The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-09-12
The Famine in China.

The famine seems now to be at its
worst. Tuc impoverished country consists
CT the greater part of the Province of
Shansl, parts OF south western Chill, West
ern Shantung, and the northern districts
of Honan, comprising an area variousIy
estimated at from 10000 to 100000
square miles. The greatest distress is in
the southern half of Shansi, including
the provincial 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 direst cal
amity 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 fellow subjects the
Madrassces, 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 exaggeration, but the
actual state of things in district not 700
miles from Shanghai. In the Pekin Ga
zette Of the 18th of March there appears
a memorial from Ii Ho-nien, Governor
Of Honan, and Yuan, Special High Com
missioner for Famine Relief, appealing
for State assistance to the distressed prov
ince. From it may be gathered the
straits to which the famine-stricken
country is reduced. therefore append
a translation of it, and | must remind
my countrymen as they read ii that it Is
no sensational picture to move the tears of
emotional subscribers, but Il calm de-
scription of the state of the province by
the responsible rulers in the language of
Blue book:
"The drought with which the province
has been visited for several years in sue
sion has resulted in famine of an inten-
sity and extent hitherto unheard OF. AS
autumn advances into winter the number
of those in need of relief increased daily,
until at last they could be counted by
millions. The lower classes were the
first to be affected, and they soon disap-
peared or dispersed in search of subsist-
enco elsewhere. Now the famine has at
Tackled the wcll-to-do and the wealthy,
who find themselves reduced to great
misery rs 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 npon the bodies of the dead; next,
the strong devoured the weak; and Low
the general restitution has arrived at
such climax that men devour those OF
their own flesh and blood. History con
tains no record of so terrible and distress
ing state of things, and if prompt
measures of relief be not Instituted the
whole region must become depopulated
Local sources of supply are entirely eX-
hausted; the granaries are empty, and the
treasury drained dry; while the few
wealthy people in the provinces have
helped with contributions and loans TIL
they themselves are impoverished.
In the Prefecture in which the capital
of Shansi is situated the population has
diminished from over 100000 to lG0,-
600, and the Chinese newspapers here
give the number Of people who have
died of Starvation, or met with the awful
fate Just recorded. as over 5,OOO,OOO-
Shanghai Cor. London Times.