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THE 


FAMINE    CAMPAIGN    IN 
SOUTHEEN   INDIA 


VOLUME  II. 


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THE 


FAMINE    CAMPAIGN    IN 
SOUTHEEN    INDIA 


(MA0BAS  Axn  BOMBAY  PRESIDENCIES  axu  PROVINCE  of  MYSORE) 


1876-1878 


BY 


WILLIAM    DIGBY 


HONOBABT    SBOBETABT    DTOIAN    FAMDTB    BSLUSr    FUXD 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES 

VOL.  II. 


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LONDON 

LONGMANS,    GREEN,    AND    CO. 

1878 

All    rights    reserved 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBUC  LIBRARY 

803679  A 

ASTOH,  LENOX  AND 

TILDBH  FOUNDATIONS] 

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CONTENTS 

OP 

THE     SECOND     VOLUME. 


PRIVATE  CHARITY. 
CHAPTER  I. 

HINDUISM   AND  CHABITY. 

PAQB 

Charitable  nature  of  Hindus — Comparison  between  English  and  Indian 
pauperism — Will  India  need  a  poor  law  P — Problem  of  support  of 
pauper  life  in  the  East — Professional  beggars — Native  charity 
being  indiscriminate,  much  utterly  wasteful — The  Hindu  family 
system — Christianity  and  pauperism — Would  the  Christianism  of 
India  render  poor  law  ineyitableP — Reasons  for  a  belief  in  the 
affirmative — How  this  may  be  avoided — English  Church  systems 
unsuitable  for  India — ^Two  courses  open  to  the  Indian  Government 
— ^Panaceas  against  fiimine «      1-9 

CHAPTER  II. 

INDIA  HELFINO  HERSELF. 

General  effort  prior  to  appeal  to  England — I.  Bombay—  Effort  at  Sho« 

lapur — Normal  poverty — Labour  at  the  Morarjee  Goculdass  Mills 

— Public  meeting  at   a  Parsee  Baronet's   house — Mode  of  relief 

through  selling  grain  without  profit — Formation  of  the  Deccan  and 

Eiiandeish  committee— Meetings  at  Ahmednuggur  and  Poena — 

Speech  by  Lord  Mark  Eer — The  Sarvajanik  Sabha — The  Bombay 

cattle   saving  fund  —  Mr.  Morarjee  Goculdass  an  Indian  of  the 

right   sort — First  establishment  in  Sholapur  of  day  nurseries — 

Infantile   dignity  and  independence — A  comparison  by  a  Native 

^  Journal — A    good  Sunday's  work — Inside   a   day  nursery;    food 

CC  distribution   in  the  evening — Scenes  on  the  roadside — Pilgrimage 

^yp^  over  at  eleven  P.ic. — Aid  to  distressed  agriculturists — ^The  Sarvsr 


VI  CONTENTS   OP 

PAGE 

janik  Sabha's  distributing  agencies — The  Bombay  anna  fand — 
The  Maharaja  Scindia's  bounty — The  Hon.  Mr.  Gibbs's  depreciation 
of  private  charity  (11-26) — II.  Madras — Private  efforts  in  Madras 
city  in  October-December,  1876 — Generosity  of  doubtful  value, 
food  being  inferior — The  town  'relief  placed  under  police  adminis- 
tration— ^Efforts  in  the  large  towns  of  the  Presidency — Scheme  of 
the  President  of  the  Municipal  Commission — Assisting  Gosha 
females — Voluntary  taxation  of  rice  traders  at  Cuddapah — Desire 
to  commit  suicide  without  offending  the  Deity  or  the  Rev.  J. 
Davies  Thomas — Government  moiety  to  private  subscriptions — 
Instructions  to  native  officials  by  Mr.  Pennington — Belief  in  a  fitful 
fashion  (16-34) — III.  Mysoi'e — Private  and  Government  operations 
proceeding  side  by  side 10-34 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  APPEAL  TO  ENGLAND. 

Meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  Monegar  Choultry — ^Great  suffering 
among  the  high  caste  poor  reported — Question  referred  to  Govern- 
ment, and  by  Government  passed  on  to  Municipal  Commission — 
Subscriptions  to  be  sought  from  the  public — Mistake  in  agency  em- 
ployed— A  desultory  discussion — Fulfilling  one^s  duty  to  the  poor 
— Formation  of  dght  divisional  committees — Proposal  for  an 
appeal  to  England  negatived — ^Prosecution  of  the  idea  by  mover — 
Rasolution  for  submission  to  committee — Obstacles  interposed — 
Meeting  held — Reasons  urged  for  appealing  to  England — Requisition 
to  the  Sheriff  of  Madras — Resolutions  passed — Telegram  to  The 
Times — Nomination  of  executive  committee  and  other  officials — 
Draft  appeal  by  the  Bishop  of  Madras — The  movement  in  England 
hangs  for  want  of  a  start — Meeting  of  executive  committee — 
Urgent  appeal  sent  to  Lord  Mayor  of  London  and  several  provincial 
mayors — Initiation  of  the  movement  by  Sir  Thomas  White — ^The 
first  *cash'  contribution — Subscriptions  from  the  Royal  family, 
'Old  Indians,'  and  others — ^Appointment  of  Mansion  House  com- 
mittee— Response  to  the  appeal  in  India — The  good  example  of 
Baroda — Deliberations  of  general  committee  as  to  objects  of  relief — 
Definition  of  objects — Attempt  to  form  local  committees  in  the 
Mofussil — Stoppage  of  proposed  meeting  in  Calcutta — Misapprehen*^ 
sions  of  Government  of  India — Indignation  and  excitement  in 
Madras — Act  XVI.  of  1877 — An  Act  against  humanitarian  prac- 
tice— ^The  Viceroy's  arrival  at  Madras — A  conversation  on  the 
railway  platform — Lord  Lytton  and  private  charity — ^Defiant 
attitude  and  messages  of  the  executive  committee — 'Action  of 
Supreme  Government  unaccountable ' — The  question  of  private 
charity  forced  upon  the  Viceroy  and  the  Duke — Message  to  Lord 
Mayor  of  London — The  Gazette  of  India  Extraordinary :  collection 
of  private  subscriptions — Unsatisfactory  correspondence — Aid  to 
Bombay  and    Mysore — Appointment    of   delegates    to    distressed 


THB  SECOND  VOLUME.  vii 

PAGE 

districts — Good  work  of  relief  committees — Usefulness  of  Sessions 
Judges — Proportionate  allotment  of  funds — Task  of  organisation 
complete — Prompt  distribution  advocated — Prospects  of  the  season 
— ^Donation  of  10,000  rs.  from  the  Viceroy  ....    S5-83 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  OOLLBCTIKO  COMMITTEES:   THE  MANSION  HOUSE. 

Simple  procedure  of  the  Manmon  House  committee — ^Telegrams  from 
Madras  committee  to  London — Sympathy  of  subscribers — Letter 
from  Miss  Florence  Nightingale—- Appeal  to  United  Kingdom  of 
Mansion  House  conunittee — Sources  of  supply — ^Incidents  of  gene- 
rod  ty — '  Isn't  the  &mine  over  yet,  Aimtie  P  I  think  it  is ' — Money 
received  at  the  rate  of  10,000/.  per  day — '  A  splendid  instance  of 
national  sympathy ' — ^Letter  from  the  Governor  of  Madras — Stop- 
page of  subscriptions  on  November  5 — Oordiality  between  collect- 
ing and  disbursing  committees •        •    84-96 

IaANCASHISE. 

Eager  response  to  appeal  from  Lancashire — Broadness  of  sympathy 
— Letter  from  Mr.  Steinthal — Practical  views  regarding  prevention 
of  famines — Amount  contributed — The  Bolton  and  Blackburn 
contributions — Letter  from  the  Bishop  of  Manchester — A  good 
example  by  the  emplayis  of  the  Rhodes  Printing  Works — Sugges- 
tions from  Blackburn 96-^ 

SCOTLAND. 

Great  interest  in  Edinburgh — ^Energetic  efforts  of  Lord  Napier  and 
Ettrick,  and  Dr.  George  Smith — Public  meetings — Formation  of 
committee — Review  of  work  done,  with  description  of  means  used 
— Amounts  contributed  by  private  charity  in  previous  famines — 
Glasgow  and  Greenock  contributions 00-105 

THE  COLONIES. 

Movement  in  Australia — Meetings  at  Sydney,  Melbourne,  Adelaide, 
and  elsewhere — Contribution  per  head  of  population — Great  gene- 
rosity of  the  Australian  people — Incidents  in  coilection  in  South 
Australia — Largest  individual  donation  from  Victoria— Other 
colonies  contributing — Donation  of  51/.  from  the  Norfolk  Is- 
landers         105-109 

CONTRIBUTIONS  IN   INDIA. 

Donations  from  Native  Princes — Regimental  contributions  .        .109 


Vlll  CONTENTS  OF 


PRINCIPAL  SUBSCRIPTIONS   RECEIVED   IN   LONDON. 

PAGE 

Donations  from  the  Boyal  family,  wealthy  Oompanies,  &c. — Suhecrip- 
'    tions  from  towns  in  Qreat  Britain — ^The  Colonies — Church  and 
Chapel  collections  over  100/. 110-119 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  DISTRIBUTING   COMMITTEES.*   INCIDENTS   IN   THE    WORK 

OP  RELIEF. 

Record  of  labours  of  local  committees  very  voluminous — Mode   of 
distribution  adopted  in  Tripature  and  Uttengerry  taluks — Copy 
of  instructions  to  relief  agents  prepared  by  the  Dindigul  com- 
mittee— ^Testimony  of  the  Government  of  India  to  the  good  work 
done  hy  the  various  committees — ^Nature  of  relief  afforded :  in  Din- 
digul,  in  Coimbatore,  taluk  by  taluk — Extortion  by  village  officials 
discovered  and  checked  in  Trichinopoly — ^Interesting  reports  from 
relief  agents  in   Kalastri — Decayed   gentry  in  Tanjore — Distri- 
bution in  Mysore — A  page  from  a  delegate's  note  book  (F.  Row- 
landson) — Scenes  by  the  wayside  (Rev.  J.  Herrick) — Extreme 
wretchedness  (F.  Rowlandson) — A  day's  work  by  an  honorary  sec- 
retary (Rev.  J.  E.  Clough) — ^Difficulties  in  distribution  (Rev.  E. 
Lewis)—  Taluk  trimnvirates  (W.H.  Glenny) — ^An  audacious  sugges- 
tion (F.  Rowlandson) — Suffering  among  classes  beyond  the  scope  of 
Government  operations  (Dr.  Cornish) — ^Horrors  of  the  famine  (W. 
Yorke) — ^Female  nakedness  (F.  Rowlandson) — ^Insect  pests  in  the 
fields— The  patience  of  the  people  (E.  Forster  Webster) — Disap- 
pointments; gratitude  (Rev.  J.  E.  Clough) — Gratitude   (Rev.  T. 
P.  Adolphus) — Extortion  by  village  officials  (W.  H.  Glenny) — 
Dislike  to  relief  camps  (F.  Rowlandson) — The  goodness  of  the 
poor  towards  each  other  (Dr.  Cornish) — Practical  Help  (W.  A. 
Howe) — ^Personal  investigation  of  relief  lists  (J.  Lee  Warner) — 
The  inadequacy  of  funds  (1.  W.  Yorke,  2.  J.  Lee  Warner) — A 
lively  sense  of  gratitude  (Dr.  Cornish) — Absurd  scenes  (W.  H. 
Glenny) — ^Unselfish  children  (F,  Rowlandson) — A  selfish   reason 
(F.  Rowlandson) — Typical   cases  of  distress  (Rev.  J.  M.  Stra- 
chan) — ^Real  charity  by  the  taluk  triumvirate  (W.  H.  Glenny) — 
Evil  of  indiscriminate  charity  (W.  H.  Glenny) — Scene  in  a  relief 
camp  (Rev.  J.  H.  Strachan) — From  drought  to  deluge  (J.  Lee 
Warner) 120-164 


THE   SECOND  VOLUME.  IX 


THE  1-tt  RATION. 
CHAPTER  L 

THE  QUANTITY  OF  FOOD  NECESSABY  TO  SUPPORT  LIFE. 

PAOE 

Different  opinions  as  to  quantity  necessary — The  Debar  experience 
of  187S-4 — The  Duke  of  Argyll  favouring  the  larger  estimate — 
Dombay  arrangement  of  Frofesdonal  and  01^11  Agency  rates  — 
Madras  Doard  of  Revenue  estimate — 1 J  lbs.  of  grain  and  a  moiety 
for  condiments  prescribed — Madras  Government  raise  minimum  to 
li  lbs.  plus  moiety — ^Argument  by  Mr.  Price  in  favour  of  high 
allowance  of  2  lbs.  per  diem — Sir  Richard  Temple's  proposal  to 
reduce  the  ration — Objections  of  the  Madras  Government-- Adop- 
tion of  the  rate  as  an  experiment 165-174 

CHAPTER  n. 

THE  CONFLICT   BETWEEN  THE  DELEGATE  AND  DB.  CORNISH. 

Great  outcry  against  the  1-lb.  ration — Protest  hy  Dr.  Cornish — State- 
ment of  enquiries  made  in  past  years  in  India — Physiological 
needs  of  the  adult  human  body — Effect  of  insufficient  food — Re- 
sult of  insufficient  nutriment  not  immediately  apparent — Difficulty 
of  recovering  the  starving — Sir  Richard  Tetnpl^s  reply — ^The  argu- 
ment for  economy  pressed — Abstract  scientific  theories  of  little 
use,  as  Indian  populations  have  existed  though  neglecting  them — 
The  practical  question  stated — The  ration  declared  to  be  equal  to 
the  work  done  on  it — ^The  ration  intended  for  an  individual,  not 
to  be  shared  with  non-workers — Preconceived  phy^ological 
theories  derided — Sir  Richard  TempU^s  further  reply — Result  of 
examining  the  '  Madras  Manual  of  Hygiene ' — Experience  of  sol- 
diers alleged  to  favour  reduced  ration — Also  the  ration  of  the 
British  soldier  in  troop-ships — ^Dr.  Oomish's  motives  com- 
mended— The  Sanitary  Commissioner's  rejoinder — Complaint  in  Dr. 
Cornish's  covering  letter — The  two  courses  before  the  Sanitary 
Commissioner — ^The  Delegate  of  1877  contrasted  with  the  Delegate 
of  187^-4 — Inconsistency  proved — European  experience  not  ftilly 
trusted  to — ^Indian  enquiries  available — ^Protest  against  experiments 
on  laige  bodies  of  people  on  works — Sudden  changes  and  fluc- 
tuations in  the  personnel  of  gangs — Sun<\ay  wage  and  sustenance 
for  non-workers  granted — The  anticipated  saving  by  new  scheme 
not  probable — Results  of  careful  experiment — Weighings  indicate 
much  wasting — The  scientific  argument  tested — General  ex- 
perience an  unsafe  guide — The  dietary  of  native  soldiers  on 
foreign  service  a  mistake — Terrible  sickness  in  the  Burmese 
wars — Mistake  in  the  '  Madras  Manu&I  of  Hygiene ' — Half  rations 
and  the  result — Actual  facts  furnished  by  the  famine — Effect  of 
privation  on  the  people — Death-rate  in  Madras  and  other  camps — 


CONTENTS  OF 

PAGE 

Mortality  in  famine  districts — Mortality  in  mimidpalilies — ^Re- 
gistered deaths — ^Two  points  of  view:  the  health  officials  the 
commanding  officers — Short  reply  of  Sir  Richard  Temple. — Aid  to 
non- workers  and  the  Sunday  wage  alvmys  contemplated — Sir 
Richard  satisfied  from  personal  investigation  the  reduced  ration 
was  sufficient — Seeing  is  believing — Distinction  between  people 
employed  on  works  and  in  camps — ^If  the  ration  proved  insuf- 
ficient Sir  Richard  ready  to  remove  it — '  Last  words '  by  Dr. 
Cornish 176-210 


CHAPTER  ni. 

EVIDENCE  PRO    ET  CON  AS  TO   THE  SUFFICIENCY  OF  THE 

RATION. 

Consideration  by  the  Madras  authorities  of  the  working  of  the 
reduced  ration — ^Decision  deferred  for  further  enquiry  and  in- 
vestigation— Orders  for  special  care  to  be  taken  of  people  who 
were  failing  in  condition — Discretion  allowed  to  responsible 
officers — Reports  on  the  ration ;  1.  W.  H.  Glenny ;  2.  Dr.  Cor- 
nish; 3.  Surgeon-Major  Ross;  ^4.  W.  B.  Oldham;  6.  W.  H. 
Glenny;  6.  J.  H.  Master;  7.  C.  Raghava  Rao;  8.  Murugesem 
MudaUyar;  9.  Dr.  Cornish;  10.  Surgeon  W.  G.  King;  11.  F.  J. 
Price ;  12.  R.  S.  Benson ;  13.  E.  V.  Beeby ;  14.  J.  D.  Gribble  ;  16. 
R.  W.  Barlow ;  16.  Dr.  Cornish — ^A  Bombay  Journalist's  opinion — 
Sfwrgeon-Major  TownaemTa  Report — History  of  the  rations  adopted 
in  Madras — Question  not  to  be  decided  on  physiological  grounds — 
Want  of  accurate  information  in  India — Inspection  of  labourers 
on  works  at  Adoni,  Bellary,  Cuddapah,  and  Vellore — Conclusion 
come  to  that  the  wage  should  not  be  raised — Surgeon-Major  LyorCs 
Memorandum  —  Diet  tables  and  food  analyses — Dr,  Cornishes 
reply  to  Mr,  Lyon — Relation  between  weight  and  capacity  for 
assimilating  food — *  Yond'  Cassius  has  a  lean  and  hungry  look ' — 
Incorrect  issues  raised — Dietary  difficulties  in  Madras  jails — Con- 
dition of  people  subjected  to  slow  starv-ation — Subsistence  scale  of 
diet  perilously  low — Public  opinion  opposed  to  continuance  of 
low  ration — Order  of  Madras  Government  rmsing  the  ration — 
Evidence  in  favour  of  reduced  ration — ^Testimony  of  Bombay 
Officers ;  1.  R  E.  Candy ;  2.  T.  S.  Hamilton ;  3.  A.  F.  Woodburn ; 
4.  A.  B.  Fforde;  5.  Apaji  Raogi;  6.  E.  P.  Robertson— Con- 
clusion of  Bombay  Government  that  Profesdonal  and  Civil  Agency 
rates  safe  and  sufficient .  ' 211-246 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   QUESTION   STILL  TO   BE  SETTLED. 

The  two  opinions  held  about  sufficiency  of  1-lb.  ration — The  question 
yet  to  be  decided — Experience  of  the  Poor  Fund  committee  at 


THE   SECOND  VOLUME.  XI 

PAOB 

Belgaimi — A  good  day*8  work  for  a  good  day's  wage— A  parallel 
with  England — Sufficient  wage  from  an  economic  point  of  view — 
Sir  Bartle  Frsre  on  the  effects  of  priyation  on  individuals — Famine 
policy  tested  by  proportion  of  deaths     .....    247-252 

APPENDIX  A. 

Contribution  to  Times  of  India  on  the  result  of  an  experiment  with 
reduced  ration  in  Bombay  prisons 263-256 

APPENDIX  B. 

Correspondence  between  Dr.  Cornish  and  Sir  R  Christison  on  the 
sufficiency  of  the  Temple  wage  and  ration      ....    256>260 


THE  RAILWAYS. 

Quantity  of  grain  imported  by  sea — Conveyance  to  the  distressed 
districts — ^The  Hailwajs  proved  the  saviour  of  Southern  India — 
Arrangements  made  for  special  traffic — ^The  late  Chairman  of  the 
London  and  North  Western  Railway — His  Grace's  control  of  the 
traffic — Dissatisfaction  of  the  mercantile  community — Statement 
of  the  mercantile  case — Increased  price  of  grain  owing  to  defec- 
tive arrangements — What  was  expected  in  August  1877  of  the 
railways — Quantities  of  grain  carried — Illustrative  tabular  re- 
turns— Railway  extension  an  important  feature  in  the  famine 
policy  of  the  future 261-272 


'  FREE '  TRADE  IN  FAMINE  TIMES. 

Government  unable  to  profitably  compete  with  private  trade — ^Its 
duty  confined  to  making  a  good  road,  keeping  an  honest  police- 
man, and  finding  the  people  means  of  purchasing  .        .        .    273-278 


RELIEF  GAMPS. 

A  district's  management  of  its  famine  problem — Coimbatore  taken 
as  example — ^Preparations  at  the  end  of  1876 — Road  repairs  and 
sanitary  improvement  —  Effisrts  of  private  charity  at  an  early 
stage — Closed  camps;  their  drawbacks — ^Pressure  upon  Govern- 
ment officers — Practice  adopted  for  relief  purposes  generally — 
Luxuries  preferred  to  necessaries — Relief  camp  imprisonment — 


XU  CONTENTS   OF 

PAQE 

The  object  and  aims  of  a  relief  camp  (as  described  in  Mr.  Elliott^s 
Famine  Code) — Only  cooked  food  given — Working  of  a  camp — 
Duties  of  officers  in  charge — Narrative  of  Camp  Mismanagement 
by  a  Non-Qfficial  Gentleman — A  typical  camp  under  native  con- 
trol— Bad  feeding  arrangements — A  caste  dispute — ^A  day  in 
camp  bad  for  the  caste  people  but  good  for  the  remainder — Sham 
applicants  for  relief— A  village  official  caught  pilfering — Loot  of 
provisions  not  given  out — Cheating  with  corpses  —  European 
supervision  necessary  in  all  camps  —  Quantity  of  food  for  sick 
subject, of  much  discussion — Report  of  two  SurgeoruhGeneral  (Drs, 
Gordon  and  G,  Smith) — A  higher  ration  recommended — The 
terrible  mortality  in  camps — Evidence  furnished  by  camps  in  (1) 
Madras,  (2)  Salem,  (3)  North  Arcot,  (4)  Cuddapah,  (6)  Bellary, 
(6)  Nellore,  (7)  Chingleput,  (8)  Kurnool — Nature  of  diseases  in 
camp — Chronic  starvation  a  very  deadly  disease — A  ludicrous 
incident — Tables  showing  mortality  in  camps  .  .    279-316 


VILLAGE  RELIEF  AND  VILLAGE  AGENCY. 

The  village  relief  system  in  Madras  in  August  1877 — ^Variety  and 
intricacy  of  means  to  deiraud — The  fear  of  officials  exhibited  by 
villagers — The  inevitable  consequence  of  trusting  village  officers — 
Mr.  R.  Davidson  on  fraud  and  the  impossibility  of  checking  it — 
The  Board  of  Revenue  anticipating  fraud — Difficulty  of  pronng 
extortion — The  money  dole  in  villages — Close  examination  of 
the  subject  by  the  Viceroy  and  his  advisers — Some  of  the  means 
(sixteen)  employed  to  deiraud  Government — Circumstances  under 
which  the  money  dole  can  be  fairly  given — Principles  of  village 
relief 317-329 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

(1)  BMIGBATION. 


Emigration  as  a  panacea — Suggestion  of  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury 
and  Sir  Julius  Yogel — Emigration  ineffectual — ^British  Burma  as 
a  land  of  relief  for  Madras — Correspondence  between  the  Burma 
authorities,  the  Government  of  India,  and  the  Madras  Govern- 
ment— ^Failure  of  the  Burma  scheme — ^Emigration  to  Ceylon — 
Principles  on  which  it  is  carried  out  in  normal  times — Mr.  Lee 
Warner  on  emigration  in  1877 — The  Ceylon  Government  wishing 
emigration  to  be  stopped — ^Reply  of  the  Madras  Government      331-350 


THE   SECOND   VOLUME.  Xlll 

(2)  WBAVEBS. 

PAOE 
How  Indian  famines    affect  artisans — Oondderation  of  position  of 

weavers — Grants  made  by  Qoyemment  from  time  to  time — Letter 

from  Mr.  Sesbiah  Sastri  on  and  to  Trichinopolj  weavers — Wise 

charitable  relief  in   Krishna   district  (Rev.  A.  D.  Bowe) — Sir 

Richard  Temple  and  the  weavers  ....         •        .    360-357 

(3)  SEED  GRAIN. 

Advances  made  bj  the  Board  of  Revenue — Correspondence  between 
Qovemment  and  the  Board — Soggeetion  of  Sir  William  Bohin- 
8on — Letters  and  telegrams  from  collectors — ^Advances  made  by 
the  Board  of  Revenue — Grants  from  charitable  funds  357-368 

(4)   PRICKLY-PEAR  AS   FOOD   FOR  CATTLE. 

Suggestion  by  a  Bellary  firm — Letter  of  the  Board  of  Revenue — 
Experiments — Condunons  arrived  at — Experiment  in  Mysore     368-375 


MORTALITY  ARISING  FROM  THE  FAMINE. 

NOTE   ON  THE   BOMBAY  TEST  CENSUS. 
By  Col.  Mebrixah,  RE. 

Census  taken  on  January  19, 1878 — Nine  Collectoxates  affected — ^Pur- 
pose of  the  Census— Results  of  the  Census— Death-rate  in  1872  377-384 

APPENDIX  TO   COLONEL   MERRIMAN'S  NOTE. 

Death-rate  for  the  whole  Pre^dency — Recorded  death-rate  during  1877 
— Migration  rates — Conclusions  come  to  by  the  Bombay  Govern- 
ment           384-388 

MADRAS. 

Partial  census  taken  on  March  15,  1878— Results — Remarks  upon  the 
results  of  the  partial  census — Times  Correspondent's  simmiary — 
Subject  still  «*6jW*ce 388-^94 


XIV  CONTENTS    OF   THE    SECOND   VOLUME. 


APPENDICES. 

A. 

PAGE 

Instructions  to  Sir  Richard  Temple,  Bart.,  G.C.S.I.,  as 
Famine  Delegate 397-405 

B. 

Minute  of  August  12  by  H.E.  the  Viceroy  .     405-422 

C. 
KuLEs  OF  THE  New  System  IN  Madras  .         .         .     422-431 

D. 

The  Indian  Famine  Relief  Fund   Receipts  and  Expendi- 
ture         432-435 

Members  of  the  Mansion  House  Committee  .        .    436 

K. 

Southern  India's  Gratitude 437-471 

F. 
Day  Nurseries 471-473 

G. 

Wild  Plants  and  Vegetables  used  for  Food. 

1.  Memorandum  by  Dr.  Cornish;  2.  List  of  Plants  used  in 
Madras  Presidency  (Dr.  Shortt)  ;  3.  Wild  Herbs  used  in  the 
Ealadgi  District,  Bombay,  during  the  Famine  (J.  M.  Camp- 
bell, B.C.S.,  and  Dr.  Wellington  Gray)   ....    474-489 

H. 

Government  Relief  Operations  in  the  District  of  Cud- 
DAPAH  from  February  to  June  1877      .        .        .    490-491 

I. 

Statement  of  Prices  of  Food  Grains  during  the  Famine 
1876-77 To  faoe    492 


ILLUSTEATIONS  IN  VOL.  II. 


Membebs   of   tub   Exscutiyb   Comhitteb    of    Fahine 

Relief  Fund  .........     Frontispiece 

Map  showing  tkb  Operations  of  the  Famine  Relief 

Fund To  face  p.  77 

FoBSASSN  !  (By  permission  of  the  Proprietors  of  The  Gi-apMc)    „  119 

Famine  Relief  Gamp,  Moneoab  Choultby,  Madras  (lithograph)  ,,  2'J4 


Erratum, 
Page  15,  line  IZ^fot  an  enthusiastic  Parsec,  read  an  enthusiastic  Hindoo 


INDIAN    FAMINE. 


PRIVATE    CHARITY. 


♦    — 


CHAPTER  I. 

HINDUISM   AND   CHARITY, 

From  a  Hindu  point  of  view  the  exercise  of  private 
charity  in  time  of  distress  is  a  duty  incumbent  upon 
everyone  who  has  the  means  wherewith  to  help  his 
brother.  In  normal  times  there  are  no  people  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  more  given  to  charity  than  the  Hindus. 
Proof  of  this  is  found  in  the  fact  that  whilst  every  nation 
in  Europe  has  had  to  devise  some  system  of  Poor  Law 
administration  whereby  to  relieve  its  necessitous  poor, 
no  approach  to  anything  of  the  kind  has  been  found 
necessary  in  India.  In  the  years  1876  to  1878  the 
Indian  Government  will  have  expended  on  famine 
relief  the  sum  of  11,000,000^.,  that  Government  having 
rule  over  250  millions  of  people.  In  England  alone, 
during  the  same  period,  21,000,000/.  will  have  been 
spent  on  Poor  Law  administration,  for  less  than  one 
million  of  persons  per  annum.  It  is  a  question  of 
practical  politics  whether,  in  supplanting  Indian  civilisa- 
tion and  religion  by  European  modes  of  life  and  govern- 
ment, and  by  the  inculcation  of  Christianity,  something 
similar  to  the  Poor  Law  of  Enffland  will  not  have  to  be 


VOL.    II.  B 


^/ 


2  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

adopted  in  India.  The  question  is  now,  or  is  likely 
soon  to  be,  one  of  practical  politics,  and  nowhere  in  this 
work  could  such  a  question  be  more  fittingly  considered 
than  on  the  threshold  of  an  exhibition  of  private 
charity  and  practical  benevolence  unexampled  in 
Indian  history. 

The  problem  of  support  of  the  poor  is  a  less  diffi- 
cult question  to  deal  with  in  the  East  than  in  the  West. 
In  Oriental  lands  the  means  of  supporting  life  are  pecu- 
liarly easy.  Little  food,  few  clothes,  and  the  minimum 
of  fuel  are  required.  Two  classes  of  poor  exist,  one 
which  earns  a  comfortable  livelihood  by  begging — a 
religious  or  professional  class  ;  the  other,  a  criminal 
class,  which  supports  a  miserable  existence  by  pilfering, 
and  which  forms  one  of  the  sections  of  the  population 
of  the  jails.  In  ordinary  years  full  provision  for  these 
classes  is  made,  and  professional  beggars  obtain  a  com- 
fortable livelihood.  These  beggars  are  a  feature  of 
Indian  life  with  which  all  who  know  anything  of  India 
must  be  familiar.  Charity  being  enjoined  by  religion, 
the  beggars  make  use  of  the  arts  of  religion  in  obtaining 
support.  Should  relief  be  refused  they  call  down  the 
bitterest  curses  upon  the  heads  of  those  who  refuse, 
until  ^  for  their  much  asking'  they  get  what  they  desire. 
The  blot  which  this  causes  upon  Indian  social  life  is 
manifest.  Relief  operations  are  not  a  matter  of  system 
but  of  individual  caprice,  and,  consequently,  abuses  are 
many,  A  discriminate  form  of  charity  in  the  shape  of 
work-houses,  with  strict  avoidance  of  all  out-door  relief, 
would  be  an  advantage,  and  would  tend  to  reduce  the 
evil  which  now  exists.  To  accomplish  this  satisfactorily, 
however,  one  thing  is  needful  which,  in  the  present  state 
of  native  society,  it  is  hopeless  to  expect.  Effort  and 
trouble  would  be  required  from  the  more  well-to-do 
natives  themselves  ;    co-operation  would  be  necessary 


THK   HINDU   FAMILY   SYSTEM.  3 

from  the  donors  of  relief.  Now,  much  native  charity 
may  be  utterly  wasteful,  and  the  merciful  tendencies  of 
human  nature  perverted  chiefly  because  of  the  false 
system,  or  no  system,  on  which  it  is  conducted.  All 
indiscriminate  almsgiving  is  an  aggravation  of  the  evil. 
The  house-to-house  contributions  which  are  levied  by 
the  professional  beggars,  and,  generally,  are  cheerfully 
given,  if  contributed  to  a  common  fund,  and  its  distri- 
bution supervised  by  a  native  committee  having  a  due 
sens6  of  the  trustworthiness  demanded  of  dispensers  of 
alms,  would  be  an  improvement  on  the  present  system. 
Relief  in  ordinary  times,  and  when  poverty  is  not 
increased,  as  it  is  in  times  of  famine  by  exceptional 
circumstances,  might  then  be  confined  to  the  utterly 
destitute  and  helpless.  Industrial  occupations  might 
also  be  found  for  the  blind  and  the  lame  :  basket- 
making,  stone-breaking,  and  the  like.  Industrial 
manufacture  by  the  blind  forms  an  interesting  feature 
of  their  support  in  Great  Britain.  In  the  Coimbatore 
municipality,  in  the  Presidency  of  Madras,  this  system 
is  carried  out,  and  the  indigent  poor  have  work  pro- 
vided for  them.  The  difficulty  is  ever  assuming  larger 
dimensions,  and  will  need  close  and  anxious  attention 
ere  long. 

But  it  is  not  with  regard  to  the  religious  mendicant 
and  professional  beggars  merely  that  the  bright  and 
praiseworthy  aspects  of  Hindoo  charity  are  exhibited. 
It  is  towards  those  of  kindred,  however  far  remote, 
that  the  most  real  charity  is  shown.  The  Hindu 
family  system  is  such  that  all  aJFection  is  limited  to 
those  of  one's  own  kin  and  concentrated  there.  The 
family  benefits,  the  nation  suff^ers.  Such  qualities  as 
patriotism,  earnest  care  for  the  public  good,  and  similar 
practices  are  impossible  whilst  the  family  is  all  and  in 
all,  and  the  community  a  matter  of  slight  concern.    Few 

B  2 


4  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

national  characteristics,  whether  in  Eastern  or  Western 
countries,  have  worthier  aspects  for  admiration  than 
this  family  system  so  far  as  it  goes  ;  the  way  in  which 
generations  are  bound  together  and  the  kindliest  feelings 
of  kinship  are  fostered  is  worthy  of  all  praise.  But 
the  system  has  many  defects  :  it  represses  individuality, 
cramps  personal  eifort,  and  is  suited  only  for  a  back- 
ward state  of  ci\"ilisation.  The  population  of  India  in 
bygone  times  was  kept  down  by  frequent  wars  and 
periodical  famines,  which  fact  accounts  for  the  country 
not  being  over-populated  by  a  system  such  as  that 
described.  Lord  Macaulay,  Mr.  Grant  DufF,  and  others 
believe  that  the  English  tongue  will  become  the  lingua 
franca  of  India ;  others  as  firmly  believe  that  Christi- 
anity is  destined  to  supersede  all  forms  of  religion  now 
in  India.  Assuredly  when  the  English  tongue  alone  is 
spoken,  and  the  Christian  religion  is  generally  professed, 
the  difficult  problems  which  are  characteristic  of  Euro- 
pean countries  will  be  encountered  in  India. 

