The New York herald., 1871-08-13
THB PERSIAN FAMINE.
Full Confirmation of the Accounts Pre-
viOuSly Received.
Scores of Thousands Of People Al
ready Dead of Starvation.
.,~~-~~,~>.->-.@.~,>..>o~~
MEN EAT THEIR OWN OFFSPRING
Hunger-Stricken Bands of Ban
ditti Infesting the Roads.
Persia Ruined and Its Population Flying 10
Happier Chimes.
The Letter Of the Persian
Minister.
MEN EAT THEIR OWN OFFSPRING

The following account has been received by he
Bombay society for assisting the poor Zoroastrians
in Persia from their agent In that country
For the last five or SIX years the state OF Persia
seems TO decline, owing ON the one hand to the
gradually decreasing quantity or snow. ana on the
other to the oppressive taxes and extortlons OF the
government, which are daily increasing and are
numerically exacted. Not only that but every
year the Governors are changed and those are ap.
pointed who can tender the greatest amount Of
revenue to the government. These Governors do
not fail to exact twice or thrice as much as they
pay to government. Thus the bounty Of Heaven
and the fertility Of the earth are decreasing
side, ana human oppression Is increasing on the
other
Such deal OF misery has set in with the year be-
ginning March 81, 1871, that it makes
OUR BLOOD RUN COLD
to relate It.; yet we take leave to give short ac
count OF it, gathered from letters from dif
ferent parts of Persia for the Information OF our
Parsee brethren.
All the inhabitants Of FaruZ-the richest and
most fertile countryhave been obliged leave the
place and seek refuge in other quarters, where even
selling their very children failed to obtain them sus
tenance. Rs. 500, 900 ($25oOOO Of revenue had re-
manned unpaid to government Tue chief OF the
place (Asfoodolla took securities from the people,
their debts but the Shah disapproved OF this mea.
sure and gave the governorship OF Faruz to one
Mayer Mamalek, who
PAID THE SHAH
Rs 600. 900 as revenue Now, it Will easily be per-
ceived how many oppressive eXactOns this Governor
must and will resort to- not only to recover the rs
100000 (S30O,0 which he has paid down, but also
to make additional profit for himself In Cairman the
price of wheat in ordinary times was q keerronee,
eight ounces twenty-five cenrs) for about two or
three maunds IA maund is eighty.four pounds, but
now, owing to a scanty crop and the inhabitants OF
Yezd and KhOrrassan settling there three keerro.
nees or q rupee and half, are required for about
six pounds OF wheat. The government therefore
instituted search throughout the country and
sEIZRD UPON ALL GRAIN,
even what was absolutely necessary for consump
ton, and put the stock In the market for sale on
their own account. Thus about ten or twelve Per-
SLAMS die each day, three or four Parsees among
them. Even selling their very children falls TO OBJ
| tain them morsel OF food to live upon.
! Yezd being sterile place, cotton, opium, &C.,
were produced there in place OF corn, while the
habitants were supplied with gram from Cairman,
Shiraz and Ispahan Now, this supply being put
a stop to, there is great hardship in Yezd, and
nearly OF its Inhabitants have left the place.
About fifty Persians, with about twelve Zoroas-
OF food. Besides we are informed that animals OF
every kind-asses, horses. camels, and even cats
and dogs-are freely used for food; ana
EVEN HUMAN YOUNG OyEs
are not spared. Robbers besides, break into houses
by night, and carry away what they can lay hands
upon, not hesitating TO XIII or wound the inmates
II any opposition is offered them, People are thus
obliged watch their houses by night but still we
hear that about $50 houses Of Mussumans and
about fifty houses OF Parsees broken into and
robbed, which two men were killed ana two
grievously wounded. In one case one Bameer
Danoosh Moobarukees house was robbed and hun
self shot, OF which ne died in two hours lin another
case Kaikhusroo attacked one Moobarukee's house
and wounded him with dagger. of which lie died
after lingering for three days. One Ardaseer robbed
one Peer Tuptee's house and wounded him so
brutally that the poor creature fingers miser-
ably. In another case one Jamsheed robbed
HOsainee and grievousy wounded him. IL will
be TOO long and tedious to mention all the cases OF
such struggles for food IL is matter OF regret TO
find that only one Parsee gentleman. Mr.. Nusser-
wanjee Maneckjee Petit, has up TO this time sent
down 500 rupees in 1866 and 700 rupees the 10th
of January, 1870 through the managing committee,
and again 200 rupees by telegraph on the 18th
March, 1871
RELIEF.
We have received no other contributions The
last mentioned sum was sent TO Yezd to be dis
trbuted among the poor; but at present there is no
corn in Yezd and, besides, 200 rupees Will go but
very little way relieving the wants OF Zoroastrians
scattered IN seventeen different villages. Seeing
the condition of Yezd, Hukeer had written to Asfoo
doa, Governor OF Shiraz. and procured about one
hundred and thirty khurwars OF wheat but when
il reached Yezd and was distributed among the
Parsees,
THE MCssULhANs FELL UPON THEM
and deprived them OF 1t. No redress could be oh.
tanned from the government, save paying The price
of the corn 50 robbed. At Nahen all who could
escape did so, and the rest ded of hunger without
any one remaining behind TO bury their remains, so
that the city has become utterly deserted.
on account OF scarcity Of iood i'm IspalIan public
shops are opened for selling camels asses, dogs and
cats flesh. and vet seventy to eighty men die there
daily, and people go about selling their children
The Armenian population only lives free from priva.
ton. as they are substantially supported by their
wealthy brethren in Calcutta and Batavia.
KAssAN AND KonE.
IN Kassan and Kome, cities from which grain
used to he sent to other places, such scarcity now
prevails that about ten or twelve men die daily
through hunger and disease, and people are caught
cutting down children for food. Corn used 10 lie
exported from Hnmdau, Cairman and Koordistam
but great scarcity now prevails in all these places
a. the Shah, on his return from the pilgrimage to
Kerbela with %, 900 men and 1000 beasts OF bur-
den took II all for himself
HERAr
At Herat, always place OF plenty great scarcity
prevails, owing to the expectation OF grain abroad
and the settling In the place OF about forty thousand
fugitives from other places.
About one thousand five hundred or the inhab-
tan,s OF Tabrlz set ont for Herat, and not finding
beasts Of burden, and after suffering great privation
dispersed among the woods.
The beautiful cities OF
BUsTAM, DAMGAN AND sUBJAvAR
are reduced to desolation and ruin. Al Khorassan
about eighteen thousand men have been swept OF
through hunger and disease, and when those who
survive do not hesitate TO use rakedup corpses as
food what else eatable could have been lett In the
city,
ala nth ,.Ia guv OF