The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1866-11-30
Incidents Of the Famine I'm In
din.

Incidents Of the Famine I'm In
dia.
Much has been said ofthe distressing
scenes witnessed in India during the
recent famine, but we have seen no
narrative more touching than the fol-
lowing, which We copy from an Eng
lish magazine:
ut is in Orissa, Canaan and Midna-
pore that the distress wrought by the
famine is felt in all its intensity. In
these districts it is supposed that the
death-rate has been u thousand day
for many months; but the number of
those who bave thus miserably perish
ed by hunger and disease will never be
accurately ascertained Vast numbers
have fled from the districts, some TO
sleep an eternal sleep by the road-sides
where their unburied bones lie bleach
ing in the scorching sun-mute wit
nesses to the blessings OF Britishrule-
and others to arrive in Calcutta, 80
cmaciated that they appear as though
their skeleton frames were covered
with thin, transparent India rubber
In tho CITY of Palaces, and other
towns where they have sought refuge,
it is calculated that seventy-tive thous-
and are daily fed by public charity,
ane ut least double that number, or one
hundred and fifty thousand by private
charity
"To see one of shese immense crowds
when the daily distribution of rice
takes place, is u most heart rending
spectacle OF utter wretchedness. In
one quarter are thousands Of Hindoos,
in another thousands of Mussulmen,
and at little distance, sheltered by
the ghaut, arc the women, girls and
| children. You can scan the faces Of
the assembled thousands and sec in
every one Of them the same expression
the pinched, despairing, yet resigned
look ofmortal weakness, or Of mortal
sickness, which the sight Of food sud
denly changes into Il hungry, longing,
devourng look-the kind OF look which
inspires feelings Of pity for even Il
starving wild animal; butwhich, when
worn by the human countenanee, is in
describably painful to behold. Over
all is the silence of death; no loud and
noisy laughter, as would he the casc at
other times; hardly a sound, save at
intervals, when some furnished wretch
throws up his arms and utters cry OF
wild despair, wrung from him by the
gnawing, indispensable pangs Of hun.
ger. Az other places fearful struggles
to yet possession of the food take place
and many lives are lost in the ckening
scramble.
Tho picture would not be complete
did / not add that many Of the men
who receive this relief have fed from
their wives and families, leaving them
to the fate which they themselves have
escaped. Thus has the misery wrought
by the famine stamped out the love Of
offspring and of home-conspicuous
features IN the characters of the people
of India, and more especially Of the
Hindoos. Ofthe women thus deserted
by their natural protectors many touch
ing stories are told by eye witnesses
For example: A planter was told that
q woman had died by tb @ roadside
and that living child was at her
breast, lie sent out servants who
found the corpse, and the child 30 tight.
i ly clasped in the mothers arms, that in
bending it back, stiffand cold, it broke
The pooi little infant, exhausted by ex.
posure and want, died as it was being
released. Another case; A woman
with her three children, called up tC
the planters house just as tiffin was
being cleared away; the remains of the
curry ard rice were carried out in the
verandah- and placed before her
Without attempting to eat, she seated
, the three children around the dish
, who speedily devoured its contents
and, although the mother was wasted
} to skeleton, mumbling her thanks
she turned away, grateful that -hel
, offspring had been fed, even while she
, herself still hungered. Here is yet
another instance, still more wonderful
! ly touching in its forgetfulness Of self
: A little girl and her mother were seer
lying under mango-tree. Both wer,
faint from hunger; they had been try
ing to keep life together by feeding
, .upod snails, berries and lizards; bu
f growing weaker day by dayP they n
last sunk down under this tree TO awai
lingering death. Some boiled rIc'
was placed before them. The mothe
3 was too weak to raise herself, 40, al
: though the child's eyes flashed will
| hungry CLEAN, her little hands, wei
filed, frat sought the mothers mouth
and not until half the rice was thu
e consumed did she herself eat."
e
] ID TNyr GnV,a xrno, ,.o a,,n txun al va;