*  It  is  not  a  little  startling  to  think/  said  one  member 
of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Monegar  Choultry, 
Madras,  to  another,  during  au  enforced  pause  in  the 
business  meeting  held  in  July  1877,  'that  if  India 
becomes  Christianised,  if  all  the  people  become  con- 
verted to  what  the  missionaries  teach,  a  Poor  Law  will 
be  a  necessary  consequence.' 

*  That  is  startling,'  was  the  reply,  '  but  why  should 
such  a  result  necessarily  follow  ? ' 

*  Reasoning  by  analogy,'  responded  the  first  speaker, 
^  such  must  be  the  case.  In  all  the  Christian  countries 
of  Europe  the  poor  are  supported  by  the  State.  In  India 
they  are  supported  by  the  people  themselves — their 
relatives  generally,  or,  if  they  are  religious  mendicants 
or  professional  beggars,  by  those  of  their  own  religion. 
The  Hindoo  religion  inculcates  the  utmost  benevolence, 


CHRISTIANITY   AND   PAUPERISM.  5 

and,  as  a  consequence,  that  is  done  voluntarily  here 
which  elsewhere,  in  Christian  countries  for  instance,  is 
done  by  the  Government/ 

'  Yes  ;  the  family  system  in  this  land  leads  to  much 
generosity,  and  to  the  support  of  many  poor  relatives  by 
those  who  earn  only  trifling  wages.  I  know  one  mem- 
ber of  this  Committee,  present  in  the  meeting  at  this 
moment,  who  himself  has  been  providing  food  for 
thirty-five  people  daily  since  the  famine  began.' 

The  conversation  was  broken  off  at  this  point,  but 
the  issues  involved  are  of  such  great  importance  that 
they  may  not  unfittingly  form  a  theme  for  consideration. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  a  Poor  Law  would  be  one 
of  the  results  of  India  becoming  Christianised.  The 
statement  may  to  some  be  so  startling  that  it  will  be 
asked,  'Why  harbour  such  an  idea  for  a  moment?  What 
necessary  connection  is  there  between  Christianity  and 
paupers  supported  by  the  State  ?'  Much  more  than 
appears  at  first  sight.  Christianity  in  the  concrete  will 
not  allow  of  people  dying  for  want  of  food  ;  Christians 
individually  do  not  feel  the  claims  of  their  religion  so 
strongly  as  Hindus  do  the  faith  they  profess;  conse- 
quently, whilst  one  religion  inculcates  as  powerfully  as 
the  other  the  paramount  necessity  for  the  exhibition  of 
charity,  the  duty  imposed  on  the  individual  is  less  felt  by 
one  body  of  worshippers  than  the  other.  In  Christian 
countries  the  State  has  to  support  those  who,  very  fre- 
quently, should  be  maintained  by  their  relatives  and 
friends  or  by  others  akin  to  them  who  have  means  enough 
and  to  spare.  Professor  Monier  Williams,  in  a  description 
published  in  The  Times  newspaper  of  his  visit  to  Southern 
India,  says  he  was  particularly  struck  with  the  fact  that 
the  people  of  India  were  never  ashamed  of  their  religion. 
There  is  a  good  deal  more  in  this  than  at  first  strikes  the 
eye,  for,  on  the  contrary,  an  Englishman  is  very  shame- 


b  PRIVATE   CHAKITY. 

faced — once  in  a  while,  perhaps,  from  purest  humility, 
feeling  that  he  is  standing  on  the  threshold  of  great 
mysteries — ^as  regards  his  belief,  and,  consequently, 
is  careless,  through  ignorance,  of  what  claims  the 
religion  he  professes  has  upon  the  display  of  active 
benevolence. 

There  are  many  who  believe  that  India  cannot  be 
politically  and  socially  regenerated  without  a  change  of 
faith — that  change  being  from  belief  in  the  Hindu  triad 
and  the  Muslim  Prophet  to  trust  in  Jehovah  and  Jesus 
Christ.  To  the  argument  used  it  may  be  objected,  if, 
as  a  consequence  of  a  change  of  religion,  pauperism  and 
the  evils  of  State  aid  to  pauperism  are  to  follow,  will 
not  the  attendant  ills  outweigh  the  presumed  advan- 
tages, and  the  last  state  of  the  continent  be  worse 
than  the  first  ?  Not  necessarily.  The  fear  that  State 
pauperism  would  be  one  consequence  of  the  Christianising 
of  India  is  born  of  a  particular  fact,  which  may  cease  to 
be  of  any  importance  if  those  who  are  engaged  in  mis- 
sionary work  become  more  anxious  for  the  people's  good 
to  whom  they  minister  than  for  denominational  success. 
It  is  because  an  Oriental  religion  arrayed  in  an  Occi- 
dental garment,  fashioned  after  the  mode  of  thought 
which  dominates  free  and  independent  people,  is  being 
urged  upon  those  whose  idiosyncrasies  are  unfitted  for  the 
reception  of  it  that  there  is  occasion  for  fear  lest  what  is 
unsuitable  should  be  imposed  upon  an  alien  people.  Many 
of  those  engaged  in  the  work  of  changing  the  religion  of 
the  people  of  India  are  proceeding  upon  what  seems  to 
be  altogether  a  wrong  principle.  The  one  peculiar  fact 
connected  with  the  religious  truth  revealed  in  the  Bible 
is  that,  whilst  the  externals  of  worship  may  vary  with 
the  idiosyncrasies  of  race  and  the  exigencies  of  climate, 
the  essence,  the  faith,  and  the  principles  underlying 
these  externals  are  admirably  adapted  for  every  indi- 


INDIAN   CHANGE   OF   FAITH.  7 

vidual  of  all  the  diverse  peoples  of  the  globe.  This, 
however,  seems  to  be  overlooked  by  some  engaged 
in  evangelistic  work  amongst  Hindus  proper.  A  fatal 
desire  seems  to  dominate  the  minds  of  many  to  intro- 
duce to  India,  where  they  would  palpably  be  out  of 
place,  the  externals  they  were  accustomed  to  in  Great 
Britain,  and  which  were  highly  successful  there  because 
they  were  the  outcome  of  the  peculiarities,  wishes,  and 
desires  of  the  English  people.  Those  who  are  making 
the  greatest  mistake  in  this  respect  are  the  members  of 
the  High  Church — the  Ritualistic — party  of  the  Anglican 
communion.  Any  one  acquainted  with  the  current  history 
of  India  will  not  need  telling  of  the  evidence  in  support 
of  this  statement  which  has  been  forthcoming  during 
the  past  few  years.  There  are  those  who  have  raised 
the  cry  of  the  necessity  for  '  corporate '  action  on  the 
part  of  the  Church,  and,  for  the  sake  of  a  mechanical 
unity,  would  impose  upon  that  weak  bantling,  the  Native 
Church,  a  round  of  ceremonies,  a  multiplicity  of  observ- 
ances, altogether  out  of  harmony  with  the  normal  state 
of  things  in  India.  No  room  is  to  be  left  for  freedom 
of  action,  for  the  play  of  individual  thought  and 
effort ;  Indian  idiosyncrasies  are  to  be  overborne  by, 
and  merged  in,  a  ritual  and  observances  altogether 
foreign,  which  sit  upon  the  worshippers  like  an  ill-made 
garment. 

It  would  be  a  calamity  indescribable  if  Christianity 
were  to  bring  to  India  the  English  Poor  Law,  and  yet 
it  seems  clear  that  this  is  one  sure  and  certain  result 
of  Anglican  Christianity  transplanted  en  bloc.  Would 
it  not  be  possible  to  maintain  in  the  Hindu  and  other 
systems  that  which  is  indisputably  good,  and  run  through 
the  existing  channels  pure  streams  instead  of  polluted 
ones?  The  Hindu  family  system  has  in  it  much  of  good, 
but  it  cannot  continue  in  the  presence  of  English  Chris- 


8  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

tianity.  The  system  would  be  unsuited  to  Anglo-Saxon 
practice,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  out  of  place  in 
the  body  politic  of  another  people.  The  benevolence 
strongly  inculcated  by  the  Sastras  and  other  sacred 
works,  though  disfigured  oftentimes  by  the  feeding,  as 
an  act  of  merit,  of  lazy  people  who  ought  to  be  made  to 
work — in  this  respect  sharing  the  evils  of  official 
benevolence  in  England — has  yet  in  it  so  much  of  good 
that  surely  Christianity  could  embrace  these  things 
while  undermining  the  faiths  of  which  they  now  form  a 
part.  Where  the  Indian  system  fails  in  the  matter  of 
true  charity  is  that  it  has  no  power  of  expansion  :  it 
does  very  well  for  everyday  ordinary  family  distress, 
but  cannot  cope  with  a  great  national  disaster,  in  the 
spirit  in  which  calamities  are  met  by  the  various  Indian 
(Christian)  Governments.  When,  in  the  time  of  a  native 
Government,  a  famine  came,  the  people  perished  ;  now, 
when  a  similar  disaster  is  experienced,  the  people  are 
saved,  so  far  as  may  be.  In  exalting  the  individual 
over  the  family,  Christianity  and  the  progress  which  is 
the  outcome  of  its  fundamental  principles,  has  made  this 
farther  reach  possible.  None  other  than  a  Christian 
people  has  yet  done  what  was  accomplished  in  India 
in  1876-78.  Almost  numberless  instances  of  famine 
having  unchecked  sway  are  related  in  Indian  history  ; 
not  many  years  ago  Persia  showed  how  supine  and 
inert  her  authorities  could  be  in  the  presence  of 
preventible  distress  j  whilst  simultaneously  with  the 
Indian  famine  being  faced,  fought,  and  conquered,  China 
has  confessed  her  inability  to  cope  with  wide- spread 
suffering,  such  suffering  being  <^u8ed  through  failure  of 
food-supplies. 

The  outlook  on  the  continent  of  India,  in  its 
impoverished  soil  unscientifically  cultivated,  is  so  gloomy 
that,  whether  through  forms  of  English  Christianity  or 


TWO   COURSES.  y 

by  other  means,  the  country  seems  to  be  approaching  a 
chronic  state  of  pauperism.  During  three  years,  more 
than  eleven  millions  steriing  were  spent  upon  feeding 
the  people. 

The  Indian  Government  have  two  courses  before 
them:  (1)  doing  nothing,  and  a  Poor  Law  will  be  ne- 
cessary in  a  generation  ;  (2)  exerting  themselves  to 
improve  agriculture,  to  ensure  that  the  land  shall  be 
properly  cultivated,  and  the  idea  of  a  Poor  Law  may  be 
put  off  for  several  generations,  for  there  is  untold  wealth 
a  few  inches  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil  if  an  improved 
plough  is  used  to  turn  it  up.  That  is,  pauperism  may 
be  staved  off  if  the  authorities  are  wise  and  active,  wise 
to  prevent  a  yoke  being  put  upon  the  people's  neck  which 
they  are  unable  to  bear,  and  active  to  devise  such  means 
as  shall  increase  the  food-producing  qualities  of  the  soil. 
Christianity  may  do  much  to  help  forward  a  better 
time,  and*  may,  if  unwisely  taught,  do  equally  much  to 
hinder  real  improvement. 

The  most  pressing  refonn — though  it  is  not  recog- 
nised as  such — ^before  the  Governments  of  India  is  the 
enlargement  and  improvement  of  the  village  system. 
Instead,  as  in  past  years,  of  unwise  and  deeply  regrettable 
legislation,  weakening  village  communes,  which  has 
characterised  administration  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  the 
utmost  efforts  ought  to  be  made  to  add  to  their  efficiency, 
from  the  munsif  (the  headman)  to  the  scavenger.  With 
an  organisation  such  as  exists,  strengthened  and 
improved,  the  machinery  of  government  is  comparatively 
easy,  and,  from  an  administrative  point  of  view,  no 
modification  of  a  European  Poor  Law  will  be  needed 
to  help  in  feeding  the  poor.  With  better  village  govern- 
ment, better  village  statistics,  and  general  widening  of 
knowledge,  agriculture  could  be  improved,  manufactur- 
ing industries  introduced,  and  famine  become  as  impos- 
sible in  India  as  it  is  France. 


10  PRIVATE    CHARITY. 


CHAPTER  11. 

INDIA   HELPING   HERSELF. 

Considering  the  proclivities  of  the  people  of  India,  it 
was  only  natural  when,  in  1876,  distress  became  severe 
that  private  charity  should  be,  apparently,  more  prompt 
than  Government  in  providing  food  for  the  famishing. 
The  same  sights  were  chai-acteristic  of  the  chief  cities  in 
each  of  the  Presidencies  and  the  province  affected.  In 
Bombay  the  benevolent  were  early  on  the  alert,  and, 
throughout  the  whole  period  of  distress,  did  exceedingly 
good  service  ;  in  Madras  rich  Hindus  spent  large  sums 
in  feeding  many  destitute  and  wandering  people,  but  in 
the  chief  city  their  generosity  was  checked  by  Govern- 
ment, but  not  entirely  stopped :  in  the  mofussil,^  scat- 
tered efforts  were  made  by  small  committees,  assisted 
by  Government,  but  the  efforts  were  few  and  fitful ; 
in  Mysore,  private  efforts  were  exceedingly  prompt  and 
did  efficient  service.  Soon,  however,  in  Mysore,  the  means 
of  the  public  came  to  an  end,  but  non-official  agency 
was  still  made  use  of,  although  Government  funds  were 
mainly  expended,  until  a  large  portion  of  the  muni- 
ficent contributions  from  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies 
were  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  Mysore  Relief  Fund. 
It  may  be  as  well,  perhaps,  in  regard  to  private  relief  to 
follow  the  same  system  that  has  been  adopted  in  regard 
to  Government  relief  operations,  and  deal  with  the 
efforts  of  the  Presidencies  and  provinces  singly,  accord- 
ing to  their  merit. 

^  The  'mofussil/  t.e.  the  country  districts  as  distinguished  from  the 
Presidency  town. 


CHARITABLE    MEETINGS   IN    BOMBAr.  11 


I. — Bombay. 

In  Sholapur  the  scarcity  and  distress  consequent 
thereupon,  first  showed  itself ;  and  it  was  in  Sholapur 
that  the  most  strenuous  eflPorts  were  made  by  private 
liberality  to  mitigate  suflFering.  At  the  best  of  times 
the  people  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  and  are  ex- 
ceedingly poor.  The  following  anecdote  is  significant 
of  the  normal  poverty  of  this  the  chief  town  of  the 
district.  When  the  Morarjee  Goculdass  mills  were 
started  in  1874,  at  a  time  in  which  there  were  no  signs 
and  no  fears  of  a  famine,  the  people  went  in  hundreds 
praying  to  be  employed  even  at  an  anna  a  day.  Not 
many  were  wanted  at  the  moment,  still  employment 
was  found  for  some  three  hundred,  at  the  fairer  wage  of 
an  anna-and-half  per  diem,  to  level  ground.  All 
through  the  cold  weather  they  slept  outside  on  the 
bare  ground  close  to  their  work,  for  fear  strangers 
would  come  in  overnight  and  take  their  work  from 
them  in  the  morning.^ 

A  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  dwelling-house  of 
Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy,  Bart.,  at  Bombay,  in  October, 
1876,  over  which  the  baronet  presided.  Its  object  was  to 
concert  measures  for  the  distribution  of  the  money  which 
had  been  raised  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  by  the  efforts 
mainly,  of  Mr.  Morarjee  Goculdass.  The  desire  of  the 
public  to  share  in  relieving  distress  was  heartily  wel- 
comed, and  a  letter  was  read  at  the  meeting  fi-om 
Mr.  Grant,  collector  of  Sholapur,  in  which  that 
gentleman  showed  the  great  good  that  would  be  done 
to  the  poor  generally  not  employed  on  Government 
works,  by  rice  being  purchased  in  Bombay,  forwarded 
to  the   distressed  districts,    and    sold   at   cost   price.^ 

*  Times  of  India,  October  16, 1876. 

'  Mr.  Grant,  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  Morarjee  Goculdass,  thus  describes  the 


12  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

Much  practical  discussion  followed,  and  before  the 
meeting  came  to  an  end,  the  Deccan  and  Khandeish 
Relief  Committee  was  formed,  and  for  many  months 
was  found  most  useful  in  mitigation  of  distress.  With 
the  exception  of  Dr.  Blaney,  the  working  committee 
was  formed  exclusively  of  Indian  gentlemen,  but  sub- 
sequently other  Europeans  joined  it. 

Meetings   followed   in   various   parts   of  the  Pre- 

proposal  : — '  In  order  to  assist  both  classes  there  are  three  courses  open  to 
us.  The  first  is  to  provide  employment  in  the  form  of  relief  works  for  those 
that  are  able  to  work,  and  this  the  Goveiiiment  are  doing,  and  will  no  doubt 
continue  to  do.  The  next  is  to  supply  large  quantities  of  gnuo  from  other 
parls  of  the  Presidency  where  jowaree  is  plentiful  and  cheap  for  those  that 
are  in  a  condition  to  pay  for  it,  and  the  last  is  to  distribute  in  charity  grain 
to  those  that  are  unable  to  work,  and  to  others  maintenance  from  any  other 
source.  With  regard  to  relief  works,  everything  must  of  course  be  left  with 
the  G4)vernment.  In  the  city  of  Sholapur  especially,  and  elsewhere,  there 
are  numbers  of  persons  at  the  present  time  that  can  afford  to  purchase  grain 
for  themselves,  and  to  subsist  on  their  own  means,  provided  they  can  get 
grain  at  a  moderate  price,  but  the  Marwarees  and  others  who  have  possession 
of  all  the  grain  in  the  district  are  holding  back,  and  will  not  part  with  it 
except  at  such  exorbitant  rates  that  the  people  cannot  afford  to  purchase  it. 
To  assist  this  class  of  persons,  I  would  suggest  that  a  sum  of  money  should 
be  raised  in  Bombay,  as  an  advance  or  loan,  for  the  purchase  of  grain  in 
the  bazaars  or  elsewhere.  All  grain  thus  provided  might  be  sold  for  ready- 
money,  with  which  fresh  supplies  might  be  obtained  from  time  to  time  as 
required,  the  cost  of  carriage  being  provided  for  in  reckoning  the  selling 
price.  The  original  amount  would  thus  remain  intact,  and  be  returned  to 
the  subscribers  when  no  longer  required.  In  order  to  provide  for  those  that 
are  entirely  destitute,  I  cannot  suggest  anything  but  to  raise  a  subscription 
for  the  purchase  of  grain  for  distribution  in  charity.  At  the  present  time  I 
am  causing  jowaree  to  be  sold  at  Sholapur  by  private  arrangement  at  8,  8^, 
or  8}  seers  for  the  rupee,  by  importing  partly  from  the  districts  and  partly 
from  Jubbulpore  and  Oomrawuttee.  If  I  had  not  done  so,  the  price  of  grain 
would  have  risen  to  6  or  6  seers  per  rupee,  or  even  higher,  as  it  did  before 
we  commenced  operation.  With  the  assistance  you  have  so  kindly  ofiered, 
and  by  taking  immediate  measures  in  the  manner  suggested,  I  believe  we  can 
continue  to  sell  not  less  than  8^  or  9  seers  for  some  time  longer.  The  poor 
classes  in  the  district  subsist  entirely  on  jowaree,  and  therefore  I  have  not 
thought  it  necessary  to  refer  to  other  kinds  of  grain,  or  to  the  necessity  of 
procuring  them.  If  you  can  provide  an  immediate  supply  of  jowaree,  and 
forward  it  to  Sholapur,  you  will  confer  an  inestimable  benefit  upon  thousauds, 
and  I  will  undertake  the  distribution,  and  also  the  recovering  of  the  value  of 
it,  including  cost  of  carriage.' 


RELIEF   SUBSCRIPTION   MEETINGS.  13 

sidency,  in  quick  succession.  One  was  held  at  Shola- 
pur,  and  it  was  decided  that  a  local  fund  should  be 
raised.  Another  meeting  was  held  at  Ahmednuggur 
to  consider  what  steps  could  be  there  taken. ^  A  Mar- 
waree  merchant  had  placed  25,000  rs.  at  the  disposal  of 
the  Government  for  the  purchase  of  grain,  to  be  sold  at 
prime  cost. 

At  Poona  a  great  meeting  was  held  in  the  Council 
Hall,-  under  the  presidency  of  General  Lord  Mark  Kerr, 
then  commanding  the  Poona  district.  In  opening  the 
proceedings.  Lord  Mark  Kerr  said  that  he  was  pleased 
to  see  such  a  great  meeting  of  classes  and  all  races. 
The  object  for  which  they  had  met  was  a  great  one. 
This  year,  1876,  was  to  see  proclaimed  the  Queen  as 
the  Empress  of  India ;  and  he  hoped  that  large  sums 
of  money  would  be  collected,  in  order  that  great  works 
could  be  carried  out  to  inaugurate  the  event,  and  so 
enable  the  year  to  be  remembered,  not  only  on  account 
of  the  proclamation,  but  also  on  account  of  the  great 
works.  They  ought  to  begin  at  once  and  construct 
aqueducts,  canals,  reservoirs,  and  tanks  throughout  the 
country.  Although  the  Almighty  gave  them  an  abun- 
dant rainfall,  he  had  also  given  them  forethought  and 
intellect  to  use  that  abundance  prudently  and  carefully. 
A  famine  had,  however,  come,  and  it  now  rested  to  see 
how  much  could  be  done  to  relieve  it  by  means  of  such 
works.     Mr.  Norman,  the  collector  of  Poona,  explained 

1  Of  this  meeting  a  gentleman  preseut  says : — 

*  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  such  a  gathering  has  never  hefore  assembled 
here  for  such  a  purpose.  The  wealthy  Marwarees  who  were  invariably  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence  on  such  occasions,  were  to  be  seen  there.  From 
this  it  was  apparent  that  most  of  the  people  of  this  place  evince  great 
sympathy  for  the  distress  of  their  fellow-creatures,  and  showed  great 
willingness  to  contribute,  to  the  best  of  their  power,  for  the  relief  of  the 
distressed.  One  of  the  speakers  suggested  that  grain-dealers  who  had  hoarded 
extensive  stocks  of  grain  should  take  compassion  upon  the  people  and  give 
grain  in  charity  at  this  critical  juncture.' 


14  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

that  the  money  eubscribed  would  be  devoted  to  the 
purchase  of  grain  to  be  brought  down  to  Poona,  which 
would  be  distributed  to  the  old  and  feeble  who  were 
distressed,  but  he  hoped  that  work  would  be  found 
either  in  the  camp  or  the  city  for  those  able  to  work ; 
and  that  such  labour  would  be  paid  for  partly  in  grain 
and  partly  in  money.  Some  money  should  also  be 
distributed  to  the  larger  towns  in  the  coUectorate,  in 
which  committees  should  also  be  formed  and  subscrip- 
tions raised.  It  must  be  remembered,  continued  the 
collector,  that  the  famine  was  only  just  commencing, 
and  they  must  yet  look  forward  to  six  months  of 
increasing  scarcity.  To  meet  that  he  hoped  that  a 
monthly  subscription  would  be  given,  as  well  as  a 
donation  fund  formed.  His  Excellency  the  Governor 
of  Bombay  favoured  the  movement,  and  sent  a  liberal 
donation,  while  altogether  9,000  rs.  were  subscribed  in 
the  room. 

The  Sarvajanik  Sabha  was  also  prompt  to  do  much 
useful  work  in  the  way  of  voluntarily  relieving  distress. 

Bombay  benevolence,  however,  was  not  confined  to 
succouring  human  beings ;  an  endeav6ur  was  made  to 
save  the  cattle  also.  A  fund,  called  the  Bombay  Cattle- 
saving  Fund  was  raised,  and  by  means  of  it  many 
cattle  were  saved.  The  fund  amounted  to  10,000  rs., 
and  2,000  beasts  were  gathered  in  the  Sholapur  Mills 
compound,  having  been  purchased  at  from  two  annas 
(threepence)  to  six  annas  (ninepence)  per  head,  whilst 
many  were  driven  into  the  compound  for  nothing,  the 
owners  not  being  able  to  provide  them  with  food.  On 
October  31,  15,000  cattle  were  for  sale  in  the  Sholapur 
market,  but  there  were  no  buyers  and  no  fodder.  As 
the  cost  of  keep  of  each  animal  was  eight  annas  (one 
shilling)  per  day,  of  course  it  was  obvious  that  the 
Bombay  Cattle-saving  Committee  could  not  last  long 


AN   INDIAN   OF   THE    KIGHT   SORT.  15 

or  do  much  with  the  limited  funds  at  its  disposal. 
Indeed,  it  was  only  intended  as  a  temporary  measure^ 
to  continue  at  work  until  the  permission  of  Govern- 
ment could  be  obtained  to  send  the  cattle  to  certain 
grazing-grounds  on  the  hills  which  belonged  to  the 
State.  Permission  was  given  with  the  promptitude 
which  marked  the  procedure  of  the  Bombay  authorities 
in  regard  to  famine  matters;  and  further,  a  large 
number  of  people  on  relief  were  set  to  cut  fodder,  large 
quantities  of  which  were  sold  to  those  engaged  in  con- 
veying grain  into  the  interior. 

At  a  meeting  held  later  on,  in  November,  at  Shola- 
pur,  Mr.  Morarjee  Goculdass,  an  enthusiastic  Parsee 
of  a  good  English  type,  who  seems  to  have  been  the 
spring  of  the  philanthropic  movement  in  Bombay,^ 
made  what  the  journals  of  the  day  called  a  '  slashing 
speech.'  He  attacked  the  greed  of  the  Bunniahs  in 
maintaining  famine  prices  at  a  time  when  people  wqre 
dying  of  want,  and  combining  for  inordinate  profits 
when  all  others  were  freely  opening  their  purses.  *  If 
they  do  make  large  profits,'  he  said,  *  the  money  will 
be  cursed  and  never  be  of  use  to  them,  while  they  will 
incur  the  just  displeasure  of  God.'  He  gave  several  in- 
stances of  such  wicked  greed  i-ecoiling  on  the  heads  of 
the  speculators,  referring  more  especially  to  the  profits 
in  Bombay,  at  a  time  when  cruel  war  was  decimating 
America.  But  the  most  forcible  argument  he  employed 
was,  that  his  friends  in  Bombay  were  determined  to 
battle  with  these  combinations  to  the  death,  and  were 
prepared,  as  a  matter  of  business,  not  of  charity,  to 
bring  up  ten  lakhs'  worth  of  grain  if  it  were  needed.  A 
contractor  at  Bombay,  Mr.  Nagoo  Sayajee,  lent  the 
Sholapur   Committee    10,000  rs.  to    be   employed  in 

'  Id  recognition  of  his  public  epirity  Mr.  Morarjee  Goculdass  was  made  a 
'  Companion  of  the  Order  of  the  Indian  Empire/  on  January  1^  1878. 


16  PRIVATE    CHAUITT. 

buying  grain  at   Bombay,  and   selling  it  in  the   dis- 
tressed districts  plus  carriage  and  expenses  only.     The 
cost  of  distribution  and  organisation  he  also  bore.     By 
these  means  the  capital  would  remain  in  full  for  buying 
and  selling  throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  femine. 
Sholapur,  the  scene  and  centre  of  much  that  was 
interesting  and  exciting  during  the  famine  crisis,  has 
the  honour  of  initiating  a  mode  of  relief  which,  when 
attempted  in    Madras   eight  months  later,  under   the 
designation  of  *  Day  Nursery,'  attracted  much  attention 
in  other  parts  of  India  and  in  England.     Mrs,  Grant, 
wife  of  the  collector,  busied  herself  on  behalf  of  the 
suffering  creatures  around  her,  almost  as  much  as  did 
her  husband.     She  urged  the  ladies  of  Bombay  to  raise 
a  special  fund  to  feed  and  tend  the  starving  little  children 
and  to  clothe  the  almost  naked  women.     Many  children 
were  deserted,  others  had  to  be  cared  for,  whilst  their 
parents  were  on  works  ;  others  again  needed  the  scanty 
food  their  parents  could  not  afford  whilst  food  prices 
were   so  high,  supplemented   by  at  least   one  meal  a 
day.    A  dhood  khana  was,  therefore,  started  for  children 
under  eight  years  of  age  ;  funds  were  obtained  to  clothe 
the  women.     The  admirable  arrangements  of  General 
Kennedy,  in  providing  for  children  on  works  as  well  as 
their  parents,  before  long  did  away  with  the  necessity 
for  the  dhood  khana,  so  far  as  one  class  was  concerned. 
It  was  greatly  needed,  however,  for  others.     An  officer 
employed  on  the  works,  writing  to  friends  in  England, 
describes  the  following  scene  : — 

'  The  strangest  sight  in  my  famine  work  is  to  see 
the  little  children  mustered.  I  am  paying  all  children 
belonging  to  the  labourers,  who  are  too  small  to  work, 
six  pies  a  day  ;  so  their  names  are  all  entered,  and  they 
have  to  answer  them  at  muster.  Some  are  so  small 
they  could  hardly  tell  their  names  if  asked,  but  they 


A  GOOD  Sunday's  work.  17 

very  soon  learn  to  tell  the  sound  of  them  when  read 
out,  and  run  up  and  sit  down  in  line  with  much  more 
apparent  intelligence  than  their  fathers.  £ach  little 
beggar  has  to  receive  his  or  her  own  pay,  too,  at  the 
weekly  payment  of  wages,  and  they  do  it  with  no  end 
of  dignity  and  independence — ^up  to  the  point  of  turn- 
ing to  walk  away  with  it,  when  they  usufdly  end  with  a 
rush  to  hide  in  their  mother's  garments/  ^ 

The  native  journals  highly  appreciating  Mrs.  Grant's 
eflForts,  and  one  of  them  (the  East  Goftar)^  after  warmly 
eulogising  the  dhood  khana,  said  Mrs.  Grant's  kindly 
intervention  was  a  truly  benevolent  arrangement, 
which  would  bear  favourable  comparison  with  the 
schemes  emanating  from  professedly  religious  men  in 
Bombay  and  elsewhere.^ 

The  special  correspondent  of  the  Times  of  India, 
writing  on  November  13,  gives  a  most  graphic  and 
interesting  description  of  the  works  of  mercy  carried 
on,  which  may  be  quoted  in  full  as  typical  of  much 
eflFort  put  forth  during  the  whole  period  of  the  distress. 
He  writes  : — 

'  I  spent  Sunday  most  fitly  in  carefully  examining 
the  different  works  of  mercy  that,  with  one  exception, 
have  all  been  originated  since  I  happened  to  come 
here.  As  in  my  last  letter,  I  will  give  a  meaning  more 
or  less  clear  to  my  rough  notes.  First  we  will  go  to  the 
dhood  khana,  in  the  old  military  hospital,  where  Mrs. 
Grant  looks  after  the  infants.  The  notes  I  transcribe 
were  in  reality  made  on  Saturday  morning,  but  most 
fittingly  come  in  here.  The  dhood  khana  was  opened 
on  Friday. 

*  The  Ouardian,  London,  January  26, 1877. 

'  The  reference  here,  OTidently,  is  to  a  proposal  made  hy  the  Protestant 
Bishop  of  Bombay  to  take  famine  orphans  and  train  them  in  the  Christian 
faith,  which  the  Native  journals  strongly  condemned. 

VOL.   II.  C 


18  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

'  On  Saturday,  at  eight  in  the  morning,  then,  I  found 
Mrs.  Grant  and  three  other  ladies  at  the  door  battling 
almost  hopelessly  against  three  hundred  hungry  mothers 
and  hungry  children.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  keep 
order,  or  to  tell  those  who  were  fed  until  Mr.  Grant, 
who  had  been  showing  Mr.  Rogers  other  pitiful  sights, 
came  up,  and  reorganised  matters  by  closing  the  door 
on  the  hungry,  howling  crowd,  and  after  careful  selec- 
tion letting  in  some  fifty  at  a  time.  These  were  made 
to  seat  themselves  with  their  babies  round  the  hospital 
walls.  Then  the  ladies  went  round,  like  true  sisters  of 
mercy,  feeding  the  little  ones  with  milk,  the  older  ones 
with  rice,  and  with  fresh  jowaree  cakes  for  some  of  the 
hungrier  women.  Even  the  newly-born  babies,  whose 
mothers  were  too  starved  to  do  a  mother's  duty,  were 
not  forgotten,  and  the  feeding-bottle  was  in  great  request 
till  some  clumsy  native  broke  it.  Then  it  was  pretty  to 
see  the  English  ladies  kneeling  and  trying  to  feed  the 
little  swarthy  dot  with  a  spoon,  and  the  mother's  look 
of  gratitude.  Cups  and  small  earthen  pots  were  pro- 
vided, and  most  of  these,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  were  stolen  ; 
and  we  saw  one  woman  snatch  the  cup  of  milk  from 
her  baby's  clutching  fingers  and  drink  it  off  herself. 
When  the  first  batch  had  finished,  they  were  kept  apart 
at  the  end  of  the  room,  so  as  to  prevent  them,  like 
Oliver  Twist,  from  **  asking  for  more,"  but  one  girl  1 
saw  climb  out  of  a  window,  and  she  was  not  detected. 
The  rest  were  admitted  in  similar  lots,  and  at  the  third 
lot  the  Hon.  Mr.  Rogers  took  from  me  a  girl  of  about 
five,  who,  as  he  tenderly  led  her  up  the  room,  looked 
the  very  impersonation  of  infantile  "  scarcity."  There 
were  not  three  pounds  of  flesh  on  that  child's  bones. 

