Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-08-09
1list.llantous Asanins.
THE PERSIAN FAMINE.

Full Account Of its Causes, Extent and
Details.
Special to the n. Y. Herald.
We have received the following highly
interesting dispatch, giving further par
ticulars concerning the terrible Persian
famine, from our correspondent at Lon.
don;
LONDON, July es The reports we are
receiving here give new, and. if possible
even more horrible and appalling details
of the Persian famine.
The dearth is much more widespread
than at first reported. In place of being
confined to the province of Khorassan 1t
extends over the entire land Already :
the loss of life has been fearful. Persia
is said. on reliable authority. to have
lost fifty per cent. of her population
Thousands of people, half famished, have
dragged themselves across the frontier
into Turkish Arabia and Cabool, while
those who have been prevented from
doing SO by the strong arm of the gov
ernment, are daily dying by thousands OF
starvation.
A Persian subject cannot leave his ma
tive country, even to go upon pilgrim,
age to Meshed Hosein or to Mecca with.
out special permission from the authori-
ties. and THE permission is even now. in
spite of the present appalling condition
of the country, still insisted upon. The
people, in desperation. however. use every
means to elude the vigilance of the Gov
ernment. and escape into happier la uds.
1t appears that there was terrible
drought last year. which was followed as
a natural consequence. by partial failure
of the crops. There was great suffering
and privation, but comparatively little
mortality.
1t is curious fact that this famine. is
to a certain extent. one result, though of
course an indirect one, of the American
civil war There is belt of country in
Persia which is eminently we'll calculated
for the production of cotton. and the
high price of that article seven or eight
years ago induced many Of the smaller
cultivators to abandon raising other crops
and embark in its production. This
opening for commerce rapidly developed
into large trade. and couple Of lines
Of steamers have been started from Bonn
bay to Bushire, port on the Persian
Gulf, which is the only one of import
ance on Persia's limited sea coast. The
money gained by the sale Of the sea cot
ton was employed to buy provisions
from Ears. or Partisan. and the otEer
southern provinces, which are better
adapted to the growth of wheat and rice.
The high price of opiim. owing to the
tax imposed upon its export by the
British Indian government, has also
stimulated the production of poPpies id
place of grain. Last year there were
two thousand chests of this drug ex.
ported from Bushirc. The silk trade has
also largely increased. These causes
have all operated to diminish the area of
land employed in the raising of provis-
ions, and have doubtless tended to aggra-
vate the consequences of the present bad
season.
The partial famine last year exhausted
such small accumulated stocks of pro
visions as were in the country. The
people. however, managed to linger
through the winter. sustained by the
hope that the spring crop There are two
yearly crops in Persia) would bring back
plenty. Early in the year. in spite of
the general impoverisbment Of the peo-
pie. the government. with shocking inhu-
manity. raised the taxes. This CON-
pleted the misery Of its unhappy subjects
What little money they had left was
torn from them. and they were left beg
CARED to facs q year whose horrors had
but begun. ,s