Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-03-27
s-tle Free Pres, sbi 7 rnss.
Tie Famine In Indla.

snALL VIZ CAIHEk FROM IT a lE~SOSs
Wesre told thst dr-pa;ches received a; the
IuiiA Office in London from the Lientenan:
Governor Of Bers a., give Alarming accounts
OF ,he condition OF the people there He
says tina; fully loco Geo persons are in dan
ger OF starting in tie famine districts, sud
all the poorer classes are BEGINNING To- feel
the want Of f,od.
With map Of lndi, before Ii, We may
comprehend the lesson more readily. The
Beugel Presidency, IN winch ihr famine is
chiefly centred. embraces nearly the e;tire
valley ui t., tisnge~ atd s"mr othsr terri
tory The Bombay Presidency from which
most Ol tie supplies uu>i c1Iue, embraces
the ueste'r side OF the peninsula, including
the head waters Of the Indus \ railroad
Of .Gi7 miles, with it, western terminus at
Umrit~ir (AmrIt-Ir on some uHp-) in the
Puniab. and the eastern one at Baugul-
pore. on the ,ide-wster Of th. B-ahunPutra
offers lie means Of transport.
i re-ilent of ubclle il the Delhi, writ
iac Loai1n paper, -aYs one p-rtioG Of
the air laden With moi~ture moves up the
Bay of Bengal, sweeps slong the coast of
Buru,ah and siam, higgins To- part with lis
uioi,trre about the middle Of May. continu
ally advancing along Ike valley OF the
Gauges, till about the middle Of June it
reaches Sinls. which i on the ridge
which separates the drainage OF the
II Id
Bat IT i another current Of air " hich passes
up the valley uf the IHGuS that claims our
special attention. This, starting irnm the
Indian ocean. passes up the valley Of the
Indus. but trifh0yt trdferIEg that large eIicrt
lying between Scind and the PUnjab; 1t l.
NOT MI ,rifhir a sior. distance Of the timber
cd lands and hiiis that fhis body Of AR bcGias
10 part irifh IT'S moisture. Ia addition to
the rainfall, the land, for 200 miles in that
section, receives the benefit OF ertenSIre irri-
cation The price of wheat at Umrirsir
was. November lest. one rupee per maud
(about 30 cents per bushel) ard at Benares
or where the famine was most pressing at
that time, the price was three rupees per
maud, requiring the cost price of two TO
carry one to market, and allow 80 per cent
profit to the merchant.
The points to which would direct stten-
I
the soil with the supply of water, by rain
or irrigation that the rain fall did not
BEGIN on the treeiess desert The soil, unpro-
tected BY herbage, reflected so much of
! solar heat that the moisture suspended IN
| the air pGssed orer IT. and Heated TIL 1t
reached the cooler region OF hills, sklrted
/ hy tImber-land also to the fact that living
! trees are not considered an incumbrance-
two avenues of these being, in TACT, preser-
yed of 800 and 500 miles each, as :" shade
trees for the cunvenience.oi travellers and
not trimmed up like brooms with their
handles planted in the ground
We occasionally hear complaints OF the
diminution of water in some of our streams
that at one time furnished power for driving
machinery. and sometimes accompanied
with the admission that. years ngo, and be-
fore osr forests had suffered great curtail
mont, the water power WAS greater. The
ritter can point to one stream,on the banks
of which once stood grist mill, and, two
miles lower down, a saw-mill at this time
thi. stream is a mere brook now used for
mechanical purposes.
Two papers that have bearing on the sub
iect were presented at the meeting Of the
Board of Agriculture, etc at Charlotte,
on January and :, one by Prof Seeley.
on Leaves" and one on The Preservation
of our Forests.'' by j. Kennedy. These
will, when published. be read with much
interest by every one who desires to see
science and industry working together for
the good of the people. B.
Moukton. March 18th.
P. S-Although later accounts from
India estimate tina, the Indian government
has now ample supplies of grain to meet
every demand from the distressed districts.
the whole subject is none the less worthy
our serious attention. u. ~