( 135 )
wards to the North-Western Provinces during the second week of the month.
The rainfall over the whole of Bengal was slightly below the average. The
rains practically terminated in Kuch Bihar at the end of September, and
about the 15th October over the remainder of the province. The amount of
the rainfall was excessive in the districts of Eastern Bengal, * * * It was
fairly up to the average and well distributed in Bengal and Chota Nagpore.
In Bihar, the districts of Gya, Shahabad, Sarun, and Champaran suffered from
a defective supply. Orissa also, during the whole of the rainy seasons,
experienced a diminished rainfall. This was most marked along the coast of
Puri.
The following tabular statement shows at a glance the chief meteor-
ological conditions of the year, and the mortality from cholera compared with
the other principal death-causes:—
METEOROLOGY.
Atmospheric pressure...
Mean temperature of
air
Mean range
Humidity
Rainfall
Mortality.
Cholera
Small-pox
Fevers
All causes
January
29·434
64·1
19·6
72
1·81
38,142
424
48,400
4,620
101,796
February
29·372
63·3
19·8
69
2·23
18,216
633
41,623
4,393
74,124
March
29·252
75·5
21·6
C3
1·23
11,872
1,196
45,785
4,729
73,824
April
29·206
78·2
21·0
65
2·66
17,187
1,518
53,458
5,160
88,689
May
29·081
83·1
19·1
70
6·01
12,140
1,292
51,941
4,775
81,470
June
28·961
83·9
14·9
71
7·64
5,478
963
45,483
3,849
67·308
July
28·949
82·2
11·2
84
13·61
4,943
574
47,116
4,221
69,440
August
28·955
82·0
10·9
84
12·69
4,759
350
62,605
4,590
76,020
september
29·115
82·3
11·8
81
8·72
5,280
194
58,667
4,887
82,746
Octomber
29·209
78·6
15·3
75
2·71
5,933
205
68,013
6,448
93,209
November
29·202
73·5
20·2
69
•10
13,713
261
92,403
5,837
125,081
December
29·308
65·7
20·8
69
•46
17,592
478
105,543
6,453
143,894
Total
29·188
75·7
17·3
73
58·871
155,305
8·083
711,037
58,962
1,077,601
In considering the influence of atmospheric changes on sickness and
mortality, it must be borne in mind that in this province many sources of
disease are always present, such as soil saturated with sewage matter and
water polluted by all sorts of impurities, while the population is poor and
ignorant, and bad-clothed, housed, and fed. The mortality in January and
February is not usually higher than that in November and December, but in
1877 it was very considerably so owing to severe epidemics of fever and cholera
following the cyclone of October 1876, continuing operative during the
earlier months of 1877 in considerable portions of the eastern districts of
Bengal. It is consequently difficult to determine to what extent the increased
mortality was influenced by the climatic conditions of the period in the areas
so exceptionally affected, though in the districts not affected by the cyclone
the increased atmospheric pressure and unusually low temperature of
January and February were coincident with a slight increase in the total
number of deaths registered during these months. As regards cholera
mortality in its relation to the meteorology, it was severe from March to May
when the atmospheric pressure and the temperature were high; the mortality
declined from June to September when the moisture in the air was great, and
the rainfall was constant and abundant; and it again became very severe
from October when the rains ceased, and during November and December,
when the humidity of the air had decreased and evaporation had become very
rapid. In other words, cholera was widespread and severe when the atmospheric
pressure was high, the humidity of the air least, and the rainfall at its minimum
or almost absent; and it declined in prevalence when the proportion of
moisture in the air was great and the rainfall heavy.
Food-supply.—On the whole the year 1877 was a year of average plenty.
In the majority of the districts the outturn of the crops was more or less
above, or equal to, the average yield. In 12 districts it was below average,
and in 7, viz. Bakirganj, Mymensingh, Ohittagong, Noakhalli, Naddia, Balasur,
and Puri it was very bad.
Although the harvest of the year was on the whole good, the prices of food-
grains had risen very considerably as compared with the average prices of the
three years which preceded 1877, excluding 1874, the famine year. This great
rise in prices was partly due to drought having reduced the quantity of grain