'  Mr.  Rogers — to  prpve  his  interest  in  Mrs.  Grant's 
Children's  Fund — subscribed  liberally,  and  I  learn  that 
the  indefatigable  Mr.  Morarjee  Goculdass  has  succeeded 


INSIDE   A   DAY  NURSERY.  19 

in  getting  additional  monthly  subscriptions  of  90  rs.  at 
Poona,  and  a  monthly  subscription  of  250  rs.  at  Bombay, 
this  bringing  the  total  up  to  about  500  rs.  per  mensem. 

'  Mr.  Grant  permits  me  to  say  that  Lady  Staveley, 
without  knowing  Mrs.  Grant,  has  written  to  her,  and 
most  kindly  oflTers  to  influence  the  Poona  ladies  in  start- 
ing a  kind  of  Dorcas  Society  to  make  rough  garments 
for  the  poor  women  here.  This  Clothing  Fund,  it  may 
be  remembered,  is  allied  to  the  Children's  Fund.  Much 
clothing  has  already  been  given  away.  The  women  are 
miserably  clad,  and  girls  of  seven  or  eight  go  about 
without  a  rag  upon  them.  Many  must  sleep  out  in  the 
cold  night  air.  Lady  Staveley's  example  must  surely 
find  followers  in  Bombay.  If  we  may  judge  by  the 
ladies  here,  there  is  a  common  feeling  of  womanhood, 
and  a  sympathy  with  maternity,  but  then  Bombay  is  so 
far  oflF,  and  that  miserable  "  scarcity  "  is  so  misleading. 
Still  even  a  scarcity  of  garments  ought  to  be  remedied, 
when  it  is  accompanied  with  a  want  of  house-roof. 

*From  here  we  go  to  the  school-house  down  in 
the  town — remember  that  it  is  Sunday  now.  Older 
children,  who  have  quitted  milk  as  a  vanity,  and  old 
people  are  fed  here  for  the  first  time  to-day,  and  in  all 
1,100  appeared.  There  is  a  good  organisation  here  and 
a  proper  severity.  All  round  the  large  compound  they 
are  made  to  sit  in  one  continuous  thin  line.  Then  the 
committee  go  round.  I  may  not  call  this  a  starvation 
hospital  without  provoking  fresh  letters  firom  Poona, 
but  I  will  call  the  sufierers  patients.  Each  patient, 
then,  is  provided  according  to  age,  with  a  quarter  of  a 
seer  of  rice,  or  with  half  a  cake  of  jowaree  bread — ^thin 
like  coarse  oat-cake  and  slightly  cooked  like  that  on  a 
griddle — ^there  is  a  little  boiled  grain  in  the  middle  to 
make  it  palatable  ;  this  is  put  on  by  a  man  who  follows 
with  a  long  ladle,  in  a  Dotheboys  Hall  fashion.     The 

c2 


20  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

quantity  is  carefully  regulated  so  as  to  harm  no  patient 
after  an  unwholesomely  long  fast  Three  times,  where 
some  slight  delay  occurred,  the  long  rows  of  patients 
could  stand  it  no  longer  and  made  a  frantic  but  ineffec- 
tual rush  at  the  stores  in  the  centre.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  snatching  one  from  the  other,  and  a  strange  look 
of  satisfaction  in  the  eyes  when  the  hand  has  firm  hold 
of  the  food.  The  difficulty  in  dividing  the  patients 
between  Mrs.  Grant's  establishment  and  this  is  apparent 
enough,  if  we  think  that  a  mother's  children  vary  in 
age.  Here,  for  instance,  I  saw  a  baby,  who  ought  to 
have  the  feeding  bottle,  crawling  on  all  fours  towards  a 
little  pile  of  rice  which  its  sister  held  in  her  lap. 

*  From  this  we  went  to  the  store-house,  where  2,000 
recognised  poor  of  the  town  present  themselves  every 
Sunday  morning  from  six  to  eleven,  and  receive  7  lbs. 
of  jowaree,  which  has  to  last  them  the  week.  New 
comers  to  the  town  are  supplied  daily  here  with  bread; 
500  of  the  lame,  halt,  blind,  and  maimed  also  received 
their  weekly  pittance  to-day,  and  a  dolorous  lot  they 
were,  representing  every  disease  under  the  sun,  and 
making  a  trade  of  it.  From  this  we  cross  over  to  the 
dispensary,  where  the  representatives  of  the  Bombay 
Fund  are  retailing  various  grains  in  the  compound. 
The  compound  is  piled  high  with  sacks,  and  all  day  long 
the  hungry  crowd  stare  through  the  iron  railings  at  the 
tempting  heaps.  Outside  here  this  morning,  as  I  drove 
past,  a  fearful  scene  occurred.  A  gentleman  who  was 
with  lAe  unluckily  and  unwisely  gave  a  blind  beggar  a 
few  coppers.  In  an  instant  we  were  mobbed  by 
hundreds,  in  the  terrible  way  they  have  here,  some 
tailing  down  with  their  faces  in  the  dust  (even  isolated 
people  do  this  if  you  relieve  them),  men  showing  how 
lean  their  stomachs  were,  and  women  uncovering  their 
babies  to  attract  attention.    They  clung  round  the  tonga, 


FOOD   DISTRIBUTION   ON   SUNDAY   EVENING.  21 

and  we  had  to  drive  our  way  out  by  force  with  a 
shrieking  mob  chasing  us.  Such  scarecrows  of  figures, 
such  pinched  features  and  staring  eyes,  such  shrivelled 
limbs  and  wasted  breasts ! 

'  I  may  as  well  go  right  on  to  the  evening  labours  of 
the  native  committee  for  distributing  bread.  On  this 
(Sunday)  night,  I  was  particularly  requested  to  go 
round  with  them.  I  called  for  the  secretary  at  half- 
past  seven  in  a  gharry.  Another  gentleman  was  with 
us.  We  started  with  a  basket  containing  76  cakes  of 
bread,  and  no  one  is  to  receive  more  than  half  a  cake, 
(I  will  again  copy  out  my  notes  scribbled  off  under  the 
sepoy's  lamp)  ;  but  I  was  told  that  four  similar  allow- 
ances of  food  had  already  been  taken  round. 

*  In  the  first  *' dharamsala"  (rest-house)  we  find  10 
people.  One  child  is  sick.  An  old  woman  gets  up  and 
tells  us  that  the  work  we  are  doing  is  a  good  work. 
Bounding  the  corner  we  came  upon  1 3  people,  who  con- 
fess to  having  been  fed  already.  They  have  come  from 
a  village  36  miles  off^,  and  mean  to  stay  here  for  work. 
Another  lot  of  seven  from  the  same  place  indignantly 
repudiate  any  previous  food,  and  when  cross-examined 
try  to  carry  this  abstinence  back  for  five  days.  Sixteen 
more,  who  also  give  the  distance  of  their  vUlage  as  36 
miles,  have  no  food  since  the  morning,  "  want  work,'' 
but  say  they  "  don't  know  where  to  get  it."  The  com- 
mittee enlighten  them,  with  a  hint  that  if  they  do  not 
know  where  to  get  work  in  the  morning  they  will  not 
know  where  to  get  food  in  the  evening. 

'  We  then  go  to  the  dispensary,  travelling  through 
the  town  with  a  couple  of  score  of  hungry  wretches 
after  us,  probably  professional  beggars.  Here  eight  of 
the  patients  had  been  fed  in  the  afternoon.  The  man 
I  mentioned  previously  was  better,  but  his  little  girl 
died  yesterday.     If  my  telegram  did  the  worthy  doctor 


22  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

any  discredit  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  it.  He  refused  to 
admit  this  case  simply  on  the  plea  that  the  disease — 
**  want/'  or  what  you  like — from  which  the  man  suffered 
was  not  recognised  by  the  faculty.  But  eventually  he 
did  admit  him,  and  though  the  man  recovered^  the  child 
died,  proving  there  was  something  wrong  somewhere. 
The  authorities  have  made  it  very  cleitrly  understood 
that  they  will  stand  no  fine  distinctions  of  this  sort,  and 
everyone  tells  me  that  the  doctor  is  working  night  and 
day  among  the  people  in  this  district. 

'  We  stop  at  a  well  of  sweet  water  and  lower  the 
bucket ;  people  have  been  dipping  all  day  long,  and 
there  are  only  about  seven  inches  of  muddy  fluid 
left.  But  the  water  will  come  in  the  resting-time  of 
night. 

'Next  we  call  on  the  subordinate  judge,  president 
of  the  grain  committee,  partly  to  see  if  he  will  join  us, 
and  partly,  as  he  is  an  expert,  to  check  your  corres- 
pondent's prices  firom  Poona.  As  I  anticipated,  he  said 
it  was  impossible  that  grain  could  be  dearer  at  Poona 
than  here.  On  the  day  your  correspondent  must  have 
written,  grain  was  half-a-seer  more-^U  difference  of 
measure  fairly  considered — than  at  Sholapur, 

*  We  drove  back  by  the  dispensary  ;  there  are  15 
people  outside  to  be  fed.  The  armed  sentinel  stalks  in 
to  guard  these  precious  grain-bags  lying  out  in  the  open. 
Then  outside  the  walls  we  pass  a  group  of  labourers 
camping  under  a  tree :  one  child  died  to-day  of  cholera. 
Another  man  has  been  noticed  here  for  two  days  with 
those  old  symptoms,  is  held  up  to  the  lamp's  light,  and 
is  told  he  must  go  to  the  hospital ;  says  he  would  rather 
die.  Then  passing  through  a  narrow  wicket,  we  enter 
the  court-yard  of  the  big  or  dagum  dharam»ala.  In 
the  compound  there  are  three  brothers  who  have  been 
to  Narsala  (towards  the  Nizam's  dominions) •     They 


SCENES    ON   THE   ROADSIDE.  23 

have  four  bullocks  left  ;  they  have  sold  eight  and  given 
four  away ;  heard  there  was  no  grass  there,  and  so  have 
returned.  Would  go  to  Poona  when  we  told  them  of 
the  Government  offer,  because  their  wives  are  starving 
at  Saugola.  Inside  the  dharamsala  there  are  103 
people.     We  spoke  to  all  of  them. 

*  Here  are  a  few  cases : — One  child,  who  has  been 
vomiting  and  purging,  arrived  here  yesterday  with  her 
mother  after  a  journey  of  40  miles  ;  the  husband  died 
on  the  road  ;  she  cannot  work  until  her  child  is  well  or 
dead.  A  man,  woman,  and  five  children,  came  from 
Avutee,  36  miles  off ;  the  man,  an  invalid,  had  a  quar- 
ter-seer of  rice  this  mornmg ;  the  other  nothing  ;  can't 
work ;  his  wife  can.  One  woman  and  five  children, 
from  Izerwaddy — one  child  vomiting  and  purging. 
Still  eats  a  bit  of  bread,  and  held  it  out  afterwards  to 
two  little  brothers.  The  woman  can't  work  till  her 
child  is  well.  A  little  one  wakes  up  out  of  the  mass  of 
children  and  cries  out  that  it  is  hungry.  All  are  miser- 
ably thin.  Woman  from  Sattara,  with  a  grown-up  son 
and  three  children.  Her  husband  has  died,  not  recently  : 
come  for  work ;  have  been  fed  an  hour  since ;  all  swear 
they  have  not.  Man,  woman,  and  six  children ;  man 
detected  this  morning  offering  his  handful  of  rice  for 
sale  in  the  bazaar.  Wife  says  he  is  mad  ;  he  says  he  is 
a  Brahmin — and  he  is — and  refuses  our  food.  Has  also 
been  detected  buying  a  starved  bullock  with  8  annas, 
to  carry  his  children  on  ;  says  they  cannot  walk.  Give 
him  money. — Another  high-caste  man  who  will  not  eat 
our  bread. — Another — One  woman,  one  man,  two 
children,  came  20  miles  for  work,  have  spent  their  last 
two  pies  in  grain  ;  have  nothing  but  a  little  water  in  a 
pot ;  the  baby  stops  crying  when  bread  is  put  into  her 
mouth.  One  man,  one  woman,  and  child  came  14  miles 
for  work ;  went  begging  this  evening  and  got  no  bread. 


24  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

As  we  came  back  they  were  munching  at  what  we  gave 
them. 

^Then  we  drove  for  about  a  quarter-of-an-hour 
to  another  retreat.  Party  of  21  people  and  11  cattle. 
Have  had  a  little  money  to  buy  food  for  the  last  three 
days.  Will  go  "wherever  they  can  get  food,  and 
cattle  may  feed."  Tell  them  of  Poona;  they  are 
delighted  ;  give  them  food  and  one  rupee  for  fodder  ; 
and  tell  them  to  come  to  the  mill  compound  and 
we  will  take  care  of  their  cattle  till  the  trucks  are 
ready. 

'  So  ends  our  pilgrimage,  and  it  is  eleven  o'clock.  I 
can  scarcely  tell  how  much  I  admire  the  unassuming 
energy  of  the  Secretary  to  the  Relief  Fund,  Mr.  Vish- 
wanath  Narayen.  He  was  feeding  the  children  this 
morning  at  seven  ;  he  is  leaving  me  now,  and  has 
worked  all  through  the  intervening  time.  The  deputy 
collector  seems  almost  omnipresent ;  his  name  is 
Davathan,  but  after  the  way  aU  the  committees  are 
working  now,  it  seems  as  invidious,  as  it  certainly  is  an 
idle  compliment,  to  particularise  any  individual. 

'  There  have  been  many  cases  of  real  Asiatic  cholera. 
Four  cases,  and  three  fatal  cases,  at  the  mill.  This 
morning,  just  before  breakfast,  I  was  called  to  look  at 
two  bodies — one  that  of  a  child,  one  of  a  woman — lying 
under  two  neighbouring  trees  close  to  the  town  gates. 
It  was  no  good  taking  down  the  miserable  story  of  the 
mother,  who,  as  if  I  could  help  her,  was  brought  up  to 
me  sobbing  to  tell  her  tale.  I  gave  her  something,  and, 
like  all  the  other  poor  wretches,  she  put  her  jGswe  on  the 
ground.* 

Similar  scenes  to  these,  and  even  more  unpleasant, 
were  to  be  witnessed  occasionally  throughout  the  period 
until  famine  declined. 

Another  form  of  relief,    undertaken  both  by  the 


BCATEBIAL  AID. 


25 


Yeola 

Siroophal  Tank 
HubU 

Miraj 

Ealadji 

Akulkote 

Raiigli 
Madhivelal 
3augola 
Malsiras 

Ahmednuggur 
Belgaum 
Kokisren 
Poona 

Rutnagiri 
Dahivadee 

Suittt 
Broach 

Tasgaiim 

Sattara 

Deccan  and  Khandeish  Committee,  mainly  through 
officials  and  the  Sarvajanik  Sabha,  was  helping  the 
people  to  recover  their  former  position.  Seed-grain  was 
supplied  to  those  who  could  not  obtain  from  Govern- 
ment, advances  for  sowing ;  aid  was  rendered  in  pur- 
chasing bullocks  and  in  repairing  houses.  The  com- 
mittee, through  its  agents,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  Sabha, 
had  distributing  agencies  in  the  following  places  : — 

Sholapur 

Pundarpoor 

Madapoor 

Mangalvadha 

Mahe 

Eaxsuala 

Dharwar 

Bigapoor 

Gudug 

Barree 

In  Bombay  city,  also,  assisted  by  an  '  anna  fund,' 
which  was  started  in  August  1877,  much  relief  was 
afforded. 

The  agencies  named,  however,  do  not  exhaust  all 
the  means  of  relief  which  were  adopted.  The  Maha- 
raja Scindia,  of  Indore,  whose  territories  join  the 
Bombay  Presidency,  spent  much  money  in  helping  to 
feed  those  who  were  in  want.  The  Sarvajanik  Sabha, 
in  one  of  their  narratives,  made  this  the  subject  of  a 
comparison  unfavourable  to  Government.  The  motives 
of  the  Government,  it  was  admitted,  were  noble,  and 
strenuous  efforts  had  been  made  to  provide  for  the 
people,  but  this  had  not  been  done  in  such  a  way  as  to 

*  rivet  the  claims  of  the  Government  to  be  regarded  as 
their  protector  by  many  millions  of  its  grateful  subjects.' 
That  is,  the  authorities  had  not  adopted  the  Indian 
mode  of  indiscriminate  feeding.     It  was  complained  : — 

*  The  charity  expenditure  of  Government  has  hardly  yet 
exceeded  1,35,000  rs.,  while  His  Highness  the  Maharaja 


26  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

Scindia's  expenditure  on  account  of  the  numerous  poor- 
houses  opened  by  him  in  Nassik,  Trimbuk,  Poona, 
Nuggur,  and  Pundherpore  has  overtopped  this  amount, 
while  purely  private  expenditure  through  the  relief 
committees  and  other  independent  channels  has  been 
four  times  as  much/ 

Some  of  the  members  of  Government  were  not 
enamoured  of  Scindia's  mode  of  action.  The  Hon.  Mr. 
Gibbs  strongly  stigmatised  the  charity  afforded  by  the 
Maharaja,  which  he  says  was  expended  on  religious 
mendicants  and  lazy  people  who  would  not  work.  In 
fact,  he  remarked  in  his  Minute,  written  when  the  famine 
was  over,  that  he  was  so  impressed  with  the  waste  and 
demoralisation  caused  by  such  uncontrolled  relief  that  if 
the  famine  had  continued  for  another  year,  as  was  at  one 
time  feared  it  would,  he  intended  proposing  that  all 
charitable  relief — unless  strictly  controlled  by  Govern- 
ment— be  at  once  and  peremptorily  stopped.  Sir  Richard 
Temple  did  not  share  these  views  of  his  councillor,  for, 
in  his  Minute,  he  expressed  himself  very  warmly  regard- 
ing the  mode  in  which  the  people  directly  unaffected  by 
famine  had  come  forward  to  the  aid  of  their  suffering 
countrymen,  and  tb  the  gift  of  charity  had  added  sym- 
pathy and  kindness.  There  may  have  been  mistakes  in 
affording  relief ;  idle  and  beggarly  persons  to  some 
extent  were  supported,  but,  taken  on  the  whole,  the 
manifestation  of  charity  in  the  Presidency  of  Bombay 
was  of  the  order  of  highest  mercy  which  blesses  him 
that  gives  as  well  as  him  that  takes. 


II. — Madras. 

The  general  public  of  Madras,  as  well  as  the  Govern- 
ment, were  taken  aback  by  the  rapid  manifestation  of 


PRIVATE   EFFORTS   IN   MADRAS.  27 

distress  in  October-December  1876,^  and  no  organised 
measures  were  taken  of  a  nature  adequate  to  meet  the 
need.  The  Friend-in- Need  Society,  a  charitable  insti- 
tution for  the  relief  of  poor  Europeans  and  Eurasians, 
strengthened  its  organisation,  but  this  was  all.  For 
the  natives  nothing  was  done  on  a  scale  commensurate 
with  what  was  wanted.  A  suggestion  was  made  that 
in  Madras  subscriptions  should  be  raised  and  non-official 
aid  secured  in  relief  measures,  but  the  idea  was  looked 
upon  coldly,  or  actively  opposed,  as  in  one  of  the  daily 
journals  of  the  city,  where  it  was  pointed  out  that 
the  disaster  was  so  terrible  that  only  a  great  organi- 
sation like  that  possessed  by  Government  could  hope 
to  cope  with  the  difficulty.  Consequently,  nothing  was 
done  in  an  organised  manner.  Nevertheless,  much 
charity  was  being  displayed,  particularly  amongst  the 
natives.  There  was  scarcely  a  family  which  had  not 
some  poor  relatives  from  the  country  who  looked  to 
them  for  food,  which  was  cheerfully  given — not  for  a 
few  weeks  or  months  only,  but  in  many  cases  for  more 
than  a  year.  Conversation  with  native  gentlemen  on 
this  point  has  served  to  bring  out  many  cases  of  heroic 
self-sacrifice  ;  half-rations  were  cheerfully  sacrificed 
by  respectable  people,  so  that  their  relatives  might 
share  with  them  such  food  as  they  had.  Even,  how- 
ever!, when  all  the  *  wanderers'  who  had  kinsfolk  in 
town  were  provided  for,  there  were  still  many  people 
who  had  no  food,  and  in  accordance  with  religious 
teaching  and  the  promptings  of  their  own  hearts,  several 
Hindu  gentlemen  in  the  Northern  Division  of  Madras 
fed  daily  a  large  number  of  people.  Two  members  of 
the  Chetty  caste  fed  2,000  each  ;  one  Mudaliyar  2,000  ; 
two  Chetties  2,000  and  1,500  respectively,  and  others 

^  A  descriptaon  of  the  maimer  in  which  the  villagers  flocked  into  Madras 
-will  be  found  in  chap.  i.  vol.  i . 


28  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

smaller  numbers,  making  altogether  11,400.  The 
food  supplied  has  been  described  as  of  a  very  poor 
character,  being  thin  gruel  or  conjee  of  rice  or  ragee 
poured  into  their  hands  and  supped  up  more  like  cattle 
than  human  beings.^  In  addition  to  these,  hundreds  of 
poor  people,  congregated  on  the  beach,  were  laying  up 
for  themselves  a  day  of  cruel  reckoning  by  living  on 
the  grains  of  rice  sifted  from  the  sea-sand.  Early 
in  December  the  Government  felt  they  were  bound  to 
grapple  with  the  distress  manifested  in  the  chief  city  of 
the  Presidency,  and  issued  an  order  to  the  Commissioner 
of  Police,  directing  him  to  open  camps,  and  in  various 
ways — e.g.^  giving  cooked  food  at  various  dep6ts  to 
respectable  but  indigent  poor,  to  provide  sustenance  for 
the  multitudes.  In  this  Order  of  Government  the 
following  tribute  was  paid  to  the  generosity  which  had 
been  exhibited  by  certain  Hindus  : — '  His  Grace  in 
Council  has  observed  with  much  satisfaction  the  eflForts 
made  by  all  classes  to  relieve  by  private  charity  the 
existing  distress  among  their  fellow-townsmen.  Con- 
spicuous among  these  eflForts  are  those  of  the  Friend-in- 
Need  Society  and  of  the  native  gentlemen  marginally 
noted,^  and  His  Grace  the  Governor-in-Council  resolves 
to  grant  to  the  Friend-in-Need  Society  a  monthly 
donation  equal  to  the  special  collections  for  relieving 
the  poor,  and  to  request  the  gentlemen  above-men- 
tioned to  accept  for  distribution  in  food  a  monthly 
sum  equal  to  the  sum  expended  by  them  in  feed- 
ing the  poor,  the  only  condition  appended  to  these 
grants  being  that  the  money  distributed  for  the  Govern- 

*  Report  by  Ool.  W.  S.  Drever,  Oommiasioner  of  Police,  Madras.  Ool. 
Drever  also  says: — 'This  diet  was,  I  am  profesBionally  informed^  more 
calculated  to  induce  disease  than  to  sustain  already  exhausted  nature.' 

'  Hugee  Mahomed  Padsha  Saib,  A.  Armooga  Moodeliar,  N.  Ramalingra 
Pillay,  P.  Moonesawmy  Ohetty^  P.  S.  Ramasami  Moodeliar,  Venkatasawmy 
Nardi. 


MADRAS   TOWN  RELIEF.  29 

rnent  shall  be  applied  to  feeding  those  only  who  by  age 
and  infirmity  are  incapable  of  labouring  for  their  liveli- 
hood, and  that  the  establishments  where  the  poor  are 
fed  shall  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  an  oflScer  deputed 
by  the  Government; 

Madras  town  relief  thus  passed,  in  December  1876, 
into  the  hands  of  the  police,  who  frequently  had  as  many 
as  20,000  people  dfdly  to  feed,  and  whose  work  was 
done  with  a  thoroughness  beyond  all  praise.  Thence- 
forward, for  nine  months,  only  fugitive  acts  of  charity — 
save  through  the  Friend-in-Need  Society — were  ex- 
hibited ;  the  public,  save  as  tax-payers,  had  no  part  or 
lot  in  the  eflForts  which  were  being  made  to  save  the 
perishing  multitudes. 

What  had  happened  in  Madras  was  characteristic  in 
a  measure  of  all  the  large  towns  in  the  Presidency :  all 
were  crowded  with  infirm,  sick,  aged,  and  destitute  poor. 
Attempts  were  made,  unofficially,  to  relieve  these.  The 
collector  of  North  Arcot  reports  that  at  Arconum 
the  European  railway  officials  and  some  of  the  native 
community  *  subscribed  handsomely '  to  provide  a  fund 
whereby  the  poor  might  be  fed  daily.  In  Gudiathum 
also  the  native  community,  of  their  own  accord,  and 
without  solicitation  or  advice  from  European  officials, 
established  a  relief  committee.  In  these  places,  how- 
ever, as  in  many  others,  the  relief  committees  merely 
paved  the  way  for  the  formation  of  relief  camps  entirely 
supported  by  Government  and  under  official  control. 

On  February  10,  Mr.  L.  R.  Burrows,  president  of 
the  municipal  commission,  Madras,  wrote  a  letter  to 
Government  in  which  he  propounded  a  scheme  of 
divisional  inspection  for  relief  of  any  distress  which  the 
present  system  failed  to  reach.  The  agency  to  be  used 
was,  mainly,  that  of  ward  representatives  as  they  would 
be  called    in  England,  commissioners   of  divisions   in 


30  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

India.  Government,  however,  was  not  prepared  to  accept 
the  suggestion,  and  it  was  allowed  to  drop  for  a  time. 
Taking  a  glance  over  the  whole  area  of  distress — 
though  noble  efforts  were  made  in  places  like  Bellary, 
Trichinopoly,  Salem — the  non-official  public  generally  do 
not  seem,  at  this  period,  to  have  been  sufficiently  mind- 
ful of  their  duty  toward  the 'starving;  a  good  deal  of 
the  apathy  exhibited,  however,  was  owing  to  the  action 
of  Government  in  not,  at  an  early  stage,  taking  the  pub- 
lic into  their  confidence  ;  the  evil  wrought  was  increased 
by  the  visits  and  action  of  Sir  Richard  Temple,  who 
rather  pooh-poohed  the  idea  of  much  and  great  distress. 
Of  the  feeling  in  his  district  the  Collector  of  Salem 
wrote  (January  16  th)  to  Government:  *  Private  charity, 
never  very  prominent  in  Salem  has,  I  regret  to  say,  done 
little  or  nothing  to  alleviate  suflFering.     A  meeting  was 
held  in  the  town  a  short  time  ago,  and  some  2,000  rs. 
subscribed  by  those  present,  and  probably  another  2,000 
rs.  or  3,000  rs.  may  be  collected.'     In  Trichinopoly, 
where  several  Europeans  and  Eurasians  reside,  and  where 
a  detachment  of  European  troops  is  stationed,   more 
exertion  was  shown.      In  January  a  meeting  was  held 
for  raising  funds,  and  a  subscription  list  was  put  in  cir- 
culation, both  among  the  European  and  native  gentry. 
Mr.  Stokes,  collector  of  Trichinopoly,  writing  on  January 
7,  says : — *  About  3,200  rs.  have  been  subscribed  by 
natives   as    donations.      The  European  gentry   came 
forward  with  a  monthly  subscription  of  about  150  i-s., 
and  600  rs.  in  the  shape  of  donation.     I  expect  more 
subscriptions  and  donations.       We  started  two  relief 
houses  in  the  town  here  on  the  19th  of  December  last 
with  the  aid  of  the  1,000  rs.  out  of  the  Prince  of  Wales's 
Entertainment   Fund,   which    the   native    public    has 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Famine  Relief  Committee. 
Two  more  relief-houses  have  been  started,  one  at  Musiri 


ASSISTING   *GOSHA      FEMALES.  31 

and  another  at  Kulittalai  kusbah  stations,  in  view  to 
feed  the  distressed  from  Salem  and  other  parts  who 
pass  through  those  taluks  in  great  numbers.' 

Among  the  difficulties  encountered  in  aflfbrding 
relief  was  that  of  giving  assistance  to  those  whose  caste 
rules  prevent  them  leaving  their  homes  or  showing  their 
faces  to  anyone.  Prominent  in  this  class  were  the 
Gosha  females  of  Mohammedan  families.  Many  were 
known  to  be  in  direst  want,  but  death  was  preferred  by 
some  to  exposure.  Early  in  the  fiimine,  relief  was  given 
in  Madras  to  Gosha  females,  but  only  to  those  above 
fifty  years  of  age,  and  they  received  from  one  rupee  to 
one  and  a  half  rupee  per  month.  They  were  visited  by 
paid  Mussulmans  (known  as  Hammamis)  who  made 
house-to-house  visitation  and  reported  to  the  Relief 
Agent  employed  by  the  Conrmussioner  of  Police,  certain 
Mussulman  gentlemen  being  security  for  the  reality  of  the 
distress  to  be  relieved.  When  the  subject  of  the  relief 
of  this  class  came  up  in  Arcot  and  Vellore,  where  the 
collector  apprehended  deaths  from  starvation,  it  was 
suggested  by  the  Board  of  Revenue  that  the  relief 
need  not  be  entirely  gratuitous.  ^  Many  of  the  women 
are  of  good  birth,  and  would  prefer  earning  a  pittance  to 
being  inscribed  on  a  pauper  roll.  Some  work,  such  as 
silk-reeling  or  the  like,  might  be  found  for  them.' 
This  suggestion  does  not  seem  to  have  been  generally 
adopted. 

The  natives  of  Cuddapah,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
distress,  held  a  meeting  whereat  it  was  decided  that,  in 
consequence  of  the  increasing  suflFering,  a  subscription 
should  be  commenced  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  relief- 
house  in  the  town.  1,410  rs.  were  contributed  at  once, 
and  the  merchants  agreed  that  they  would  give,  as  their 
share  towards  the  charity,  three  pies  upon  every  bag  of 
rice  brought  into  the  town.       This  voluntary  taxation 


32  PRIVATE   CHARITlr. 

was  continued  for  several  months,  and  many  people 
were  relieved  thereby.  Among  the  more  earnest 
workers  in  voluntary  charity,  from  the  first,  were  the 
Rev.  W.  P.  Schaffter,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
and  his  successor,  when  he  was  compelled  to  proceed  to 
England,  the  Rev.  J.  Davies  Thomas.  They  laboured  in 
the  Chingleput  district,  to  the  south-west  of  Madras  city, 
and  the  last-named  gentleman  evidently  obtained  great 
influence  over  the  people,  one  amusing  instance  of  which 
was  shown  in  March  1878.  Among  the  petitions  pre- 
sented to  the  Chingleput  Committee  was  one  from  a 
schoolmaster  and  his  wife,  in  which  they  asked  how  they 
could  *  commit  suicide  without  oflFending  the  Deity  or 
the  Rev.  J.  Davies  Thomas.'  Their  distress,  they  con- 
tinued, was  so  great  that  death  was  to  be  preferred  to 
life  imder  the  conditions  described. 

In  all  cases  where  subscriptions  were  raised — ^and  to 
those  mentioned  must  be  added  Coimbatore,  Kistna,  and 
Kumool^-Government  gave  an  equal  sum.  The  same 
policy  was  adopted  in  regard  to  the  relief  operations  of 
zemindars,  such  as  the  jaghiredar  of  Arnee,  who  fed 
700  people  a  day  for  several  months.  In  Tinnevelly  the 
propriety  of  private  charity  was  pressed,  by  the  collector, 
upon  the  people.  Having  established  a  relief  camp  for 
the  thoroughly  destitute,  Mr.  Pennyngton  issued  the 
following  instructions  to  certain  native  officials  in  a  non- 
distressed part  of  the  districts  : — '  I  think  it  would  be  as 
well  if  each  tahsildar  in  the  river  valley  were  to  raise 
subscriptions  in  the  kusbah  and  surrounding  villages  for 
feeding  the  destitute  poor  who  are  wandering  about  in 
search  of  food.  In  the  outlying  villages  a  good  deal 
must  be  left  to  private  charity,  but  village  munsifs 
should  be  relieved  by  them  at  the  expense  of  Govern- 
ment, an  immediate  report  of  expenditure  being  sent 
in  to  the  tahsildar,  so  that  he  ma    make  inquiries,  and, 


RELIEF    IN  A   FITFUL   FASHION.  33 

if  necessary,  provide  the  applicant  with  a  ticket  for 
relief  in  the  same  village.  It  is  time  to  make  some 
attempt  to  put  a  stop  to  so  much  wandering  about 
of  half-starved  paupers.  It  is  probable  that  distress 
will  gravitate  towards  the  kusbahs  chiefly,  and  there 
tahsildars  must  make  quite  sure  that  they  are  prepared 
to  relieve  everyone  who  comes.  If  any  one  of  them 
appear  to  be  fit  for  work,  intimation  should  be  sent 
to  the  nearest  range  officer,  and  he  will  no  doubt  make 
arrangements  for  giving  them  employment. 

'In  the  river  valley  the  famine  has  been  quite  a 
godsend  to  the  ryots,  and  they  have  prospered 
amazingly,  so  that  1  think  they  may  fairly  be  called 
upon  to  support  their  less  fortunate  brethren  from 
other  parts,  though,  of  course,  in  the  last  resort  all 
who  require  food  and  cannot  get  it  otherwise  will  be 
fed  as  usual  at  Government  expense,  even  in  the  river 
valley. 

*  I  may  mention,  in  conclusion,  that  the  merchants  in 
Tuticorin  (who  have  also  profited  largely  by  the  famine) 
have  long  since  spontaneously  opened  a  relief-house 
there  and  feed  considerable  numbers  at  their  own 
expense.' 

Thus,  in  a  fitful  fashion,  throughout  the  earlier 
period  of  distress,  scope  for  the  exercise  of  private 
charity  was  recognised,  and  many  generous  deeds  known 
only  to  giver  and  recipient  were  done.  But  when  an 
estimate  is  taken  of  all  the  efibrts  made — and  it  is 
believed  that  reference  is  made  in  the  foregoing  pages 
to  all  organised  attempts — ^they  are  miserably  poor 
compared  with  the  area  affected.  That  more  was  not 
done  is  surprising.  Sir  John  Strachey  in  making  his 
Financial  Statement  in  the  Viceregal  Council  in  March 
1877,  said:  *  The  task  of  giving  relief  to  all  those  who 
suffer  offers  the  noblest  opportunities  of  doing  good 

VOL.   II.  D 


34  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

to  well-applied  private  charity,  and  intelligence,  and 
zeal:  but  it  cannot  be  undertaken  by  the  State.'  Only 
in  an  incomplete  manner  was  this  truth  apprehended  by 
the  people  of  Madras ;  when,  however,  later  on,  they 
awoke  to  their  responsibilities,  the  splendid  unselfish 
service  given  atoned  for  previous  neglect. 

