478 ASPECT, CLIMATE, AND 
dyke of basalt, of about ten inches breadth, traversing the 
granite. In a small bay on the northern shore I saw a 
quantity of pumice strewed near the beach, beyond the usual 
influence of the tides. 
With so much irregularity of surface, there will ne- 
cessarily be much diversity in the soil; the mountain 
sides and elevated parts will be chiefly bare and rocky, whilst 
the beds of the vallies are likely to collect all the usual 
materials which contribute to its formation. In many places 
it is deep, and on examination, proves of a red colour, friable, 
containing small particles of quartz, and, it would appear, 
sufficiently productive ; in some cases it approaches clay, and 
is made into bricks, which by burning take on them a blue 
colour. This is their general aspect throughout the vast sur- 
face of the empire, and the character of the soil, clay, and 
bricks of Hong Kong is a fac-simile of those of China 
generally. 
To the vallies then is nearly restricted all the cultivation 
of the island. The selection is usually made where these 
terminate on the coast, the sides of the vallies here expand- 
ing, and the supply of water for irrigation being more abun- 
dant and regular. Still, the surface requires some artificial ` 
levelling, and the peasantry often distribute it into a series of 
broad terraces, from one to two feet above each other, and 
which, from a distance, resemble gigantic staircases. Great 
neatness is conspicuous in their formation ; sometimes the 
sides are faced with stonework, though an earthy barrier usu- 
ally suffices, and the outline is formed with much regularity. 
A healthy supply of water from the neighbouring stream is 
admitted by suitable channels, according to the necessities of 
the growing crop, and sometimes women pour water over the 
plants, individually, from large buckets of bamboo with long 
spouts. This they often practice in the middle of the day, 
when the sun is at its highest. The staple production of 
these terraces is the sweet potato, but yams and cocoes are 
also cultivated; turneps are evidently favourites, and it is 
rare to see an establishment without a corner devoted to a 
