Directory_and_Chronicle_1883 — Page 319

CHINA.

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thinned the population, and there is reason to believe that the estimates above given considerably exaggerate the number of the Chinese race.

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 Shanghai, the remainder being scattered over the other ports open to foreign commerce.

In addition to China proper there are its dependencies. These chiefly consist of Mongolia, with an ar a of 1,288,035 square miles, with some 2,000,000 people; and Manchuria, with an area of 362,313 square miles, and a population of 3,000,000. The latter is being steadily and rapidly colonised by Chinese, who will soon outnumber the Manchus in their own land. Thibet, which is also practically a dependency of China, has an area of 643,734 square miles and a population of 6,000,000 souls. It is ruled by the Dalai Lama, but subject to the Government of Peking.

Of all the numerous kingdoms that formerly acknowledged the suzerainty of the Dragon Throne and paid tribute to the Emperor, Cerca is the only one that still yields willing allegiance. The Chinese Government has, however, no control over the internal affairs of Corea, and does not attempt to direct her foreign policy. The Japanese induced the Corean Government to enter into treaty relations with them in 1876. In May, 1882, Commodore Shufeldt negotiated a treaty with Corea on behalf of the United States (since rejected by the Washington Government), and shortly after Corea entered into treaties with England and Germany. The area of Corea is 90,300 square miles, and the population is variously estimated from 8,000,000 to 10,000,000. ARMY AND NANY.

The standing military force of China consists of two great divisions, the first formed by the more immediate subjects of the ruling dynasty, the Manchus, and the second by the Chinese and other subject races. The first, the main force upon which the Imperial Government en rely, form the so-called troops of the Eight Banners, and garrison all the great cities, but so as to be separated 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 ba racks, but in their own houses, mostly pursuing some civil. occupation.

The Chinese navy is in process of formation. It consists mainly of small gun- boats built at the Namoi Arsenal, Foochow, and at Shanghai, on the foreign model, and the entire navy is manned by about 6,000 sailors and carries 280 guns. Included in these are the revenue cruisers, several of which were built in England. The principal vessel in point of size are two wooden frigates, 2,800 tons builder's measurement, after which comes the Yung Wo, a wooden corvette of 1,300 tons builder's measurement, 11 guns. The most formidable vessels now possessed by China unquestionably are the two gun-vessels, the Chao Yung and Yung Wei, built on the Tyne, and sent out to China in the autumn of 1881. These ves els have a displacement of 1,850 tons, are built of steel, and are propelled by twin screws driven by compound engines of, together, 2,600 indicated horsc-power. They each carry two 26-ton breech-loading guns, one mounted forward and the other at, four 40-pounder breech-loading guns, two 9-pounder breech-loaders, two Norden- felts, and four Gatlings. They are both armed with a formidable steel knife-edged ram, and carry steam-cutters fitted with spar torpedoes. After these come the eleven gunboats named after the letters of the Greek alphabet from Alpha to Lambda. The first four are 118 feet 6 inches long, with a draught of 7 feet 6 inches, and a displace- ment of 400 tons. They each carry a 274-ton gun. The next four, which arrived in China in October, 1879, are built of steel, and are double-ended, the stern lines being exactly after the model of the bow rudders. By this improvement they can be used either as stern racers or bow chasers, and the extreme firen ss of the run enables them to steam backward almost as rapidly as forward. They measure 127 feet in