RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1965 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/s752cj653 30 SIR JOHN BOWRING poor in their declining years. Age may also be pleaded in ex-tenuation of crime, and in mitigation of punishment. Imperial decrees sometimes order presents to be given to all indigent old people in the empire. I am not aware of any detailed statistics giving the number of such recipients since a return published in the time of Kanghi (1657). Kienlung (1785) directed that all those claimants whose age exceeded 60, should receive 5 bushels of rice and a piece of linen; those above 80, 10 bushels of rice and two pieces of linen; those above 90, 30 bushels of rice and two pieces of common silk; and those above 100, 50 bushels of rice, and two pieces, one of fine and one of common silk. He ordered all the elders to be enumerated who were at the head of five generations, of whom there were 192, and, "in gratitude to heaven," summoned 3,000 of the oldest men of the empire to receive Imperial presents, which consisted principally of em-broidered purses, and badges bearing the character # shau, meaning Longevity. The Kanghi Tables, shewing the numbers who enjoyed the benefit of the Edict are these: PROVINCES Above 70 Years Above 80 Years Above 90 Years Above 100 Years TOTALS Chihle 11,111 535 11 646 Leaoutung 244 88 5 337 Kansuh 41,991 9,043 250 51,284 Shantung 65,225 26,067 1,330 9 92,631 Honan 8,132 3,651 451 5 12,239 Keangnan 34,088 + 1,065 3 35,156 Chekeang 21,866 982 22,848 Shanse 13,382 11,582 317 25,281 Hookwang 37,354 25,544 2,850 65,752 Keangse 7,190 580 + 7,770 Kwangtung 17,369 9,415 591 27,375 Kwangse Fuhkeen 489 114 Szechuen 10,213 5,232 369 Kweichow 176 99 13 Yunnan 749 94 603 15,814 288 843 +++ TOTALS 184,086 169,850 9,996 21 373,935 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1965 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/s752cj653 42 SIR JOHN BOWRING To GEO: GRAHAM, Esq., Registrar General, &c., &c., London. (Table No. 1) Reign of Monarch 1 Hungwu, 26th Year, 2 Hungchi, 3 Wanleih, 4 Shunchi, 5 Kanghi, 6 7 + A. D. Population 1393, 60,545,811) Mirror of History, Chi- nese Repository, vol. x. 1662, 21,068,600) General Statistics of the www Empire, Medhurst's ++ 4th ** 1492, 53,281,158 6th * 1579, 60,692,856 page 156. ++ 18th 6th ++ 49th ** - 1668, 1710, 25,386,209 23,312,200) China, page 53. 49th ** J 8 ** 9 Kienlung, 50th 1st 10 8th ** 11 8th 12 * *** 1710, 27,241,129 1711, 28,605,716 1736, 125,046,245 1743, 157,343,975 1743, 149,332,730 8th 1743, 150,265,475 13 18th ** "J 1753, 103,050,060 14 1760, 143,125,225 25th ** 15 16 25th 26th H 17 27th 1762, 198,214,553 4,552 1760, 203,916,477 1761, 205,293,053 18 55th 23 1790, 155,249,897 19 57th ++ 1792, 307,467,200 * 20 57th ** 1792, 333,000,000 21 Kiaking 17th >> 1812, 362,467,183 Yih-tung Chi, a Statistical work, Morrison's View of China. General Statistics, — Chi- nese Repository, vol, i. page 359. Memoires sur les Chinois, tom. vi., Grosier, and by De Guignes: quoted by Voyages à Peking, tom. iii. page 72. "Les Missionnaires" De Guignes: tom. iii. page 67. General Statistics, — Chi- nese Repository, vol. i. page 359. Yihtungchi, a Statistical work, Morrison's View of China. Memoires sur les Chinois, tom, vi.,- De Guignes, tom. iii, page 72. Allerstain; Groster: De Guignes: tom. iii. page 57. Z. of Berlin, in Chinese Repository, vol. i. page 361. General Statistics, ― Dr. Morrison, Anglo-Chin: Coll: Report 1829. Statement made to Lord Macartney - Statistics, Chinese Repository, vol. i. page 359. ================================================================================