III. — Mysore. 

The  famine  policies  adopted  while  the  disaster  of 
famine  was  simultaneously  prevalent  in  the  Madras  and 
Bombay  Presidencies,  and  in  the  Province  of  Mysore, 
were  very  dissimilar  so  far  as  private  charity  is  concerned, 
until  the  visit  of  the  Viceroy  in  August- September 
1877  produced  homogeneity.  In  Bombay  private 
charity  was  altogether  outside  the  plans  and  operations 
of  the  Government :  it  was  recognised  in  a  sense,  but 
it  was  not  aided  nor  controlled.  In  Madras  the  prin- 
ciple was  played  with  for  ten  months.  Fitful  manifesta- 
tions of  private  effort  were  made,  when  made  they  were 
encouraged  in  so  far  that  grants  from  State  funds  from 
time  to  time  helped  to  maintain  a  feeble  circulation. 
But  no  attempt  was  made  to  develop  and  utilise  the 
sympathy  and  zeal  of  a  large  non-oflScial  population. 
In  Mysore,  on  the  other  hand,  under  the  inspiration  of 
the  Government  of  India,  firom  the  first,  private  charity 
was  a  recognised  detachment  of  the  forces  deployed  to 
meet  the  famine.  So  great  a  part  did  private  charity 
play  in  the  campaign  that  it  is  not  possible  to  tell  in 
separate  narrative  the  history  of  each.  The  one  was 
inextricably  woven  in  the  other.  For  a  description, 
therefore,  of  private  charity  in  Mysore,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  narrative  in  Volume  I.  devoted  to  the 
distress  in  Mysore. 


35 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE   APPEAL   TO   ENGLAND. 

A  GENERAL  meeting  of  the  Directors  of  the  Monegar 
Choultry  at  Madras,  sitting  in  a  small  dark  room  in 
which  the  meetings  are  generally  held,  had  in  the  month 
of  July,  1877,  concluded  its  business  and  was  about  to 
break  up  when  the  Chairman,  Deputy  Surgeon-General 
Van  Someren,  was  asked,  ^  Is  there  not  a  minute  from 
one  of  the  Directors  to  be  read  ? ' 

*  Oh !  yes,'  replied  Dr.  Van  Someren,  *  Mr.  Erishnama 
Charriar  has  sent  a  minute  about  the  high-caste  poor, 
who,  he  says,  are  suffering  greatly  from  high  prices,  and 
who  will  die  rather  than  go  into  relief  camps,  or  receive 
cooked  food,  and  suggesting  that  the  Choultry  should 
undertake  the  support  of  such.' 

*  We  can  do  nothing  for  them,'  remarked  a  director. 
*  Our  means  are  already  straitened.  We  shall  need 
helping  ourselves.' 

^Perhaps  we  had  better  forward  the  minute  to 
Government,  and  leave  the  authorities  to  deal  with  it,' 
said  the  Chairman. 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  the  subject  disposed  of,  so 
feiT  as  the  Choultry  was  concerned. 

By  the  time  that  the  minute  reached  the  Governor 
in  Council,  distress  had  intensified,  the  south-west 
monsoon  persistently  holding  off.  His  Grace  and  the 
members  of  Government  had  been  brought  face  to  face 
with  much  suffering  consequent  upon  high  prices  ;  the 

D  2 


86  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

suggestion  from  the  Choultry,  therefore,  received  prompt 
attention.  The  authorities  saw  plainly  that  they  could 
not  deal  with  lower  middle-class  distress  ;  it  was  more 
than  they  could  do  to  grapple  with  absolute  destitution. 
It  was,  therefore,  resolved  to  revive  the  plan  proposed 
in  the  previous  February  by  Mr.  Burrows,  President  of 
the  Municipal  Commission,  and  relieve  the  distressed 
through  committees  formed  of  the  commissioners.  Also, 
as  a  part  of  this  scheme,  it  was  determined  to  change 
the  policy  hitherto  adopted,  and  instead  of  deprecating 
public  subscriptions,  to  ask  for  them,  for  every  rupee 
contributed  Government  giving  another.  A  grievous 
mistake  was  made  at  the  outset  in  the  mode  adopted  to 
appeal  to  the  public  for  aid.  Municipalities  are  new 
institutions  in  India,  mainly  noteworthy  for  harassing 
the  people  in  the  persons  of  the  tax  collector  and  the 
sanitary  inspector.  The  yoke  is  borne  uneasily,  and  a 
scheme  floated  by  such  an  agency  is  doomed  to  grudging 
support  A  meeting  of  the  commissioners  was  held  to 
determine  upon  the  steps  to  be  taken  to  meet  the  views 
of  Government,  which  had  been  communicated.  Con- 
versation was  somewhat  desultory,  but  some  definite 
arrangements  were  made:  (1)  a  Central  Committee  was 
formed,  which  representative  men  were  to  be  asked  to 
join;  (2)  it  was  agreed  that  Divisional  Committees 
should  be  appointed  at  a  meeting  to  be  held  on  the 
Saturday  following,  July  28  j  (3)  subscriptions  were  to 
be  invited. 

Colonel  Drever  asked,  in  the  course  of  the  meeting, 
'  Where  is  the  money  to  come  from  to  meet  the  neces- 
sary outlay  ?  It  will  take  a  great  deal  to  keep  up  relief 
several  months.' 

'  There  are  a  good  many  wealthy  people  in  Madras/ 
said  Sir  William  Robinson;  *  if  they  are  applied  to,  they 
will  be  willing  to  assist.  It  is  incumbent  on  us  to  do 
what  we  can  ourselves  and  enlist  sympathy.' 


FULFILLING   ONk's   DtJTT   TO    THE   POOR.  $7 

*  Government  has  made  it  very  hard  to  collect  sub- 
scriptions in  Madras,'  remarked  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Strachan, 
M.D.  *Some  months  ago  the  Grovemment  said  sub- 
scriptions were  not  wanted  and  discountenanced  private 
relief  operations.  Consequently  the  public  have  become 
demoralised.  Further,  everybody  has  suffered  from  the 
famine,  and  cannot  afford  to  give.  Why  not  ask  that 
a  relief  fund  be  raised  at  the  Mansion  House  in  London, 
or  in  Calcutta  ? ' 

The  suggestion  was  received  in  silence,  and  discus- 
sion *  harked  back '  to  ^  the  Government/  the  one  fact  in 
India.  The  native  gentlemen  present  then  expressed 
their  views. 

Somewhat  periphrastically,  Mr.  Vanoogopaul  Char- 
riar  said  the  relief  was  proposed  to  be  distributed  by  the 
public  and  the  commissioners  ;  their  time  was  all  they 
could  be  expected  to  give.  *  It  is,  therefore,  evident 
that  the  source  from  which  the  funds  should  be  ex- 
pected for  the  relief  now  under  proposal  should  be  the 
same  as  that  now  provided  at  the  relief  camps.' 

*  Eh  ! '  inteijected  Sir  William  Robinson,  *  is  that 
what  you  call  fulfilling  your  duty  to  the  poor  ? ' 

'  It  is  the  duty  of  every  citizen  to  support  his  poor 
in  one  shape  or  another,'  said  the  Hon.  V.  Ramiengar, 
C.S.I.  *The  Government  has  spent  all  it  can  spend, 
and  no  land  revenue  is  coming  in  ;  new  taxation  must, 
therefore,  now  be  faced.  It  is  a  sacred  duty  on  the  part 
of  a  man  so  to  limit  his  expenses  as  to  provide  for  his 
own  poor/ 

With  talk  of  this  kind,  continuing  till  nearly  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  it  was  decided  to  do  something, 
the  meeting  on  the  Saturday  following  to  come  to  a 
definite  understanding  on  this  point. 

On  Saturday  a  meeting  largely  attended  was  held. 
It  was  then  stated  that  it  was  intended  to  confine  the 


38  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

proposed  relief  to  the  actual  residents,  and  not  to  '  wan- 
derers '  daily  arriving  in  the  town ;  to  those  who  were 
unable  to  avail  themselves  of  the  relief  provided  through 
the  present  system,  and  those  who,  from  self-respect  or 
other  causes,  were  prevented  from  going  to  the  camps  ; 
as  well  as  providing  for  other  poor  who,  if  not  afforded 
immediate  relief,  would  die  of  starvation.  Certain  rules 
had  been  framed,  and  related  principally  to  matters  of 
routine.  One  anna  money-payment  would  be  made  to 
every  adult,  and  six  pies  to  every  child,  to  be  given  daily 
by  one  of  the  members  of  the  committee.  This  was 
subsequently  altered  to  weekly  payments — eight  annas 
to  an  adult,  four  to  a  child. 

After  eight  committees^  had  been  appointed,  for  the 
several  divisions  of  the  town,  aggregating  nearly  two 
hundred  gentlemen,  it  was  decided  that  an  appeal  for 
subscriptions  should  be  made  in  the  city. 

*  Why  ? '  asked  a  gentleman  present,  when  a  resolu- 
tion had  been  passed  that  the  balance  of  the  Madras 
contributions  to  the  Bengal  famine  should  be  made 
available,  *  Why  should  the  Central  Committee  not  put 
itself  in  communication  with  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London 
and  seek  English  assistance  to  meet  the  terrible  distress 
around  us?  There  are  many  institutions  in  England 
which  would  help  us — ^the  Chambers  of  Commerce,  for 
instance.  They  take  a  great  interest  in  India,  when  the 
reduction  of  the  cotton  duties  is  on  the  tapis;  it  is  not 
unreasonable  to  suppose  they  would  be  equally  interested 
if  an  opportunity  were  given  them  in  which  they  might 
confer  benefit  instead  of  receiving  it.  The  English  people 
have  not  the  remotest  conception  of  the  horrors  in  our 
midst;  if  they  were  made  acquainted  with  them,  much 
help  would  be  rendered.' 

^  For  Beven  months  these  committees  laboured  most  zealously  in  their 
various  divisions,  personally  distributing  week  by  week  the  dole  provided. 
The  work  was  arduous,  but  it  was  most  cheerfully  done. 


THE   APPEAL  TO   ENGLAND.  39 

*  If  we  ask  at  all/  said  Captain  Heming,  Deputy 
Commissioner  of  Police,  *we  must  ask  for  the  whole 
Presidency  and  not  for  Madras  only.' 

*  As  a  central  committee  in  the  chief  town  of  the 
Presidency/  replied  the  first  speaker,  *I  conceive  we 
can  speak  and  act  for  the  whole  Presidency.' 

*I  quite  agree/  remarked  Sir  William  Robinson, 
^  with  all  that  has  been  said  about  the  necessity  of 
making  the  English  people  acquainted  with  the  fearful 
distress  that  exists.  I  am  convinced  the  people  at  home 
do  not  know,  or  much  help  would  have  flowed  to  us. 
The  proof  of  the  want  of  knowledge  in  Great  Britain  is 
seen  in  the  fact  that  only  one  donation  has  been  received, 
viz.,  one  hundred  guineas  from  Lady  Hobart.  Still,  I 
am  not  quite  certain  that  the  present  is  the  right  time 
to  make  a  move,  nor  am  I  sure  as  to  the  way  in  which 
it  should  be  made.' 

'  Let  us  do  what  we  can  ourselves  before  we  appeal 
to  England,'  said  Mr.  Shaw,  a  merchant.  *  I  was  in 
England  when  the  Bengal  famine  occurred,  and  I  have 
a  lively  recollection  of  the  manner  in  which  public  sym- 
pathy was  manipulated  by  sensational  telegrams.' 

'  The  two  cases  are  not  parallel,'  was  the  retort ; 
*  whatever  there  may  have  been  of  sham  in  the  Bengal 
famine,  there  is  none  in  Madras.  Besides  we  can  give 
what  we  have  to  give  ourselves,  and  ask  England  to 
contribute  at  the  same  time.  It  is  certain  that  we  can- 
not contribute  all  that  will  be  needed.' 

There  seemed  general  acquiescence  in  the  spirit  of 
these  remarks,  but  as  there  was  no  definite  motion 
before  the  meeting,  nothing  was  then  done. 

Being  satisfied  that  the  course  he  had  suggested  was 
the  right  one,  the  gentleman  who  mooted  the  matter, 
through  the  daily  journal  of  which  he  was  editor, 
strongly  urged  the  advisability  of  such  a  step  being  taken. 


40  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

and  remarked  that  if  the  aid  of  the  public  were  wanted 
it  should  be  sought  in  a  public  meeting,  and  not  through 
an  institution  so  little  liked  as  a  municipaUty.  He  also 
ascertained  that,  if  soUcited,  his  Grace  the  Governor 
would  not  be  averse  to  presiding  over  a  public  meeting 
whence  an  appeal  might  be  made  to  England.  The 
following  resolution  was  therefore  prepared  for  sub- 
mission to  a  meeting  of  the  Central  Committee,  which 
was  called  for  Tuesday  evening,  July  30 : — '  That  the 
Central  Committee  of  town  relief  for  Madras  arrange 
for  a  public  meeting  being  held  at  an  early  date  in  the 
Banqueting  Hall,  over  which  his  Grace  the  Governor  be 
asked  to  preside.  That  at  this  meeting  resolutions  be 
submitted  which  shall  show  the  extent  of  distress 
throughout  the  Presidency,  and  that  the  aid  of  the 
communities  of  Calcutta,  and  other  Indian  cities  where 
no  abnormal  distress  is  being  experienced,  be  sought. 
Also  that  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  and  the  English 
Chambers  of  Commerce  be  communicated  with,  and 
that  the  India  Office  be  asked  to  place  all  available 
communications  regarding  the  famine  at  the  service  of 
the  English  press.  As  the  local  Government  undertake 
to  keep  the  people  alive,  as  far  as  possible,  it  be  suggested 
that  the  funds  raised  in  England  and  elsewhere  be  em- 
ployed in  supplementing  Government  aid,  and  in  pro- 
viding implements  for  agriculture  and  seed-corn  for 
sowing,  during  the  approaching  north-east  monsoon 
season.' 

A  great  many  obstacles  to  the  calling  of  the  meeting 
were  raised,  but  after  much  difficulty  they  were  over- 
come, and  the  resolution,  with  some  slight  amendment, 
was  passed.  The  remarks  made  in  support  of  the  reso- 
lution by  the  gentleman  who  brought  it  forward  were 
as  follows: — (1)  Was  the  object  contemplated  in  the 
resolution  needed?     On  this  point  there  could  be  no 


REASONS   FOR   APPEALING   TO   ENGLAND.  41 

question  whatever  ;  the  necessity  was  only  too  evident 
to  everyone.  .  Government  had  done  its  best  to  provide 
work  and  food  for  the  people,  but,  at  length,  found  the 
distress  was  assuming  such  magnitude,  people  of  the 
higher  castes  were  starving,  and  it  had  been  determined  to 
call  upon  the  pubUc  for  help.     Distress  so  widespread  as 
that  in  Madras  could  not  be  grappled  with  by  themselves 
as  they  might  wish  to  grapple  with  it,  or  as  adequately 
as  it  ought  to  be.     The  scope  was  too  wide  for  the 
people   or  the   Government  of  Madras  to  deal  with. 
Clearly,  then,  an  appeal  for  outside  help  was  needed. 
(2)  Was  it  desirable  that  such  an  appeal  should  be 
made?     The   answer  to   this  question  was  really  in- 
volved in  that  which  they  had  already  considered  and 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  viz.,  that  it  was  needed.  It 
was  desirable  that  this  should  be  done,  as  much  in  the 
interests  of  the  English  people  as  of  the  Indian.     What 
would  be  said  in  England  when  the  famine  was  over, 
and  its  terrible  mortality  known,  if  no  appeal  for  aid 
were  made  ?     The  questions  would  be  asked,  '  Why  was 
not  our  aid  sought?     Why  were  we  not  given  the  oppor- 
tunity of  helping  to  alleviate  distress  ? '     This  was  the 
principle  acted  upon  with  regard  to  friends.     If  any  of 
those  present  met  an  acquaintance  or  friend,  who  had 
passed  through  great  distress,  of  which  nothing  was 
known  till  it  was  over,  the  reproachful  remark  would 
inevitably  be,  'Why  did  you  not  tell  me  of  your  strait? 
I  should  have  been  glad  to  render  you  some  assistance.' 
This  was  what  the  English  people  would   say  if  the 
opportunity  for  them  to  give  of  their  substance  was  not 
provided.     That  same  people  gave  towards  the  Bengal 
famine,  in  which  only  twenty-three  people  died  of  star- 
vation, more  than  fourteen  lakhs  of  rupees.     There  was 
not  a  relief  camp  in  the  Madras  Presidency  in  which  there 
were  three  thousand  people,  who,  when  they  rose  in  the 


42  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

morning,  did  not  leave  thirty  corpsesr  on  the  ground. 
Granting,  then,  that  an  appeal  was  needful  and  desirable, 
the  speaker  proceeded  to  ask,  (3)  Who  should  make  it? 
Clearly  not  the  Government.  It  was  no  secret  that  there 
had  been  injustice  done  to  Madras  with  regard  to  this 
famine,  and  a  greater  disposition  evinced  to  believe  what 
Sir  Richard  Temple  had  said  about  the  local  Govern- 
ment's exaggeration  of  distress  than  to  adopt  the  views  of 
the  authorities  themselves.   For  that  reason  Government 
could  not  move  in  the  matter.     But  there  was  another 
and  stronger  reason.     I'he  famine  had  passed  into  a 
stage  when  the  assistance  of  the  public  was  sought,  and 
if  further  help  were  wanted  there  must  be  an  appeal 
from  people  to  people,  from  the  people  of  Madras  to  the 
people  of  England.     Such  communications  were  more 
seemly  if  they  proceeded  from  non-official  sources  than 
fix)m  the.  Government.     Of  course,  as  members  of  society, 
Government  officers  would  help  forward  such  a  move- 
ment, but  they  could  not  so  well  undertake  it  as  non- 
officials  could.     (4)  The  need  for  early  effort  was  very 
great.     A  portion  of  the  resolution  alluded  to  affording 
help  to  the  people  in  planting  during  the  north-east 
monsoon  season  if  the  rains  came.     To  ensure  aid  being 
received  in  time,  not  a  day  was  to  be  lost ;  time  enough 
would  be  consumed  in  communications,  and  if  the  aid 
was  to  be  really  effectual  it  must  come  soon.     Illustra* 
tions  in  support  of  this  were  cited.     (5)  There  could 
be  no  question  that  the  appeal  would  be  successful. 
Some  of  those  present  were  Englishmen,  and  knew  the 
thrill  of  sympathy  which  ran  through  the  whole  British 
people  when  there  was  suffering  among  any  race.     And 
the  sympathy  was  not  confined  to  a  nervous  thrill,  but 
it  went  farther  and  the  pocket  was  dived  into  for  prac- 
tical support.     This  was  so  in  regard  to  human  beings 
in  want  anywhere ;  but  the  benevolence  would  be  in- 


HEQUISITION  TO   THE   SHERIFF.  43 

creased    on   behalf  of  fellow-subjects  of  the  Queen- 
Empress.     . 

Other  resolutions  were  passed  at  this  preliminary 
meeting,  directing  that  his  Grace  the  Governor  should 
be  asked  to  preside  over  the  meeting,  and  a  requisition 
to  the  Sheriff  to  convene  an  assemblage  of  citizens  for 
August  4  was  signed  by  six  of  the  gentlemen  present. 
The  Governor  having  consented  to  preside,  the  requisi- 
tion was  sent  to  the  Sheriff. 

*  The  resolution  is  not  very  largely  signed/  said  the 
gentleman  who  forwarded  it ;  '  there  are  only  ten  names 
appended/ 

*  Quite  sufficient/  replied  Sheriff  Munsie,  *  I  am  satis- 
fied that  there  is  a  general  desire  that  the  meeting  should 
be  held,  and  the  names  given  will  suffice.' 

Three  days  later  a  meeting,  which  has  now  become 
a  prominent  feature  in  Southern  Indian  history,  from  the 
consequences  which  ensued  from  it,  was  held  in  the 
Banqueting  Hall,  under  the  presidency  of  his  Grace  the 
Governor,  and  an  appeal  was  telegraphed  to  the  Lord 
Mayor  of  London  and  the  chief  municipal  functionaries 
through  The  Times  newspaper.^  Of  the  difficulties 
encountered  in  convening  that  meeting  nothing  need 
be  said  beyond  that  they  were  very  great ;  Anglo-Indian 
apathy  seemed  greater  than  it  has  been  described  to  be, 

'  The  message  was  as  follows : — 

To  London  Timet. — ^From  Madras  Sheriff's  Meeting. 

Please  publish  information  Lord  Mayors  London,  York,  Dublin,  Mayors  Bir- 
mingham, Bristol,  Liyerpool,  Manchester,  Provosts  of  Edinburgh,  Glasgow, 
public  meeting,  Govemor  presided,  resolved  appeal  British  public  for  aid 
population  Southern  Lidia.  Severity  famine  increasing,  distress  great,  rain- 
&11  continues  insufficient,  population  affected  20,000,000,  numbers  absolutely 
dependent  charity  Madras  Presidency  1,076,000,  daily  larger;  increased 
mortality  already  reached  nearly  half  million ;  distress  now  reaching  better 
classes  owing  increased  price  grain  double  prevailing  Bengal  famine.  Matters 
become  worse  rapidly.  Under  most  favourable  circumstances  of  weather, 
which  is  still  unfavourable,  pressure  must  continue  till  crops  are  gathered 
January.    Necessity  assistance  most  urgent  pressins^. 


44  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

but  a  word  or  two  descriptive  of  the  assemblage  may  be 
not  unfitting.  The  attendance  of  European  gentlemen 
was  large ;  native  gentlemen  were  conspicuous  by  their 
absence.  The  seats  in  the  body  of  the  hall  were  filled, 
but  the  empty  aisles  and  a  great  vacant  space  from 
where  the  seats  ended  to  the  door  were  calculated  to 
exercise  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  promoters  of  the 
gathering.  The  Governor's  speech  was  judiciously  pre- 
pared and  emphatically  delivered ;  it  cannot,  however, 
be  claimed  that  from  an  oratorical  point  of  view  the 
meeting  was  a  success.  This  was  of  minor  importance, 
as  what  was  wanted  was  not  so  much  to  rouse  those 
present  to  generosity  as  to  provide  a  statement  for  pre- 
sentation to  the  people  of  England.  This  was  obtained 
in  the  speeches  of  his  Grace  the  Governor,  Dr.  Cornish, 
and  Colonel  Drever,  and  the  following  resolutions,  which 
were  unanimously  adopted : — 

I.  That  the  increasing  Beverity  of  the  distress  aiising  from  the 
£umne  necessitates  an  appeal  to  public  charity. 

II.  That  with  the  view  of  obtaining  the  aid  referred  to  in  the 
first  resolution,  the  Lord  Mayors  of  London,  York,  and  Dublin,  the 
Mayors  of  Bristol,  Birmingham,  Liverpool,  and  Manchester;  the 
Lord  Provosts  of  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  and  the  communities  of 
Calcutta  and  other  cities  and  stations  in  India,  and  the  editor  of  7^ 
Time8,  London,  be  at  once  informed  by  telegraph,  and  more  fully  by 
letter,  of  the  urgent  necessity  which  exists  for  assistance,  and  be 
solicited  to  adopt  such  measiu'es  as  they  may  think  most  suitable  for 
making  the  condition  of  the  Presidency  known  to  the  public. 

III.  That  the  existing  Town  Belief  Committee  with  its  Divi- 
sional Committees  be  requested  to  continue  in  office,  and  that  a 
Central  Committee  be  formed  to  undertake  the  general  management 
of  the  Famine  Belief  Fund. 

A  committee  of  about  fifty  gentlemen  was  appointed, 
and  a  meeting  was  held  on  August  6,  in  the  Magis- 
trate's Court  at  Egmore.  Sir  William  Robinson  was 
elected  chairman,  and  Mr.  Digby  honorary  secretary. 
Colonel  Hearn,  Inspector  General  of  Police,  demurred 


DRAFT  APPEAL  BY   BISHOP  OF   MADRAS.  45 

to  the  last  appointment ;  the  gentleman  named  had  only 
been  a  few  months  in  Madras  ;  some  one  who  knew  the 
country  well,  and  was  acquainted  with  all  the  officials, 
was  needed  for  such  a  post.  Notwithstanding  the  ob- 
jection, the  nomination  was  agreed  to  without  further 
remark.  An  executive  committee,  consisting  of  twelve 
European  and  native  gentlemen,  was  appointed,^  and 
the  form  of  appeal,  which  should  be  addressed  to 
England,  was  decided  upon.  Amongst  other  matters 
considered,  was  a  brief  draft  appeal,  drawn  up  by  the 
Right  Rev.  F.  Gell,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Madras,  who,  in 
his  second  paragraph,  said  :  ^  Pecuniary  assistance  on  a 
very  large  scale  is  needed  to  meet  the  present  and  pro- 
si>ective  wants  of  the  very  large  population  who,  under 
the  hnavy  judgment  of  Almighty  God,  have  been  re- 
duced so  low.'  Simultaneously  with  the  movement 
towards  invoking  private  charity  in  Madras,  his  Lord- 
ship had  communicated  with  his  Grace  the  Governor  as 
to  the  advisability  of  private  relief  being  afforded.  On 
July  28,  the  Governor  wrote  :  '  I  can  see  no  possible 
reason  why  private  charity  should  not  be  called  in  aid 
of  the  dire  distress  at  the  present  time,  in  clothing  the 
naked  and  housing  the  homeless.     There  is  open,  alas  I 

'  This  committee  was  afterwards  increased  to  twenty-five.    The  names 
of  its  memhers  were  as  follows  :— 

Sir  W.  RoWnson,  K.O.S.I.  {Chairman). 

G.  Thomhill,  O.S.I.  0.  A.  Ainslie. 

G.  A.  Ballard.  W.  W.  Munae. 

R  K.  Puckle,  CLE.  Ven.  Arch.  0.  R.  Drury. 

Col.  F.  Weldon.  Very  Rev.  J.  Oolgan,  D.D. 

Col.  J.  G.  Touch.  Rev.  J.  M.  Strachan,  M.D. 

Hon.  A«  Mackenzie.  R.  G.  Orr. 

Hon.  J.  G.  Coleman.  F.  Rowlandson. 

Hon.  E.  Ramiengar,  C.S.I.  A.  Cmidasawmy  Mudaliyar. 

Hon.  Mir  Hamayun.  F.  Ramachendra  Rao. 

Jah  Bahadur.  P.  Srinwassa  Rao. 

J.  Jones.  H.  Cornish. 

W.  Digby,  Honor ary  Secretary, 


46  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

an  ample  field  for  the  most  liberal  efforts  of  charity  in 
England  and  here/ 

Throughout  the  week  the  telegrams  from  England 
to  the  local  newspapers  were  anxiously  scanned  for 
information  as  to  whether  the  appeal  had  been  effectual. 
Days  passed  without  any  sign  being  apparent  of  success. 
Six  days  after  the  meeting  had  been  held,  viz.,  on 
August  10,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Chandos  re- 
ceived a  telegram  from  a  friend  in  London,  which  ran 
as  follows :  *  Suggest  privately  to  President,  famine 
meeting,  to  telegraph  direct  appeal  to  Lord  Mayor. 
Success  then  certain ;  meantime,  movement  hangs/ 
This  message  was  communicated  to  the  executive 
committee,  and  at  its  meeting  on  Monday,  August  13, 
action  upon  it  was  taken.  One  gentleman  (Mr.  J. 
Jones)  suggested  the  telegram  to  the  Lord  Mayor 
should  be  in  these  terms  :  *  Position  extremely  grave ; 
monsoon  failed ;  crops  withering,  cattle  dying.  Famine 
must  intensify  during  the  next  few  months.  Hundreds 
dying  daily  of  hunger.  Government  and  officials  work- 
ing manfully,  but  cannot  prevent  terrible  mortality. 
Private  assistance  urgently  needed.'  Though  it  was 
conceded  this  was  vigorous  enough,  it  was  not  felt  to 
be  sufficiently  explanatory,  and,  after  some  discussion, 
a  draft  was  determined  upon,  which  was  as  follows: 
*  Committee  earnestly  solicit  your  Lordship's  powerful 
influence  in  support  of  an  appeal  for  assistance  for  the 
afflicted  population  in  Southern  India.  The  position 
of  affairs  is  extremely  grave.  Very  great  and  increas- 
ing mortality  fi-om  want«  notwithstanding  the  utmost 
efforts  of  Government.  The  monsoon  is  again  deficient ; 
difficulty  will  certainly  last  till  January.  Cattle  perished 
in  large  numbers.  All  labouring  classes  are  in  very 
great  destitution.  Property  sold  for  food.  Villages 
largely  deserted,  and  the  poor  are  wandering  in  search 


ACTION  OF   THE   LORD  MAYOR.  47 

of  suBtenance.  The  resources  of  the  lower  middle  classes 
are  exhausted,  owing  to  famine  prices.  Prompt  liberal 
sympathy  and  assistance  may  mitigate  suffering.  Par* 
ticulars  forwarded  to  The  Times  a  fortnight  ago/ 

This  was  sent  to  the  Lord  Mayors  of  London, 
Dublin,  and  York  ;  to  the  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh, 
and  the  Provost  of  Glasgow;  and  to  the  Mayors  of 
Birmingham,  Blackburn^  Bradford,  Brighton,  Cambridge, 
Manchester,  Liverpool,  and  Sheffield. 

Simultaneously  with  the  receipt  of  this  telegram  in 
London,  the  Queen's  Speech  at  the  prorogation  of 
Parliament  was  published  ;  in  it  appeared  a  paragraph 
relating  to  the  sore  and  grievous  distress  in  Southern 
India,  which  served  to  concentrate  attention  upon  the 
disaster.  In  a  manner  worthy  of  its  best  traditions. 
The  Times  took  up  the  cause  of  the  famine-stricken, 
and,  in  a  leading  article  on  the  subject,  provided  a 
passage  with  which  Sir  Thomas  White,  Lord  Mayor  of 
London,  in  initiating  the  Fund,  gave  point  to  his  re- 
marks. No  sooner  had  the  Lord  Mayor  received  the 
message  from  the  Madras  Committee  than  he  took  action 
upon  it.  Contrary  to  the  usual  practice  in  England, 
where  a  public  meeting  seems  indispensable  to  establish 
any  enterprise  whatever,  no  meeting  was  called,  but 
quietly,  unostentatiously,  a  Fund,  destined  to  be  one  of 
the  marvels  of  the  year,  was  started  at  the  dullest 
season  of  the  year,  when  Parliament  had  risen,  and 
all  the  wealthy  and  well-to-do  folk  had  made  prepara- 
tions for  touring  and  holiday-making.  In  the  justice- 
room  at  the  Mansion  House,  an  Indian  gentleman  being 
seated  by  Sir  Thomas  White's  side,  and  giving  point  by 
his  presence  to  the  cause  to  be  advocated,  the  Lord 
Mayor,  on  August  12,  with  a  few  remarks,  read  the 
telegram  he  had  received  from  Madras.  '  This  tele- 
gram,' said  the  X-ord  Mayor,  *  speaks  for  itself,  and  I 
can  only  add  to  it  the  concluding  words  of  a  leading 


48  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

article  in  The  Times  of  to-day  :  "  Let  not  the  appeal 
now  at  length  made  to  us  fall  unheeded.  Our  country- 
men at  Madras  call  upon  the  municipalities  at  home, 
and  their  cry  must  be  heard.  We  have  hitherto  been 
too  little  concerned  with  the  awful  trial  that  has 
befallen  our  fellow-subjects;  let  us  redeem  the  past  by 
keeping  it  before  our  eyes  and  in  our  minds  and  hearts 
until  all  that  we  can  do  is  done,  in  order  that  it  may 
be  overcome."  I  shall  be  delighted  to  receive  at  the 
Mansion  House,  and  to  remit  to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham 
and  the  other  public  authorities  in  India,  any  sums 
which  the  generous  public  may  feel  inclined  to  entrust 
to  me;  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  the  urgent  appeal 
which  I  now  make  for  funds  will  be  promptly  and 
liberally  responded  to.'  A  day  passed,  and  subscrip- 
tions began  to  flow  in  very  rapidly,  the  first  contribu- 
tion being  from  a  gentleman  named  Cash.  Lord  North - 
brook,  late  Viceroy  of  India,  sent  a  cheque  for  £500  ; 
the  Earl  of  Beaconsfield  sent  the  following  autograph 
letter  to  the  Lord  Mayor : 

2f  Whitehall  Gardens,  August  6. 

Lord  BeacoDsfield,  with  his  compliments  to  the  Lord  Mayor,  has  the 
honour  to  enclose  a  cheque  for  £50  in  aid  of  the  Indian  Famine  Fund,  oyer 
which  the  Lord  Mayor  has  so  kindly  and  wisely  offered  to  preside. 

