VEGETATION OF HONG KONG. 477 
trance of the Canton river, all of similar aspect, character, 
and population; the former wild, dreary, bleak, and appa- 
rently extremely barren; the last, by turns, fishermen and 
pirates. Hong Kong is equally rugged with the others, and con- 
sists of several mountain masses thrown together, connected 
occasionally -by ridges, and, between these, lie numerous 
vallies, more or less sheltered from the violence of the winds. 
The general appearance of all its parts is similar; but the 
easterly portions are bolder, the vegetation more sparing and 
stunted, the outlines more rounded, and the large bare masses 
of rocks unscreened by foliage. The western side is 
evidently preferable, as the vallies descend with less rapidity, 
and a certain quantity of soil is collected ; vegetation thrives 
better, and is more varied ; some stunted pines try to assume 
the importance of trees ; and the shores bear no marks of the 
violence of the ocean. Water abounds every where, and 
each valley of the least pretensions, sends its stream to the 
cultivated grounds near the shore, where a portion is retained 
for irrigation, and the remainder is permitted to find its way 
to the sea. These streams continue to exist through all the 
seasons of the year, though they diminish greatly during the 
dry weather. After the rains many become small torrents, 
tumbling in haste over their rocky beds, and sometimes 
forming little cascades. 
Granite is the prevailing rock, and it abounds every where, 
having in many places been extensively quarried, and was 
largely used in the construction of the forts on the peninsula 
of Lintao, Though the usual structure of the granite be hard 
and resisting, yet where it has been much exposed to the 
action of moisture, its colour has changed, it is easily disin- 
tegrated by the fingers, and small masses of quartz separated. 
The sands of the beach have this origin, and vary in fineness ac- 
cording to the transporting influence of the water. Towards 
high water mark it is often as coarse as gravel, and thence gra- 
dually increases in fineness, towards the line of low water, till 
it becomes a fine sand. Basaltic trap is not uncommon, and on 
the rocks skirting the bay of Tcha-Tchu, I observed a vertical 
