Page:The problem of China - Russell 1922.pdf/35

(Ministry of Interior) in 1910, the results of which are embodied in a report submitted to the Department of State at Washington by Mr. Raymond P. Tenney, a Student Interpreter at the U.S. Legation, Peking…. It is pointed out that even this census can only be regarded as approximate, as, with few exceptions, households and not individuals were counted.

The estimated population of the Chinese Empire (exclusive of Tibet) is given, on the basis of this census, as 329,542,000, while the population of Tibet is estimated at 1,500,000. Estimates which have been made at various other dates are given as follows (p. 2):—

A.D.				A.D.
1381		59,850,000		1760	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	143,125,225
1412		65,377,000				203,916,477
1580		60,692,000		1761		205,293,053
1662		21,068,000		1762		198,214,553
1668		25,386,209		1790		155,249,897
1710	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	23,312,200		1792	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	307,467,200
		27,241,129				333,000,000
1711		28,241,129		1812	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	362,467,183
1736		125,046,245				360,440,000
1743	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	157,343,975		1842		413,021,000
		149,332,730		1868		404,946,514
		150,265,475		1881		380,000,000
1753		103,050,600		1882		381,309,000
				1885		377,636,000

These figures suffice to show how little is known about the population of China. Not only are widely divergent estimates made in the same year (e.g. 1760), but in other respects the figures are incredible. Mr. Putnam Weale might contend that the drop from 60 millions in 1580 to 21 millions in 1662 was due to the wars leading to the Manchu conquest. But no one can believe that between 1711 and 1736 the