The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-28

OF llIc anu III up'lly OrthSioncu Nv INC tN-
clone Of oct. 81 Storms are frequent
enough in those attitudes, bur q Calcutta
CORES pendent of the London Times says
that tins storm was moro severe than any
since the great cyclone of 1854. and that
fuller details Will doubtless show u to have
been even more destructive than that
memorable tempest.
The October cyclone arose somewhere in
the Bay Of Bengal, and rushing northward
in the track of vessels bound for Calcutta,
dsmasted many large ships. and did much
other damage. But this was tifling conn
pared to did ON shore. Calcutta itself
narrowly cscap d its violence. At Cmtta-
gong it stranded every vessel IN the harbor.
aud almost destroyed thotowu. Three large
islands, Iiatliah, Sundcrp, and Dakhin,
with numerous smaller islands included IN
the rachergmgc, Nookholly, and Chittn-
gong districts, were entirely submerged
10y the storm wave, rs was also the main
land for five or six mites inland
These Islands are situnted IN or near the
estuary of the river Megna. They have
been formed hy the deposition of earth
washed down by tho sacred river GGngcs
during its periodical foundations. The
waters of the Gnngc- pour into the Bay OF
Bengal by fourteen principal channels
Some OF these channels are so narrow that
the rigging Of cOasting vessels is often en-
tangled IN the trees ON the banks Plenti-
ful supplies OF fish for the Calcutta market
are procured in the numerous water
courses of this REGION, although with diff
Guilty and danger, Us crocOdiles and for
Ia, pl. fri,. a st1
junglc- are crowded with tigers and other
fcrocous animals, and everywhere reigns
the deadly malaria which makes the
Sundcrbunds" as the low. marshy lands
of the delta are called, from being covered
with the soondru, or sunder troe-thc
most inhospitahle and unhealthy, as ii -
the hottest, part of British India. Gov
ernment has made vigorous efforts to ell nr
and to people the Suuderhuuds. Ii has
offered special inducements To settlers III
tins extensive maritime district and iis
adjacent islands. and relays of fresh vie
tins TO accident and disease have been
tempted there to nj up the gnps left by
their predecessors. \ large portion of
land has been cleared and timber, cotton,
rice, sugar cane, honey, and the mulberry
tree for feeding silk worms, have yielded
ricl rrturus to enterprise aud labor. The
biggest Of tho Submerged ISLANDS, Dakhin,
was 500 square ml,s IN extent. and had a
population Of about 2iO.OeO. liattiah ana
Suuducp together had about 100000 ilhub-
itauts.
Up to II o'clock on the night OF Oct. 81,
according TO despatch from Calcutta.
there were 10 signs Of danger; but before
midnight wave swept over the country
toad - IA 30 many rlacc- Of twenty feet,
surursin- fnc people in their beds. Dense
gr"v,- of coOoanut aud palm trees around
/ the villages enabled many persons 20 save
themselves by climbing among the branch
es and some took refuge on the roofs Of
| their houses, but the water burst the
houses asuudcr ana swept them ont TO sea.
| Some were thus carried across the chan
mel ten miles, TO the Chittagong district,
/ but vast majority were never heard of
/ again. The country j. HAT, ana almost
every one persisted who failed to reach the
trees. More than one tree presented the
queer spectacle often witnessed during an
nuudation OF the Ganges-a HAPPY tam
ily OF serponts, birds. and beasts of divers
and hostile kinds, waiting aioft FOR the
water to suh-lde. All the cattle were
drowned. The boats were swept away
and other means of communication de-
stroye1. The Calcutta Government Gd.ctc
says that "whercver the storm wave
/ passed It Is believed that not a thiId OF the
population survived The islands have
/ barely oue-folr,h OF their former inhah-
tants. The latest Official estimates, IN n
report ny sir RICHARD TEMPLE Lieuten-
/ ani-Governor OF Bengal, pat the total loss
| of life mt 2ju.OJO. In some places the stencil
from the putrelying bodies is lnsutfcrabie
and general outbreak Of the cholera,
which has a.. ady appeared IN Nookholly,
is expected. Government il fastening to
It's duty Of relieving the sore distress
which prevails among the survivors of the
cyclone.
Rene ,onc,s lessons the shock Of the dir
est disasters, and India SIN seems far
remote even IN this day Of triumph for
steam and for the electric telegraph.
These have almost annhilatel time and
space. so that Cook = travellers, who are
mcl,named globe trotteIs' in the East.
can circumnavigate the earth in three
months; and the earliest news Of the Ben
gal cyclone came from Calcutta to London
and New York in less than fortnight II
was received, however, with comparative
indifference, because the scene Of the
tragedy is so distant, and SO little is known
OF the victims ana their whereabouts,
most of the localities that suffered not
even being named on the map. Then
there were so many victims rs 10 leave
only the same vague, confused notion of
an aggregate loss of life which our limited
couceptve tacult Is allow of that oc-
casioned by battle, an earthquake, Il
famine, or pcstleace, or of the total mum
Der of deaths during nm hour throughout
the world Moreovc:, there are limitn-
tons to human sympathy a. well rs &c
human responsibility As the eyeid pro-
teots the eye, a nercGul film wells anO
shields our perception of human woes il
the gross But on the other hand, In,
fact that both in England and in the
United States. India is regarded rs {
favonto field for missionary effort, vii
create an interest regarding the fate O
thOsa who Wprp psDospI tO the fury of tlit