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 THE

POPULATION OF THE CHINESE EMPIRE.

and historians, statesmen and political economists, have differed widely in their views of the population of the Chinese empire. With few exceptions, when they have written on this subject, they have been alike perplexed and perplexing,—affording very little satisfaction either to themselves or to others. "Of the bolder and more confident writers, some have gone to one extreme and some to the other; " while "cool and impartial men" have taken a middle course. The tendency of all these various and contradictory accounts has been, to confound, and embarrass, and unsettle the opinions of all. In this way it has become fashionable to doubt, to question, and to deny, without any reference to the evidence by which they are supported, all the accounts that have been published on the subject; and, in short, to dismiss the consideration of the question by affirming, that no body knows, or can know, "for certainty," aught about the matter. It is manifestly impossible to reconcile all the statements and opinions, which have been advanced on this topic; yet, as it is one of considerable interest, as well as of difficulty, we doubt not that there are many, who, like ourselves, are desirous