The Express.
London, England, 1861-04-05 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 5.

Ter munificent sums contributed to the India►
Famine Relief Fund during the last few days
amply justify the confidence of those who believed
and asserted that, as soon as public attention was
called to this terrible calamity, extraordinary efforts
would be made to relieve it. A cry of agonising
and wide spread distress like this never reaches
the ear of the British nation in vain. No matter
who the sufferers may he, the despairing call for
help is sure to meet with a prompt, sympathetic, I
and generous reply in this country. Colonel
Baia SMITH, ►n appealing through the Lose
Maven to the generous sympathies of tho " great
" national heart," anticipated "a response worthy
"of a Christian people," and that response has
already been made. Within ten days after his
appeal was first made known twenty thousand
pounds have been subscribed towards the relief of
the famishing multitudes of Upper India. This
munificent sum was despatched as a first instal-
ment of the English contribution to the Indian
Relief Fund by the Mail which left for
Bombay on Wednesday last. The subscrip-
tions to the fund have, however, not only
been unusually large and liberal, they have poured
in with unexampled rapidity. Delay in such a
case is indeed death, and the need being urgent,
the efforts towards meeting it have shown a
promptitude and despatch equal to the emergency.
The meeting which called public attention to the
famine and opened the subscription list was held
only five days before the India Mail was to leave.
Two of the intervening days, being dies non, must
be deducted, and the large sum despatched by the
Mail on Wednesday thus represents little more
than three days' subscriptions. The Relief Com-
mittee, it is true, in making up the sum for the
Mail, slightly exceeded the contributions in hand ;
but the amount actually subscribed up to Tues-
day evening was just eighteen thousand pounds.
This would give the rate of subscription hitherto
at about six thousand pounds a day, and on Tues-
day last the amount sent in actually exceeded this
sum. But the sum subscribed at the public
meeting—four thousand pounds—has to be de-
ducted from the remaining 12,0001., and this
makes the average for the other two days about
the same amount as that subscribed at the meet-
ing, 4,0001. The contributions of Wednesday
were upwards of 3,600/., so that on the very day
of the India Mail's departure the Committee not
only received the amount advanced, but were left
with a balance of nearlya thousand pounds in hand.
Assuming that the subscriptions of yesterday and
to-day keep up to the average of the early
part of the week, the'Committee will have this
evening little short of ten thousand pounds
towards a second instalment of the national
bounty. Before the close of the week the sum
subscribed will thus most probablz exceed 30;0006;
ridsuch ► sum contributed in seven days will be a
tare and noble example of public benevolence.

It must be remembered, however, that nearly
the whole of this large sum has been contributed
by the metropolis. As London appropriately
inaugurated the national effort, so the first, and
indeed almost all the subiscriptions hitherto re-
ceived, have been from bankers, merchants, and
others connected with the capital. But the move-
ment is fast extending throughout the country,
and it may be fairly assumed that the provincial
contributions to the National Relief Fund will be
on a scale of liberality answering to that of the
metropolis. The Committee are doing their
utmost to stimulate local efforts and organize
throughout the country a national effort worthy of
the crisis, and with the least possible delay.
Immediately after the meeting at the Mansion-
house, the LORD MATOR despatched to the Mayor
of every city and borough town in the kingdom,
as well as to the clergy throughout the country, a
pressing letter, urging them to open subscription
lists, and, wherever it can be done, hold public
meetings without delay. A similar appeal has
also been addressed to the bankers and leading
merchants. During the present week the Man-
sion-house Committee has, moreover, earnestly
invited the leading ministers of the various dis-
senting denominations to lend their aid in carry-
ing on this good work ; and on Wednesday even-
ing the Committee despatched a letter, under the
hand of the Lose MAYOR, to the lords-lieutenants
of counties, inviting their attention to the subject,
and expressing a hope that they will be pleased to
hold public meetings in their several counties, to
take the question of relief into consideration,
or adopt any other course they may awes
better calculated to promote the end in view.
This appeal is being actively responded to in
various parte of the country. Two influential
public meetings are held to-day, one at Edinburgh
and the other at Gloucester, to open subscription
lists and organize a vigorous local effort on behalf
of our perishing Indian fellow-subjects. The
meeting at Edinburgh is of course a city or metro-
politan effort, but that at Gloucester is for the
county. These meetings will, no doubt, be rapidly
followed by others in the great centres of trade and
commerce, of mercantile and manufacturing in-
duatry throughout the country. Nor will the
agricultural counties and rural districts be wanting
in generous sympathy and active help at such a
crisit. The eme•rnency is one which demands the
prompt co-operation of all who are in any way
able to help. A day's delay in calling a public'
meeting, the loss of a few hours in sending of
even a small subscription, may decide the fate not
of one only but of many suffering Hindoo fami-
lies. Money subwriheil in time--or, in other
words, food supplied in time, will save them, but
it is a matter of life And death, and there is not
a moment to be lsoit. Never did the Scripture in-
junction apply more clearly, or with greater force,