, 1877-08-09
FAMIEEI< INDIA.

THOUSANDS DYING or sTAnyArloN-MiLL1oS
DESTITUTE.
CALCUTTA, Aug. e.-Tlr falnIno Is Increasing
in atalras rcsl1cncr.
London Tin1ts, JMFv.3.
Tue reports which reash Us Of the famine in
Southern lndta could hardly be more g!oo.uy.
We published Yesterday telegram frun, our
Calcutta correspondent, datel July -, and ths
morning VIC publish letter from our Madras
correspondent OF the date Of exactly month
before. The combination Ut these two com1pu.
nitatios1s ayEravatcs materially tue gsar1ty Of
the prospect III Mntsus month ago our rur-
respondent Was writ!n. after short period Of
favorable weather. ''1i:rr III Southern Indtu,n
he SAYS, "wc fIayc had 30 fas apleulid raiu."
Yet even with this, hn anticipates several
nsontiis Ut nast dangerous scarcity. Iie
POINTS out the mistake Of tupposfng
that after EtH,l rain ttlc ten.tot. OF
famine Ii ut M en.l. Tals WIS true In the cafe
OF tl'r recent Bengal famine, Iut that was d
famine Of EIcc, nnd mol & s:ar<ty OF uttes astl.
clcs Of fool. IT. the ,norr terrible t>sisM, Ia:l.c
tue gr<atcst suffering anil the highest .n,rtIltfy
Occurred after the rains had fallen, AMI Mt i
tne when tho Young ri,e WAS lusunaat. sml-
larry, the ratns iu A(nllr9s, our Mattr.H cpsrc.
sp3lieilt repstts, wolld lsoI avail tn 1sF.,siilo
fool far tho distressed ds.sirtA for the ,,cxl
tout '1onths, and for that peri'nl at lcast lhcy
on imported food. 1,ut II this were tLe
prospect even when "epfcndil rain" wu.
falling, what must II 6s wl'en the min,
ward not merely lo an interval OF scarcity
hefnrc The natural supplies Of tile Country ar
renewed, but to prolonged period nf increas.
tnE dehtftutiot. Such, however, -acrossEn; tn
thu Calcutta telegram, Of lust sunday, has tvrn
the actual rcsult. 1t reports MI "ulnost en-
tire cessation Of tile rains III, tho fn.ntnr tts
trtcts." and ad1s that "if rnn doe. nut f4E
Within the next few days, In all probability sh'
5as and Mssore arc ds"n!ed To au!icr:., tr ri
lamity Of second year of scan.ity." There ARE
exceptions to this gloomy atyount On tho siala.
bur coast aud ft' lson'bay; but these arc 'norc
from districts mol hitherto Affected BY
the s'arcity. Complaints are tcasi
from, Northern India, from lschar. fruln
the Northwest, tho Central Froyfnrc, Assa', ,an,i
IA. '''fhc. next week or ts1." our Calcutta
correspondent concluded, s'wtil dcr,ta the futc
OF Southern tniia. There Is still hops, but We
must bc prepared for the worst"
The resutt, therefore, Of these two fndcpend-
cnt communications tt, that while, eycu with
'4splcnLld ruins" We had To Iook forward 10
three or four months OF tho grayest anxiety.
VIC now hare to aald to tilat anxtoty all alm.~t
primarily affected. as'd dangerous dinluul-
tlon of them in dtstrtrta upon which
~e hare hitherto dcpeuAcd ~ great
Mltass.rc Tor supplies. Tbs full! Significance of
this prospect may to appreciated by means Of
some htatEstics our Madras correspondent fur
istshrs respecting the population already suffer
lnE from famine. Including both laborer4 u,,tl
pcople unablu to work, the Madnus Government
y now sppporttng ouu million anil quarter Of
thu popnlatlou. and tho mortality in thc relief
cainna IL Ut tho frghtfuI rate u 1DO PER cent.
In May, out VI n strength. Of 50!!st IL these
sa1nps, there werc no fewer than LOTT dcaths.
In other words. u this n,ie Ut mortality
were CONTINUED. tho trcsrnt occupants VI
away within Iwnivs ,n"n,hs' it. wn.,id @"spe srsts
unquestlonablu fIoM such stattatics that llu
aInount u relief hitherto. allowed has been In
sufficient. 1t would seem that millions Of tho
population arc cxfsting At an extremely low
punt OF vitality. anl \ mnnth's deficiency or
lrlay might produce y Wholesale destruction o!
life which 1t would be horr4tlc TO contemplate.
II we a4d to all this tho fact announced yes
tcrlay BY our Calcutta correspondent that
drought and scarcity aru threatening sume ot
the very districts from which private tEa.le was
exlactc1 TO proyide ta necessary supplies, it
Will be plain tlat II /. no tiu,s for relying on
tho ordinary rules Of supply aud demand.