1850年武汉城市人口达500到800万，是世界最大都市，是上海人口的10倍以上

[hankowbund]

美国百科全书表示1850年太平天国动乱前武汉三城人口超五百万。同样的美国百科全书表示1873年上海的人口估计也就在25-32万，租界人口8万，所以总量不会超过40万，1850年时上海的人口更少。所以，1850年时的武汉城市人口是上海城市人口的最起码10倍以上。

By Encyclopedia Britannica Volume XI 1905 and American Encyclopedia 1885.

Description

This section is from "The American Cyclopaedia", by George Ripley And
Charles A. Dana. Also available from Amazon: The New American Cyclopæ
dia. 16 volumes complete..

Hankow

Hankow , a city of China, in the province of Hupeh, on the Yangtse-kiang,
470 m. W. of Shanghai; pop. estimated at 800,000. The river Han, which hero
falls into the Yangtse, separates Hankow from Hanyang, and opposite both, on
the other bank of the Yangtse, is Wo-chang, the capital of Hupeh. These
three towns are said to have had, before they were almost wholly destroyed
by the Taepings, an aggregate population of 5,000,000. In consequence of its
flourishing trade, Hankow is now again one of the first commercial cities
of the Chinese empire, and in particular the centre of the commerce of the
provinces of Hupeh, Ho-nan, Sechuen, and Kweichow. It is one of the treaty
ports opened to foreign commerce. Two regular lines of steamships connect it
with Shanghai. For the trade with Russia, Hankow is next to Tientsin the
most important place. The imports in 1871 were valued at $187,000, the
exports at $5,112,000. The most important articles of export are tea, China
grass, hemp, tobacco, and rhubarb; the most important articles of import are
Russian cloth and velvets.

The number of vessels entering the port in 1869 was 286, tonnage 185,226;
cleared, 350, tonnage 191,088.


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[hankowbund]

The PRESIDENT desired to ask Captain Blakiston, as he had travelled over part of the route of the French missionary Huc, whether he found the particulars contained in his work correct.

CAPTAIN BLAKISTON replied it had always been supposed that the Abbe Huc’s descriptions were imaginary. He found them to be quite the reverse. In every point of which he had an opportunity of judging, he found Hue perfectly correct, except with respect to the amount of populations, and everybody knows how difficult it is to estimate that. If you ask a Chinaman how many people there are in a city he will say, “ some myriads.” With regard to the geography of the river, he (Captain Blakiston) mapped it for about 900 miles above where they left the Admiral; and the position of the river has come out pretty much as it is placed in the ordinary maps of China, which are based on those which were drawn up by the Jesuit missionaries. He found very slight errors, indeed. With reference to the naval survey between Hankow and Yo-chow, a distance of 140 miles, the survey had been carried on by “ dead reckoning.” Commander Ward went to Yo-chow without having been able to obtain any astronomical observation. He (Capt. Blakiston) found that in 140 miles of survey by dead reckoning there were only two miles of error, and was glad to record it in proof of the accuracy of which naval surveying is capable in skilful hands.

Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, Volumes 5-6.

[hankowbund]

武汉港是世界上船只最繁忙的港口
武汉是世界上人口最密集的地区

China: The country and its people. page 144.
Middle Kingdom, Volume 1, By S. Wells Williams 1913

[hankowbund]

Title: The Middle Kingdom, Volume 1 (of 2)

Author: S. Wells Williams




When Hankow was opened to foreign trade in 1861, it presented a most
ruinous appearance, but the sense of security inspired by the presence
of the men and vessels from far lands rapidly drew the scattered
citizens and artisans to rebuild the ruins. The foreigners live near
the river side, east of Hankow and west of the River Han, where the
anchorage is very favorable, and out of the powerful current of the
Yangtsz’. The difference in level of the great stream is about forty
feet in the year. In the long years of its early and peaceful trade up
to 1850, this region had gathered probably more people on a given area
than could be found elsewhere in the world; and its repute for riches
led foreigners to base great hopes on their share, which have been
gradually dissipated. The appearance of the city as it was in 1845 is
given by Abbé Huc in a few sentences:

“The night had already closed in when we reached the place where
the river is entirely covered with vessels, of every size and form,
congregated here from all parts. I hardly think there is another port
in the world so frequented as this, which passes, too, as among the
most commercial in the empire. We entered one of the open ways, a sort
of a street having each side defined by floating shops, and after four
hours’ toilsome navigation through this difficult labyrinth, arrived at
the place of debarkation. For the space of five leagues, one can only
see houses along the shore, and an infinitude of beautiful and strange
looking vessels in the river, some at anchor and others passing up and
down at all hours.”[72]