CHAPTER V.

POPULATION AND STATISTICS, 258-295

Interest and difficulties of this subject, 258; Ma Twan-lin’s study of the censuses, 260; Tables of various censuses, 263; These estimates considered in detail, 265; Four of these are reliable, 269; Evidence in their favor, 270; Comparative population-density of Europe and China, 272; Proportion of arable and unproductive land, 274; Sources and kinds of food in China, 276; Tendencies toward increase of population, 277; Obstacles to emigration, 278; Government care of the people, 280; Density of population near Canton, _ibid._; Mode of taking the census under Kublai khan, 281; Present method, 282; Reasons for admitting the Chinese census, 285; Two objections to its acceptance, 286; Unsatisfactory statistics of revenue in China, 289; Revenue of Kwangtung Province, 290; Estimates of Medhurst, De Guignes, and others, 291; Principal items of expenditure, 292; Pay of military and civil officers, 293; The land tax, 294.