Retrospect of French Literature— Miscellaneous. 
franks, and he never retires until he has 
squeezed from two to three millions. 
The author saw a hopow, or chief magis- 
trate of Canton, withdraw after a single 
year’s residence, with a million of dol- 
lars, near 250,000/. of our money. 
The population, hke the antiquity of 
China, has always been greatly vaunted, 
a d certain it is, that the superstition of 
the people contributes not a little to 
this event. As they deem it peculiarly 
unfortunate to die childless, they marry 
early, and fecundity is considered a 
blessing. The land too, is divided into 
small portions, and cultivated chiefly by 
the hands of those who eat its produce. 
699 
The Chinese government is however aé- 
customed to exaggerate the numbers of 
the people, and the vanity of the people 
themselves is mterested on this occasion. 
The mandarins too deem it politic to 
give out, that the rates of increase is 
astonishing, as a contrary belief would 
prove prejudicial to their own advance- 
ment. Here follow tables of the popu« 
lation of the different: provinces: the 
first contains the account of the mission- 
aries in 1743; the second that of F. 
Allerstemn, in 1761; and the third, that 
of the English in 1794, who always cal- 
culate in round numbers. 
1. Petcheley, - ) 16,702,765 15,222,940 38,000,000 
2. Kiangnan, ~ - 26,766,365 45,922,420 32,000,000 
3. Kiang-si; ‘ a 6,681,350 11,006,640 ~—- 19,000,000 
4. Tchekiang, - ~ 15,623,990 15,429,690 21,000,000 
5. Fokien, : ‘ 7,643,085 8,063,671 15,060,000 
6. Hou-Konang, - ~ 4,264,850 6,999,923 27,000,000 
7: Honan, ~ ake 12,637,280 16,332,507. 25,000,000 
3: Chang-tong, = - 12,159,680 - . 25,180,734 24,000,000 
9. Chan-sy, detaches 8,969,475 9,768,189 27,600,000 
10, Chen-sy, - 14,804,035 14,699,475 30,000,000 
14. Setchien, = ~ 15,181,710 2,782,976 27,000,000 
12. Quang-tong, ~ ~~ © 6,006,600 6,797,597 21,000,000 * 
13. Quang-sy, +). = 2 1,143,450 .) 3,947,414 — 10,000;,000 
14, Yunnan, - ~ 1,189,825 . 2,078,802 8,000,000 
15. Koey-tcheou, - e- 255,445 3,402,722 9,000,000 
16. Leustong,,. - ea 235,620 668,852: 10,000,000 
Grand total, - 150,265,475. 198,214,552 « 
We are not at all astonished at the 
misrepresentations made to an absolute 
government, although sometimes. sur- 
prised at the effrontery with which they 
are conducted. A former mandarin 
having boasted. to the emperor, that he 
had cleared the sea of pirates, the 
‘L’song-ton of Quanton, or Canton, per- 
ceiving that the coasts were stillanfested 
with this species of robbers, determined 
to extirpatethem. Accordingly, in 1794, 
he ordered a number of galleys to be 
constructed for this purpose; and when 
the new fleet had been.completely fitted 
out, he intimated the event to the court 
of Pekin, anticipating, no doubt, the 
applauses he was about to receive, and 
- expecting to be reimbursed the expences 
immediately from the royal treasury. 
But the emperor briefly replied, “ that 
as his predecessor had given notice of 
the total extinction of the pirates, the 
amount of the armament must be de- 
frayed by. the viceroy himself.” The 
officer in question, accordingly, paid 
just as much as he pleased of the outfit, 
and levied an indempjfication on the 
838,000,000 
natives. The galleys were then sent to 
sea, anda number of heads were brought 
back; butin place of being those of the 
freebooters, they had’ been cut from 
dead: bodies: for. the mandarins who 
commanded, instead of scouring ‘the 
seas, ‘had been trafficking m opium; 
notwithstanding which, on their return; 
they declared that the pirates had been 
completely extirpated! Another in- 
stance of the grossest imposition on the 
court, took place on the part of this 
same ‘’song-ton of Canten.: Having 
been sent to Tonquin for the purpose 
of re-establishing a dethroned” prince, 
he was surprised by the rebels, and his 
troops cut in pieces. Escaping with 
some difficulty from the scene of action; 
the Chinese governor, afraid to state the 
particulars of his defeat to his Imperial 
Majesty, as he might have lost his head 
had the truth been disclosed, determined 
to recur as usual to falsehood. “He ac- 
cordingly intimated, that he had received 
the submission of the disaffected inhabi« 
tants, and proclaimed a new king; and 
in fine, that the sovereign himself would 
repair 
