AGO, In the autumn of the year 177, just a century ago, Pere Amiot penned his observations on the population of China, intended as an answer to those opponents who at that time doubted the current statements of the Chinese population. He shewed most satisfactorily not only that the calumniators of the missionaries were wrong in denying to China a population of 82 millions, but that there was good reason to accept the Chinese statement which then represented the population as being 200 millions. The European contravener of missionary veracity had no idea of the real facts. "He simply, by a process of reasoning of limited extent and very little value, concluded that 82 mill was too great for belief. It was very fortunate that he did so. Amiot studied the subject and has told us how he arrived at the result that the official re~ ister deserves confidence. Controversy is really useful when it induces research as in this case. 'I'he French missionaries were very favourably circumstanced for inquiry. They had official status and were received at court. As painters some of them were frequent visitors in the emperor's apartments. Having friends among the official class, Amiot, if he had not been afraid of causing alarm, could have obtained the use of the many documents belonging to the Board of Revenue. Unfortunately his fears deprived him of this advantage and he seems to have conducted his inquiries in books only. The impelling motive which led him to make careful research was to shield his fellow missionaries from calumny, and at the same time to promote science in Europe by laying before the learned societies of France the facts regarding the population of China and the actual extent of its revenue.
Amiot begins with the population as stated in the official description of the empire called the Ta-ch'ing-yi-t'ung-chih, which was published in 1743 and embraces more than a hundred volumes contained in twenty-four yellow covers. Below will be found the table he gives of the taxpayers of every pr vince at the time mentioned, 17+: The whole number for the Empire was 28,516,488. By tax pay yers are meant heads of families. These paid the pop lation tax and are called here genting. For individuals the term Aou, " mouth," is used. In the time previous to 1743 the heads of families only were for a lengthened period required to be registered. The Chinese regard six as a fair average for a family, but Amiot limits himself to five which is moderate. If we multiply 28,516,488 by five we obtain 142,582,440 for the whole population of China in 1743, Yet this, he adds, is only about half of the real popu-Jation and he proceeds to give proofs. He says officials, not being required to pay this tax, were not counted and they are very numerous. Among them are 8,965 officers appointed by the Emperor to manage the affairs of the provinces. This gives 89,650, if we regard their subordinates as being on the average nine to each, and five times this amount will be the number of individuals in official families, or 448,250 mouths, Next we have to make an addition to the class of scholars every year of 24,701 new Bachelors of Arts. Multiplying this by twenty, we obtain 494,020 as the probable number of Bachelors of Arts in the Empire at any one time, including under this title all who have taken that degree in previous yea They were none of them liable to the population tax when that tax was levied, and hence they were omitted in the as individuals in their families2,470,100. registers. Multiplying by five we have
Another contingent has to be added for military persons. Cot joned officers are in mumber 7,063 of one. class, and they are 7,417 if those of another class are added. With their followers they will, should the individuals in their families be also counted, amount in all to 741,700. With all these noupaye of the population tax added we obtain 146,242,490 as the population. Further there should be counted in at least Szechuen 28,516,488
Note.—The tax here meant was formerly levied on heads of families. All persons having titles of literary distinction and occupants of government posts, yamen rune ners, boatmen, ete., were exempted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.