Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-09-12

! don Times thus gathers up the result Of
the terrible famine which visited Behar,
Bengal, and Gabiam, as well as Orissa, III
1866:
For Behar we have Mr. r. Y. Cocker
ellis report, which is a young civilian in
the district, admirably drawn up. In these
two provinces the famine ragged only for
four months, being worstin Behar in Aug.
and in Gabiam in July. In Orissa it reach
ed its maximum Of intensity, judged Of by
the number fed in October, 1866, or one
year after the first deaths from starvation.
and after Mr.. Barlow had in vain called
for the importation of rice into Pooree,
Taking, then, the results ofthese three re-
ports, we find that the great famine Of
1866 affected an area of IT Alb square
niles-nearly as large as Great Britain
and a population Of 10000 600. The
deaths were $50, 900. have added $780,
600 for the hill district Of Orissa, of which
Mr. Campbell commission processes total
ignorance. but which must have suffered
more terribly than the plains, for there
was no relief there, and hundreds poured
into Balasore from the hills, only to die,
The area and population severely and IN
tensely visited by famine were not quite
half the above. In Orissa Chota Negpore,
and Midnapore, for instance, the commits
sion represent the famine as ''servlce.
among population Of 1,S48,646, and
over an area Of ,173 square miles; and
as s'intense" among 2,O62 ,625, and over
an area of r 1875 miles Of the hill dis
tricts we know nothing, and in Behar the
famine was ''intense" over $3.50 square
miles, in population about as dense as
that of England The Orissa commission
accept the estimate Of one-fourth Of the
population dead as not too high, and OF
one eigh in Chota Nagpore. OF all other
districts the statement continually appears
that the number of deaths given refers to
only those recorded that it is much too
low, &c. On the whole, five add the I'M
avoidable deaths this year as tie result OF
the starvation of last year, and allow even
for ordinary mortality, fear we must es-
innate the number Of victims in all East
ern India, in the tract Of land going north
from the coast between the mouth Of the
Hoogly and CANAAN to the Nepaul border,
at not less than 800, 000-half the pop
ulation of London, or all of Scotland. Fan
cy if Paris were depopulated But the fam
inc was as intense as it was extensive. All
the evidence shows this, and the native ev-
ldence is peculiarly interesting. The pic
lures drawn by DR. Jackson and Judge
Wauchope, of Balasore, Of the crowds OF
starvlings, the 500 bodies day in the
streets the Presidential stencil, the filth OF
the hospitals, the starving falling into the
water when they went to drink, from sheer
debility, and the skelptops which the COM
missioners themselves saw even at that late
date. combine to make this Orissa famine
more horrible than all of which we have a
record
Nor is the last element Of horror wait
ing-caunibaism The hasty illusions III
the evidence Of this are irresistible. We saw
letter avowedly written to prevent alarm,
that one man had been eating dead body,
but he was said to be- an idiot The ma
tive deputy magistrate of Poorce had a
case reported to him by his subordlnates
in July-a Hindoo had cooked the body
of child he had found in the river. A
Cuttack deputy magistrate repeats Mr..
Ravensnaw' story Of the idiot cannibal.
Most important Of ALL however, IS the tes-
timony of the Rev. MIR. Miller, mission
airy Of Balasore He says, Nothing that
[ have ever read has enabled me to con-
ceive anything equal to this famine.
have known no instance of the Hlndoos
eating dogs, or cats, Or COWS, but they did
eat their own children when they were
dead. heard we'll authenticated instance
in which a mother and son were found eat
ing dead child | know Of nothing to
surpass this famine either as to extent or
severity.
The largest number relieved daily was
IT'S, 534, taking the worst month III each
case of these 120, 305 were fed daily IN
Orissa in October, 81 1892 in Behar IL Au-
gust, and $500 in CANAAN in July. Gov
eminent in 1866 spent in relief and pub
lie works, or RENTED Of land tax, E3l6--
884; while the Anglo-Indian public sub
scribed in cash, including the old rellef
fund, apart from the extensive daily char
ity in Calcutta ard the afflicted districts,
912O,S 500. In the present year, Govern
ment will not escape under half million
sterling, and the public have alread sub
scribed to the new fund, EAT 900. | may
report, in passing, the astonlshment which
has been expressed in India that Lord Der
by should be asked by an influential depu-
tation to send the balance of the Lancashire
fund to the freedmen of the Southern
States, when Orissa is in such condition.
England has done nothing for it, and In
dia subscribed to that fund G54, 400. II
that were sent back, it would suffice for
the permanent maintenance OF the Or
phans.
TOMATO WINE.-Take small ripe toma-
toes, pick off the stems, put them IN bask-
ct or tub. wash clean, then mash well and
strain through linen rag; Ga bushel will
make five gallons pure then add two and
half to three pounds of good brown sugar
to each gallon, then put it into a cask and
let it ferment as for raspberry winx&l
IL & l. i -