is a railway line to the Chinese frontier connecting with the Canton Railway. It was opened in 1910. The branch line from 'anling to Sha Tau Kok was opened in 1912. 'There are 17 post offices in the colony, the revenue from which in 1916 amounted to $216,165, and the expenditure for which amounted to $167,795. Telegraph lines, includ ing cables, have as length of 254 miles. Tele phone wires, excluding military lines, have a length of 8272+ miles. There are military and naval 'wireless stations and a postal wireless station, .Hongkong, as one of the great marts of the world, has steamship connection with an great ports of Europe and America.
Finance, Money, etc.— In 1916 the reve nue of the colony was $7,276,940, derived chiefly from land, taxes, licenses, quarry rent, liquor duties and an opium monopoly. The expendi tures in the same year amounted to $5,828,500, a great part of which is devoted the mainte nance of a strong police force. The public debt amounts to about $7,200,000. The British banking institutions in the colony are the Hong kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, and the Mercantile Bank of India. Ltd. There are also several Chinese and foreign banks.
The currency consists of the notes of the above named banks, and of British, Hongkong and Mexican dollars, besides subsidiary coins. The British dollar' is of 416 grants of silver, 900 fine; the Mexican, 417.74, of 902.7 fineness. The circulation of foreign copper coin was prohibited in 1912, and similar action is being taken in regard to foreign silver and nickel coins and bank notes. The Hongkong dollar is of variable value. In 1917 it was worth $0.525 in American currency.
History, Government, etc.—The Crown colony was ceded to Great Britain by China in 1841, the cession was confirmed by the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 and the charter is dated 5 April 1843. It is a military and naval station of first importance. The administration is in
the hands of a governor, aided by an executive council, composed of the general officer com manding the troops, the colonial secretary, the attorney-general, the treasurer, the secretary for Chinese affairs, and the director of public works and two unofficial members. There is also a legislative council,presided over by the governor and composed of the commander, the colonial secretary, the attorney-general, treas urer, director of public works, superintendent of police, secretary for ,Chiaese affairs and six unofficial members four nominated by the Crown (two of whom are Chinese), one by the Chamber of Commerce and one by the justices of the peace. The courts of justice comprise a Supreme Court, a court of juris diction and a third court or appeal court, a police magistrates court and a marine magis trates' Court. In 1916, 1,418 were committed to jail; the daily average of prisoners in jail in 1916 was 638. The police force numbers 1,215 men, of whom 165 are European, 463 Indians and 587 Chinese.
Population. -- The population of Hongkong, exclusive of the military and naval establish ments, and the new leased territory, .was; in 1911, 354,187• Chinese; 8,04 -Etiropeans and Americans, and 3,884 other nationalities, a total of 366,145. The new territories contained 90,594,' making a grand total for 'the colony of 456,739. The total estimated population in 1916 (including the new territories) was 529,000. • Bibliography.— Bentham, G., 'Flora Hong kongensis') (Hongkong 1902) ; Eitel, E. J., 'Europe in China? (London 1895) : Ireland, A., 'The Far Eastern• Tropics) (ib. 1905); Kyshe, J. W. 'N., 'History of the Laws and Courts of Hongkong) (ib. 1899) ; Lucas, C. P..