The  first  list  published  showed  two  donations  of 
1,000/.  each,  two  of  500/.  each,  one  of  210/.,  and  several  of 
60Z.  each.  Prominent  among  the  names  of  subscribers 
were  *old  Indians,'  and  the  relatives  of  such.  The 
Marquis  of  Salisbury,  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  and 
Lord  Derby,  the  Foreign  Minister,  contributed,  and, 
five  days  after  the  Fund  was  opened,  it  was  put  on  a 
sure  basis  by  a  letter  from  the  comptroller  to  his  Royal 
Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  which  a  cheque  for 
500  guineas  was  enclosed.  The  Prince  desired  General 
Probyn,  his  comptroller,  to  add  how  sincerely  his  Royal 
Highness  trusted  that  the  Lord  Mayor's  appeal  to  the 


ROYAL   CONTRIBUTIONS.  49 

public  ^  for  the  relief  of  our  starving  fellow-creatures 
in   Southern  India  may  meet   with   the  prompt  and 
generous  response  it  deserves/     The  Princess  of  Wales 
sent  lOOZ.,  and  Sir  Thomas  Biddulph,  on  behalf  of  Her 
Majesty,  forwarded  500/.    Prince  Leopold^  the  Princess 
Imperial  of  Germany,    Princess  Alice   of  Hesse ,^   the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh,  and  other  members  of  the  Royal 
Family  also  contributed  to  the  fund  in  its  earlier  stages. 
Within  a  week  from  the  date  of  the  appeal,  24,000Z.  had 
been  received,  and  the  sum  was  forwarded  by  telegraph 
to  Madras,  the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company  liberally 
oflFering  to  send  messages  free  of  charge.     Associated 
with  the  Lord  Mayor  was  a  committee  of  gentlemen, 
chiefly  merchants  and  bankers  of  the  city,  whose  names 
will  be  found  in  Appendix  D. 

It  is  time  to  turn  to  India,  where  circumstances  of  a 
more  Dr  less  interesting  and  exciting  character  were 
occurring.  In  India  the  response  which  was  made  to 
the  appeal  for  subscriptions  was  very  pleasing.  The 
first  notable  sum  received  came  with  such  promptitude 
that  good  heart  was  at  once  put  in  all  interested  in 
the  movement.  Acting  on  a  telegraphic  account  of  the 
meeting  in  Madras,  which  was  published  in  the  Times 
of  India^  the   Government  of  Baroda  telegraphed   a 

^  The  Grand  Duchess  of  Hesse  accompanied  her  suhscription  with  a  letter, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : — 

'  Darmstadt,  September  20. 

'  My  Lord, — The  Grand  Duchess  of  Hesse,  entertaining  a  lasting  attach- 
ment towards  her  natiye  country,  was  deeply  moved  by  the  sad  reports  which 
came  from  the  Queen's  Eastern  Empire ;  and  her  Royal  Highnesses  sympathies 
are  fully  shared  by  her  husband,  the  Grand  Duke,  whose  interest  in  every- 
thing that  concerns  the  Qneen  and  the  people  of  Great  Britain,  is  no  lees 
sincere.  Their  Royal  Highnesses  are  anxious  to  send  a  small  contribution 
towards  the  Indian  Famine  Relief  Fund,  which  is  being  collected  under  your 
Lordship's  auspices,  and  they  have,  therefore,  directed  me  to  forward  the 
enclosed  cheque  of  jC50  for  that  purpose. 

'  I  have  the  honour  to  be  your  Lordship's  obedient  servant, 

*  Db.  E.  Becx^b.' 
VOL.  II.  E 


60  PRIVATE    CHARITY. 

donation  of  10,000  rs.  The  Prime  Minister  of  Baroda, 
Sir  Madava  Row,  K.C.S.I.,  was  a  native  of  Madras,  and 
had  not  forgotten,  in  his  elevation,  the  scene  of  his 
early  struggles.  It  was  hoped  that  the  example  of 
Baroda  would  be  generally  followed  in  India,  and  that 
in  the  great  cities  meetings  would  be  held  and  sub- 
scription lists  opened.  But  a  difficulty  soon  occurred, 
the  first  sign  of  which  was  indicated  by  Mr.  L.  C. 
Probyn,  Accountant-General  of  Madras.  Writing  to  the 
Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Famine  Fund  Committee, 
on  August  13,  Mr.  Probyn  stated  that  he  thought  the 
objects  for  which  contributions  were  asked  should  be 
more  precisely  defined.  He  said : — *  It  would,  of  course, 
be  useless  for  private  subscribers  to  compete  with 
Government  in  this  matter,  or  to  attempt  to  set  up  an 
independent  agency,  and  I  gather  it  was  not  the  wish 
of  the  meeting  that  this  should  be  done.  But  people, 
perhaps  less  interested  in  the  matter  than  I  am,  will,  I 
think,  very  likely  refuse  their  subscriptions  on  the 
grounds  that  they  are  asked  to  undertake  the  work 
which  Government  has  already  undertaken,  and  for 
which  doubtless  the  Indian  tax-payers  will  eventually 
have  to  pay.' 

The  subject   had  engaged  the  most  anxious  con- 
sideration of  the  committee,   who   were  fully  alive  to 
the  impolicy  of  clashing  in  any  way  with  Government 
forms  of  relief.     No  definite  rules  of  relief  had,  how- 
ever, been  formulated,  at  the  immediate  outset  of  opera- 
tions, but  it  was  clearly  understood  that  the  money 
subscribed  would  be  expended  in  aiding  those  whom 
Government  organisations  could  not  reach.     There  was 
no  wish  or  intention  in  any  form  to  attempt  to  relieve 
those  classes  for  whom  the  authorities  had  made  them- 
selves responsible.     The  committee  looked  upon  them- 
selves as  occupying  a  position  analogous  to  that  of  the 


OBJECTS   OF   RELIEF.  51 

Red  Cross  Society  in  a  warlike  campaign.  The  organi- 
sation of  armies  of  civilised  states  provided  medical 
officers  and  ainbulances,  but  when  a  battle  occurred  it 
was  always  found  that  there  was  more  than  enough 
work  for  both  official  and  voluntary  medical  men  and 
nurses.  The  famine  had  already  shown  that,  beyond  the 
limits  which  the  most  philanthropic  Government  must 
be  careful  not  to  overstep,  there  were  multitudes  who 
needed  a  helping  hand  extended  to  them  to  prevent 
them  sinking  into  hopeless  poverty  ;  there  were  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  others  who,  when  rains  came, 
would  need  assistance  in  the  provision  of  grain  for  sow- 
ing, in  aid  towards  purchasing  oxen  and  ploughs  for 
preparing  the  land,  and  thatch  for  the  roofs  of  their 
houses.  These  views  were  formulated  in  a  series  of 
resolutions  passed  at  a  meeting  of  the  general  committee 
held  on  August  24.     They  were  as  follows : — 

(1.)  Contribution  in  aid  of  local  committees  for  relief 
of  necessitous  poor  not  reached  by  Government  aid  : 

(2.)  Contribution  towards  the  care  of  destitute 
children  in  (a)  orphanages ;  and  in  {b)  day  nurseries  ; 
and  the  like : 

(3.)  Providing  clothes  for  destitute  women  and 
children : 

(4.)  And,  to  make  allotments  towards  any  other 
special  objects  which  seem  to  come  within  the  scope  and 
ability  of  the  fund. 

It  had  also  been  determined  that  committees  should 
be  formed  in  all  the  districts  affected  by  famine,  in 
accordance  with  a  resolution  which  set  forth  that  *  col- 
lectors and  European  and  native  gentlemen  in  the 
distressed  districts  be  requested  to  form  themselves  into 
local  committees  for  the  distribution  of  such  aid  as  it 
may  be  in  the  pow^er  of  the  general  relief  committee  to 
place  at  their  disposal.'    Circulars  were  addressed  to  all 

E  2 


52  PRIVATE    CHARITY. 

the  aflFected  places  with  most  unsatisfactory  results. 
The  Government  of  India  had  adopted  an  attitude  to- 
wards the  fund  which  absolutely  paralysed  all  the  efforts 
which  the  committee  were  making.  In  India  the 
Government  is  all  in  all.  Any  eflTort  upon  which  the 
authorities  look  deprecatingly,  or  to  which  they  give 
doubtful  support,  withers  as  though  smitten  with  a 
plague.  In  the  present  instance,  however,  all  eflFort 
was  not  checked,  as  the  supreme  and  local  Governments 
were  at  variance:  the  minor  gods  on  the  spot  were 
propitious  ;  it  was  only  the  occupants  of  the  far-off 
Ol3rmpus  who  were  opposed  (under  a  slight  misappre- 
hension of  existing  circumstances)  to  private  charity 
being  exercised.  Some  people  there  were  who  dared  con- 
sequences, and  five  mofussil  committees  were  formed 
during  the  month  of  August.  But,  generally  speaking, 
the  movement  hung  fire.  The  way  in  which  the  mis- 
understanding between  Simla  and  Madras  became  public 
was  this : 

In  common  with  other  Indian  cities,  in  regions 
where  famine  did  not  exist,  the  authorities  in  Calcutta 
had  been  asked  to  convene  a  meeting  of  the  citizens, 
and  ask  for  subscriptions.  No  response  was  made  to 
this  appeal  for  a  while.  Neither  was  any  reply  vouch- 
safed by  the  members  of  the  Supreme  Government  at 
Simla,  of  whom  subscriptions  were  asked.  In  a  some- 
what circuitous  manner  it  soon  oozed  out  that  the 
Viceroy  and  his  Council  were  not  well  pleased  with  the 
action  which  had  been  taken  in  Madras.  The  public 
meeting  in  the  Banqueting  Hall  and  the  appeal  to  Eng- 
land were  looked  upon  as  the  acts  of  the  Government 
of  Madras,  who  were  represented  by  a  journal  which 
professed  to  speak  the  mind  of  the  Government  of  India, 
as  being  in  open  revolt  against  their  superiors.  They 
were  also  charged  with  acting  insubordinately  in  not 


THE  APPEAL   TO   ENGLAND   ENTIRELY   NON-OFFICIAL,    53 

asking  permisBion  of  Lord  Lytton  to  make  the  appeal ; 
and  further,  in  makmg  it  they  had  virtually  confessed 
the  inability  of  the  authorities  to  cope  with  the  disaster. 
It  was  a  confession  of  defeat,  a  surrender  by  a  general 
of   division   when    the   Commander-in-Chief    had    no 
thought  of  surrender,  but  believed  his  forces  capable  of 
overcoming  all  difficulties.      This   reasoning  was   fal- 
lacious, but  for  a  time  was  very  powerful.     The  action 
that  had  been  taken  was  not  the  action  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  Madras,  who  it  was  felt  by  the  chief  movers  in 
the  matter  could  not  as  a  Government  appeal  to  the 
people  of  England  or  of  any  other  country  for  assist- 
ance.   But  it  was  felt  that  the  people  of  Southern  India 
could  open  communications  with  the  people  of  England, 
and  that  such  a  course  would   be  right  and   proper. 
The  movement,  in  its  conception  and  carrying  out,  as 
has  already  been  shown,  was  entirely  non-official,  and 
the  Governor  of  Madras  was  asked  to  preside  over  the 
proposed  meeting,  not  as  Governor,  but  as  the  chief 
citizen  of  the  Presidency,  who,  from  his  position,  was 
peculiarly  acquainted  with  the  need  that  was  alleged  to 
exist,  and  who  would  be  able  to  give  such  tidings  as 
would  caiTy  weight.     Yet  further,  not  supposing  for 
one  moment  that  their  desire  to  ally  themselves  with 
the  Government  could  be  misinterpreted  into  antagonism 
to  the  supreme  authorities,  it  never  entered  the  minds 
of  the  promoters  of  the  movement  to  ask  the  Viceroy's 
countenance,  which  was  assumed  as  certain  to  be  ren- 
dered.    It  must,  however,  be   conceded  that  there  is 
something  to  be  said  from  the  point   of  view  of  the 
Government  of  India,  the  members  of  which  were  made 
by  the  appeal  to  appear  wanting  in  a  due  appreciation  of 
the  facts.  What  reasons  Lord  Lytton  and  his  Councillors 
had  to  urge  for  their  action  will  appear  in  due  course. 
The  vague  and  unauthenticated  statements  which 


54  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

had  been  current  for  some  time  were  confirmed  towards 
the  end  of  the  month,  and,  just  before  the  Viceroy  left 
Simla,  by  circumstances  which  transpired  in  Calcutta. 
A  meeting  was  held  in  the  house  of  Sir  Richard  Garth, 
Chief  Justice  of  Bengal,  at  Calcutta,  to  consider 
measures  to  be  adopted  towards  raising  public  subscrip- 
tions in  Southern  India.  The  eflfbrt  had  a  wet  blanket 
thrown  upon  it  at  the  beginning  by  Sir  Richard  Garth 
stating  that  since  the  invitations  had  been  issued  he  had 
received  a  communication  from  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  Bengal  to  the  effect  that  the  Government  of  India 
was  not  desirous  that  any  action  should  be  taken  in  the 
matter  by  private  agency  at  present,  as  the  Government 
felt  quite  confident  of  being  able  to  deal  with  the  suf- 
ferers by  the  famine  satisfactorily.  It  was  also  urged 
that  as  Her  Majesty  and  the  Secretary  of  State  had 
sanctioned  the  desire  of  the  Viceroy  that  the  resources 
of  the  Empire  should  be  placed  unreservedly  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Government  of  India  for  famine  purposes, 
nothing  need  be  done  at  present,  and  nothing  was 
done.^    It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  indignation 

^  A  '  communicated '  paragraph  to  the  Calcutta  Englishman  gave  the 
foUowiDg  details  of  the  meeting : — '  At  the  private  meeting  held  by  special 
invitation  at  the  house  of  Sir  Richard  Ghirth,  on  Saturday  aitemoon,  to  con- 
sider what  measures  should  be  adopted  towards  raising  public  subscriptions 
for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  from  the  famine  in  Southern  India,  as  suggested 
by  the  circular  of  the  Committee  appointed  by  the  public  meeting  lately  held 
at  Madras^  all  classes  of  the  community  were  represented.  Sir  Richard  Gkrth 
opened  the  business  of  the  meeting  by  explaining  that  since  the  invitation  had 
been  issued,  he  had  received  a  communication  from  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
to  the  effect  that  the  Government  of  India  was  not  desirous  that  any  action 
should  be  taken  in  the  matter  by  private  agency  at  present,  as  the  Govern- 
ment felt  quite  confident  of  being  able  to  deal  with  the  sufferers  by  the 
famine  satisfactorily.  Several  gentlemen  present  expressed  then  their  views 
on  the  subject.  But,  it  appearing  to  be  the  general  opinion  that  the  position 
of  Government  had  been  improved  by  the  sanction  received  from  Her 
Majesty  and  the  Secretary  of  State  for  India  to  place  the  resources  of  the 
Empire  unreservedly  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government  of  India  for  famine 
purposes;  it  was  decided  to  take  no  steps  to  appeal  to  the  public  at  present 
At  the  same  time,  it  was  decided  to  intimate  to  the  supporters  of  the  move- 


INDIGNATION   AND   EXCITEMENT   IN   MADRAS.  55 

and  excitement  which  were  aroused  in  Southern  India 
when  these  facts  were  known.     First  and  foremost,  it 
was  pointed  out  that  H.  M.  the  Queen-Empress,  the 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales,  the  Secretary  of  State, 
the  ex- Viceroy,  were  all  put  in  the  wi-ong  as  subscribers 
to  the  fund  by  this  statement.     It  was  deridingly  asked 
whether  the  Government  indeed  could  deal  '  satisfac- 
torily *  with  the  famine  in  its  intensified  aspect  when, 
up  to  June  30,  half  a  million  of  people  had  died  from 
want,  and  want-induced  disease.     The  Government  of 
India  were  charged  with  teaching  a  new  gospel,  the 
gospel  of  inhumanity,  while  the  people  of  Calcutta  were 
called  upon  to  revolt  against  such  a  doctrine.     This,  by 
the  way,  they  were  doing  in  the  shape  of  contributions 
raised  through  the  missionary  conference  and  for  the 
day  nurseries,  which  had  been  established  in  Madras. 
In  many  ways  the  feeling  of  annoyance  and  vexation 
which  had  been    engendered    found   expression,   and 
amongst  other  instances  may  be  quoted  the  following 
'  skit,'  in  which  the  practice  of  the  Government  of  India 
of  publishing  draft  bills  in  the  Government  Gazette  was 
satirised :  — 

ACT   XVI.  OF  1877. 


A2T  ACT  AGAINST  HUMANITARIAN  PRACTICE. 

The  following  Act  and  Statement  of  Objects  and  Reasons  accom- 
panying it  are  published  for  general  information,  under  the  22nd  of 
the  Rules  for  the  Conduct  of  Business  at  Meetings  of  the  Council  of 
the  Governor-General  of  India  for  the  purpose  of  making  Laws  and 
Regulations : — 

ment  for  raising  private  subscriptions  that  at  any  future  time,  if  it  becomes 
necessary,  the  committee  is  willing  to  give  its  services  to  devise  the  best 
means  of  carrying  out  the  proposals,  and  to  devote  all  its  energies  to  tbe 
cause  of  public  cbaiity/ 


56  PRIVATE   CHARITY, 

No.  16  OF  1877. 

THE  ANTI-HCTMANITABIAN  ACT,  1877. 

An  Act  to  define  and  a/mend  the  Law  relating  to  eharitahle  cofUrtbu- 

tiona  during  Famine  Periods. 

Whereas  it  is  expedient  to  define  and  amend  the  law  relating  to 
p^^^^^  charitable  contributions  during    Famine    periods. 

It  is  hereby  enacted  as  follows  : — 

CHAPTER  I. 
Pbeliminabt. 


Short  Title. 


Local  extent. 


1.  This  Act  may  be  called  '  The  Anti-Cbaritable 
Contributions  Act,  1877  : ' 

It  extends  to  the  whole  of  the  Madras  Presi- 
dency : 

And  it  has  already  been  put  into  execution, 

CommenoeineDt.  •       i*  a  ^  /*    f  om»v 

VIZ.,  from  August  6,  1877. 
2.  On  and  from  that  day  the  Laws  specified  in  the  schedule  hereto 

annexed  were  repealed.     But  all  powers  conferred 

Enactment  repealed.  .         ,,■,  «         i<i         <•         •*      ^  v.i 

under  either  of  such  instructions  be  deemed  to  have 
been  conferred  under  this  Act. 

And  all  references  to  either  of  such  Laws  shall  be  deemed  to  be 
made  to  this  Act. 

These  Laws  are  as  follows : — 

(a)  The  Bible,  in  use  among  Christians,  particularly  those  por- 
tions relating  to  giving  of  alms. 

(b)  The  Koran. 

(c)  The  Hindoo  Sastras  and  all  traditions  which  counsel  the 
support  of  life  by  charity. 

(d)  The  Buddhist  Banas. 

CHAPTER  n. 
Of  the  Contributions  which  abe  to  cease. 

3.  A  contribution  is  a  sum  of  money,  or  any  quantity  of  food,  or 
piece  of  clothing  given  to  persons  in  deep  and  dire  necessity. 

CHAPTER  m. 
Op  the  Non-Necessity  which  exists  fob  Charity. 

4.  It  has  at  length  been  recognised  by  the  Supreme  Gk>vemment  that 

distress  exists  in  the  Madras  Presidency,  and  seeing 

**"°        ^  that  Famines  occur  with  frequent  regularity,  and 

must  be  fought  on  system,  the  Gk>vemment  is  prepared  to  deal  with 


AN   ANTI-HUMANITARIAN   ACT.  57 

all  distress  that  arises.  It  has  been  stated  that  half  a  million  people 
have  already  died  of  Famine,  but  the  Supreme  Government  has  not 
seen  each  of  these  corpses.  It  is,  therefore,  enacted  that  it  will 
henceforth  be  penal  for  any  person  to  allude  to  this  so-called  '  fact/ 
the  penalty  in  case  of  non-compliance  with  this  order  will  be  the 
^same  as  in  dacoity  and  other  ciimes  of  yiolence.  (See  Acts  relating 
to  Daooities.) 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Of  what  constitutes  an  offence  under  the  Act. 

5.  It  will  be  considered  an  offence  within  the  meaning  of  this  Act 
and  be  punishable  to  the  full  extent  of  the  penalties. 

.jf  111  DeflniUon  of  oflFeuoe. 

if  any  person  shall, — 

(a)  Give  a  contribution  (1)  to  the  General  Belief  Fund  of  the 
Madras  Presidency,  or  (2)  to  the  Town  Belief  Fund  : 

(6)  Giving  food  or  nutriment  of  any  kind  to  people  who  are  in 
search  of  sustenance,  and  are  found  anywhere  outside  their  villages  : 

(c)  Writing  to  friends  in  England  from  India,  or  other  parts  of  Her 
Britannic  Majesty's  dominions,  soliciting  aid  : 

(d)  Or  any  deed  which  can  be  construed  by  the  servants  of  the 
Supreme  Government  into  a  charitable  act.  [All  moneys  subscribed 
will  be  impounded  to  pay  the  salaries  of  the  large  numbers  of  such 
who  are  already  in  the  service  of  the  State.] 

IUu8tration8. 

A,  a  resident  in  Madras,  has  given  500  rs.  to  one  of  the  Funds 
named ;  B,  a  Mofussilite,  has  done  similarly,  and,  in  addition,  belongs 
to  a  Local  Belief  Ckimmittee ;  C,  a  resident  in  London,  has  given 
10,000  rs. ;  A  is  to  be  heavily  fined,  B  imprisoned  for  life,  and  C 
warned  that^  if  he  ever  comes  to  British  India,  he  will  be  arrested 
and  tried  on  the  charge. 

A,  a  lady  living  in  Namteypett,  Madras,  was  discovered  feeding  a 
number  of  little  children  every  morning  with  milk  and  brown  bread. 
A  is  punishable  with  a  fine  of  500  rs.  on  the  first  occasion,  and 
imprisonment,  at  the  discretion  of  the  magistrate,  on  all  subsequent 
occasions,  when  the  heinous  charge  is  proved. 

B,  another  lady  living  in  Bayda,  Madras,  has  established  a  number 
of  Day  Nurseries  for  babies  and  children  who  can  scarcely  run  alone, 
whose  mothers  are  engaged  on  relief  works.  This  is  considered  a 
very  bad  case,  and  the  magistrate  has  discretion  to  fine  and  imprison 
to  the  utmost  possible  limit.  Half  the  fine  recovered,  or  half  the 
pro|)erty  of  the  prisoner  (which  will  be  confiscated)  will  be  given  to 
the  informer. 


58  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

A,  third  lady  [it  is  anticipated  that  the  ladies  will  be  the  grossest 
offenders],  visits  a  Belief  Camp,  and  gives  2-anna  pieces  to  the  poorest 
and  most  emaciated  of  the  children.  She  also  clothes  some.  On  her 
first  visit  she  finds  she  has  not  a  sufficient  number  of  2-anna  pieces, 
and  sends  several  rupees  worth  by  a  friend  D.  This  is  a  very  gross 
transgression.  A  should  be  transported  to  the  An  damans — not  so 
much  for  the  original  offence,  but  for  inducing  D  to  break  the  law. 
D  should  be  imprisoned  for  six  months,  and  receive  fifty  lashes. 

C  (in  the  employment  of  Grovemment)  is  reported  to  have  given 
Liebig's  Extract  to  a  starving  man,  and  recovered  him.  This,  C  did, 
knowing  that  there  was  a  Belief  Camp  a  mile  and  a  half  beyond  his 
dwelling.  C  may  plead  that  it  was  a  wet  night  when  he  did  this 
and  the  starving  man  was  greatly  exhausted,  but  this  aggravates  the 
offence,  as,  when  camps  are  provided,  nobody  ought  to  be  outside 
them.  C  will,  of  course,  be  imprisoned  for  twelve  months,  will  be 
degraded,  and  his  past  service  not  be  allowed  to  count  for  pension. 

All  cases  that  may  be  brought  up  are  to  be  dealt  with  in  the 
spirit  of  these  illustrations. 

THE  FIBST  SCHEDULE. 

{See  Section  2.) 

This  is  unnecessary,  as  the  laws,  human  and  divine,  which  are  to 
be  abrogated  have  been  already  set  forth  in  detail. 

THE    SECOND    SCHEDULE. 

A. — Forms  of  PlaintSf  dsc. 

There  are  to  bo  no  forms  of  plaints.  The  evidence  of  an  informer 
that  A  or  B,  to  the  end  of  the  alphabet,  has  been  guilty  of  the  crime 
of  aiding  or  abetting  in  any  way  charitable  relief,  shall  be  sufficient 
to  secure  a  conviction.  No  defence  is  to  be  allowed  to  prisoners,  who 
are  to  be  considered  as  vwn  compos  m,entis,  which  they  clearly  are, 
if  they  give  of  their  substance,  and  expend  their  sympathy  upon 
the  starving  and  the  dying,  when  Government  has  taken  the  task 
in  hand. 


STATEMENT  OF  OBJECTS  AND  BEASONS. 

The  object  of  this  Act  is  to  amend  and  codify  the  law  governing 
the  giving  of  charitable  allowances  on  the  part  of  the  geneitil  public 
during  a  time  of  famine,  and,  indeed,  at  all  other  times.     The  want 


AN   ANTI-HUMANITARIAN   ACT.  59^ 

of  a  definite  system  of  law  upon  this  subject  has  long  been  felt. 
This  want,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  supplied  by  the  present  Act.  The  Act 
is  based  mainly  upon  the  Law  of  the  Utilitarians,  men  who  have  no 
hearts  and  only  diseased  brains ;  no  deviations  from  that  law  have 
been  made,  but  some  provisions  have  been  adopted  from  the  Pande- 
monium Codes,  which  were  drawn  up  by  that  excellent  gentleman, 
Mephistopheles,  aided  by  Diabolus,  the  Advocate,  whose  art  in 
making  the  worse  appear  the  better  part  has  been  strained  to  the 
utmost  in  this  case.  The  occasion  for  it  was  a  dark  and  dreadful 
conspiracy  among  sundry  and  diver's  malicious  persons  residing  in 
Southern  India  generally,  but  mainly  in  Madras.  They  seem  to  have 
conceived  that  it  was  their  duty  to  supplement  Grovemment  aid 
towards  sufferers  from  famine  during  the  trial  of  a  great  experiment, 
and  based  their  action,  among  other  things,  on  the  weak  plea  that 
half  a  million  of  people  had  died  through  want,  although  Grovem- 
ment was  doing  its  best.  But  that  best  was  only  put  forth  by  a 
Local  Government  too  fond  of  having  its  own  way :  the  supreme 
authorities  have  now  girded  their  loins,  and  are  entering  into  the 
conflict.  The  public  will  see  what  they  will  see.  The  mischief  of 
such  acts  as  those  which  this  enactment  will  put  a  stop  to  is  that  the 
experiment  which  Sir  Stra  Johnchey  has  watched  with  such  great 
interest  is  vitiated,  and  we  shall  have  to  fight  another  &mine  de  novo. 
This  is  not  to  be  tolerated :  hence  this  enactment,  which  all  are 
commanded  to  obey. 

Stotley  Whikes, 

Secretary  to  Govemvient  in  the 

Legislative  Department. 
Inhumanville,  August  8,  1877. 

Whilst  feeling  was  thus  being  aroused  and  expressed, 
the  executive  committee  of  the  relief  fund,  satisfied 
as  to  the  necessity  for  their  action,  had  bated  '  not 
a  jot  of  heart  or  hope,'  but  had  continued  appealing  for 
subscriptions,  meeting  claims  for  aid,  and  laying  the 
foundations  of  a  widespread  scheme  of  relief  to  extend 
wherever  distress  existed  in  India. 

As  the  time  approached  for  His  Excellency's  arrival 
in  Madras,  there  was  much  interest  as  to  the  course 
His  Excellency  would  adopt  towards  a  movement  which 
had  by  this  time  given  promise  of  attaining  great  pro* 
portions. 


60  PRIVAtE   CHARITY. 

*  Has  the  set  of  the  current  in  His  Excellency's  mind 
become  fully  determined  ? '  men  asked  each  other.  *  Is 
his  famine  policy  absolutely  decided  upon?'  *  Has  it 
become  as  hard  as  the  palaeocrystic  ice  which  barred  the 
way  of  English  seamen  to  the  Pole  ? '  If  so,  it  was  felt 
that  His  Excellency  had  better  never  have  come  to 
Madras.  '  Instead  of  being  the  deliverer  of  Madras,  he 
would  become  the  destroyer  of  the  people,'  said  one  of 
the  exponents  of  public  opinion,  which  further  continued, 
*  If  Lord  Lytton  has  imbibed  the  Temple  notions  about 
rations — and  there  is  an  ominous  appearance  of  it — 
then  we  tell  his  lordship  that  he  will  have  to  stand  at 
the  bar  of  Indian  and  English  opinion  to  answer  for 
the  guilt  of  a  terrible  mortality.'  '  Adopt  those  reduced 
rations,'  said  the  leading  medical  authority  in  this  Pre- 
sidency a  few  days  ago,  *  and  your  awful  death-rate  in 
the  relief  camps  will  be  terribly  increased.'  In  an  issue 
of  The  Times  recently  to  hand  it  was  remarked,  *  If 
there  is  such  a  mortality  in  Madras  as  there  was  in 
Orissa,  there  will  be  no  mercy  or  forgiveness  this  time 
for  those  who  are  responsible.  The  policy  of  the 
Madras  Government  will  prevent  that  terrible  mortality- 
The  policy  Lord  Lytton  is  credited  with  will  bring  it 
about.  We  beg  his  lordship  to  be  warned  in  time,  and 
not  be  seduced,  by  a  hope  of  saving  half  a  million  ster- 
ling, into  the  adoption  of  such  a  policy,  when  every 
pound  sterling  of  the  amount  that  is  saved  will  mean 
a  human  life  untimely  and  unnecessarily  squandered.' 
There  are  assumptions  in  the  foregoing  passages  which 
were  not  borne  out  by  subsequent  facts,  particularly 
with  regard  to  the  rival  policies,  but  the  remarks  are 
quoted  to  show  the  direction  and  force  of  the  currents 
of  local  opinion  at  the  time.  The  new  policy  had  not 
the  effect  which  was  feared. 

The  Governor  of  Madras  proceeded  to  Raichore — 
the  boundaxy-line  station  between  Madras  and  Bombay 


THE   viceroy's   ARRIVAL   AT   MADRAS.  61 

— ^to  meet  the  Viceroy,  and  together  the  Governor- 
General  and  Governor  travelled  to  Bellary,  where  a  day 
was  spent.  The  discourse  between  Lord  Lytton  and 
the  Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Chandos  was  of  relief 
works,  relief  camps,  total  expenditure,  and  kindred 
subjects,  but  not  a  word  was  spoken  of  the  interrupted 
public  meeting  at  Calcutta  or  of  the  alleged  ability  of 
the  Government  to  deal  satisfactorily  with  all  affected 
by  famine.  The  Governor  of  Madras  left  the  Viceroy 
at  Bellary  and  returned  to  Madras  to  receive  the  Vice- 
roy at  the  chief  city  of  the  Presidency. 

On  the  day  preceding  the  Viceroy's  arrival,  a  tele- 
gram was  received  from  the  Mansion  House  Committee 
stating  that  a  report  had  appeared  in  The  Times  from 
Calcutta  stating  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  Government 
of  India  private  subscriptions  were  not  wanted.  It  was 
asked  whether  there  was  any  truth  in  the  statement, 
and  it  was  added  that  unless  speedily  contradicted  the 
success  of  the  fund  would  be  imperilled. 

'  The  appeal  to  England  has  been  very  successful 
so  far,'  said  his  Grace  the  Governor,  to  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee  on  the  morning  of  August 
29,  when  on  the  platform  of  the  Madras  station  the 
Viceroy's  train  was  being  awaited,  *I  received  a 
telegram  last  evening  announcing  the  despatch  of 
25,000/.  That  makes  45,000/.  altogether.  The  fund 
will  probably  be  large.   The  "  whip  "  will  be  successful.' 

'  That  is  very  satisfactory,  your  Grace,'  was  the 
reply.  '  But  is  not  the  charity  of  England  likely  to  be 
checked  by  the  telegram  of  The  Times  Calcutta  corre- 
spondent, respecting  which  the  Mansion  House  Com- 
mittee has  telegraphed  ? ' 

'  It  may  have  a  temporary  effect,'  said  his  Grace, 
'but  I  do  not  think  it  wiU  do  much  harm.' 

'  Your  Grace  had  an  interview  with  the  Viceroy 


62  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

yesterday.     May  I  ask  whether  his   Excellency  said 
anything  about  the  fund  ?' 

'  No.  Not  one  word  was  said  on  the  subject.' 
*  Seeing  the  prejudicial  effect  which  certain  state- 
ments purporting  to  have  the  authority  of  Grovemment 
had  in  Bengal  and  now  have  in  London,  does  your 
Grace  not  think  the  relief  committee  might  seek  an 
interview  with  the  Viceroy,  to  come  to  a  clear  under- 
standing about  the  matter  ?' 

'  Yes  ;  I  think  the  committee  is  bound  to  do  this.' 
The  train  came  up  at  this  moment  and  the  conver- 
sation was  interrupted. 

Under  eyes  which  scanned  him  closely,  the  Viceroy 
stepped  from  his  carriage  and  proceeded  with  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Chandos  to  Government 
House  amid  the  state  and  magnificence  with  which  the 
present  rule  of  Madras  is  marked. 

On  the  following  morning  in  a  semi-official  manner 
the  honorary  secretary  of  the  committee  had  interviews 
with  Colonel  0.  T.  Burne,  private  secretary,  and  other 
members  of  the  Viceroy's  staff,  and  it  was  understood 
that  Lord  Lytton  would  be  willing  to  meet  the  com- 
mittee and  discuss  with  them  the  question  of  private 
subscriptions  and  the  scope  for  private  charity.  A  state- 
ment of  this  fact  was  '  circulated '  ^  during  the  day  to 
members  of  the  executive,  who  were  to  meet  that  even- 
ing in  due  course,  that  they  might  become  acquainted 
with  the  business  for  consideration.  With  one  excep- 
tion, all  the  members  who  saw  the  notice  were  in  favour 
of  an  interview  which,  it  was  hoped,  would  do  away 
with  the  misunderstanding  that  existed.  But  when  the 
committee  met  in  the  evening  a  different  spirit  was 
evinced.     This  will  appear  from  the  following  passages 

^  *  Circulated/  in  the  fashion  in  which  so  much  Indian  committee  work 
is  done.    Anglo-Indians  will  understand  the  allusion. 


TELEGRAMS  FROM  AND  TO  LONDON.        63 

extracted  from  No.  1  of  the  *  weekly  statements  '  of  the 
Famine  Committee  : — 

The  following  telegrams  from  London  were  read : — 

From  Lord  Mayor,  dated  August  27. 

