The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1878-02-27
Tke Bulletiu
The Chinese Famine.

The -FOUR provinces OF CnfDa WHICH
now offer 70 lhe world TIE .appalllDI
spectacle u 70, 0O0,UOU Of human being
peIishlDg win starvation are IN liz
north, bordering upon Mongolia. ohau
SO is The province which seems " u
most severely stricken with famine. ]
has M area Vi b3, 2BS miles, and contains
besides It's capital, lae.yu rn Foo. elgh
PERPETUAL cities. The population o
Shau.se alone is returned at l4W3,2lo
lLs starving millions strikingiy mus
trate the Tantaluo. Condition Il
which mankind Is doomed before CIV
ilizalion has provided 1t with inteili'
yencs aud Instruments 10 Wrest irOm
the earth lts treasures Of agricultural
and mineral wealth, AMI 10 distribute III
all directions the elements OF comfort
and prosperity. They are literally dy'
Ing In tho very midst OF inexhaus.iblt
poten,lsliiies OF happy lie.
From the southern frontier OF Shan-se
10 rs tar north Us Niug>woo Foo there IL
a plateau 1890 square miles in extent,
elevated from b ,UuJ 10 u, 900 ieet above the
| lrye! Of the sea. lne whole VI this
| plateau il one vast cual-iield. Its north
ern and western lmlts are bounded by
| high mountain ranges lrendlug sOutb-
| west anu northeast. Down lne central
| line oil The province lies a curious series
! ot deep dtpresslOns, all VI which are
| basins vi ancient lakes, Shha So Is one OF
the uosL remarkaOic coat anu iron re-
giUns Uf tile earth. Baron Won Rlchthoi-
eu expresses lhe opinion tAsJ, u, the pre-
sent Tale Vi coal consumption, "ihe
world could be- supplied Tor thousands o1
Years from SiIau.se aLvne.' The vicinity
vi lsc.chuw Foo, III the south VI The
province, abouuds ia both coal and iron,
aud hss probably lurnlsbed more
IRON ~ Ibe Chm, &c than any region IN
tue Empire. lie iron Is VI great purity
and easily ius.ble, wblle lilo hecessary
Iueane vi manufacturing IL, huch as all
surls VI clay aud sand Tor CruclDles,
luuuds. clc., are close al hand. Baron
NJn kl1ntnuieu : ,ys vi the nhOie plateau
that lie EXTRAORDINARY CONDITIONS, Tor
which he knows 10 parallel Oh The globe,
will eventually give rise " sOnle curlous
features III INNING. ! may DC predicted
that II railway should ever be butt
from the plan ~ ttls regiUn-anu there
~ w JtilFL VI VIVA ~
lhelr due account liz mineral resuurcee-
branches vi IL VIII be Constructed within
the bod, ui one or other vi those beds
OF anthracite, which are alDuug Tie thick
est ana most valuable known ANY where,
aud eonLluue Tor Milcs uudernealh HE
hills west VI the PRESENT cual.belt oi
tIhg- ling Chow. such II tunnel would
allow Oi p.t,Ing The produce vi The vari-
Jus cUal>btus IuIuIeuialeiy Oh railroad
cars destined Tor distant places.
Mean While, This marvellous railway OF
the future has not yet been built. inere
ls Only one "agun'lUad leading into and
through Suau-sr. In Agricultural pros
ducts HE province ls Door. Meat Is u
rare luxury, and salL hsh, The usual sub
sLilute lVE II, Is enjuyed only by The
Menllhier classes. lue masses vi the
pS,,, ,'iv l,S,E "">.o -l.r III China, are
ul,rrlcI, are chroiiica IS su1lccsIo iauune
aud starvation. Its ultficuit 10 luiagine
how they eau be relieved lrum Their ac-
tuul uupr, cedeut, suffering, unless soLne
,uleTprl.lug American contractors cali
succeeu ~ uleitlng tie obuuraIe upposl-
tivn vi the Chinese goVernInrht 10 rail-
WAYS and Tel, graphs, aud almost aIi otheF
Innovations vi outside baEparlans. Let
these Contractors get u concession from
the many-iIlled Emperor OF Cniua to-
build railway IN S4iau>se, and a! least
the next generation OF INHABITANTS
and OF those of lis ADJOINING
provinces would escape such terrible
lamines "a are now proslratlng iDill,
IONS vi victims. The croaklng OF tile
London Tines, day before yesterday,
over the prospective einigra lon' oy
myriads, from The iamlne'slrlcktn dis
lrlcts OF north China 10 the United
States, is SIMPLY ridlcuIously absurd.
They have 40 means Tor living where
they ure, much less for migrating 10 u
continent thousands OF miles away. The
Instincts and Inherited opinions and
cast.iron habits OF the Chinese Of the III.
terror provinces are against emigration
This unprecedented famine calls re-
newed attention to the danger Of overs
crowding a country with people. Tar TO-
yond its normal capacity Tor supporting |
them we'll. China Is packed Win PEG"
ple like sardines In a bUX--oDly the pco-
Die are alive, while the fishes are dead.
Under ordinary circumstances they can
exist, after O fashion, ON such Diet rs
bio Lewis and George Francis Train
recommend 10 Americans; but u season
OF scarcity Is death to all who have no
means. OF purchasing supplies elsewhere
or migrating tor tue time 10 another
province. Something should be done on
q large scale TO draw tie surplus popu-
latiun OF thai overcrOwded Country, aud
settle the sparSely'poprlated and I'M
titled districts OF the globe with its In.
dustrlOus and ingenious people. Some
time ago MIR. Gallen, the Unknown
En- slish author, Guy gested that a Chinese
colony should be planted In Africa, and
that England should assist IN transport
ihg the colols on large scale. Such
an enterprise would be vastly more adj
yaniageUus to China than forcing her
people to buy British opium against their
will, and vastly better tor England than
rushing madly TO war with Russia for
the protection of interests which are
purely imaginative. 70 r.lieve 70 00O,>
900 OF starving people is ont Of the ques-
ton; but 10 assist China In preventing u
recurrence of this calamity, and open an
adequate outlet for her surplus popula.
ton where they can find ample means OF
subsistence and clear the heart of a con,
tinent tor future generations of civilized
humanity would be grand and protita-