Directory_and_Chronicle_1870 — Page 632

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GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL.

341

The above population, giving 283 souls per square mile throughout the empire, appears to be excessive, considering that some of the outlying portions of the immense territory are by no means densely inhabited. Nevertheless, later returns than those of 1812, likewise said to be official, give still higher figures. It is stated that in a census taken in 1842, the population of China was ascertained to number 414,686,994, or 320 per English square mile.

Since the accession of the present dynasty, a census, or rough enumeration of the population, takes place every ten years, but the results are not always, and never com- pletely, made public. From what has become known of these computations of the people, it would appear that China nearly trebled its population in the hundred years 1742 to 1842, and that it doubled in the seventy years 1772 to 1842.

The standing military force of China consists nominally of four divisions-the Manchoos, in 678 companies of 100 men each, the Mongols, in 211 companies, and 106,000 Chinese, all cavalry, and 500,000 native infantry, besides 125,000 irregular troops or militia, in all, 829,900 men. Besides these, many irregular troops are stationed in the provinces of Mongolia, Turkestan, Tibet, (where the government is military,) and in all considerable cities there is a garrison of Tartar troops. But re- cent reports state the Chinese army to be composed of only 600,000 men, scattered over the surface of the empire. A standing army, in the European sense of the word, is not in existence. The soldiers do not live in barracks, but in their own houses, pur- suing as chief business some civil occupation, frequently that of day-labourers, and meeting only on certain occasions, pursuant to orders from the military chieftains.

Trade and Commerce.

The first attempt on the part of Great Britain to open a trade with China was made in 1637, when four merchant vessels arrived at Macão; but through the intrigues of the Portuguese there established, the enterprise failed. Afterwards the East India Company carried on a small traffic at the different maritime ports, and chiefly at Can- ton. In 1792, Lord Macartney's embassy attempted to put the trade on a more liberal basis, but with little success. In 1816, Lord Ambert's mission for a similar purpose also failed, though the English trade continued for the next twenty years. In 1834 the exclusive trade of the East India Company with China terminated, and the country was thrown open to general traders. The opening thus made was followed by a com- mercial treaty, signed on August 29, 1842, by the plenipotentiaries of the Queen of Great Britain and the Emperor of China, by the terms of which five ports of the empire were opened to European trade. The five ports comprised those of Canton, Amoy, Foo-chow-foo, Ningpo, and Shanghai. To these five ports were subsequently added eight others-namely, Swatow, Tientsin, Chefoo, Hankow, Kiukiang, Chinkiang, Formosa, and Newchwang.

The relative importance of these thirteen gates of Chinese commerce is shown in the following table, which gives the total value of the imports and exports of each, during the years 1863 and 1864-

PORTS.

Shanghai Foochow-foo

Canton

Ningpo

Amoy

Swatow

Tientsin

Chefoo

Hankow

Kiu-kiang

Chinkiang Formosa.

...

Newchwang

IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

1863

1864

1863

1864

+

£29,709,575

£21,610,757

£12,227,153

£13,282,589

...

2,616,637

2,378,044

4,521,203

4.374,685

+++

2,821,354

2,421,482

3,863,039

3,414.863

3,348,601

3,421,538

1,454,569

2,083,435

2,046,033

2,354,913

994,129

943,494

1,526,404

2,133,262

694,807

1,233,371

2,205,739

2,593,065

304,405

676,929

...

759,178

1,008,325

498,932

919,516

***

8,308,772

3,620,783

4,247.302

4,484,475

•

1,061,788

1,044.217

2,436,780

1,356,983

...

1,522,603

1,557,784

230,276

402,979

193,213

154,498

***

236,579

570,133

Total...

60,386,684

44,573,919

31,471,595

33,797,950

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