Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-30

rich as guano, and IL produces from two to
four crops every year. About Calcutta the
alluyial deposit is 400 feet deep, and an ex-
pertinent was lately made to get to the end
OF il. A well was sunk, but at the dis
lance Of 48l feet the anger broke: AZ this
point the end Of this rich soil had not been
reached.
PRICELESS LABoRs OF TIE MIGHTY RIVER.
The amount of fertilizing material
brought down by the Ganges has been
lately estimated and scientific investign-
ton shows that some distance above the
point where it unites with the Brahmapoo-
ira its yearly burden is the enormous
amount of $50, 900, 000 tons. thousand
ton ship is by no means small, and Meet
of $4,000 such ships could not carry THIS
burden. The average freight-car is 81
feet long, and it takes strong car to
carry 80 tons. Suppose our .freight-ca-s TO
be each 1G feet longer than they are. Load
upon each car fifty tons of this fertlhzlng
mud and it would take train OF more
than 7. 900 900 such cars TO carry the yearly
fertilizing output of this great river. IL
these cars were on q single track the track
would have to be 81 400 miles long. III
would reach twice around the earth and
leave enough cars over to run TWO con con
tinuous trains through the centre. Ihe
most of this silt comes down during four
months of the year. and if there were
daily fleets of 1000 ships, each containing
/. 400 tons Of mud, during these four
months they would Just carry 1t.
But this IS the work of the Gauges alone.
II il five times as much as is carried by the
Mississippi TO the Gulf. and further down
the river where the great Brahmapootra
Joins it and flows out into its hundred
mouths the silt output Il still greater. Du-
al IN ~
carries out enough silt TO load l3,OOC SHIPS
with 400 tons each every day for four
months. During this rainy season tins
whole delta of the Gauges is covered with
water to the extent of about thirty feet.
You see only the tops of trees and villages
which are built upon the hills. and the
river further up the )untry is diverted by
canals from its course to every part OF
these vast plains. The best of the wheat
is irrigated, and the water being allowed TO
lie upon the land, drops this fertilizer and
enrlcheS 1t.
SHOCKING POVERTY OF THE PEOPLE.
/ had always looked upon India as rice
eating country. find that a great num-
Der of the people here eat wheat and gram.
In Northwestern India only about 10 per
cent of the people eat rice, and IN the prl-
son at Agra | found that the prisoners
were fed upon grain. Everywhere the
mass Of the people seem to be underted;
and the leanest, scrsggiest specimens OF
humanity ! have ever seen ] find IN tins
rich valley of the Ganges. Where nature
has done everything the people are
starving, and you can have no idea
of the skin-and-bone men and boys
whom I see daily by the thousands.
The costume of the people Is often such that
the arms and leCs-and often the breasts
and waists-are bare. There seems 10 be
nothing but skin, bones, and s1new, ana
the average thigh is not bigger than a
muscular American bicepS. There are no
calves whatever, and the JOINTS az Ine
knees and the ankles are extraordinarily
large. Nearly every man you meet, If he be
poor. has wrinkles in his belly. and at every
railroad station you find gaunt, dark-taced
piteous lean men. who slap their bare
stomachs to show that they are hollow and
ask Tor backshish. Wages are miserahly
Low. Farm laborers get from six to eight
cents day and masons get about 10 cents
a dav. Even travellers, VINO have TO pay
the highest wages, can get good EISils n
speaking servants who Will travel Will
them and feed themselves cor thirty-'hre'
cents day, and less than that Il taken by
the month.
This valley of the Ganges has more PEG
ple than it can support, and 1t is probably
the most densely populated part of the
world. The people live in villages, anC
the average country town consists OF one
story mud huts too poor and lily ventilated
for American pig-pens. You would MOI
think of having such out-houses as the resi-
dences of the majority of this vast popu
lation would make, and in a large part
India, especially in the best part OF TN
Ganecs country. the holdings average from
two TO three acres apiece. At four 10 tn
family this represents half acre per per
son, OF over l 200 persons per square mile
When it is remembered :hat these peopl
live by agriculture il Will be seen that thei
| condition is far worse than that OF Chini
or any part of Europe.