The New York herald., 1879-12-20
THE SILESIAN FAMINE.

TERRIBLE DISTRESS AMONG THE INHABITANTS
OF UPPER sILEsIA-INTENTIoNs OF THE PRUs-
SIAN GOVERNMENT
lBY CABLE TO THE HERALD.
LONDON, Dec. 20, 1879.
In the Lower House OF the Prussian Diet yester-
day Herr Bitter, Minister of Finance acknowl-
edged that the distress caused by the famine in
Upper Silesia during the past month had in
creased and was intensified by typhoid fever.
After the holiday recess, he said, the govern
ment intended to demand q vote of credit for
relief works and the distribution of provisions.
1t was the duty Of the government, he said, not
only to relieve the distress, but to prevent its
recurrence by improving the communications.
[The distress in Upper Silesia is described ny
the latest German papers as growing more and
more terrible The past rainy summer and
numerous foundations have destroyed the crops
and the actual necessities of life in numerous
districts of the afflicted province. A correspOn-
dent Of the Berlin National ZeitMng says that in
the district of Ratibor, which has q cultivated
area of $4,000 Prussan morgen, $4,000
morgen have produced but little, while
from $4,000 morgen sown with cereals and
1000 morgen Of meadow nothing has been har-
vested at ALL Many communities, especially
those Of Leng Zowoda, Schichourtz, Nenza,
Thurze and Beneschau, have harvested little or
no potatoes, at best scarcely hundred pounds
per acre. The correspondent visited many vii
lagos in the districts Of Hammer and Thurze,
and found in thirty families of the villages of
Hammer, Solarnia, Thurze and Ruda that the
entire amount of the actual necessities of life
consisted Of a basinful Of potatoes only suti-
cient for a single day. Potatoes have already
been distributed to the people in several dis
tricts, but only in quantities sufficient Tor q
few weeks. The districts Of Hammer
and Thurze have, for example, 1854 inhab-
itants. Of these Alp are poor, while l, ,445 have
been reduced to extremties by the inunda-
tons, bad harvest and lack of work. Thus,
Of 1854 persons 1857 are now needing the
means of existence. And tins ratio exists in
numerous other districts Assistance will have
to be given through the present month,
through January, February and March.
Many districts have no seed potatoes
for planting next year Typhoid fever has
broken out in many villages, though the author
tiles are doing all they can to furnish medical
attention Fortunately, wood is plentiful, and
the owners of the vast forests distribute
firing Mt mere nominal price or
on signing receipt for the same.
The report from which these facts
are gathered was written three weeks ago,
and, as the cable has informed us, the condition
of the people in the province has grown since
then much worse.] The London Standa,ds
Berlin correspondent. .says that Russia has per-
mitted the opening of subscriptions ut Warsaw
for the benefit of the destitute in Upper Silesia.
The Times Berlin despatch says the famine
threatened territory of Silesia forms that part
of the Province wedged in between Austria and
Russia, comprising the districts of Ratibor,
Kosel, Rybnik and Pless, with part of Glei-
witz and Burlinitz, covering area of ninety
seven German square miles, and inhabited by
400, 900 persons, of whom So, 900 are desti-
tute.