Twenty  thousand  pounds  further  herewith.  Telegram  in  to-day's 
Times  from  Calcutta  deprecating  private  efforts  as  Government 
will  do  all  necessary.  Injurious.  How  does  your  Grace  propose  to 
distribute  our  fund?  During  last  famine  a  Local  Committee  was 
appointed. 

From  Sir  N'cUhcmiel  Rothschild,  dated  August  27. 

By  desire  of  Lord  Mayor  remit  through  Chartered  Mercantile 
Bank  further  twenty  thousand  pounds.  Tirnea  states  this  morning 
from  Calcutta  Government  deprecates  private  charity.  Unless  officially 
contradicted  will  prevent  further  subscriptions. 

It  was  resolved  that  the  following  telegram  be  at 
once  sent  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  : — 

Action  Supreme  Grovemment  unaccountable.  Here  notorious 
no  Government  efforts  can  reach  certain  distressed  classes,  private 
agency  can.  Central  Committee  Madras  manages  fund,  controlling 
Local  Committees  interior.  Operations  quite  distinct  from  Govern- 
ment, not  conflicting  but  supplementary.  Large  funds  urgently  re- 
quired, delay  disastrous. 

An  entry  in  the  minute-book  of  the  committee 
shows  that  a  telegram  of  the  same  purport  as  those 
from  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Sir  Nathaniel  Rothschild  had 
been  received  by  a  firm  in  Madras.^ 

The  meeting  was  held  late  in  the  evening,  and  what 
followed  was  not  a  little  dramatic  in  its  incidents.  The 
honorary  secretary  called  at  the  telegraph  office  on 
his  way  from  the  meeting,  forgetful  of  an  arrangement 
which  had  been  made,  viz.,  that  in  consideration  of  the 
interest  which  the  Governor  had  taken  in  the  move- 

*  It  is  only  fair  to  Sir  William  Robinson,  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee, to  state  that  he  was  not  present  at  the  meeting  whence  it  was 
decided  to  telegraph  '  Action  Supreme  Government  unaccountable.' 


64  PRIVATE   CHARITY, 

ment,  his  Grace  should  see  all  messages  before  they 
were  despatched  to  the  Mansion  House,  London. 
Later  in  the  evening,  letters  were  sent  to  the  private 
secretaries  of  the  Viceroy  and  the  Governor  respec- 
tively, containing  copies  of  the  telegram,  and  an  account 
of  the  decision  the  meeting  had  come  to,  viz.,  not  to 
interview  Lord  Lytton,  but,  instead,  had  determined  to 
despatch  a  telegram  to  London,  copy  of  which  was 
enclosed.  The  letters  were  delivered  just  a  sa  party 
given  in  Lord  Lytton's  honour  was  breaking  up.  As 
at  Bellary  so  in  Madras,  whilst  all  other  conceivable 
topics  in  connection  with  the  famine  had  been  well 
threshed  out  in  discussion,  nothing  had  been  said  on  the 
subject  of  private  charity.  It  was  not '  official '  business, 
and,  though  doubtless  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  all, 
was  not  refeiTed  to.  All  parties  were  shy  of  bringing  it 
forward,  but  with  such  a  telegram  as  that  which  had 
gone  to  London,  in  which  the  conduct  of  the  Supreme 
Government  was  described  as  'unaccountable,'  and 
their  statement  of  being  able  to  satisfactorily  meet  all 
distress  distinctly  denied,  there  was  no  possibility  of 
further  *  fencing.'  The  Duke  started  in  search  of  the 
Viceroy,  and  the  Viceroy  proceeded  to  look  for  the  Duke. 
They  met,  and,  rumour  has  it,  discussed  the  question  in 
all  its  bearings  till  long  after  midnight,  the  outcome 
being  a  message  to  the  Lord  Mayor  from  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham  and  Chandos,  couched  in  the  following 
terms: — *  Message  from  the  committee  this  evening  went 
without  approval,  before  I  had  opportunity  of  conferring 
with  the  Viceroy  on  the  subject  of  The  Times'  re- 
port respecting  statement  at  Calcutta  to  which  you 
refer.  Viceroy  entirely  concurs  that  every  facility  be 
afforded  to  contributions  of  private  charity  towards 
relieving  those  cases  of  distress  amongst  famine- 
stricken   people   of    South    India  which   Government 


COLLECTING   PRIVATE   SUBSCRIPTIOKS.  65 

organisation  does  not  propose  to,  and  cannot  undertake 
to  meet,  but  was,  and  is,  averse  to  Government  calling 
meetings  for  levying  subscriptions  from  Indian  people 
who  may  have  to  bear  heavy  famine  taxation.  Hence 
probable  origin  of  report.  Funds  will  be  managed  by 
a  central  relief  committee  at  Madras,  and  local  com- 
mittees, and  not  applied  to  relief  of  that  distress  which 
Government,  by  providing  work  and  village  relief,  can 
meet/  A  copy  of  this  message  was  forwarded  to  the 
executive  committee  next  morning.  The  Mansion 
House  Committee  managed  their  share  in  the  unfortu- 
nate difference  very  skilfully,  and  served  to  allay  the 
suspicion  which  was  being  aroused  in  England  that  dis- 
putation and  wrangling  were  going  on  in  India. 

Three  days  later,  in  a  Gazette  of  India  Extraordi- 
nary^ announcing  the  new  arrangements  made  for  the 
campaign,  two  letters  appeared  which — reluctant  as  the 
writer  is  to  burden  his  pages  with  long  documents— 
from  their  intrinsic  importance  must  be  quoted  in  full. 
They  are  as  follows  : — 

THE  COLLECTION  OF  PRIVATE  SUBSCRIPTIONS  AND 
THEIR  DUE  EXPENDITURE  ON  OBJECTS  OUTSIDE 
THE  SCOPE  OF  GOVERNMENT  OPERATIONS. 

No.  773,  Governor-General's  Camp,  Madras,  August  31,  1877. 

From  S.  C.  BAYLEY,  Esq.,  C.S.I., 

Additional  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  India, 
To 

THE  SECRETARY  TO  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  MADRAS. 

Sir, — I  am  directed  to  forward,  for  the  information  of  the  Governor 
of  Madras  in  Council,  the  accompanying  copy  of  a  letter  which,  under 
the  direction  of  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy,  I  have  this  day  addressed 
to  the  Government  of  Bengal,  in  regard  to  the  question  of  applying  to 
the  public  for  subscriptions  in  aid  of  famine  relief. 

2.  The  immediate  object  of  this  letter  was  to  explain  to  his 
Honour  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Bengal  somewhat  more  fully  than 

VOL.  II.  F 


66  PRIVATE   CHARITY, 

had  been  in  the  telegram  of  August  12,  the  views  and  wishes  of  the 
Grovemment  of  India  in  regard  to  appeals  by  Grovemment  for  public 
subscriptions,  and  it  is  desirable  that  his  Grace  should  also  be  informed 
of  the  considerations  which  led  his  Excellency  to  adopt  these  views. 

3.  With  reference  to  paragraph  7  of  the  enclosed  letter,  I  am 
directed  to  state  that  his  Excellency  finds  on  the  proceedings  of  the 
committee^  held  on  August  24,  a  resolution  that  the  fund  should  be 
devoted  (1)  to  contributions  in  aid  of  local  committees  for  the  relief  of 
necessitous  poor  not  reached  by  the  Government ;  (2)  To  contributions 
towards  the  care  of  destitute  children;  (3)  To   making  allotment 
towards  any  other  special  objects  which  seem  to  come  within  the  scope 
and  ability  of  the  fund.    The  whole  discussion  tends  to  show  that  it  was 
the  desire  of  the  committee  to  adapt  its  work  to  objects  and  measures 
of  relief  other  than  that  already  covered  by  the  action  of  Government, 
but    in    considering    the    tenns    by  which    the  committee    define 
the  objects  to  which  their  funds  will  be  devoted,  the  Viceroy  fails  to 
gather  such  complete  and  specific  information  on  the  point  as  he 
could  desire.     He  has  no  objection  whatever  to  the  benefits  of  private 
charity  being  directed  towards  those  necessitous  poor  whom  the  action 
of  Government  cannot  reach,  and  accepts  it  as  quite  probable  that 
among  women  of  the  respectable  classes,  among  persons  on  very  small 
fixed  incomes,  and  even  among  agriculturists  who  are  struggling  to 
I'emain  at  their  homes,  there  may  be  cases,  which  ought  not  to  come 
within  the  scope  of  Grovemment  action,  but  which  may  very  properly 
be  relieved  by  private  charity  wherever  private  charity  has  the  neces- 
sary agency  at  its  disposal.     Similarly  in  regard  to  children,  though 
Government  is  in  one  way  or  another  endeavouring  to  keep  alive  all 
destitute  or  c»-phan  children  that  may  be  thix)wn  on  its  hands,  there 
may  well  be  room  for  private  charity  in  regard  to  children  not  within 
this  category,  and  moreover  the  work  of  pi-oviding  for  and  supporting 
such  childi^n  hereafter,  either  by  grants  to  orphanages  or  to  those  who 
will  receive  such  children,  is  obviously  a  fit  subject  for  private  charity. 
His  Excellency  understands  it  was  not  the  object  of  the  committee 
to  express,  in  a  general  resolution,  specific  rules  or  detailed  instructions, 
but  doubtless  these  will  be  drawn  out  hereafter.     In  the  meantime,  as 
Lord  Lytton  learns  that  the  subject  has  been  under  the  considei-ation 
of  his  Grace  the  Governor,  he  will  be  glad  to  receive  information  as 
to  the  conclusions  which  the  Madras  Government  have  come  to,  and 
to  learn  not  only  what  are  the  specific  objects  in  detail  to  which  funds 
are  to  be  devoted,  but  also  what  agency  the  Committee  propose  to 
employ  both  in  large  towns  and  in  the  interior  for  the  attainment  of 
those  objects.     In  large  towns  there  will  no  doubt  be  plenty  of  volun- 
*  General  Gonunittee,  Madras  Famine  Relief  Fund. 


PRIVATE   SUBSCRIPTIONS.  67 

teer  agency  available,  but  in  the  villages  his  Excellency  apprehends 
that,  outside  the  chain  of  relief  organisation  subordinate  to  the  col- 
lector it  will  be  difficult  to  find  the  requisite  agency,  and  Lord  Lytton 
deprecates  the  diversion  of  this  organisation  to  purposes  other  than 
those  of  Government  relief.  This  objection  is  not  based  on  imaginary 
grounds.  Experience  has  shown  that,  when  the  Government  relief 
organisation  has  been  placed  under  the  orders  of  a  central  committee, 
it  has  led  not  only  to  the  collectors  being  burthened  with  additional 
work,  having  to  submit  double  sets  of  returns,  and  to  correspond 
with  an  additional  master,  but  also  to  a  considerable  amount  of  friction 
and  some  unseemly  discussions  between  Grovemment  officials  and  their 
superiors.  His  Excellency  hopes  therefore  that  the  Government  of 
Madras  will  be  able  to  direct  the  operations  of  the  committee  into 
some  line  where  the  agency  to  be  employed  will  not  be  that  of  the 
overworked  establishment  already  employed  by  Government. 


No.  772,  Governor-Genbbal's  Camp,  Madras,  August  31,  1877. 

From  S.  0.  BAYLEY,  Esq.,  C.S.I., 

Additional  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  India, 

To 
THE  SECRETARY  TO  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  BENGAL. 

Sir, — The  attention  of  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy  has  been  drawn 
to  certain  correspondence  which  has  passed  between  the  Lord  Mayor 
of  London  and  the  General  Committee,  Madras  Famine  Relief  Fund, 
in  regard  to  a  private  meeting  held  in  Calcutta  for  forming  a  famine 
relief  committee ;  and  from  this  correspondence  it  appears  that  con- 
siderable misapprehension  exists  as  to  his  Excellency's  views  on  the 
subject  of  appeals  to  the  public  in  aid  of  famine  relief.  I  am,  there 
fore,  directed  to  communicate  to  you,  in  continuation  of  the  Viceroy's 
telegram  of  August  12,  the  views  of  the  Government  of  India  on  this 
important  subject. 

2.  The  Madras  Government  huve  undertaken  to  keep  people  alive 
by  all  available  means  within  their  power ;  they  undertake  to  relieve 
the  famine-stricken  by  giving  work  to  those  who  can  work  ;  by  giving 
food  and  attendance  either  in  relief  camps  or  kitchens  to  famine- 
stncken  people  who  cannot  work,  and  they  distribute  relief  in  the 
shape  of  a  money-dole  to  nearly  a  million  of  people  at  their  villages ; 
but  in  order  to  do  this  the  whole  available  organisation  of  the  country 

F  2 


68  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

is  strained  to  the  very  utmost,  and  it  is  impossible  to  place  this  organi- 
sation at  the  disposal  of  any  irresponsible  committee. 

3.  Before,  therefore,  the  Government  of  India  could  properly  ask 
for,  or  even  accept,  the  charitable  assistance  of  the  public,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  ascertain  what  measures  of  relief,  other  than  those  already 
adopted  by  Government,  the  central  committee  propose  to  adopt,  and 
what  organisation,  other  than  the  Govei*nment  organisation,  is  at  their 
disposal  for  carrying  out  those  measui^es. 

4.  The  Viceroy  in  his  telegram  of  the  12th  explained  that  he  was 
unwilling  'to  appeal  for  public  subscriptions  in  aid  of  the  efforts 
which  Government  was  making  to  keep  people  alive,'  that  is  to  say, 
he  was  unwilling  to  ask  for  public  subscriptions  in  order  to  supple- 
ment the  Government  expenditure  on  the  same  lines,  for  the  same 
ends,  and  through  the  same  channels  of  organisation  as  the  Govern- 
ment had  already  occupied  To  have  done  this  would  be  merely  ask- 
ing for  public  subscriptions  in  aid  of  the  Indian  revenues,  and  it  was 
unlikely  on  the  one  hand  that  the  public  would  have  cared  to  sub- 
scribe for  this  purpose,  while  on  the  other  the  assistance  which  such 
subscriptions  could  have  given  would  have  borne  but  an  infinitesimal 
proportion  to  the  expenditure  of  half  a  million  sterling  a  month 
which  the  Government  has  already  to  defray  on  account  of  famine. 

5.  There  was  another  consideration  which,  in  his  Excellenc3r's 
opinion,  rendered  it  specially  inopportune  to  appeal  to  the  Indian 
public  for  subscriptions  in  aid  of  Imperial  expenditure  on  famine,  so 
long  especially  as  the  objects  and  agency  of  such  charity  are  not  dis- 
tinctly and  definitely  separated  from  the  objects  and  agency  of  Govern- 
ment expenditure.  It  had  become  manifest  that,  in  order  to  meet 
the  heavy  drain  on  the  finances  of  India,  which  the  Madras  and 
Bombay  famines  were  already  causing,  the  Government  would  sooner 
or  later  be  obliged  to  resoi*t  to  increased  taxation  over  the  whole 
country,  and  it  followed  necessarily  from  the  nature  of  the  case  that 
the  very  class  from  whom  subscriptions  might  be  expected  would  have 
to  bear  the  burthen  of  taxation ;  the  Viceroy  was,  therefore,  unwilling 
to  ask  for  public  subscriptions  from  the  same  persons  who  would 
hereafter  have  to  bear  a  heavy  burthen  of  taxation  for  precisely  the 
same  objects  as  those  to  which  their  subscriptions  were  to  be  devoted. 

6.  This  last  consideration  of  course  applies  only  to  subscriptions 
raised  in  India,  and  in  no  way  to  appeals  made  in  England ;  but  its 
importance  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  in  addition  to  the  destitution 
in  Madras,  the  Government  have  to  face  anticipated  scarcity  also  over 
a  great  portion  of  Northern  India. 

7.  His  Excellency  in  his  telegram  of  the  12th  instant  added  that, 
*  If  any  definite  objects  can  be  Bpedfied  which  are  beyond  the  scope  of 


GOVERNMENT  AND   PRIVATE  RELIEF.  69 

the  operationB  of  Crovemment,  and  to  which  the  subscriptions  of  the 
public  can  be  usefully  applied,  there  can  be  no  objection.'  At  that 
time  the  Government  of  India  had  received  no  communication  on  the 
subject  from  the  Government  of  Madras,  and  the  newspaper  reports 
of  the  public  meetings  left  it  quite  uncertain  whether  the  objects  to 
which  the  committee  destined  their  funds  were  those  already  provided 
by  Government,  or  not :  in  fact,  the  telegram  sent  bome  by  the  com- 
mittee to  the  Lord  Mayor'  leaves  the  question  still  open  to  the  utmost 
doubt,  and  points  rather  to  the  assistance  being  devoted  to  relief  works 
and  relief  camps,  than  to  any  fresh  field  of  action.  His  Excellency  has 
now,  however,  had  an  opportunity  of  conferring  with  the  Government 
of  Madras,  and  learns  from  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  tbat 
the  committee  propose  to  devote  the  funds  received  by  them  to  special 
objects  not  coming  within  the  scope  of  Government  relief,  two  of  which 
objects  are  understood  to  be  the  relief  of  those  who  are  not  yet  so 
reduced  as  to  leave  their  villages  or  to  apply  for  Government  assist- 
ance, and  the  support  of  orphans  and  destitute  children  not  reached 
by  Government  agency.  His  Excellency  is  now  in  correspondence 
with  the  Government  of  Madras  with  a  view  to  formulating  some- 
what more  precisely  the  objects  to  which  private  charity  will  be 
devoted  and  the  agency  through  which  it  will  be  applied. 

8.  While  therefore  it  remains  in  the  Viceroy's  opinion  undesirable 
for  the  Government  itself  to  ask  those  who  will  hereafter  have  to  bear 
the  burthen  of  taxation  on  account  of  famine  expenditure,  to  give  their 
private  subscriptions  also  towards  the  same  object,  his  Excellency 
desires  that  every  encouragement  may  be  given  to  spontaneous  efforts 
which  may  be  made  in  this  direction.  Lord  Lytton  is  very  fai*  from 
desiring  to  impede  the  flow  of  private  charity,  and  is  only  anxious  to 
secure  that  it  should  be  devoted  to  useful  purposes  apart  from  those 
already  taken  up  by  the  State,  and  that  it  should  not  be  diverted  into 
a  simple  contribution  to  the  revenues  of  the  State. 

The  reply  of  the  Government  of  Madras  to  the 
letter  sent  to  them  was  prompt  and  effective  in  showing 
that  the  relief  movement  was  not  an  official  one.  It 
I'an  as  follows  (being  signed  by  Mr.  Garstin,  Secretary 
to  the  Famine  Deportment) :  '  I  am  directed  to  acknow- 
ledge receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  1st  instant,  No.  776, 

*  '  Committee  earnestly  solicit  your  Lordship's  powerful  influence,  sup- 
port, appeal,  assistance,  for  afflicted  population  Southern  India.  .  ,  .  Pro* 
perty  sold  for  food ;  villages  largely  deserted ;  poor  wandering  search  sus- 
tenance ;  resources  lower  middle  class  exhausted  owing  famine  prices ; 
prompt  liberal  assistance  sympathy  may  mitigate  suffering.' 


70  PRIVATE    CHARITY. 

and  to  state  that  the  Madras  Government  have  taken 
no  part  in  the  matter  of  applying  to  the  public  for 
subscriptions  in  aid  of  famine  relief,  although,  at  the 
request  of  the  citizens  of  Madras,  the  head  of  the 
Government  consented  to  preside  at  a  public  meeting 
convened  by  the  sheriff  to  consider  the  advisability  of 
appealing  to  England  for  such  aid. 

'  I  am  to  add  that  your  letter  will  be  communicated 
at  once  to  the  general  committee  of  the  Madras  Famine 
Relief  Fund,  with  whom  rests  the  duty  of  administer- 
ing the  funds  raised,  with  an  intimation  that  the  officers 
of  Government  in  their  official  capacity  will  nowhere  be 
allowed  to  be  disbursers  of  any  funds  which  may  be 
placed  at  the  committee's  disposal,  although  the  Go- 
vernment have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  com- 
mittee are  relying  on  the  agency  of  State  establishments 
for  the  administration  of  their  private  funds.' 

When  referred  to  the  relief  committee,  the  corre- 
spondence was  simply  acknowledged,  with  an  observa- 
tion that  *  the  committee  note  the  remark  of  Government, 
that  Government  servants  in  their  official  capacity  will 
not  be  permitted  to  dispense  the  funds  of  the  com- 
mittee, and  that  the  wishes  of  the  Government  will  be 
carefully  observed.'  This  was  clearly  not  the  right 
answer  to  send.  The  Government  of  India  asked  for 
information,  and  they  received  a  bald  acknowledgment. 
Much  inconvenience  was  subsequently  caused  by  a  want 
of  frankness  at  this  stage  of  affairs. 

As  soon  as  money  had  been  received  in  large  sums 
the  claims  of  other  parts  of  India  outside  the  Madras 
Presidency  were  considered.  Early  in  September  a 
grant  of  one  lakh  of  rupees  was  made  to  Mysore,  and 
half  a  lakh  to  the  Deccan  and  Khandeish  Committee  at 
Bombay.  Willingness  was  also  expressed  to  send  aid 
to  Hyderabad,  but   Sir  Richard  Meade,  the  Resident, 


DELEGATES   TO   THE    DISTRICTS.  71 

after  conferring  with  Sir  Salar  Jung,  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  assistance  was  not  needed.  Grants  were 
made  on  two  occasions  to  Sir  Henry  Daly  for  distribu- 
tion to  famine-stricken  people  in  Central  India. 

With  the  month  of  September  a  new  departure  was 
made    by   the    committee    in    the   direction   of  more 
efficiently  and  widely  disbursing  the  funds  which  had 
been  entrusted  to  them.     Owing  to  various  causes  the 
process  of  forming  committees  in  the  mofussil  was  very 
slow,  and  it  was  determined  to  send  two  gentlemen — 
one  north,  the  other  south — into  the  districts  for  the 
purpose   of  reporting   upon   the  state   of   aflPairs    and 
forming  committees.      The  delegates  chosen  were  the 
Rev.  J.  M.  Strachan,  M.D.,  of  the  S.P.G.  Mission,  and 
F.   Rowlandson,  Esq.,  a   solicitor  of  Madras.      Their 
travelling  expenses  were  provided  for,  and  an  honorarium 
of  1,000   rs.  per  month  each  was  accorded.     The  in- 
structions given  to  the  delegates  were  that  they  were 
to  organise   as   far   as    possible   local    committees    in 
different  parts  of  the  various  distressed  districts,  to  be 
in  direct  communication  with  the  general  relief  com- 
mittee at  Madras  for  distribution  of  famine  funds.    Also 
to   organise   special   agencies   where   local   committees 
could  not  be  formed,  or  sub-agencies  were  likely  to  be 
more  efficient. 

They  were  reminded  that  '  the  fund  was  designed 
to  relieve  the  necessitous  poor  whom  Government  can- 
not or  do  not  reach,  and  care  is  necessary  to  avoid 
even  indirect  interference  with  Government  operations. 
Under  the  above  designation  may  be  included  those 
who  are  not  ordinarily  reckoned  poor,  but  who  are 
rendered  dependent  by  the  present  distress.  While 
Government  operations  have  for  their  object  the  salva- 
tion of  life,  the  funds  may  be  legitimately  applied  to 
the  mitigation  of  intense  suffering.'     The  general  com- 


72  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

mittee,  they  were  informed,  would  be  prepared  to  make 
pecuniary  provision,  if  necessary  (within  reasonable 
limits),  for  preparing  local  accounts,  and  for  all  neces- 
sary expenses  connected  with  the  distribution  of  the 
funds. 

These  and  other  points  were  noticed  to  indicate 
generally  the  committee's  wishes,  but  the  deputation 
were  left  a  wide  discretion,  and  the  committee  relied 
on  their  making  the  best  arrangements  which  the  cir- 
cumstances in  each  locality  admitted  of,  within  the 
scope  of  the  funds  and  the  general  principles  above 
enunciated.  The  committee  looked  to  the  deputation 
for  practical  suggestions  for  the  more  efficient  and 
prompt  distribution  of  the  funds,  and  the  objects  to 
which  they  or  the  local  committee  desired  to  apply 
them.  Copies  of  these  instructions  were  sent  to  the 
chief  places  in  each  district  in  advance,  to  prepare  the 
way  of  the  delegates,  and  were  of  much  ser\dce  in  this 
respect. 

Even  this  measure  did  not  serve  to  remove  all 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  forming  committees.  The 
Government  of  India  were  believed  to  be  still  averse 
to  private  charity,  and  official  and  ^t/at9/-official  assist- 
ance was  therefore  not  given ;  indeed,  more  than 
negative  harm  was  done — positive  evil  resulted.  The 
executive  committee,  on  September  19,  therefore  deter- 
mined to  take  advantage  of  the  Viceroy's  continued 
presence  in  the  Presidency,  to  procure  permission  for 
officials  in  their  citizen  capacity  to  render  service.  His 
Grace  the  Governor  was  with  his  Excellency  the  Go- 
vernor General  at  Coimbatore  when  the  following 
telegram  was  despatched  from  the  executive  committee 
in  Madras  :  *  Famine  relief  committee  respectfully 
suggest  publication  of  an  announcement  by  your  Grace's 
Government  that  there  is  no  objection  to  the  cordial 
co-operation  on  the  part  of  Government  servants  in  the 


GOOD   WORK   OP   SESSIONS  JUDGES.  73 

distribution  of  the  almost  national  chatity  of  the 
English  people  which  is  reaching  this  committee.  In 
the  absence  of  such  announcement  the  committee  an- 
ticipate great  difficulty  in  meeting  the  expectations  of 
subscribers.  Mofussil  committees  can  scarcely  be 
formed  without  the  aid  of  collectors,  judges,  and 
others.  Our  information  shows  that  officers  of  all 
grades  seem  doubtful  as  to  the  propriety  of  co-operating 
under  existing  circumstances.  It  is  very  desirable  that 
this  doubt  should  be  removed.'  Letters  were  also  sent 
officially  to  Government  embodying  the  foregoing 
statements.  The  Governor  conferred  with  the  Viceroy, 
and  at  a  meeting  of  the  executive  committee  held  in 
the  following  week,  the  Chief  Secretary  of  Government, 
Mr.  D.  F.  Carmichael,  attended,  and  handed  in  a  copy 
of  a  notification  just  issued  from  the  press — damp  to 
the  touch,  as  all  freshly  printed  matter  is — which  was 
as  follows  :  '  It  is  the  desire  of  Government  that  public 
servants  of  all  grades  should  give  all  the  assistance  they 
can  render,  without  detriment  to  their  official  duties,  to 
the  formation  of  local  committees,  and  generally  to 
promote  the  object  which  the  famine  relief  committee 
and  subscribers  to  the  famine  relief  fund  have  in 
view.'  This  removed  all  doubt  and  difficulty,  and 
with  one  or  two  exceptions  Government  servants  most 
zealously  assisted  in  the  work  of  relief.  Conspicuous 
among  them  were  the  sessions  judges,  whose  labours  in 
North  Arcot  (Mr.  C.  G.  Plumer),  South  Arcot  (Mr. 
0.  B.  Irvine),  Tinnevelly  (Mr.  F.  CuUing-Carr), 
Trichinopoly  (Mr.  E.  Forster  Webster),  Tanjore  (A.  C. 
Burnell,  Ph.D.),  Chingleput(Mr.  J.  Hope),  Coimbatore 
(Mr.  F.  M.  Kindersley),  Salem  (Mr.  J.  Gordon),  Kur- 
nool  (Hon.  J.  C.  St.  Clair),  were  beyond  all  praise. 

Early  in  October  the  executive  committee  deter- 
mined (on  the  suggestion  of  the  lionorary  secretary) 
to  publish  a  weekly  statement  of  their  proceedings,  for 


74  PRIVATE    CHARITY. 

distribution  in  Great  Britain  and  elsewhere,  and  gener- 
ally in  India.  It  was  determined  to  publish  reports 
from  local  committees  and  other  information  likely  to 
be  of  interest  to  subscribers  as  well  as  calculated  to 
help  the  various  committees  in  carrying  on  their  work. 
A  ^  statement  committee '  was  appointed  to  arrange  for 
the  periodical  publication  of  the  statement.  It  consisted 
of  two  members  and  the  honorary  secretary,  but  one 
of  these  declined  service,  and  only  one  gentleman  (the 
Very  Rev.  J,  Colgan)  saw  the  proofs  of  the  statement 
before  publication.  The  *  Weekly  Statement'  was  of 
foolscap  size  ;  its  average  contents  covered  60  pages — 
ranging  from  40  as  a  minimum  to  88  as  a  maximum. 
It  was  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  the  committee 
to  know  that  their  efforts  to  make  public  all  their  pro- 
ceedings proved  very  gratifying  to  subscribers.  The 
full  publication  of  facts  was  also  likely  to  be  of  benefit 
should  similar  efforts  be  needed  in  the  future.  Materials 
now  exist  which  can  be  used  as  a  guide.  Had  such 
been  available  during  the  famine  in  Madras  more  good 
might  have  been  done  with  the  money  subscribed,  with 
less  delay  than  occurred.  The  executive  committee 
had  to  ^  make  '  its  experience. 

Early  in  October  the  committee,  finding  it  had  con- 
trol of  nearly  fifty  lakhs  of  rupees,  and  that  its  existing 
system  of  making  grants  in  response  to  applications 
did  not  provide  adequate  means  for  disposal  of  the 
money,  determined  to  make  allotments  proportionate  to 
districts.  Thirty-six  lakhs  were  taken  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  remainder  reserved  to  meet  claims  outside  the 
scope  of  the  allotments,  such  as  the  proportion  for 
Mysore,  Bombay,  and  other  places.  It  was  also  under- 
stood that  as  the  amount  subscribed  increased  the 
amounts  could  be  proportionately  added  to.  Mr.  Gr.  A. 
Ballard,  member  of  the  Board  of  Revenue,  who  was 
upon  the  committee,  expressed  his  willingness  to  prepare 


PROPORTIONATE  ALLOTMENT  OF  FUNDS. 


75 


a  statement  in  accordance  with  these  suggestions.  This 
was  done,  the  basis  of  allotment  being  the  intensity  of 
distress  as  revealed  in  Government  reports.  The 
method  of  calculation  adopted  was  briefly  this ;  the 
number  of  persons  in  Government  relief  of  all  sorts 
was  taken  and  compared  with  the  total  population  as 
indicating  the  intensity  of  distress  in  the  various  dis- 
tricts. The  proportion  of  agriculturists  to  the  general 
population  was  taken  fron  the  census  returns.  One- 
third  of  the  36  lakhs  was  apportioned  to  non-agricul- 
turists, whilst  the  remainder  (24  lakhs)  was  apportioned 
to  the  agriculturists  paying  under  50  rs.  Government 
assessment. 

The  results  worked  out  a  fair  idea  of  distribution. 
They  had  been  modified  to  some  slight  extent  from 
general  information  available,  and  it  was  believed  the 
statement  given  below  might  be  accepted  as  being  an 
equitable  allotment.  On  further  consideration  it  was 
found  there  were  not  data  for  properly  distributing  the 
sums  to  subdivisions  or  taluks,  and  it  was  thought  that 
operation  might  safely  be  left  to  the  local  committees, 
assisted  as  they  were  by  Revenue  and  other  Government 
officers  of  experience.     Particulars  were  as  follows  : — 

DiBTRiBvnoK  OF  36  Lakhs  of  Famute  Relibf  Funds. 


Allotment  to 

TMntrirt 

Allotment  to  non- 

agriculturists 

Total 

agriculturists 

generally  patta- 
dars  under  60  rs. 

Rs. 

Ki^ 

Ua. 

L  Bellary 

2.26,000 

6,76,000 

9,00,000 

2.  Salem  . 

1,00,000 

2,90,000 

4,60,000 

3.  Kiumool 

1,80,000 

3,20,000 

6,00,000 

4.  Ouddapah    . 

1,61,000 

3,40,000 

6,00,000 

5.  Goirobatore  . 

1,19,000 

1,81,000 

3,00,000 

6.  North  Arcot 

96,000 

1,66,000 

2,60,000 

7.  South  Arcot 

18,000 

82,000 

1,00,000 

8.  Ghingleput  . 

76,000 

1,26,000 

2,00,000 

9.  Madura 

63,000 

97,000 

1,60,000 

10.  Nellore 

Total   . 

1,16,000 

1,36,000 

2,60,000 

12,00,000 

24,00,000 

86,00,000 

76  PRIVATE   CHABITT. 

This  plan  was  adopted,  and  applications  then  before 
the  committee  were  dealt  with  on  the  basis  of  this 
scheme.  For  the  guidance  of  local  committees  it  was 
decided  that  a  letter  should  be  prepared,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy  of  that  sent  to  the  honorary  secretary 
of  the  local  committee  at  Kurnool  : — 

The  Madrajs  general  famine  relief  committee  believe  tbat  tiieir 
operations  and  those  of  the  respective  local  committees  will  be  facilitated 
and  rendered  more  effective  if  a  fairly  definite  idea  is  arrived  at  as  to 
the  amount  of  relief  to  be  distributed  in  different  localities. 

2.  The  general  committee  find  they  are  in  a  position  efficiently  to 
allot  sums  to  collectorates,  and  perhaps  to  taluks.  The  arrangement 
of  the  farther  more  minute  territorial  and  individual  allotments  will 
fall  to  the  local  committees  and  sub-committees  under  the  general 
principles  that  have  been,  or  may  be  from  time  to  time,  indicated. 

3.  Local  and  sub-committees  had  been  pretty  generally  formed 
already,  but  the  general  committee  is  not  satisfied  that  all  parts  of  the 
distressed  tracts  come  within  their  action.  If  there  are  any  tracts 
that  have  been  hitherto  omitted  it  is  very  desirable  they  should  now 
be  arranged  for  either  by  bringing  them  under  an  existing  local  com- 
mittee, or  by  a  new  committee  or  agency  being  forthwith  started. 

