The New York herald., 1879-02-14

can only Judge from casual notes here and there.
But it was the same almost everywhere; only few
favored places along the mountain sides escaped the
general ruin. Even at Fortaleza men were dying In
the streets. and yet the city in constant conmu-
pication with Rio. Pernambuco and Para by weekly
steamers.
PRIVATE CHARITY AROUSED.
Meanwhile what was being done to help the starv-
ing province The first reports were. have said.
too vague to attract much attention outside of Cear
itself; but with the more decided notices of March
Brzilians began to that their brothers needed
help. The first response was from Pernambuco,
than which more generous city exists in Brazil
public subscription started and soon reached
considerable sum. little later Para and Maranham
came in with aid; then the populace OF Rio took it
up for in that city there ready impulses for
good The people gave their money and their time.
as they had before to the victims Of inundation in
Portugal 1t is true they combined all with pleasures
concerts theatrical performances and fairs were got
up in aid the sufferers But after all. the heart
feeling was good and the subscriptions
large for Brazil. Provisions were
purchased and sent to Ceara--not always
wisely purchased fear but that was mistake rather
than fault. shipownors carried these supplies with
out charge. Central Commission of Snccor'' was
established and it did noble work. But private
charity not strong enough for the crisis That
was apparent, and from all sides appeals
to the government. Now the Brazilian government
has never yet shown itself equal to an emergency.
SO long matters smoothly-and legislation is
pretty much confined to talking and drawing sala-
ries-the government machine goes on well enough;
but Paraguayan q Ceara famine upsets all
this clockwork and after that we can depend
nothing but incompetence and general chaos. grant
that the famine found the imperial government in
exceedingly bad condition. The finances were in a
ruinous state. There deficit of 900 and
q dcfaulting Cabinet into the bargain. There
iron-cnds to pay for and the army to support. and
political friends waiting for places. And then it was
much easier to shut the official eyes to this far
away evil every likely it exaggerated after ALL"
much. and "the peasants were improvldcnt and surc
to die in any casc.''
TARDY GOVERNMENT AID.
So the Senator'S and Delegates and Ministers rested
easily. dawdlcd and talked and gave little aid very,
very tary. credit of 81 100000 Isl each to sup
port million Of starving people for ycar)
voted after much debate, but 1t long before tho
money reached Ceara and the other droughtstrcken
provinces, and meanwhile tho million people
lighting starvation in all the Scrtao. The Provincial
government had been prompt. because tho
evil was Immediately before its eyes. Even in March
aid commissioners had been appointed. and small
sums of money and provisions placed at their dis
posaL But all through this year the commissioners
were nearly helpless for want'of supplies. hear of
$500. for instance to feed 5000 starving people
for week. and that where provisions were at
famine prices. I find that up to Soptcm-
ber, 1877, the sufferers in Ceara had received
government and private aid to the amount
had given away sl5o.0oO TO their poor neighbors
dgcnt population existing here at that time. We
reach the conclusion that during the five months
April to August nclusive-each starving person had
received 81. know from personal experience with
workmen that in northern Brazil man cannot be
well fed. however coarsely, for less than twenty
cents per day. and you must remember that proyi-
sions at this time ruinousy high. and in most
places there were absolutely no crops. No wonder
that the people died. From September to December.
inclusive. when the necessity was much greater tho
entire aid received by this province was about
S7OO.000 The beginning Of q year found
the Provincial Treasury empty. the general gov
ernment Indifferent only private charity ready
as ever. Government and private aid was often
badly administered though in the main believe
thcrswss little dishonesty-rather Incompetence and
Refugees COngregoto
about large towns; to live in filthy crowded huts to
cothe their filthy bodies with filthy rags; and it
was that pestilence was presently added to the
famine. Smallpox appeared in Fortalnza and was
raging all through the year. Yellow fover came in
November; its victims were counted by scores and
hundreds. That curious parayttf disease. the beri
beri ragged in the interior viagq PerRcioas fevers.
hardly known before. now assamef = terrible cpl
demic force. And SO with famine and disease and
misery tho weary months wore away, sndsall men
looked forward TO the winter and aid from heaven as
humanity could give them nothing. Unhappy
Ccara! How should she know that this black year
was to be only the prelude to her greater suffering
DAWN OF THE YEAR 1s7s
Picture to yourself the condition OF Ceara in Janu-
ary. 1873 A province dried up. blasted. Pastures
without grass. forests without leases rivers without
water. fields without crops. The cattle industry
destroyed utterly; only few beeves survived about
the larger towns Of the thousands thot had roamed
over these plains. The cotton and sugar industries
almost aunihilatcd; no mandioca even. except in
about three four mountain villages. People
obliged to go five six miles from their houses dig
for watcr in the bed of torrent. At least two
hundred thousand refugees cncampcd about the
larger towns-7OO00 Of these added to tho
$4,000 of Fortalcza famine mortality,
mortality from disease very much greater. No
money in the provincial treasury; no hope Of out
side aid except the drop Of private charity and all
men looked for rain. have letters from the interior
that cover all this period; you will if 1 exag-
gerate. A letter from Aracaly, December &C. says:-
The current Of emigration continues to swell.
On some days more than a thousand refugees have
entered this town. Already have advcnttious
population of 10000 souls. During the past month
there died 403 persons. and VIC have no epidemic
here we must suppose that the greater part of this
mortality arose from bad alinentnton actual
famine little later. the noto says, sixty-scven
persons died the 30th of December and sixty-six
OH the 31st
SoBRAL Nov. IL.
Tho beri-ber continues to carry of victims almost
daily. To-day nephew Of Dr. Ponies died. This
family has lost thirty members. On the other hand
the famine rcaping its harvest II the government
docs not to aid the condition OF things
will be much worse. There is more mandioca
meal Provision cars must be pulled by men for
want of animals.
MrssAo vELuA, Dec. Is.
There more provisions; tho people are
dying at . terrible rate. Every day Elk eight Of