The morning call., 1892-07-03

BY the time this letter is published / viii
be in the heart of the famine districts of
Russia. ] mail it as / start for the
steamer which is TO take me TO Hamburg
Thence ] will 60 direct to s.. Petersburg,
and by rail. stages coach aud drochsky will
make my way through the country where it
is said from 80, 600. coo to 10000 600 of people
are starving. The fami1e viii be at its
highest nom now on until the harvest in
August, and the crops must be very large in
order 10 prevent its extension on into the
winter. Within the past week | have spent
some time in looking up the great famines
OF the world, and l find that this Russian
famine is one of the most terrible mankind
has ever known.
THE GREAT FAMINEs OF THE WORLD.
There have been since the world began
$50 mighty famines, each of which has
killed thousands and most of which have
carried off people by the millions. The
scriptures speak OF famines in the time OF
Abraham. and the story Of the years famine
which prevailed when Joseph was secretary
Of Pharao's treasury, is a matter OF Biblical
history. Rome had its famine hundreds Of
years before Christ and about 300 years
after Christ wheat was worth 400 pieces
OF silver buShel IN Antioch and about 100
yaaTs later parents were eating their chill
dren in Italy 10 keep themselves from starv-
ing. Great Britain has had femiDes back
20 The earliest OF her records, ard abou the
time the NOrmans came over it
is SAID that there was such a
famine over the northern country
that many of the inhabitants sold them
selves for slaves, and that the flesh Of horses,
dogs, cats and rats had fixed prices in the
markets, and some even ate human flesh.
Twenty thousand people starved in London
during the twelfth century. and in the times
OF Queen Elizabeth wheat was worth SIS n
bushel in London. ireland has had many
famines. and every time The potato crop
falls there are numbers of deaths from star
walton, Less than 30 years ago the great
potato famine OF 1876 took place in which
more than quarter Of a million people lost
their lives and during which more than a
million IrIshmen came over 10 America
This famine lasted more than six years, aud
IL reduced the population Of Ireland two
millions and q half.
SOME GREAT INDIAN FASIINEs
India has always been a land of famines.
The people live from hand to mouth and they
10 DOt get fat when the crops aTeJgood There
are more than $50, ,000, 900 PEOPLE in India
and nearly every year there is some part of
GindoOstan which Is more or less Effected
by want Of food. One of the biggest fam
ines OF India was just six years before our
Declaration OF Independence. At this time
more than 100000 people died for want of
food, and the air was so infected by the
smell Of the dead bodies that it brought dis
ease as well as death. Whole villages were
Gepopulated, and when the new crop came
on II had, IN many cases. no owner. This
famine was caused by drought. Ten years
later india had another great famine and
when George Washington first took his seat
in the Presidential chair people were killing
and eating their children In some parts OF
India, and thousands were dying of famine
AT this time a terrible famine was caused
a n = IN - n NHRh a
over the country and destroyed the Vegeta-
ton, and few years later an army of To-
Gusts came along, and this was followed by
a plague Of rats, which ate up the CROPS
and almost attacked the people them
selves. In 1866 million and a half Of peo-
pie perished from famine in Bengal, and
about 10 years later a famine in Madras cost
the English Government something like
SsQ CU0, eco.
HOW TIE CHINESE sTARvE.
Il is much tile same in China. The peo-
pie are so many that al the time of great
flood or a great drought they die by millions
II IS estimated that between 100000 and
p@Q0O0 people were wiped out Dv the
oTe'fiowlng OF the Yellow River some years
ago, and IN 1877 10000, eco were suffering
from famine and an appeal was made to
England and America for assistance. At
this time women and children were offered
b. their parents for sale in the streets and
Tie price for q married woman was Sc and
parents killed their children rather than
witness their prolonged suferiugs, and the
scenes Of destituliOn and starvation were
terrible. 1t is the same as the story of Rus
sian famines which seem to have occurred
at intervals back to The beginning Of his
tory. and which promise, 1t is said, 10 con-
iinue in the future.
One of the great causes Of famines in the
past has been floods. Whether the delnge
covered the whole world or merely part of
il, it certainly killed millions and it re-
mainPd upon the earth $50 days. England
and Ireland have had many floods, which
have killed thousands and the inundations
Of Holland have several times nearly de-
stToYed the entire population. In 1874 the
floods Of the Mississippi covered go. .0OC
acres Of cotton, 100000 acres Of corn and
100000 acres of sugar. and the rising of one
river in France ABOUT this same time caused
loss Of S75,0s0. eco. Some Of the foods of
India have carried off men by the tens OF
thousands. and IN one inun 1ation In Hol-
land Y towns were destroyed and 100, 600
people peri-hed.
FAMINEs CAUSED BY HEAT.
Hundreds Of famines have been caused by
heat, and drought has carried away mil
lions All OF the Eastern countries have
been affected by drought and nearly every
year sees a famine in sume part of India
India has had "a big famines in a century,
bni noEe OF these famines have covered the
whole country. and had the means of trans
portatlon been better, there would nave
been no need for loss Of life. Such Of the
soil as is under irrigation always produces
crop, and the English Government is now
doing what 1t can TO Increase the irrigated
area, ana it has covered the country with
network Of railroads. One of the great
troubles about the famines in Russia is the
detective transport. The railroads, while
they run between the large cities, are never
theleSs comparatively few, and it is not
possible to get the food quickly to the
people. Australia is another country
which has been troubled with drought
and nearly twenty million dollars
lack Of water in 1877. iu New
South Wales. Just about the same year
100000 sheep were lost in the Australian
colonies and in South Africa, and about
this time there was period of drought in
the United States. The Russian famine Of
to-day was caused by drought For FIVE
months these Russian provinces had not a
drop OF rain, and this great heat had been
preceded by terrible frosty winds in the
spring. All sorts of grasses were burned
up and withered by the heat, and prairie
rats by the tens OF thousands swept over
tho country and ate up what was left. In
addition to this, there were clouds Of in
sects which came by the millions and ate
up everything with which they came in con-
tact The devastation cannot be conceived,
and 1t W III be some years before Russia can
recover from it.
TALKS WITH RUSSIAN MINISTER'S.
doubt whether the people of the United
States have any adequate idea of the Russia
OF to-day. L have known a number of the
Ministers whom we have sent 10 that conn-
try and / find that their ideas of Russia and
the Car are far different from those Of
other people. | met the other day, at De-
troit, ex-Minister Lothrop, who represented
this country at st. Petersburg some wears
ago. Mr.. LothTOp is one of the most famous
lawyers OF the Northwest and he was very
popular In Russia. He is man OF extra
ordinary ability and great culture, and dur
ing ms stay at st. Petersburg his daughter
married 0f no