The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-03-12
ENGLAND AND CHINA.
These Two Great Empires Contain About
One-Half the People ON the Globe.
from the Chicao<, Tribune l

These Two Great Empires Contain About
One-Half the People ON the Globe.
fFrom the Chicago Tribune.l
In noticing the death of his Majesty
Tsai-Shun, the late Emperor of China,
we stated that he had ruled over the
largest number of subjects of any mon
arch of the present day, as the popula-
ton of China numbered 800, COO, 600 of
people, being superior even TO the great
British Empire, whose subjects num-
bered 10000, 900. Whilst our state
ment is correct that the Chinese Empire
Is the most populous in the world, we
find we have considerably understated
the populations both of the Chinese and
British Empires. It is exceedingly diff
cult to form correct estimates of the pop
ulation of Asiatic countries, and in com
putting the population of the British En-
pre- we adopted the figure which up to
orally assumed to be the population of
that country. These figures were up to
1855 variously estimated at from 150,-
100000 to $50, 600, 900 of souls. From
that period several provincial enumera-
tions established the fact that the actual
figures were considerably In excess of
previous estimates in the case of every
province; and the general census of 1871
has given the population of British India
at the enormous figure of 239, COG, 600 of
souls, or 19, ,0O0, 900 in excess of what was
previously believed to be the population
of the entire British Empire. The sub
jects of Queen Victoria are, therefore,
almost as numerous as what we had be-
fore quoted the subjects of the Brother
of the Sun and the Moon, as will be seen
from the following table:
British Isles, with other Possessions in
Europe Snearly). So 0O0, 600
Colonies IN Australia, New Zealand, Tas- -0''''SO
Dominion Of Canada, possessions in Brit ''
1sh North America 1000, 600
Colonies of Ceylon, Cape OF Good Hope,
Port Natal, Singapore, Straits Settle
ments West India Islands, all other
numerous colonies, at least. 100000
Total .............. .2oo, ,ooO, 600
AS to China, we have no reliable Off
cial census of that country, like that of
India, and any estimate is, consequently,
liable to be more or less inaccurate. We
know, however, that China proper, es
pecially the eastern portion of it, those
provinces intersected by the rivers Yang
lower course, and the great Imperial
Canal, contain a population SO. closely
herded together that travellers often ex-
press surprise how food can be raised
sufficient to feed them. In Lower Ben
gal, in the agricultural districts of the
countries of Hooghly and Jessore, the
population exceeds the enormous num-
Der of 1000 per square mile. But
even this figure is exceeded by China.
Some partial and local enumerations have
been made, and on the strength of the
figures thus obtained, and with the best
information available, English and Ger
man geographers assume the population
of the Chinese Empire at 45O, ,O0O, 900 to
500, 900, 900 of souls
We have thus the remarkable and in
teresting fact that the joint population of
these two great empires (the British and
| the Chinese) amounts to the enormous
sum of 700, ,O00,O 600 or $50, 600, 900, or
about one-haH of the entire population
of our globe. We believe there is no
parallel to this wonderful fact In the his
tory of the human race, as far as we have
authentic record or tradition.