The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-02-02


mcnsc crowds, when the daily distribution
of rice took place, was most heart reudug
: spectacle. In one quarter were thousands
of Iindoos, in another thousands of Mus
sulmen, and at n little distance, sheltered
by the "haut. were the women, girls and
children. Scanning the faces of those as
sembled thousands, you saw in every one OF
them the same expression-thep inched, des-
pairing, yet resigned. look Of mortal weak
ness, or of mortal sickness, which the sight
longing, devonring looR-,hc kind of look
which inspires feelings of pity for even a
starving wild animal lut which, when worn
by the human countenance, is indescrIbably
painful To behold. Over all was the silence
of death no loud and noisy laughter, as
would be the case at other times hardly Il
sound, save at intervals, when some famish-
ed wretch threw up his arms and uttered a
cry Of wild despair, wrung from him by the
gnawing, indispensable pan@s Of hunger
At other places, fearful struggles to get pos
session of the food took place, and many
lives were lost in the sickening scramble -
The picture would not be complete did we
not add that many Of the men who received
this relief fled from their wives and families,
leaving them to the fate which they them
selves escaped Thus, the misery wrought
by the famine stamped out the love OF of,
spring and OF home conspicuous features
| IA, la .1nr # / In ~ nd,
more especially of the llndoos.
/ OF he women thus deserted by their ma
tural protectors, many touching stories were
told by cyc.witncsScs. For example: A
planter was informed that IL woman had died
by the road side, and that living child was
at her breast. He sent out his servants, who
found the corpse, and the child so tightly
clasped i'll the mother arm, that in bending
it back, still and cold, it broke. The poor
| little infant. exhausted by exposure and
want, died AS it was being released. Another
case: A woman, with her three young chill
drcn, crawed up TO a planters house just as
tihn was being cleared away; the remains
Of the curry and rice were carried out into
the veranda and placed before her. With
out attempting to cat, she seated the three
children round the dish, who speedily de-
yourcd its contents; and, although the
mother was wasted to Il skeleton, mumbng
her thanks, she turned away, grateful that
her offspring had been fed even while she
herself still hungcrcl. Here is yet another
instance, still more wonderfully touching in
its forgettulness Of self: a little girl and her
Both were faint from hunger they had been
trying to keep life together by feeding on
snails, berries, and lizards; but growing
weaker day by Gay, they at last sunk down
under this tree to await a lingering Death
Some boiled rice was placed before them. =
The mother was too weak to raise herself.
50, although ''the chid's big eyes flashed
with hungry gleam," her little hands, well
illed, first sought the mothers mouth, and
not until half the rice was thus consumed
did she herself eat.
These iamines are Of frequent occurrence
in India in fact, tney may be regarded as
one of the ''institutions'' Of the county,
Onitting all mention of those which took
place before 1881, it is recorded that in that
and the two following years the population
of the province Of Guntoor, 4 district in the
Madras Presidency, was reduced from half
to a quarter of million by famine and pcs,
thence. During the following thirty years
there were many minor administrations that
is, comparatively speahing-and then there
was the great droughtNsh;ch swept over the
North West Provinces in lSG0-6l. In these
disastrous years the famine was on gigantic
scale bat, rs large numbers Of the people
concealed their distress, enduring it even
nnto death, rather than break the rules OF
caste, or run counter to the feelings Of their
tribes, the n,,nbcr Of those who are known
to have persisted eighty thousand to
f. ninety thousaMd-doca not represent the TO.
tai mortality. The actual sufferers numbel
one million and half, AID the loss Of prop
crty amounted in value to three millions ant
three quarters sterling.
Being Of snch frequent occurrence, th'
reader unacq,aintcd will, the system of In
dian misrulc would never for a momcn
imagine that the remedy for such deep an,
widespread distress is plaim-to irrigatc Ii,
country, from reservoirs of water stored ~
, during the wet season. But, that such is tht
easy rcmcdy is confessed by all obscrvau
f authorities. Store up the waters by dam
and basins in the lower levels, and by max
lug reservoirs Of valleys up among the hills
t and the great annual drouth is stripped o
c it lurrors. OF course such work would re
quire large sums of money but the mcr
4 material returns would amply compensate
F.. the outlay. to say nothing Of the suffering
= would avert. The Government Of India
, however, docs not seem to have been esiab
) lished for any purposc OF mercy. Tax
from the country all it can yield and hav
i, no care for its people save as Il source g
It profit, is the keynote Of English policy
:. Talk of the Yankee being Il money worship
IS cr The heartlcss cruelty practiccd by til
!, English in lndia-the 'grindins' process i
1t use to force, large revenues from its so
= and peoplc-arc facts which stamp the Brit
e ish conqneor as one of the Gcrccst and mo.
y relentless money worshipers the world eve
is knew, Place Yankees in possession of til