Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-04-30
The Chinese Empir Q.

Sir John Bowring. the representative of the
British government at Hong Kong, has pub
lished very interesting account of the Chi
nese empire, which gives considerable insight
into the character of this remarkable nation.
Much doubt, says Mr.. Bowring, has been
thrown upon The accuracy of the Chinese Of
Ge;aA Fssasas sat the sahieni Of populalans but
the greater knowledge of the country increases
their PROBABILITY, and the population of the en-
pire may be safely estimated as between $780,.
100000 and 4OO,000.O00 of human beings.
According to ancient usage, the population is
under the heads, viz l., scholars Q, husband
men 8, mechanics merchants. To every de-
cade of life the Chinese attach some special des-
igna,ion the age of 10 is called " the opening
degree" 90, "youth expired; )" 3d., strength
and marriage :" 40, " officially apt" 50" error
knowing;' SO, "cycle closing" 10, " rare
bird of age" 80, rusty-visaged ;"90, delayed
100, lagos extremity" Among the Chinese
the amount of reverence grows with tho num-
Der of years, and there are not only many es'ab-
'ishments for the reception of the aged but the
penal code provides severe punishment for those
who refuse To relieve the aged poor. Age may
also be pleaded in externaton of crime and in
mitigation of punishment. Imperial degrees
sometimes order presents to be given to all IN
digent old people in the empire. Kcnlune, il
1885, besides bestowirg large amount of ric'
and cloth upon aged people-beginning witt
five bushels of rice and piece of linen TO
each person so years old and increasing il
amount as The age of the incipient increased
until those 100 years of age received fifty bush
els of rice and two pieces of sk-summone'
three thousand of the Oldest men of the EN-
pire 10 receive imperial presents, which consist
ed chiefly of embroidered purses and badges.
Mr. Bowrng says there is abundant evidence
of redundant population pressing more ant
more heavily upon, and suffering more ant
more severely from an inadequate supply o
food. Though there are periods when extraor
dinary harvests enable the. Chinese to suppl,
their own wants, yet of late years the lmpor
tations of rice from foreign countries have beer
enormous and famine has, notwithstanding
committed fearfu ravages. The constant flow
of emigration from China contrasted with th'
complete absence Of emigration into China j
striking evidence of the redundancy of tn
population. Although the emigration is almos
wholly, confined to two provinces, having toge,h
er population of thirty four TO thrtty-hve mi
lions probaly number nearer three than tw'
millions from these provinces alone are located
IN foreipu countries. In the kingdom Of Sian
.here are at least million and half, and the
croud all the islands of the Indian Archipelago
while Cochin China teens with Chinese an
thew are numerous iI Java, Australia, tn
PHILIPPINES, and parts Of the New World. Th
mul,i,udes of persons who live by the fsherle
in China afford evidence not only that the Ian
is cultivated to the greatest possible extent, b
/. that it is insufficient to supply the wants OF Il
i overaowing population. On this point Mr.. Bo'
: ring says:
sit has been supposed that nearly tenth
g the population derive their means of suppe
It from fisheries Hundred and thousands OF boa
crowd the whole coast of China, sometimes al
# no in communities sometimes independent
|, Isolated. There is no species of craft by whi
y fish can be inveigled which is not practis
% with success in China every variety of net, fr'
u vast senet, embracing miles, to the small
hand6Iet in the care of child-fshing by nil
1t and fishing by day fishing by moonlight,