4.  The  general  committee  find  that  the  sum  for  apportionment 
over  the  Kurnool  collectorate  will  not  fall  short  of  ^ve  lakhs  of  rupees. 
The  committee  consider  this  sum  may  be  best  utilised  by  distributing 
approximately  one-third  to  relief  of  the  general  distressed  population, 
and  two-thirds  to  assist  agricultural  operations  by  money  grants  for 
hire  of  bullocks,  for  seed  grain,  implements,  &c.  Crenerally  the  relief 
should  be  given  to  ryots  whose  puttas  are  under  50  rs. 

5.  In  the  Kurnool  collectorate  there  is  one  local  committee  at 
Kurnool.  Does  this  committee  operate  over  all  the  taluks  noted  ^ 
directly  or  through  local  sub-committees  or  agencies  1  If  not,  I  am 
to  request  your  committee  will  be  good  enough  to  take  the  earliest 
possible  opportunity  of  conferring  with  the  collector,  and  with  the 
collector's  concurrence,  if  necessary  with  any  of  the  division  or  taluk 
officers,  and  arrange  either  for  bringing  the  taluks  where  relief  has  not 
hitherto  been  provided  for  within  the  scope  of  your  own  operations,  or 
recommend  to  this  committee  how  the  said  taluks  may  best  be  reached 
and  receive  their  due  share  of  relief. 

6.  The  committee  will  be  glad  to  have  the  local  committee's 

^  1.  Pattikonda.  2.  Ramulkota.  8.  Nundikotkur.  4.  Markapur.  6. 
Cumbum.    6.  Nundial.    7.  Sirwel.    8.  Koilguntla. 


^  • 


■■    .\ 


i      * 


ii 


.     k 


V    ^     X 


■IL 


TASK  OF  ORGANISATION  COMPLETE.        77 

remarkB  as  to  proportionate  aUotments  to  different  taluks.  It  will 
tend  to  avoid  confusion  if  revenue  territorial  divisions  are  adhered  to 
as  &r  as  possible  in  apportioning  grants  to  oommittees  and  agencies. 

By  the  first  week  in  November  the  task  of  organising 
local  committees,  sub-committees,  and  agencies  was 
complete,  and  the  two  gentlemen  who  went  on  deputa- 
tion returned  to  Madras.  Their  labours  had  been  very 
successful :  where  committees  were  already  in  existence 
the  delegates  were  useful  in  stimulating  and  directing 
action,  particularly  with  regard  to  the  outlying  taluks, 
whilst,  where  no  committee  formerly  existed,  good 
working  bodies  of  members  were  formed.  The  con- 
sequence was  that,  speaking  generally,  there  was  not 
in  November  a  taluk  in  the  whole  of  the  distressed 
districts  which  was  not,  more  or  less  completely,  feeling 
the  benefit  of  the  unexampled  generosity  of  England, 
the  Colonies,  and  some  Continental  countries,  in  the  lat- 
ter being  included  France — which  subscribed  through  the 
Catholic  missionaries, — and  Germany  and  Switzerland — 
the  two  countries  last  named  sending  nearly  40,000  rs.  to 
the  Basel  missionaries  who  labour  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  Madras  Presidency  and  in  the  southern  districts 
of  Bombay.  From  the  Kistna  river  to  Cape  Comorin 
most  active  relief  operations  were  proceeded  with,  some 
of  the  distributors  labouring  in  their  self-imposed  task 
with  much  energy  and  sacrifice.  One  gentleman  spent 
over  a  week  in  a  bullock  cart  visiting  the  distressed 
villages  in  a  part  of  the  region  covered  by  the  committee 
to  which  he  belonged,  giving  aid  to  those  whose  cases 
had  been  previously  investigated,  and  making  further 
enquiries  himself.  This  solitary  instance  would  need 
to  be  multiplied  vastly  if  justice  were  done  to  the  zeal 
and  discretion  with  which  the  funds  were  distributed. 
The  various  proceedings  of  committees  published  from 
time  to  time  showed  the  wisdom  of  many  of  the  ar- 


78  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

rangements  made  by  sub-committees.  The  general 
committee  felt  that  the  discretion  given  to  the  sub-com- 
mittees had  been  most  wisely  used,  and  the  determin- 
ation early  arrived  at,  not  to  fetter  their  action  with 
rules  which  local  circumstances  might  render  inoperative 
or  mal  a  propos^  was  justified  by  events.  By  the  first 
week  in  November  over  twenty-two  lakhs  of  rupees  had 
been  placed  at  the  command  of  local  committees.  The 
feeling,  however,  was  general  in  the  executive  commit- 
tee, that  the  money  was  not  being  distributed  fast 
enough  ;  and  at  a  meeting  held  on  October  25  a  minute 
by  Mr.  Ballard,  indicating  the  necessity  for  a  prompt 
and  early  distribution  of  the  funds,  was  read.  It  was 
as  follows : — 

1.  At  page  5  of  the  *  Madras  Famine  Weekly  Statement/  No.  5, 
will  be  seen  a  distribution  of  36  lakhs  of  famine  relief  funds  over 
ten  distressed  districts.  The  principles  on  which  this  distribution  was 
arrived  at  are  briefly  indicated. 

The  arrangement  as  a  whole  was  adopted  by  the  executive  com- 
mittee, it  being  understood  that  in  distributing  the  sums  to  districts, 
any  considerable  amount  (say  amounts  aggregating  over  1,000  rs.) 
should  be  deducted  and  the  balance  only  allotted. 

2.  It  was  also,  I  think,  pretty  generally  understood  that  approxi- 
mately two-thirds  of  the  above  amount  should  be  devoted  to  assist 
agricultural  operations.  There  were  various  reasons  for  this  resolu- 
tion. I  do  not  see  them  anywhere  succinctly  recorded,  so  it  may  not 
be  out  of  place  to  indicate  them  here. 

3.  Non-interference  with  Government  relief  has  all  along  been 
strongly  insisted  on  by  Government  and  desired  by  the  committee.  - 
After  the  General  Order  of  September  24  last,  it  was  understood 
that  Government  particularly  desired  that  fnmine  relief  funds  should 
not  be  given  (without  the  most  careful  discrimination)  to  persons  who 
had  previously  been  on  Government  relief,  but  who  under  the  action 
or  spirit  of  that  order  ceased  to  be  relieved.  Numbers  who  were 
struck  off  village  dole,  and  discharged  from  open  camps  and  small 
relief  works,  refused  to  go  to  close  camps  or  large  relief  works  at  a 
distance  from  their  villages.  It  was  argued  that  to  support  or  assist 
these  people  from  famine  relief  funds  to  any  great  extent  would  tend 
to  defeat  the  purposes  of  Government. 


PROMPT   DISTRIBUTION   ADVOCATED.  79 

But  if  this  large  class,  and  the  distressed  still  reoeiving  CrOTem- 
ment  relief,  are  eliminated,  it  seems  clear  that  a  comparatively  small 
number  of  distressed  will  remain,  save  amongst  the  lower  middle  or 
poor  agriculturists  proper,  t.e.,  amongst  the  ryots. 

It  seemed  that  large  numbers  of  these,  if  not  actually  starving 
(though  instances  of  starvation  were  not  wanting),  were  in  very  poor 
physical  condition,  whilst  still  larger  numbers  were  bereft  of  all  means 
of  carrying  on  agricultural  operations. 

It  was  felt  that  if  these  could  be  reached  in  time  many  would  be 
kept  from  the  necessity  of  leaving  their  homes  for  Government  works. 
Many  would  be  enabled  to  cultivate  their  fields,  sensibly  helping 
towards  increasing  the  food  supplies  of  the  country,  and  that  thus 
by  helping  them  liberally  with  money  from  famine  relief  funds  an 
amount  of  direct  and  indirect  benefit  would  be  done  not  only  indi- 
vidually but  collectively  which  could  hardly  be  achieved  in  any  other 
way.  The  relief  to  the  agriculturists  must  be  given  now.  That  to 
other  classes  can  be  extended  over  the  time  that  pressure  lasts.  The 
communications  the  committee  have  received  from  Government 
officers,  private  individuals,  missionaries,  drc.,  show  remarkable  con- 
sensus of  opinion  that  relief  could  be  most  efficiently  given  by  dis- 
tributing largely  to  the  agricultural  population. 

But  all  agree  that  tfhe  rrwneT/  skotUd  be  put  in  tJte  hands  of  the 
people  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

4.  The  distribution  of  one-third  and  two-thirds  of  the  allotments 
amongst  agriculturists  and  non-agriculturists, was  accordingly  pro- 
posed as,  though  an  arbitrary,  a  fair,  practical  basis  to  work  upon. 

The  essence  of  the  success  of  the  scheme,  however,  as  far  as  the 
agriculturists  are  concerned,  is  to  get  the  money  forthwith  into  their 
hands,  so  as  to  keep  them  at  home  and  help  on  with  their  cultivation 
during  the  present  season. 

5.  I  think  the  position  indicated  above  has  been  theoretically 
taken  up  by  the  committee.  Practically  we  seem  to  hesitate  to  act 
upon  it.  When  any  considerable  grants  are  proposed  there  seem 
lingering  doubts  as  to  whether  we  are  justified  in  making  them  now, 
whether  we  should  not  only  make  small  disbursements  at  present, 
whether  we  should  not  husband  the  i*elief  funds  so  that  they  may 
extend  over  four  months  or  so,  and  that  we  may  continue  paying  in 
driblets  over  that  jieriod. 

6.  It  is  open  to  us  still  to  adopt  this  latter  system  if  we  please. 
Only,  if  we  are  to  do  so,  let  us  adopt  this  and  reject  the  other 
deliberately.  At  present  there  does  seem  some  danger  that  whilst  the 
former  plan  stands  approved  in  principle,  the  time  for  carrying  it  out 
may  be  allowed  to  slip  away  by  mere  indecision  in  action. 


80  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

7.  I  therefore  intend  proposing  at  next  meeting  as  a  formal  reso- 
lution : — 

i.  That  the  full  allotments  to  agriculturists  (generally  puttadars 
imder  50  rs.)  entered  at  page  5  of  the  '  Weekly  Beport ' 
No.  5  (deducting  allotments  aggregating  1,000  rs.  or  up- 
wards in  any  case)  be  sent  out  to  the  respectire  \o(xA 
committees  forthwith,  with  injunctions  to  arrange  indi- 
vidual distribution  in  the  taluks  with  the  least  possible 
delay. 
iL  That  25  per  cent,  of  the  allotments  to  non-agriculturists 
(with  similar  reservation  as  to  sums  already  sent)  be  also 
sent  out  at  once  to  the  local  committees,  with  intimation 
that  balances  are  available  to  make  them  further  similar 
remittances.  That  these  further  remittances  will  be  made 
in  communication  with  the  local  committees,  but  that 
this  committee  requests  it  may  be  borne  in  mind  that 
casual  assistance  may  be  required  to  relieve  distress  till 
January  or  February. 

8.  I  am  only  too  well  aware  that  the  agricultural  season  may 
almost  be  considered  as  passed  in  some  places,  and  is  rapidly  passing 
everywhere.  Still,  in  my  humble  opinion  a  more  efficient  use  of  our 
funds  cannot  be  made. 

As  the  question  is  one  of  the  gravest  importance,  I  have  put  it  in 
this  fonn.  If  the  resolutions  are  seconded  and  carried,  they  can  be 
acted  on  at  once.  If  they  are  not  approved,  I  trust  that  amended 
resolutions  or  other  resolutions  may  be  put  forth  and  adopted  for 
action  to  be  taken  on  them. 

9.  Even  with  the  immediate  distribution  proposed,  15,00,000  rs. 
will  remain  for  distribution  in  Madras  districts  not  included  in  the 
above,  in  Mysore  and  elsewhere — and  to  supplement,  if  necessaiy,  the 
sums  now  recommended  to  be  distributed. 

I  do  not  think  I  can  be  wrong  in  appending  to  these  remarks  a 
General  Order  just  received.  It  seems  to  me  that  by  putting  money 
at  once  into  the  hands  of  the  ryots  we  can  most  efficiently  aid  what 
Government  here  desire. 


OOVEBNMENT  OF  MADRAS: — REVENUE  DEPARTMENT. 

Fcimine  EeUef, 

No.  489.     Proceedings  of  Government,  dated  October  15, 1877, 
Famine  Belief,  No.  2,331. 


PROSPECTS  OF  THE  SEASON.  81 

The  Governor  in  Council  has,  by  a  telegraphic  order  of  the 
13th  instant,  called  the  attention  of  collectors  to  the  importance  of 
utilising  to  the  utmost  the  present  fevourable  change 
in  the  season.  The  recent  rainfall  has  materially 
restored  the  condition  of  growing  crops ;  many  crops  are  being  now 
harvested ;  land  is  nearly  everywhere  in  a  fit  state  for  cultivation ; 
and  the  rains  of  the  north-east  monsoon  may  be  shortly  expected. 
Prices  have  been  gradually  declining.  In  this  state  of  the  country  it 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  its  future  prosperity  that  every  exertion 
should  be  at  once  made  to  induce,  encourage,  and  facilitate  the  return 
of  people  to  their  own  homes  and  ordinary  occupations.  There  may  not 
unnaturally  exist  some  feeling  of  hesitation  amongst  many,  especially 
amongst  those  who  have  wandered  from  their  own  districts,  to  leave 
their  present  shelter,  but  the  interests  of  the  conntfy  demand  that 
every  available  hand  shall  be  turned  to  agriculture,  and  every  exertion 
used  to  increase  and  expedite  the  growth  of  the  newly-sown  crops,  on 
which  the  people  must  rely  to  restore  the  prices  of  food-grains  to  a 
normal  state. 

2.  That  this  necessity  is  appreciated  by  the  people  is  evinced  by 
the  fact  that  large  numbers  have  already  of  their  own  accord  left 
works  and  camps  for  agricultural  employ,  and  that  in  many  districts 
the  area  cultivated  is  larger  than  usual  at  this  period.  Yet  in  these 
districts  more,  and  in  others  much,  can  be  done,  and  no  divisional 
officer  should  feel  satisfied  while  any  available  land  in  his  division 
remains  uncultivated. 

3.  The  Governor  in  Council  desires  also  to  impress  on  collectors 
the  uigent  necessity  for  reducing,  as  rapidly  as  may  be,  the  numbers 
who  are  receiving  State  charity  on  relief  works,  in  relief  camps,  d^., 
and  consequently  of  flimmiRhmg  the  heavy  drain  on  current  ex- 
penditure. 

4.  The  general  principles  on  which  relief  is  to  be  administered  are 
already  laid  down  in  General  Order  of  September  24,  No.  2,847.  The 
Government  have  spared  no  pains  to  relieve  and  sustain,  and  also  to  pro- 
vide employment  for,  the  people ;  now,  however,  agricultural  or  other 
usual  employment  is  obtainable,  and  district  officers  must  take  care  that 
the  measures  which  were  necessary  for  relief  of  the  famine-stricken  are 
not  converted  into  a  prolonged  demoralising  and  pauperising  charity. 

5.  A  judicious  but  firm  application  of  the  t<3sts  and  limitations  laid 
down  in  the  Government  Order  referred  to  will  prevent  the  danger 
while  meeting  any  necessity ;  but  laxity  or  indecision  in  any  district 
may  not  improbably  result  in  the  continued  dependence  of  a  large 
pauperised  population  on  State  aid  through  another  year. 

6.  Where  the  numbeiB  on  relief  works  are  materially  diminished, 

VOL.  II.  li 


82  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

proportionate  diminution  should  be  made  in  the  establishments,  and 
labour  should  be  consolidated  so  as  to  economise  supervision.  When 
the  numbers  in  camps  are  materially  diminished,  subordinate  estab- 
lishments should  be  also  diminished  or  otherwise  utilised,  permanent 
officers  of  the  districts  being  allowed  to  resume  their  ordinary  work. 
The  general  relief  organisation  of  a  district,  howeyer,  is  not  to  be 
reduced  or  broken  up  until  further  instructions  from  the  Government, 
the  nature  of  which  will  be  regulated  by  the  advent  and  extent  of  the 
monsoon  rains. 

7.  The  Crovemor  in  Council  has  had  before  him  applications  for 
sanction.for  many  new  works  of  a  petty  and  local  character,  the  pos- 
sible benefit  to  arise  from  which  can  only  be  of  a  purely  temporary 
character.  He  considers  such  works  undesirable,  but  does  not,  how- 
ever, desire  to  fetter  the  discretion  of  collectors,  and  therefore  will  not 
generally  refuse  to  sanction  works  recommended  by  them ;  but  the 
sanction  will  only  be  accorded  upon  the  distinct  understanding  that 
collectors,  before  recommending  any  works  for  sanction,  satisfy  them- 
selves that  such  works  are  essential  to  the  proper  extent  of  relief,  and 
are  not  urged  from  motives  of  purely  local  interest,  or  instigated  by 
subordinates  who  hope  for  an  opportunity  to  make  an  illicit  gain  from 
the  relief  expenditure. 

(True  Extract.) 

(Signed)  J.  H.  Garstin, 

AddUioTud  Secretary  to  Government. 

To  the  Collectors  of  Kistna,  Nellore,  Cuddapah,  Bellary,  Kumool, 
North  Arcot,  Chingleput,  South  Arcot,  Tanjore,  Trichinopoly,  Madura, 
Tinnevelly,  Coimbatore,  Salem,  Commissioner  of  the  Nilgiris,  Board 
of  Revenue,  with  a  copy  of  telegram,  dated  October  13,  1877,  No.  28 ; 
Financial  Department,  with  a  copy  of  telegram,  dated  October  13, 
1877,  No.  28 ;  Public  Works  Department,  with  copy  of  telegram, 
dated  October  13,  1877,  No.  28. 

After  some  discussion  the  resolutions  were  agreed 
to,  and  a  third  added  in  the  following  terms  : — *  The 
general  committee,  whilst  indicating  the  above  propor- 
tion of  distribution,  do  not  wish  to  bind  the  local 
committees  by  any  hard  and  fast  line.  The  general 
committee  leave  to  the  local  committees,  and  look  to 
them  to  exercise,  a  judicious  discretion  in  making  actual 
distribution  both  in  regard  to  classes  of  the  population 


DONATION  FROM  THE   VICEROY.  88 

and  in  regard  to  individuals.'  These  resolutions  were 
printed  as  a  memorandum  and  forwarded  to  all  commit- 
tees and  agencies  next  day.  Thenceforward  the  work 
of  distribution  proceeded  with  little  delay  or  interrup- 
tion. 

A  most  pleasing  feature  of  the  period  under  notice 
was  the  entente  cordiale  which  was  renewed  between  his 
Excellency  the  Viceroy  and  the  disbursers  of  the  relief 
fund.  This  was  made  manifest  in  the  foUowinsr  letter 
to  the  honorary  secretary  : — 


^6 


Oovemment  House,  Simla,  Sept.  30, 1877. 

My  dear  Sir, — The  Viceroy  desires  me  to  write  to  you  in  regard 
to  the  intimation,  which  he  conveyed  to  you  when  at  Madras,  of  his 
desire  to  subscribe  to  the  general  relief  fund  as  soon  as  the  objects  to 
which  the  fund  is  to  be  devoted  should  be  specially  defined. 

His  Excellency  has  now  ascertained  from  the  Madras  Government, 
and  from  your  instructions  to  the  delegates  of  the  committee,  the 
general  purposes  on  which  the  fund  will  be  expended ;  and  although 
he  hopes  to  learn  hereafter  that  these  purposes  have  been  somewhat 
more  minutely  defined  in  communication  with  the  Madras  Govern- 
ment, he  is  satisfied  that  they  have  been  planned  with  a  careful  desire 
to  avoid  clashing  with  those  of  Government  organisation,  and  that 
they  are  such  as  the  Government  of  India  can  fully  approve.  His 
Excellency  regrets  that  there  has  been  some  delay  in  obtaining  this 
information,  but  he  is  anxious  to  lose  no  further  time  in  adding  his 
name  to  the  subscription  list  of  the  relief  fund,  and  I  am  accordingly 
directed  to  enclose,  with  the  expression  of  his  Excellency's  best 
wishes  for  the  continued  success  of  your  efforts,  a  draft  for  ten  thou* 
sand  rupees. 

I  remain,  my  dear  Sir, 

Yours  faithfully, 

O.  T.  BURNB, 

Lt.'CoL  a/nd  Private  Secretary 

to  the  Viceroy, 
Wm.  Digby,  Esq., 

Hon,  Secreta/ry^  Famwne  Belief  Fund* 


o2 


84  PRIVATB  CHAEITT. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   COLLECTING   COBIMITTEES. — THE    MANSION    HOUSE. 

Nothing  could  have  been  simpler  than  the  procedure 
adopted  by  the  Mansion  House  Committee  in  its  direc- 
tion of  the  vast  national  fund  which  was  speedily  raised. 
This  was  in  keeping  with  the  manner  in  which  the 
movement  was  started — quietly,  unostentatiously..  The 
promoters,  however,  were  pleaders  in  behalf  of  real 
distress  and  much  suffering,  such  distress  and  suffering 
as  served  to  touch  the  British  heart  very  closely.  For 
once  the  remark,  *A  trifling  casualty  nigh  at  hand 
absorbs  more  attention  and  occupies  more  interest  than 
the  welfare  of  hundreds  of  thousands  at  a  distance  '  was 
proved  untrue.  Space  was  annihilated,  and  with  the 
absence  of  all  sensationalism,  or  anything  that  could  be 
called  such,  a  real  and  lively  interest  was  established  be- 
tween the  British  and  the  Indian  people  which  continued 
at  the  flood  for  many  months.  According  to  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Mansion  House  Committee,  much  of  this 
interest  was  created  by  the  means  used  by  the  Madras 
executive  committee  to  keep  all  interested  au  courant 
with  the  condition  of  the  people  and  the  efforts  made 
to  alleviate  distress.  Among  other  means  adopted 
were  weekly  telegrams  which,  upon  receipt,  were  posted 
outside  the  Mansion  House,  and  sent  to  all  the  news- 
papers. The  following  are  messages  sent  out  at  the 
dates  named ;  they  will  serve  to  show  the  impressions 
formed  by  the  disbursing  committees  of  their  work: — 


TELEGRAMS   TO   THE  LOBD  MATOB.  85 


To  the  Lard  Mayor,  London. 

This  week  has  heen  the  busiest  in  the  committee's  experience. 
All  throngh  the  distressed  districts  the  utmost  activity  is  being  dis- 
played by  the  relief  committees,  who  are  disbursing  the  funds  most 
carefully.    An  enquiry  from  house  to  house  in  the  villages  has  been 
made,  and  the  lists  have  been  scrutinised  with  the  greatest  care.    The 
reports  from  the  local  committees  and  agencies  give  most  interesting 
descriptions  of  the  gratitude  shown  by  the  recipients,  and  particulars 
of  the  benefits  derived  from  the  frind.     These  reports  appear  in  the 
'  Weekly  Statement '  posted  to  England  to-day.   The  recipients  are  made 
clearly  to  understand  that  the  relief  comes  from  English  friends.     One 
distributor  writes : — ^  I  should  like  you  and  your  friends  in  England 
to  see  the  expression  of  thankfrdness  upon  their  dark,  careworn, 
haggard  &ces.    A  chord  has  been  struck  which  probably  never  was 
touched  before.'    Some  cases  of  agriculturists,  especially  in  the  Nellore 
district,  are  most  disheartening.    In  the  first  sowing  the  seed  rotted ; 
in  the  second  the  yomig  plants  were  eaten  by  grasshoppers.    In  these 
cases  advances  had  been  made  by  Government,  and  now  a  grant  from 
the  relief  committee  has  put  new  life  in  the  people,  and  courage  to 
try  again.     The  mortality  returns  of  August  are  still  coming  in.     They 
all  tell  the  same  stoiy  of  a  greater  number  of  deaths  that  month  than 
in  any  other  period  of  fJEunina    In  South  Aroot,  for  instance,  the  in- 
crease over  the  average  of  that  month  of  the  last  five  years  is  10,033 ; 
Ghingleput,  7,613 ;  Cuddapah,  9,340 ;  Kumool,  6,769  ;  Madura,  7,198. 
Next  week  we  hope  to  have  the  complete  returns  for  August*    In 
Mysore  the  destitution  and  death-rate  have  been  very  bad ;  but  though 
the  actual  statistics  are  not  yet  to  hand,  an  improvement  is  reported. 
Weather  fine,  with  passing  clouds ;  wind  north-east,  but  rain  holding 
ofL    Beports  from  the  Ganjam  and  EJstna  districts  show  that  the 
rain  is  greatly  needed  there,  the  Crodaveiy  river,  fed  by  the  south- 
west monsoon,  having  been  lower  than  in  any  previous  September  in 
many  years.     Irrigation  in  the  Godavery  system  much  affected  in 
consequence. 

Madras,  October  23. 

To  London,  to  Lord  Mayor. 

Operations  being  continued.  New  tracts,  Trichinopoly  and  Tinne- 
velly,  been  brought  within  scope  action.  One  president  of  committee 
writes : — '  The  closer  you  look  into  matters,  and  the  better  you  know 
the  people,  the  more  you  see  how  fearfully  widely  spread  is  the  present 


86  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

distress,  borne  by  the  poor  creatures  in  dumb  resignation  to  fate,  and 
with  scarcely  a  murmur.'     The  general  committee's  delegates  have 
visited  all  districts.       Now  there  is  not  a  taluk  or  zemindaiy  not 
included  in  range  operations.      Arrangements  made  by  taluk  com- 
mittees many  cases  admirable,  the  most  deserving  of  the  people  being 
reached  and  assisted.     Utmost  advantage  is  being  taken  of  favourable 
rains  interior,  and  the  aid  from  England  enabling  cultivators  very 
small  holdings  commence  sowing,  <kc.,  la  simply  incalculable.     Every 
exertion   is  being  made  by   central,  local,  and  sub-committees  and 
agencies  to  make  most  present  opportunity.     Ascertained  death-rate, 
August,  largest  on  record.      Letters  from  England  received  mail^ 
especially  Mansion  House  and  Manchester,  much  appreciated.    Wind, 
weather   Madras  variable.      Partial   showers  general  and  frequent 
throughout  Presidency,  except  Madras.     Eainfall  above  Ghats  more 
steady  and  general ;  prospects  improved,  save  parts  coast  in  Godavery, 
Delta,  Kistna,  and  Ganjam.      Further  aid  been  allotted  fiunine  im- 
migrants Central  India  through  Sir  Henry  Daly.     Small  allotment 
unofficial  efforts  in  Nizam's  dominions. 

October  27,  1877. 

To  LondoUj  Lord  Ma/yor. 

AJl  possible  exertions  are  being  made  to  turn  the  &vourable 
weather  to  good  acoouvit.  The  organisation  is  now  complete.  Over 
100  committees  are  actively  at  work,  with  excellent  results.  In  the 
interior,  where  the  greatest  difficulty  as  to  the  disbursement  was 
anticipated,  generally  satisfiu^ry  arrangements  have  been  made. 
The  members  of  the  committees  are  making  the  most  self-denying 
and  earnest  efforts  to  bring  the  maximum  number  of  people  within 
the  scope  of  the  fimd.  One  European  gentleman  lived  for  a  week  in 
a  bullock  '  bandy '  among  villagers,  disbursing  aid  to  people  whose 
cases  had  been  previously  enquired  into.  This  is  but  a  sample  of 
earnest  and  energetic  efforts  of  the  committees.  At  Trichinopoly, 
when  the  committee  was  formed,  the  late  Prime  Minister  of  Travan- 
oore,  Sheshai  Sastri,  proposed  that  the  Madras  Committee  should 
convey  to  the  English  public  the  high  sense  of  thankfulness  and 
gratitude  of  the  people  of  Trichinopoly  for  their  noble  liberality  in 
having  come  forward  to  aid  the  inhabitants  of  India  in  this  distress. 
Weather  'monsoonish'  and  feivourable  in  most  districts.  Latest 
Government  reports,  dated  October  31,  say  of  Ganjam — '  Here,  rain 
urgently  wanted.  Crops  withering.'  Of  Godavery  there  is  a  similar 
report.  The  favourable  season  leads  to  a  rapid  reduction  of  people 
on  Government  relief,   yet  this    month   (November)    began    with 


TELEGRAMS  TO   THE   LORD  MATOB.  87 

1,862,329  people  on  works  and  gratidtous  relief.  Our  committees 
forecast  that  relief  will  be  required  to  support  life  till  February,  when 
crops  are  expected.  Already  eight  ]akhs  of  rupees  have  been  allotted 
to  Mysore,  of  whioh  five  have  been  actually  remitted.  Australia  is 
rendering  appreciable  assistance. 

Madras,  November  3, 1877. 


To  London^  Lord  Mayor. 

Beports  from  all  districts  of  committee's  operations  continue 
satisfebctoiy.  Excluding  Bombay,  thirty  relief  centres,  but  includ- 
ing Mysore  with  Madras  Presidency  nearly  150  committees ;  probably 
three  or  four  thousand  English,  Eurasiao,  Indian  gentlemen  engaged 
in  work  of  relief.  Amount  expended  and  in  course  of  expenditure  to 
date  over  300,000^.  sterling.  During  next  few  months  till  crops 
reaped  operations  will  continue,  and  munificent  generosity  Great 
Britain,  Australia,  New  Zealand,  Mauritius,  non-distressed  portions 
India — eighty-two  lakhs  in  all — will  enable  general  committee, 
Madras,  meet  all  demands.  Impression  produced  by  marvellous 
generosity,  especially  England,  most  profound.  Perfect  and  entire 
unanimity  between  officials  and  our  committees  exists;  the  maximum 
of  good  attainable  is  being  secured.  Weather  continiung  favourable ; 
many  people  leaving  Crovemment  relief,  returning  to  agriculture  and 
trades.  Majority  these  need  help  to  begin  life  again,  being  absolutely 
homeless,  without  clothes,  without  money.  In  some  parts  too  much 
rain  falling.  Seed  sown  late  rotting  in  ground;  dry  crops  part  of 
Bellary  district  quite  spoiled,  necessitating  help  to  those  who  month 
ago  seemed  beyond  assistance.  Committees  will  continue  weekly 
telegrams  of  progress  if  wished,  and  reports  published  each  mail- 
day  will  be  forwarded  till  distress  over.  Please  wire  this  Lancashire 
and  elsewhere. 

Madras,  November  10, 1877. 

The  Mansion  House  Committee  met  weekly,  but 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  receipt  of  money 
continuously,  and  the  officials  of  the  fund  were  kept 
very  busy  day  by  day,  as  contributions  flowed  in  fast. 
Many  letters  breathing  the  deepest  sympathy  with 
the  sufferers  were  received  by  the  Lord  Mayor,  frooi 


88  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

amongst  which  that  from  Miss  Florence  Nightingale 
may  be  selected.     She  wrote: — 

London,  August  17,  1877. 

My  Lord, — If  English  people  know  what  an  Lidian  Famine  is — 
•worse  than  a  hatUefield,  worse  even  than  a  retreat ;  and  this  famine, 
too,  is  in  its  second  year — ^there  is  not  an  English  man,  woman, 
or  child,  who  would  not  give  out  of  their  abundance,  or  out  of  their 
economy. 

K  we  do  not,  we  are  the  Turks  who  put  an  end  to  the  wounded, 
and  worse  than  they,  for  they  put  an  end  to  the  enemy's  wounded ;  but 
we,  by  neglect  to  our  own  starving  fellow-subjects ;  and  there  is  not  a 
more  industrious  being  on  the  &ce  of  the  earth  than  the  ryot.  He 
deserves  all  we  can  do.  Having  seen  youi*  advertisement  this  morning 
only,  and  thanking  God  that  you  have  initiated  this  relief,  I  hasten 
to  enclose  what  I  can — 251.;  hoping  that  I  may  be  able  to  repeat  the 
mite  again ;  for  all  will  be  wanted.  Between  this  and  January  our 
fellow-creatures  in  India  will  need  everybody's  mite — given  now  at 
once — then  repeated  again  and  again.  And  may  Qod  bless  the 
fund. 

Fray  believe  me,  my  Lord,  ever  your  faithful  servant, 

Florence  Niohtinqale. 

The  Right  Honourable  the  Lord  Mayor. 

By  way  of  extending  operations,  communications 
were  opened  with  all  the  provincial  mayors  and 
provosts  throughout  the  United  Kingdom,  and  there 
were  few  who  did  not  respond,  some  in  a  very 
generous  manner.  A  similar  appeal — a  circular  setting 
forth  in  brief  terms  the  distress  being  experienced — 
was  sent  to  the  ministers  and  clergy  of  all  denomina- 
tions, asking  them,  if  practicable,  to  have  collections  in 
their  respective  places  of  worship.  By  these  means, 
in  small  sums,  millions  of  people  became  partakers  in 
the  act  of  charity,  making  it  truly  national.  Com- 
munications were  also  sent  to  the  chief  municipal 
functionaries  of  Australasia,  with  great  results  of  good. 
Most  of  the  British  Colonies,  however,  contributed 
without  being  solicited  to  do  so.    The  work  of  the  Man- 


SOURCES  OF   SUPPLY.  89 

sion  House  Committee  was  kept  very  practical  in  its 
aims  and  efforts  through  the  presence  upon  it  of  In- 
dian administrators  like  Sir  Henry  Norman  and  the 
Earl  of  Northbrook,  and  of  a  number  of  Indian 
merchants. 

