Show The Population of China The Chinese Government at irregular intervals takes a so called census of the nineteen provinces of China proper and bases some of the taxes upon ibis enumeration enumera-tion Some Western students of China accept these enumerations as fair approximations ap-proximations of the truth while other students are fai more critical The figures usually printed have been those of the Chinese census modified by writers writ-ers on China whose opinions are regarded re-garded as authoritative but as these experts do not agree It happens that in the present decade the estimated population popu-lation of China as given In various geographical works varies from 250 000000 lo J500000Kl souls The Chinese figures for one census year have been accepted for many years and then rejected on nCcouJ of the Increasing number of writers who dispute their accuracy In the first six volumes of Die Bevolkerung dor Brde one of the most critical of statistical statis-tical publications the Chinese enumeration enumer-ation of lS2 with a total of 113000000 was accepted as worthy of credit but the seventh volume Avunt back to the enumeration of 1S12 which gave a population pop-ulation of 3GOOCO000 and the editor explained ex-plained that this was done because ho mass of criticism was now opposed to the acceptance of the figures of 1S42 and the known wasting of the popula ion by wars and famine seeincd to Justify smaller figures Some of the best writers on China mve declined lo express any opinion is to the population Thus Rlchlhofcn In his great work China published in 18S2 simply reproduces the Chinese figures of 1S12 and 1512 without com ncnt The Chinese ofllciala them selves have of late years considerably reduced their estimates bf population and explain this reduction by the great loss of life due to the Talpln rebellion the frequent famines and the Yellow river and other floods In recent years more credence has boOn given to Chinese population statIstics stat-Istics Mr E M Kohlor who Is closely acquainted with many ports of China expresses very well the prevailing feeing feei-ng when he says in the latest number of the Deutsche Rundschau that hough the methods of the Chinese census are Inexact they arc more rustworthy than lime gstlmatps of foreigners for-eigners who know only a small part of he country He gives the results ot he censuses from 1711 to 1832 and rca sons for assuming that 38UOOOOOO lie igures of 1882 are approximately accurate ac-curate These figures arc now gener ally accepted Mr Kohlor IM only one of a number of f writers on China lo express the opln ion that the country Is not ovorpopu aied He says that much of the soil is capable of producing from two to three crops a year and allowing for his fact there are 275 acres of arable and per heath of population an amount far greater than In most countries of Uurope New York Sun S |