6Q6 INQUIRY INTO THE POPULATION OF CHINA. 



F'ailiire to support one's parents enduring poverty is only second to 

 it, for by failing to have posterity one offends against the Avhole line 

 of one's ancestors by putting an end to the sacrifices due them. To 

 this belief is due the universal practice of early marriages %Yhich has 

 ahvays prevailed in China. 



The exceptional checks we find to a large increase of the popula- 

 tion are, however, quite as potent as the encouragements to its 

 increase just mentioned. Among these, famine, floods, and pesti- 

 lence have been the most constantly operating, and have arrested 

 ra])id inc n^ase more even than the losses incurred through the fearfid 

 butcli(^ries which have throughout China's history invariablj^ accom- 

 panied the suppression of every rebellion, the establishment of 

 every new dynasty. 



Alexander Hosie in his paj^er on " Droughts in China from A. D. 

 620 to 1048,'"" or during a period of one thousand and twenty-three 

 3'ears, found that drought had occured in five hundred and eighty- 

 three years in some one of the eighteen provinces, frequently in four 

 or five of them at the same time, and in many cases they were acconi- 



a Hosie's inquiries, drawn from tlie great Cliinese worlv culled the T"n-sbu ehi 

 cli'eng (see Journ. Ch. Br. Roy. Asiat. Soc, n. s., XII, T)! et seq.), may be sum- 

 marized as follows : 



Between A. I). (i20 nnd 700 inclusive, there were 41 years with droughts, of 

 which 2 were the results of great tloods. 



From 701 to 800, inclusive, there were 4t; years with drought. In 790 typhus 

 ranged. 



From 801 to 900, inclusive, there were 4:> years with drought, 8 of which were 

 of great severity. 



From 901 to 1000, inclusive, there were GO years with drought, 13 being "great 

 droughts." 



From 1001 to 1100, inclusive, there were 08 years with drought, G being of 

 long duration, 8 "great droughts" and one (108G-S7) universal and of long 

 duration. 



From 1101 to 1200, inclusive, there are GO recorded droughts, of which 9 

 were " great droughts," 4 of long duration and .j " very severe." 



From 1201 to 1300, inclusive, there were 7G droughts, of which 12 were " great 

 droughts " and 4 " very severe." 



From 1301 to 1400, inclusive, there were .lO years with drought, of which 2.") 

 were " great droughts," 4 accompanied with tloods in other sections of the coun- 

 try, 4 with locusts, and during G of the droughts the i)eople resorted to 

 cannibalism. 



From 1401 to 1500, inclusive, there were ru years with drought, of which 3G 

 were "great droughts;" during 8 cannibalism is recorded, and during several 

 typhus raged. 



From 1501 to IC.OO there were 84 yeai-s with di-ought. of which G9 were "great 

 droughts" (in A. I>. 15(;s it extended over 8 ])rovinces ) : during several can- 

 nibalism is recorded. 



From IGOl to 1G43, there were 15 years with drought. In 15 years it occurreil 

 in Jflhan-hsi and in 11 in ("he-kiang. 



