chiefly European, but with some Parsee, Coringa,
and Chinese dwellings. These streets are
connected at right angles by smaller ones, steeply
ascending the hill-side, and thickly crowded with
shops, chiefly Chinese. Still higher up are the
pretty villas and semi-detached houses of the
English residents, the governor's house, a
handsome building, with the public gardens, the
residence of the general, the barracks, and the
cathedral. These all communicate by excellent roads,
bounded by neatly-finished stone walls, and
interspersed with gardens, flowering shrubs, and shady
trees. From the level of this quarter extends a
magnificent view of the harbour and the opposite
island of Kowloon, and the traveller can, if he
pleases, ascend the rugged barren heights above
him to the flagstaff peak, nearly two thousand
feet above the sea; but the mountain is cheerless
and lonely.

The suburbs of "Victoria," as Hong-Kong is
called (or should be called, although nobody in
my hearing ever called it so), are not extensive,
but are thickly crowded with Chinese houses,
inhabited by fishermen, boat-builders, umbrella
and sedan-chair makers, masons, and coolies, a
lawless set, with whom the police of Hong-Kong
find plenty to do. Indeed, to this day it is
reckoned unsafe to go along the skirts of the
town after sunset, unless well armed or with a
party. Chinamen are both adroit and audacious
highwaymen, but they have great dread of fire-
arms, especially of a revolver, and the sight of
a pistol ensures safety to the traveller. The
quarrymen, who are employed in great
numbers on the hill-side skirting the roads, and
many of whom pass the night in temporary
hovels where they work, are all thieves. And
as our police force is composed of Hindoos,
for whom physically Chinamen have great contempt,
and as the punishments sanctioned by our
laws are altogether insufficient to check crime
amongst this people, it is not matter of surprise
that Hong-Kong should be a nest of thieves,
while the neighbouring city of Canton is a
pattern of good order aud security. Indeed, it
is a known fact that all the worst characters in
the latter place, finding their own government
too hot for them, repair to Hong-Kong, as a
genial region of misdeed. It was only a short
time since that they robbed a bank in the town
with singular skill and audacity, entering the
treasure-room through a drain and
subterraneous passage dug by themselves at right
angles to it, under the foundation-wall of the
building.

At the west end of the town the level land of
the beach penetrates the hill, forming an oval-
shaped flat space of meadow-land, which has
been turned into a very excellent race-course,
and on the eastern side of this, at the foot of the
hill, is the Christian cemetery. The roots of the
hills are here covered by forest trees, and a pretty
little stream or "burn" runs along the bottom
of this "Happy valley," as this west-end suburb
is termed by the English residents. The races
take place here once a year, and are exceedingly
good, for there are two great millionnaires
who spare no expense in importing first-rate
horses.

Hong-Kong is a good deal colder than Calcutta,
but the seasons are as to time much the
same as in India. The rains are short in duration,
but very violent, drenching the streets with
mountain torrents which the mutinous and
deep drains cannot always contain. The summer
is unpleasantly hot only in June and July, and
the cold weather, during which fires are absolutely
necessary, lingers on till near the middle
of April, with gloomy, misty skies, and chill
driving rain coming in gusts from the hills
above.

MEMBERS FOR BUMBLEDOM.

IN this, the metropolitan parish of St. Piggins,
we have just elected a number of new vestrymen.
I, though a ratepayer of the parish, and dwelling
within a stone's throw of the Parochial Parliament
House, the Vestry Hall, should never have
known anything about the matter, had I not
taken great pains to find out. I had to
institute a private inquiry to arrive at a
knowledge of the fact that the election of new
vestrymen was appointed to be taken on the
28th of May. No notice was given to the rate-
payers, no advertisements were inserted in the
newspapers, and, so far as I have ascertained,
no one knew anything of what was taking place,
except the candidates themselves, and their
friends and supporters. Some time previous to
the election, ward meetings were announced to
deliberate as to the choice of candidates; but the
little handbills calling the meetings were only
distributed among a select few; and it was only
by demeaning myself to pass an evening in the
parlour of a dirty little public-house, in a back
street, that I obtained possession of one of them.
Here it is:
                      ST. PIGGINS'
        RATEPAYERS' ASSOCIATION.
                       Ward No. 1.
     Election of Vestrymen and Auditors.
                   A Public Meeting
     Of the Ratepayers will be held at the
                  PIG AND WHISTLE,
                   Stye Street Road,
           On Tuesday Evening next,
                 At ½-past 8 precisely,
To select fit and proper Gentlemen to be
recommended for election as Vestrymen.
MR. PORKINGTON BUTTS IN THE CHAIR.
{image:finger-pointing hand} Ratepayers are respectfully invited to attend.

Observing the hand pointedly calling attention
to an invitation to the ratepayers to be
present on the occasion, I received the impression
that the comments of the press on parochial
mismanagement had aroused the ratepayers to a
sense of their duty, and that the meeting was
called in the interests of reform. In this faith
and hope I attended at the Pig and Whistle on
the appointed day and at the appointed hour.
Passing through a gloomy bar, and ascending
a dingy stair, I reached the excelsior of a