The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-09
THE CHINESE FAMINE.
The worst Ever KnOwa-M0re Than Five
Million Persons starved 10 Death.

/ tLOuuOu IuSSl
| SHANGHAI, April 27.-The famine seems
now to be at its worst The impoverished
| country consists of the greater part of the
province OF Shansi, parts Of Southwestern
Chilli, Western Shantung and the northern
districts of Honan, comprising an area
variously estimated at from 10000 to 100000
i square miles. The greatest distress is In the
southern half Of Shansi, including the pro-
vincial capital, Tai Yuen, the population Of
which, unless rain comes at once, bids fair to
| become absolutely extinct. In its horrible
details, as given by all witnesses, foreign and
native, official and missionary, it Is the
dlrest calamity that this or any country has
! been visited with. The sturdy chinese peas
ants do not calmly fold their hands and die
| like our poor feilOw-subiects, the Madrassees.
last year; they eat the dead, and when there
| are none to take they kill the living for the
same purpose. This is no Oriental exaggera-
ton, but the actual state OF things In dis
triCt not 100 miles from Shanghai. In the
Pekin Gazette OF the fifteenth Of March there
appears a memorial from Ii Ho-nien Gov
ernOr OF Honan, and Yuan, Special High
Commissioner for famine relief, appealing for
State assistance to the disturbed provinces.
From 1t may be gathered the straits to which
the famine-stricken country is reduced I
therefore append translation of lt, and I
must remind my countrymen as they read 1t
that 1t Is no sensational picture 10 move the
tears OF emotional subscribers, but q calm
description OF the state OF tire province by it's
responsible rulers In the language of q blue
book:
The drought with which the province has
been visited for several years In succession
has resulted In famine Of an intensity and
extent hitherto unheard OF. As autumn adj
vanced into winter, the number OF those in
need OF relief increased daily, until at last
they could be counted hy millions. The lower
classes were the first TO be affected, and they
soon disappeared or dispersed in search of
subsistence elsewhere Now the famine has
attacked the well-to-do and the wealthy, who
find themselves reduced to greater misery as
each day goes by; and they, in their turn, are
dying off or following those who have
migrated elsewhere. In the earlier period
of distress the living fed upon the
bodies Of the dead; next, the strong dea
voured the weak; and now the general des-
titution has arrived at such a climax that
men devour those of their own flesh and
blood. History contains no record of so fer
rible and distressing state of things. and if
prompt measures Of relief be not Instituted
the whole region must become depOnulafed
Local sources OF supply are entirely Exhaust
ed; the granar1es are EN- PITY, and the treas
ury drained dry; while the few wealthy ne0-
pie In the provinces have helped with coIltri.
poverished $1,000 70 ''AV AAA<-
r, In the prefecture in which the capitaI Of
Shansl IS situated the population has dirof-
nlsned from over 100000 TO 16O. 600. and fha
Ohlnese newspapers here give the number AZ S
people who have died OF Starvation ar roat
Ihe awful tate just recorded being eaten. -
over 100000. ses9ls--as