CHINA.
381
the Imperial government can rely, form the so-called troops of the Eight Banners, and garrison all the great cities, but so as to be separatad by walls and forts from the population. According to the latest reports, the Imperial army comprises a total of 850,000 men, including 678 companies of Tartar troops, 211 companies of Mongols and native Chinese infantry, a kind of militia, numbering 120,000 men. The native soldiers do not live in barracks, but in their own houses, mostly pursuing some civil occupation.
China proper, extending over 73,093 geographical, or 1,534,953 English square miles, is divided into eighteen provinces, the area and population of which are given as follows in the most recent estimates, partly based on official returns:-
Chih-li.....
Shan-tung.
Shan-si
Honan..
Kiang-sü..
An-hwei.
Kiang-si
Foh-kien
Che-kiang
Hu-peh Hu-nan.
Shen-si
Kan-suh.
Sze-chuen
Kwang-tung.
Kwang-si
Yun-nan
Kwei-chow
Province.
Provincial Capital.
Area English square miles.
Estimated Population.
Peking
'T'si-nan-fu.
Tai-yuen-fu. Kai-fung-fu. Nanking.. Ngan-king-fu
58,949
28.114.023
65,104
28,958.764
55,268 27,260,281
65,104 23,037,171
92,661 {
(37,843,501
34,168,059
72,176 30,426,999
Nau-chang-fu..
Foo-chow-fu....
53,480
38.898,432
Hang-chow-fu....
39,150
26,256,784
Wu-chang-fu..
Chang-chau-fu.
381,724 {
37,370,098
18,652,507
Si-gan-fu.....
10,207,256
154,008
Lan-chow-fu..
15,193,135
Ching-tow-fu..
166,800
21,435,678
Canton...
79,456
19,147,030
Kwe-lin-fu..
78,250
7,313,895
Yun-nan-fu.
Kwei-yang-fu
107,869
5,561,320
64,554
5,288,219
Total..
1,534,953 405,213,152
་
The above population, giving 263 souls per square mile throughout China proper, appears to be excessive, considering that some of the outlying portions of the immense territory are by no means densely inhabitel. Nevertheless, other returns than those of the above tables, 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, and that in 1852 it had risen to 450,000,000, or 347 inhabitants per square mile. But there is, probably, less accuracy in the given results of the latter enumerations than in the preceding estimate, as the power and authority of the government have been on the decline for more than half a century, and disturbed by constant insurrections, mostly spreading over large portions of the empire.
According to a return of the Imperial customs authorities, the total number of foreigners in China was 3,817 at the end of 1877. Among them were 1,851 natives of Great Britain and Ireland, 383 of the United States; 353 of Germany, and 176 of France, all other nationalities being represented by very few members. More than one-half of the total number of foreigners resided at Shangbai, the remainder being scattered over the other ports open to foreign commerce.
Great Britain has, in virtue of various treaties with the Chinese Government- the first and most important signed August 29th, 1842-the right of access to twenty- five ports of the Empire, in addition to the colony of Hongkong, geographically a part of China. The ports known as Treaty ports, are Canton, Hoibow (in Hainan), Pakhoi, Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Wenchow, Ningpo, Shanghai, Chinkiang, Wuhu, Kiukiang, Hankow, Ichang, Chefoo, Tientsin, and Newchwang. Under the provisions
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