Directory_and_Chronicle_1890 — Page 507

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CHINA.

that there are almost constant deficits, which the governors and high officials of pro- vinces must cover by extraordinary taxation. The public revenue is mainly derived from three sources, namely, customs duties, licences, and a tax upon land, but the receipts from the foreign customs are alone made known. According to the returns published by the Government, the total receipts from foreign customs were as follow in each of the sixteen years from 1873 to 1888:-----

1873..

1874..

1875

1876.

1877..

1878...

1879.

TRAB.

RKVENUI,

Haikwan Tls.

10,977,082

1881..

11,497,272

1882.

11,968,109

1883.

12.152,921

1884...

12,067,078

1885...

12,483,988

1886.

13,531,670

1887.

14,258,583

1888.

TRAB.

REVENUE.

Haikuan Tls.

14,685,162

14,085,672

13,286,757

13,510,712

14,472,766

15,144,678

20,541,399

23,167,892

1880...

China had no foreign debt till the end of 1874, when a loan of £627,675, bearing 8 per cent. interest, was contracted through the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, under Imperial authority and secured by the customs' revenue. Since then a number of loans have been raised, most of them through the agency of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, several of which have been paid off. The total Foreign debt of China is inconsiderable.

AREA AND POPULATION.

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 below:-

PROVINCE.

PROVINCIAL CAPITAL.

Chihli Shantung

Shansi

Honan....

Kiangsu

Anhwei

Kiangsi Fohkien Chekiang

Hupeh Hunan

Shensi

Kansuh

Szechuan

Kwangtung

Kwangsi Yunnan Kweichau

AREA ENGLISH SQUARE MILES.

ESTIMATED POPULATION,

Peking

Tsinan

58,949 65,104

28,114,023

28,958.764

Taiyuen

55,268 27,260,281

Kaifung

65,104 23,037,171

Nanking.

92,661

37,843,501

Nganking

34,168,059

Nanchang

72,176

30,426,999

Foochow

53,480

38,888,432

Hangchow

39,150

26,256,784

Wuchang

381,72437,370,098

Changchau

18,652,507

Sigan

154,008

10,207,256

Lanchow

15,193,135

Chingtau.

166,800

21,435,678

Canton...

79,456

19,147,030

Kwelin

78,250

7,313,895

107,869

5,561,320

64,554

5,288,219

Yunnan Kweiyang

1,534,953 405,213,152

The above population, giving 263 souls per square mile throughout China proper although partly based on official returns, is not at all reliable. An estimate given by the Board of Revenue of the population in 1887 made it 303,241,969, which is probably much nearer the mark.

According to a Consular return the total number of foreigners in China was 8,995 at the end of 1884. Among them were 2,070 natives of Great Britain and Ireland, 469 of the United States, 364 of Germany, and 228 of France, all other nationalities being represented by very few members.

In addition to China proper there are its dependencies. The principal of these are Mongolia, with an area of 1,288,035 square miles, and some 2,000,000 people; and Manchuria, with an area of 362,313 square miles, and an estimated population of 15,000,000. The latter is being steadily and rapidly colonised by Chinese, who greatly