, 1866-10-05

Oh tSdVluR pIlVdGC tIdU6 uuIut6IIoIEU
with. Sir Cecil Beadon, the Lieutenant
Governor, saw no necessity for leaving
his cool retreat at Darjeeling. And SO
there was abundant time and opportunity
for the famine to put forth its destructive
energies. 1t pursued its course. The
reports of its ravages alarmed Sir John
Lawrence, who ordered the Lieutenant
Governor TO Calcutta that he might the
more efficiently grapple with the foe.
Alas! the time for effectual interposition
was gone by. Rice was dispatched in
large quantities to the distressed districts,
but In the height of the monsoon it can
only be landed with difficulty and not
without much loss; nor, when landed, is
there any system organised fer transport
ing it into the interior. The people are
''dying off like flies" From 1000 10
5000 a week encounter death in it's most
dreadful torm-absolute starvation. The
rOadsldes are Strewed with their bodies.
Jackals devour the ~lifeless within sight
of the living, and babes are taken from
the clay-cold bosoms of mothers whose
hearts have long ceased 10 beat. Des-
pair reigns triumphant. The magnitude
of the calamity all but paralyses eXertion.
VIC uCSlGutC ~ COIuCIIlI INDIVIDUALS
upon &c parte evidence, however SEEM
ingly abundant and convincing. The
public have not yet been put into posses
sion of Sir Cecil Beadon's explanation Of
the course he has seen fit 10 pursue,
which, whether it was the result of mis-
taken judgment or of culpable negligence,
he must feel TO be a most unhappy clos
ing chapter of his administrative career.
Opinion in this country will not be rem
dered more lenient towards him by the
striking contrast exhibited by Lord
Napier'S mode of dealing with the same
evil in the Madras Presidency. The
noble Governor not only energeticaIIy
evoked and organised the compassionate
llberallty of the public of Madras, but set
sail to CANAAN in the most boisterous
season of the year, that he might be up
on the spot where the famine was most
intense and personally superintend mea-
sures of assistance. His earncstness and
activity have infused into all ranks of the
community at the seat Of Government O
spirit of Jealous cooperation, and there
is good reason TO hope that all that man
can do TO mitigate the dire distress in
that province will be done, at any amount
of cost or exerlion.
Perhaps, if the matter were duly con-
sldered in all its bearings, neither the
British Legislature nor the British pub
lie can be acquitted of all blame. India
has been incorporated with the empire,
and the ultimate responsibility of admin
istering Indian affairs devolves upon
England. That she has sent out a Co
vernor-General well qualified for his high
office, and that she does wisely in re-
framing from all needless interference
with his policy and movements. cannot
be regarded as a justification of The utter
indifference with which she has been
wont to treat the interests of that superb
dependency. Yet no one can have been
present in the House of Commons on any
of the very few occasions when Indian
matters are brought under notice. with
on! being struck with the discreditable
apathy which pervades the House.
Members may be pardoned for not being
up in all the details of the leading ques-
tons which affect the w~ell-being of their
Hindoo and Mohammedan fellowship
jects; but with the general principlesiof
Indian policy they surely ought to be-