China : its spiritual need and claims : with brief notices of missionary effort, past and present / by J. Hudson Taylor.

  • Hudson Taylor
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: China : its spiritual need and claims : with brief notices of missionary effort, past and present / by J. Hudson Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    possessed ; so that the most competent judges now estimate the loss of life, consequent on the rebellion, at from eighteen to twenty-five millions. There is too much reason to fear that the larger of these numbers is the more correct. If, then, we take the estimated number, given on page 10, of 407 millions, and add to it from eight to twelve millions for the number of Miao-ts, and then deduct from eighteen to twenty-five millions for loss of life through the rebellion, we shall get figures varying from 390 to 400 millions; the mean of which, 395 millions, is probably the nearest approximation we can make to accuracy, until the results of some new census shall be published. It has been stated that in 1842 the Russian government estimated the population of China at 414,686,994 persons; but of this estimate —probably the basis of that of Raron Gros referred to in page 10—we can make little use, being un- certain as to the extent of Chinese Tartary included in it. It is pleasant to have to record any increase in the staff of labourers. The writer regrets that he is not able to furnish positive information as to the exact number of Protestant Missionaries now in China.* Rot a few new Missionaries have arrived in this country since these pages wTere first penned ; * Appended to this Preface will be found a Comparative Table of Statistics of Roman Catholic and Protestant Missions for 1866.
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