By  way  of  experiment,  a  money-box  was,  early  in 
September,  attached  to  the  railings  of  the  Mansion 
House  during  the  business  hours  of  the  day,  and  the 
result  was  the  collection  on  that  day  of  10/.  125.  U)d.  in 
coin  of  all  kinds.  A  noticeable  subscription  paid  in 
on  one  occasion  was  that  of  21.  from  the  children  of  the 
Board  Schools  in  Sun  Lane,  Norwich,  and  with  it  was 
sent  the  suggestion  that  if  a  similar  collection  was 
made  in  the  14,000  schools  of  the  kingdom  a  sum 
might  be  obtained  that  would  equal,  if  not  exceed,  the 
church  offertories.  Another  contributor  urged  that  a 
public  appeal  should  be  made  for  ^  a  million  sixpences/ 
^Connaught  Street,  W/  wrote  that  a  house-to-house 
subscription  in  that  street  of  fifty-nine  houses  resulted 
in  one  day  in  20/.  5^.  being  added  to  the  Lord 
Mayor's  fund.  Seven  householders  had  already  sub« 
scribed  through  other  channels,  and  fourteen  were  away 
from  London.  He  suggested  that  if  responsible  persons 
in  other  parts  of  the  metropolis  would  likewise  visit 
all  the  dwellers  in  their  streets  and  explain  the  nature 
and  urgency  of  the  crisis,  the  result  could  not  fail  to  be 
a  very  handsome  addition  to  the  fund.  A  Wesleyan 
minister  at  Birkenhead,  who  sent  24/.  from  his  Sunday 
scholars,  suggested  that  an  appeal  should  be  made  to 
the  Sunday  schools.  He  said  :  ^  I  cannot  but  think 
there  would  be  a  handsome  response.  Have  we  not 
20,000  schools  that  could  send  1/.  each?' 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  City 
of  London  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  contribute 
the  sum   of  1,000/.   towards  the  fund.     Mr.    HodsoU 


90  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

Heath,  speaking  upon  the  question,  expressed  his 
opinion  that  private  charity,  munificently  as  it  was 
being  bestowed,  would  go  but  a  small  way  to  meet  the 
vast  requirements  of  the  famine-stricken  population, 
and  that  it  was  the  province  of  the  Government, 
primarily,  to  undertake  eflfectually  the  work  of  relief. 
It  was  impossible  to  relieve  sixteen  millions  of  people 
by  private  subscriptions.  The  Lord  Mayor's  conduct  in 
opening  the  fund  was  warmly  approved,  and  his  Lord-* 
ship  took  occasion  to  thank  the  generous  subscribers  to 
it,  and  especially  the  local  mayors  who  were  working 
hard  in  the  matter.  The  Government,  he  added,  were 
doing  what  they  could. 

Several  influential  weekly  newspapers  opened  lists 
among  their  subscribers  and  materially  added  to  the 
fund.  On  one  day,  early  in  the  history  of  the  fund, 
two  Grecians  called  at  the  Mansion  House  and  paid  in 
28/.  which  had  been  subscribed  by  the  scholars  of 
Christ's  Hospital.  There  were  very  few  public  schools 
— or  private  ones  either,  for  that  matter — ^which  did 
not  make  contributions  to  the  fund.  An  interesting 
fact  in  the  history  of  the  fund  raised  in  India  was 
that  the  students  of  Bengal,  through  the  Rev.  K.  S. 
Macdonald,  contributed  largely.  The  children  of 
Anglo-Indian  parents  at  school  in  the  United  Kingdom 
were  very  active  in  contributing  to  a  fond  which  was 
to  relieve  the  race  to  which  their  ayahs  and  bearers 
belonged.  Everybody  who  had  little  ones  at  home  had 
some  story  to  tell  of  the  kindly  feeling  evinced  by 
their  children:  from  among  the  multitude  ot  stories 
told  one  may  be  selected.  Three  children  were  at 
school  in  England  and  heard  of  the  distress  in  India ; 
the  two  elder  ones  (girls)  at  once  agreed  to  give  up  a 
trip  to  the  sea-side  that  the  money  might  be  sent  to  the 
Mansion  House.     They  also  asked  to  be  allowed  to  do 


'isn't  the  famine  over  yet,  auntie?'         91 

without  butter  on  their  bread  and  sugar  in  their  tea, 
that  the  money  might  be  sent  to  the  fund.  This  was 
permitted.  *  I  don't  want  butter  or  sugar,'  said  their 
little  brother.  So  he  was  allowed  to  take  the  self- 
denying  ordinance,  and  continued  bravely  for  a  week, 
when  he  went  to  the  relative  in  whose  charge  he  and 
his  sisters  were,  and  said : — '  Auntie :  isn't  the  famine 
over  yet?  I  think  it  is.'  Of  course  it  came  to  an  end 
at  once  for  that  warm-hearted  little  feilow. 

The  Chief  Rabbi  of  London  called  upon  his  co- 
religionists to  subscribe  ;  in  the  course  of  his  appeal  he 
said : — *  It  is  but  a  few  days  ago  that  our  congregations 
were  asked  to  alleviate  the  misery  of  the  unhappy 
victims  of  the  war  ;  and  I  am  glad  to  learn  that  the 
appeals  on  behalf  of  the  Turkish  Sufferers'  Relief  Fund 
are  being  satis&ctorily  responded  to.  But  the  calamity 
which  has  befallen  our  fellow-subjects  in  Southern 
India  is  of  such  magnitude,  and  the  need  for  immediate 
help  is  so  pressing,  that  I  dare  not  delay  making  this 
request  to  you.  During  the  sacred  festivals  which  are 
approaching  you  will  on  several  occasions  address  your 
congregation*  I  ask  that  on  the  day  you  deem  most 
fitting  you  would  plead  to  your  congregants  on  behalf 
of  the  millions  who  are  suffering  by  the  dire  and 
dreadful  famine  that  is  raging  in  India.  You  will, 
then,  I  am  sure,  point  out  to  your  hearers  how  necessary 
it  is  that  the  efforts  of  the  Indian  Government  in  coping 
with  this  terrible  calamity  should  be  supplemented  by 
private  bounty.  You  will  impress  the  sacred  truth 
upon  your  worshippers  that  with  our  sincere  penitence 
and  devout  prayer  must  be  combined  practical  benevo- 
lence, and  you  will  remind  them  of  the  inspired  bidding 
of  the  prophet  which  he  proclaims  in  discoursing  of  the 
fast  acceptable  to  the  Lord :  "  Is  it  not  to  deal  thy  bread 
to  the  starving  ?  "    I  leave  it  to  your  judgment  and  the 


92  PRIVATE  CHARITT. 

discretion  of  your  wardens  whether  it  be  advisable  to 
make  a  special  collection  among  the  members  of  your 
synagogue,  or  whether  you  will  call  upon  them  to 
forward  their  generous  contributions  direct  to  the 
Mansion  House  fund,  or,  in  the  case  of  provincial  con- 
gregations, to  the  local  fund.  May  the  Lord  speedily 
remove  the  scourge  of  famine  from  the  Indian  Empire, 
and  grant  us  all  a  year  of  happiness,  a  year  of  peace, 
prosperity,  and  salvation/ 

By  the  first  week  in  September  money  was  received 
at  the  Mansion  House  at  the  rate  of  7,000/.  per  diem, 
but  the  tide  was  only  rising,  and  shortly  after  10,000/. 
per  day  were  received  for  several  days.  The  amount 
was  received  in  sums  varying  from  the  copper  coin 
dropped  into  the  box  outside  the  Mansion  House  to  a 
cheque  for  1,000/.  from  a  London  banker  or  merchant ; 
164,000/.  was  raised  in  three  weeks.  The  maximum 
sum  received  on  any  one  day  was  12,000/.,  on  Sep- 
tember 21.  In  barely  six  weeks  the  sum  of  a  quarter 
of  a  million  sterling  was  received.  This  amount  was  the 
spontaneous  and  voluntary  oflfering,  not  only  of  the 
merchants  and  bankers  of  the  City  of  London,  but  of 
all  classes  throughout  the  country,  from  Her  Majesty 
downwards  ;  and  was  a  remarkable  proof — ^if  any  such 
were  needed — of  the  heartfelt  sympathy  with  which  their 
fellow-subjects  in  India  were  regarded  at  that  most 
critical  period.  The  collection  of  so  vast  a  sum  naturally 
cast  a  good  deal  of  anxious  work  upon  the  chief  magis- 
trate, his  secretary,  and  the  small  staff  at  the  Mansion 
House,  but,  with  the  aid  of  the  energetic  committee, 
everything  proceeded  successfully.  A  telegram  announc- 
ing that  a  quarter  of  a  million  had  been  exceeded,  and 
that  the  fund  was  still  likely  to  increase,  was  despatched 
to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  by  the  Lord  Mayor,  and  a 
formal  communication  of  the  fact  was  made  to  the 


NATIONAL   SYMPATHY,  93 

Prime  Minister.^  The  Empress  of  India  acknowledged 
the  intimation  of  Sir  Thomas  White  by  a  telegram 
through  the  Home  Secretary,  which  stated  that  Her 
Majesty  felt  deeply  the  readiness  with  which  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  people  in  India  had  touched  the  hearts  of 
the  people  at  home.  Lord  Beaconsfield  thought  the 
result  '  a  splendid  instance  of  national  sympathy,'  and 
added,  '  I  will  express  my  hope  that  this  generous  aid 
may  still  be  extended,  because  although  the  action  of 
the  Indian  Government  at  present  is  not  hampered  by 
want  of  funds,  without  doubt  the  assistance  administered 
by  private  hands  reaches  localities  and  classes  which  the 
necessarily  more  formal  help  accorded  by  public  authority 
does  not  and  cannot  touch/ 

The  sympathetic  feeling  of  the  English  people  did 
not  need  much  stimulus,  but  a  great  deal  of  help 
was  undoubtedly  afforded  to  the  fund  by  the  letters 
which  his  Grace  the  Governor  of  Madras  wrote  to  the 
Lord  Mayor  from  time  to  time.  One  of  them  was  as 
follows  : — 

Government  Houfie,  Madras,  September  10,  1877. 

My  dear  Lord  Mayor, — ^I  venture  to  express  to  your  Lordship 
the  heartfelt  gratitude  which  already  b^ns  to  pervade  the  minds  of 
natives  of  this  Presidency  for  the  exei-tions  your  Lordahip  has  made 
and  the  response  which  has  rewarded  your  kind  interest. 

The  emergency  is  indeed  great.  KeaJise  the  position  of  the 
English  people  with  the  quartern  loaf  ranging  from  2«.  6d.  upwards, 
and  at  the  same  time  an  utter  scarcity  of  every  green  thing — of  every- 
thing with  which  food  can  ordinarily  be  supplemented — and  you  may 
form  some  idea  of  the  scarcity  and  the  terrible  position  of  the  classes 
even  above  the  poor  labourers  and  cultivators.  To  see  those  classes 
aided  and,  if  possible,  saved  from  falling  into  the  abyss  of  pauperism 
from  which  in  all  countries  it  is  so  hard  to  emerge,  is  one  of  the 
principal  objects  I  hope  to  see  attained  by  the  aid  of  English  charity.' 
Government  may  do  much,  but,  working  necessarily  imder  rule  and 
regulation,  cannot  do  much  that  should  be  done.     Working  side  by 

>  The  Times,  September  27. 


94  PRIVATE   CHARITY, 

side  with  a  powerful  organisation  of  private  charity,  it  can  do  mnch, 
very  much  more  than  will  be  due  to  the  mere  amount  of  money 
expended.  I  have  directed  returns  of  the  increasing  distress  and 
pressure  in  the  various  districts  to  be  sent  to  your  Lordship ;  the 
mortuary  returns  sent  home  officially  disclose  too  plainly  the  sufferings 
of  Southern  India. 

Believe  me,  your  Lordship's  faithful 

BuGKiNOHAM  and  Ohandos. 

The  Right  Honourable  the  Lord  Mayor. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  October  22  the  Lord  Mayor 
referred  in  terms  of  high  appreciation  to  the  efforts 
made  on  behalf  of  the  fund  by  the  mayors  and  local 
authorities  throughout  the  kingdom,  and  said  that 
from  the  Lord  Mayor  of  Dublin  he  had  received  no  less 
than  22  remittances  of  500/.  each.  He  also  stated  that 
about  800/.  had  been  collected  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
churches  of  the  metropolis,  and  would  be  paid  in  within 
the  next  few  days. 

An  extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  Mansion  House 
Conmiittee  of  November  5  will  show  how  the  fund  was 
stopped  : — 

'  A  meeting  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  fund  now  being 
raised  at  the  Mansion  House  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  by  the 
&mine  in  India  was  held  in  the  Venetian  Parlour  for  the  despatch  of 
business. 

<  The  fund  was  reported  to  amount  to  446,100^.,  of  which  405,000^. 
had  been  remitted  to  India. 

*  While  the  committee  was  sitting  a  telegram  from  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham,  the  Qovemor  of  Madras,  dated  that  afternoon,  was 
received  by  ttie  Lord  Mayor.     It  was  in  these  terms : — 

<  Your  Lordship's  exertions  have  brought  such  liberal  aid  from  all 
quarters  that,  under  the  -present  fevourable  prospects,  we  gratefully 
say  the  collection  may  cease.     In  this  the  executive  relief  committee 

concur. 

'  Another  telegram,  addressed  to  Mr.  Soulsby,  the  secretary,  was 
simultaneously  received  from  Mr.  Digby,  the  secretary  of  the  relief 
committee,  stating : — 

'  '<  With  reference  to  the  Governor's  telegram,  please  remember  that 


STOPPAGE   OF   THB   FUND.  95 

we  shall  continue  active  operations  with  the  munificent  funds  supplied 
to  us  till  January  or  February." 

*  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  S.  P.  Low,  seconded  by  Sir  Nathaniel  de 
Bothschild,  M.P.,  it  wa«  unanimously  resolved  to  send  the  following 
telegram  in  reply  to  the  authorities  at  Madras : — 

'The  Mansion  House  Committee  will  make  no  further  appeal. 
They  will  collect  all  subscriptions  from  local  committees  and  other 
sources  with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  accounts  will  be  audited 
and  the  balance  remitted.  Twenty  thousand  pounds,  making  425,000^., 
is  to-day  forwarded.' 

It  was  not  easy,  however,  to  stay  the  flow,  and  for 
nearly  six  months  after  this  date  the  Mansion  House 
Committee  continued  to  receive  subscriptions  and  to 
remit  them  to  Madras. 

A  strong  feeling  of  cordiality  existed  between  the 
chief  collecting  and  the  chief  disbursing  committees, 
and  when  the  time  came  for  Sir  Thomas  White,  as  Lord 
Mayor,  to  give  place  to  another,  the  Madras  executive 
committee  telegraphed  to  his  Lordship  in  these  terms  : — 
*  On  the  approaching  termination  of  your  tenure  of  high 
office,  we  desire  to  express  on  behalf  of  the  people  of 
Southern  India  the  deep  and  warm  gratitude  which  is 
felt  among  all  races  and  creeds  for  your  Lordship's 
active  benevolence,  and  for  your  great  and  successful 
exertions  in  promoting  the  munificent  sympathy  of  the 
people  of  Great  Britain  with  the  sufferings  of  the  famine- 
stricken  populations  of  India.'  The  Lord  Mayor  thus 
replied  by  telegram : — 'I  return  you  my  warmest  thanks 
for  your  telegram  just  received.  It  will  ever  form  a 
most  pleasing  recollection  to  me  that,  in  my  official 
position  as  Lord  Mayor,  I  was  made  the  medium  of 
forwarding  to  Southern  India  the  generous  alms  contri- 
buted by  all  classes  of  my  fellow-countrymen  for  the 
relief  of  the  famine-stricken  people.  I  take  no  credit  to 
myself  for  the  splendid  response  made  to  my  appeal,  but 
I  rejoice  that  my  office  here  enabled  me  to  originate 


96  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

the  fund  and  to  take  some  part  in  its  collection  and 
distribution.'  ^ 

LANCASHIRE. 

No  part  of  England  responded  more  eagerlj'  to  the 
appeal  for  contributions  than  did  the  county  of  Lanca- 
shire. This  was  the  more  pleasing  from  the  fact  that 
through  its  trade  there  is  no  portion  of  the  United 
Kingdom  brought  so  much  into  contact  with  India  as 
the  great  cotton-manufacturing  county.  Public  meet- 
ings were  held  in  Manchester,  Liverpool,  and  other 
places,  and  subscription  lists  opened.  A  letter  from 
the  Rev.  S.  Alfred  Steinthal,  honorary  secretary  of 
the  Manchester  and  Salford  committee,  epitomises  the 
action  taken  in  Lancashire.  Writing  on  October  4, 
he  said : — 

'I  have  had  the  honour,  in  behalf  of  our  committee,  of  send- 
ing you  various  sums :  on  September  5,  10,000^.,  on  September  19, 
5,000^.,  on  the  26th,  3,000/.,  and  to-day  I  am  happy  to  lemit 
another  3,000/.,  making  in  all  21,000/.  I  trust  before  this  reaches 
you  to  have  sent  still  more  to  relieve  the  sad  suffering  of  our  fellow- 
subjects  in  India.  My  chief  object  in  writing  to  you  to-day,  in 
addition  to  confirming  my  previous  telegrams,  is  to  inform  you  that 
our  chief  Lancashire  towns  have  agreed  that  their  subscriptions  are  to 
be  all  placed  under  one  heading  as  '*  Lancashire  Indian  Famine  Relief 
Fimd."  We  are  all  mindful  of  the  generous  help  given  to  our  factory 
workers  during  the  cotton  famine  by  Mends  in  India,  and  are  very 
desirous  that  it  should  Hot  be  thought  that  we  were  ungrateful  for 

^  Que  further  instance  of  good  feeling  may  be  mentioned : — Prior  1o  leav- 
ing the  Mansion  House,  the  late  Lord  Mayor  (Sir  Thomas  White)  enter- 
tained there  at  dinner  the  members  of  the  committee  by  whom  he  had  been 
assisted  in  the  collection  and  distribution  of  the  Indian  fiunine  fund.  The 
banquet  was  served  in  the  Long  Parlour.  After  dinner  '  the  health  of  the 
Madras  Committee'  was  proposed  by  Sir  Thomas  White,  and  a  telegram, 
wishing  them  success  in  their  arduous  labours,  was  despatched  to  his  Grace 
the  Governor.  Mr.  S.  P.  Low  replied  for  the  Mansion  House  Oonmiittee, 
and  Mr.  J.  Fleming,  C.S.I.,  proposed,  in  flattering  terms,  *  the  health  of 
Lord  Mayor  White,'  under  whose  auspices  the  fund  had  been  raised,  with  a 
result  so  successful* 


LANCASHIRE  GENEROSITY.  97 

that  generoofl  assistanoe.  We  bear  it  oongtantly  in  mind,  and  one  of 
the  few  gleams  of  comfort  that  we  can  derive  in  the  midst  of  this  sad 
visitation  arises  from  the  fact  that  it  enables  us,  in  some  small  degree, 
to  give  expression  to  the  sense  of  obligation  we  shall  always  feel  under 
to  those  generous  friends  who  helped  us  in  our  need. 

'Some  of  our  Lancashire  subscriptions  have  already  been  paid  into 
the  Mansion  House  fund,  but  we  shall  try  and  make  a  complete  list 
of  Lancashire  contributions,  and  shall  feel  much  pleased  if  you  can  by 
some  means  let  our  county  work  be  known ;  as  we  feel  a  special  tie 
to  Lidia,  above  what  can  be  felt  by  other  parts  of  England,  with  the 
exception  of  the  cotton  manufacturing  part  of  Cheshire  lying  near  us. 

'  While  I  am  writing,  might  I  be  bold  enough  to  ask  you  to  be 
kind  enough  to  send  me  all  possible  information  as  to  means  which 
men  of  experience  in  your  Presidency  believe  may  be  adopted  to  avert 
such  calamities  in  the  future  1  Our  committee  have  resolved  as  soon 
as  the  pressure  of  work  arising  from  the  appeal  for  money  is  over  to 
try  and  arouse  such  public  feeling  as  shall  help  the  Crovemment  in 
carrying  preventive  measures,  even  at  the  cost  of  public  money,  and 
all  advice  which  comes  to  us  from  men  residing  in  India  must  be  of 
great  service  to  us.' 

The  money  contributed — nearly  £100,000 — was 
only  a  small  part  of  the  sympathy  shown  by  Lancashire. 
Through  public  meetings  and  in  other  ways  pressure 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  English  Government  to 
devise  remedial  means  to  prevent  future  famines. 

Two  Lancashire  towns — Bolton  and  Blackburn — 
preferred  to  keep  their  contributions  distinct,  and  did 
so.  The  sums  sent  by  them  respectively  were  £5,150, 
and  £3,500. 

At  one  of  the  weekly  meetings  of  the  Manchester 
Committee  of  the  Indian  Famine  Relief  Fund  the  Bishop 
of  Manchester  laid  before  the  committee  the  following 
letter,  which  is  worthy  of  permanent  record,  as  showing 
the  spirit  in  which  the  fund  was  contributed  : — 

Manchesteri  September  11. 

My  Lord, — I  have  been  requested  by  a  deputation  from  the  work- 
people employed  by  Messrs.  S.  Schwabe  and  Co.  at  Khodes,  near  Mid- 
dleton,  to  bring  the  following  under  your  Lordship's  notice  : — A  desire 

VOL.   II.  H 


98  PRIVATE   CHAKITY. 

having  been  expressed  by  many  of  the  hands  employed  at  the  above 
works  to  contribute  to  the  above  fond,  some  of  their  fellow-workmen 
convened  a  meeting  of  the  whole  body.  At  this  meeting,  of  which 
Mr.  C.  B.  West  was  chairman,  it  was  resolved  unanimously  that 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  employed  at  the  Bhodes  Printing  Works 
should  contribute  one-fifbh  at  least  of  a  week's  wages.  In  order  that 
the  payment  of  the  contribution  should  not  press  too  heavily  on  any 
contributor,  it  was  arranged  that  the  collection  should  be  made  fort- 
nightly during  a  period  of  eight  weeks,  or,  say  5  per  cent,  at  a  time. 
Mr.  West  and  the  cashier  at  the  works  having  entered  in  a  book  the 
names  of  the  whole  of  the  people  employed  at  the  above  works,  with 
the  amounts  due  weekly  to  each  placed  opposite,  the  workpeople 
were  invited  to  sign  the  book  as  proof  of  their  willingness  to  contribute 
the  percentage  of  their  wages  agreed  upon.  This  was  done  in  nearly 
all  cases  with  the  greatest  alacrity  and  cheerfulness,  some  giving  more, 
and  few  less  fortunately  situated  a  little  less  than  the  stipulated  20 
per  cent.  The  fii'st  collection,  which  will  be  the  largest,  as  it  includes 
extra  amounts,  summed  up  to  44/.,  and  a  cheque  for  that  amount  has 
been  placed  in  my  hands.  The  total  of  the  subscriptions  wiU,  it  is 
expected,  reach  1 10/.  or  120/.  Kow,  were  similar  steps  to  be  taken  at 
all  our  mills  and  manufactories  with  like  results,  what  a  noble  con- 
tribution Lancashire  would  make  to  the  fund  for  the  relief  of  the 
famishing  Indians.  The  gentlemen  who  have  waited  upon  me 
believe  that  it  is  in  your  Lordship's  i)Ower  to  bring  about  such  a  strik- 
ing proof  of  the  sympathy  felt  by  the  workpeople  of  Lancashire  for 
their  suffering  fellow-subjects  in  India.  Were  you  to  use  your  in- 
fluence with  the  workpeople  at  even  only  a  few  of  the  many  mills, 
railway  dep6ts,  i&c.,  these  gentlemen  believe  that  the  movement  would 
spread  rapidly  and  a  grand  result  would  accrue. 

Yours,  &c., 

J.  G.  Makdley. 

In  closing  accounts  and  forwarding  the  balance,  Mr. 
Watson,  secretary  to  the  Blackburn  committee,  wrote  : — 

At  the  last  meeting  of  our  committee  it  was  decided  that  the 
Madras  committee  should  be  asked  to  express  their  opinion  in  an 
elaborate  minute  as  to  the  best  means  of  preventing  the  recurrence  of 
famine  in  the  districts  over  which  they  have  so  laboriously  distri- 
buted the  relief  funds. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  this  committee  that  the  experience  acquired  in 
the  various  districts  over  which  your  committee  have  distributed  re- 
lief; the  knowledge  they  have  gained  of  the  cause  of  famine^  and  their 


EFFORTS   IN  EDINBURGH.  99 

opinion  ae  to  the  best  meanfl  of  preventing  the  recurrence  of  a  similar 
calamity,  will  be  of  the  highest  importance  to  ns. 

Any  assistance  that  we  can  render  by  the  difusion  of  sound 
opinion  and  information  on  the  subject  will  be  most  willingly  and 
walously  given. 

This  is  the  duty  of  the  Famine  Commission  appointed 
by  the  Government  of  India,  rather  than  of  the  Madras 
committee,  whose  task  was  one  of  relief  and  not  of 
remedy. 

Bradford  also  had  communications  direct  with  the 
Madras  committee,  and  contributed  £8,500. 

SCOTLAND. 

Scotland,   proportionately  to   her   population,  has, 
perhaps,  sent  more  sons  to  India  than  any  other  part 
of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  her  interest  in  all  that 
concerns  the  Empire  is  proportionately  great.  Edinburgh 
worthily  took  the  lead  in  Scotland  in  raising  contribu- 
tions, and  the  famine  relief   fund  there    was  appro- 
priately inaugurated  at  a  meeting  over  which  the  liord 
Provost  presided,    and  at    which    such  representative 
'  Indians '  as  Lord  Napier  and  Ettrick,  once  Governor 
of   Madras,  and  George    Smith,  Esq.,  C.I.E.,  LL.D., 
late  editor  of  the  Friend  of  India^  took  part.     Dr.  Smith 
was  made  co-secretary  with  two  other  gentlemen,  and 
for  a  time  the  attention  of  the  dwellers  in  the  Modern 
Athens  was  concentrated  upon  India  and  her  woes, 
Lord  Napier  and  Ettrick  serving  to  maintain  the  interest 
by  giving  a  lecture  on  Indian  Famines  to  the  working 
men  of  Edinburgh.     A  pricis  of  the  report  issued  by 
the  Edinburgh  committee,  at  the  close  of  their  opera- 
tions, will  serve  to  show  the  scope  of  their  operations  : — 

This  fund  was  opened,  on  a  telegram  from  his 
Excellency  the  Governor  of  Madras  to  the  Lord 
Provost  of  Edinburgh,  received  on  August  15,  1877, 
appealing  for  public  sympathy  and  help. 

"'  803679  A 


100  PRIVATE   CHABirr. 

The  action  of  the  Lord  Provost  and  Town  Council 
of  Edinburgh,  in  response  to  the  appeal,  was  approved 
of  by  a  most  influential  meeting  of  the  citizens  and 
representatives  of  the  adjoining  counties,  held  on 
September  3,  1877.  In  a  letter  from  the  late  Viceroy 
and  Governor  General  of  India,  the  Earl  of  Northbrook, 
who  was  passing  through  the  city,  the  nature  of  the 
distress  was  urged  as  especially  suitable  for  private 
benevolence,  and  the  opinion  was  expressed  that  *  Edin- 
burgh would  not  be  behindhand  in  the  good  work, 
while  it  would  be  warmly  supported  by  the  whole  of 
Scotland,  where  there  are  so  many  and  so  honourable 
associations  with  the  Indian  Empire.'  A  large  com- 
mittee under  the  presidency  of  the  Lord  Provost  was 
then  nominated  to  raise  subscriptions  on  a  general  scale. 
This  acting  committee  was  formed  with  the  distin- 
guished ex-Governor  of  Madras,  the  Right  Honourable 
Lord  Napier  and  Ettrick,  K.T.,  as  vice-chairman. 
This  committee  met  five  days  a  week  all  through 
September  and  October,  and  thereafter  weekly,  till  the 
close  of  the  year.  The  City  Chamberlain  from  the  first 
freely  and  zealously  gave  the  movement  the  benefit  of 
his  experience  and  energy  as  honorary  treasurer. 

'  Spontaneous  subBcriptions  of  comparatively  large  sums  began  to 
flow  in  as  the  result  of  the  publicity  given  to  the  Madras  appeal  all 
throughout  the  country.  The  honorary  treasurer,  however,  lost  no 
time  in  addressing  (1)  special  circulars  to  some  3,000  citizens  and 
residents  in  the  country,  which  in  most  instances  met  with  a  prompt 
and  liberal  response.  This  was  followed  (2)  by  a  somewhat  similar 
representation  sent  to  no  fewer  than  24,000  addresses  in  the  local 
Directory ;  (3)  the  banks  and  insurance  offices,  other  public  offices,  and 
some  shops,  received  subscriptions.  The  acting  committee  desire  to 
express  their  gratitude  to  these  agencies  for  their  hearty  co-operation, 
and  especially  to  the  Banks,  both  in  the  city  and  countiy,  for  the  ar- 
rangement made  for  cashing  drafts  free  of  cost,  and  to  the  Bank  of 
Scotland  for  their  remittance  of  sums  to  Madras  also  free  of  all  the 
usual  ohai'ges.     (4)  Considerable  sums  were  paid  into  the  office  of  the 


THB  EDINBURGH  COMMITTEE.  101 

honorary  treasurer,  at  the  City  chambers  (5)  A  special  move- 
ment was  organised  among  the  working  and  trading  classes,  chiefly 
through  the  Edinburgh  United  Trades  Council,  with  whom  Mr. 
Harrison  and  other  members  of  the  committee  held  conferences ;  and 
also  directly  in  several  large  establishments.  In  order  to  promote  this 
most  desirable  end  Lord  Napier  and  Ettrick  delivered  a  lecture  on 
India,  which  attracted  a  crowded  audience  to  the  Free  Assembly  Hall 
towards  the  close  of  September,  and  was  warmly  appreciated.  The 
report  of  the  lecture  had  a  powerful  influence  in  promoting  the  general 
subscriptions.  His  Lordship  more  recently  delivered  a  second  lecture 
in  the  literary  Institute,  on  the  prevention  of  fjEtmine.  Though  living 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  town.  Lord  Napier  and  Ettrick  con- 
tinued to  preside  at  the  principal  meetings  every  week.  Mr.  Duncan 
McLaren,  M.P.,  attended  nearly  all  the  meetings  and  guided  the  move- 
ment throughout  by  his  great  experience  and  zeal.  (6)  Individual 
members  of  the  committee  promoted  the  subscription  in  the  neigh- 
bouring towns.  On  October  22  a  circular  was  addressed  to  all  the 
boroughs  and  municipal  bodies  in  Scotland  who  had  not  up  to  that 
time  taken  part  in  the  national  subscription,  communicating  to  them 
the  proceedings  of  the  Madras  central  committee,  and  oflering  to  re- 
mit any  amounts  raised  free  of  expense.  (7)  Finally,  on  the  return 
to  town  of  many  families  at  the  close  of  the  autumn  holidays,  collec- 
tions were  made  by  church  congregations  and  in  schools.  These 
formed  most  important,  and,  at  that  stage,  most  valuable  feeders  to  the 
general  stream  of  benevolence. 

*  The  result  of  these  and  other  agencies,  such  as  lectures,  has  been 
the  subscription  of  23,216/.,  chiefly  in  the  two  and  a  half  months  end- 
ing November  18,  when  the  assured  fall  of  the  north-east  monsoon  in 
aU  districts  save  Ganjam  and  Yizagapatam  largely  removed  the  fear 
of  the  continuance  of  famine  beyond  the  next  harvest  of  February 
1878.  This  sum  is,  with  one  exception,  the  largest  raised  by  Edin- 
biu^h  for  any  public  purpose.  To  the  Patriotic  fund  after  the 
Crimean  war  this  city  was  the  means  of  adding  16,000/.  For  the  re- 
lief of  distress  in  Lancashire,  to  which,  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  the 
people  of  India  liberally  subscribed,  Edinburgh  raised  35,0002.  The 
Edinburgh  Famine  fund  of  1877  is  also  proportionately  larger  than 
that  contributed  by  any  other  city  of  the  Empire,  so  far  as  present 
statistics  show.  The  Mansion  House  fund  has  exceeded  the  un- 
paralleled amount  of  half-armillion  sterling,  a  fact  which  has  called 
forth  the  congratulations  of  the  Queen  on  the  "  magniflcent  result." 
This  sum  has  been  drawn  from  all  the  provinces  of  the  Empire, 
including  the  Colonies  and  some  parts  of  Scotland.  Dublin  contri- 
buted 13,000/.,  which  it  sent  to  London.     Glasgow  raised  22,390/.,  of 


102  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

which  it  forwarded  4,310^.  to  Bombay  and  17,632/.  toMadras.  Manches^ 
ter  and  Salford,  Liverpool,  Blackburn,  Bradford,  Bolton,  Oldham,  and 
Greenock,  also  remitted  to  India  direct.  But  no  one  can  assert  that 
either  Edinburgh  or  the  whole  Empire — which,  including  India  itself, 
may  be  said  to  have  given  650,000Z.,  or,  what  is  equivalent  in  Indian 
currency  and  in  purchasing  power  to  above  three-quarters  of  a  million 
sterling — has  done  more  than  its  duty.  The  whole  sum  acknowledged 
in  Madras  up  to  December  15  last  from  India  itself  as  well  as 
the  rest  of  the  British  Empire,  is  7,908,714  rs.,  or  nearly  800,000/. 
at  the  par  of  two  shillings  the  rupee. 

'The  valuable  analysis  of  the  Edinburgh  fund  by  the  honorary 
treasurer  reveals  some  interesting  details.  The  number  of  separate 
donations  to  the  Mansion  House  fund  is  stated  at  over  1 6,000 ;  from 
the  comparatively  small  area  of  Edinburgh,  and  those  parts  of  Scot- 
land which  remitted  through  it,  there  have  been  3,608  personal  sub- 
scriptions, yielding  12,057/.,  or  rather  more  than  half  the  whole. 
Church  collections  came  next ;  428  congregations  gave  7,400/.,  or  a 
third  of  the  whole,  if  the  allied  sums  from  89  schools  and  9  lectures 
be  added.  These  two  dassee  make  19,823/.  of  the  total  23,215/.  The 
balance  is  made  up  by  250/.  from  the  working  classes  in  86  establish- 
ments, 293/.  frx)m  14  corporations  and  societies,  and  2,848/.  from  14 
county  or  town  districts. 

*  Of  the  total  number  of  4,265  subscriptions,  there  were  2,984  from 
the  city  of  Edinburgh,  yielding  1 1,337/.  This  is  at  the  rate  of  3/.  15«. 
each.  Almost  the  same  rate  prevailed  in  Leith,  where  283  subscribed 
1,035/.  The  landward  subscriptions  of  the  county  of  Mid-Lothian 
numbered  167,  and  amounted  to  1,200/.  Towns  beyond  Mid-Lothian 
sent  5,368/.  in  342  contributions,  and  counties  other  than  Mid- 
Lothian  3,377/.  in  330  contributions.  From  counties  beyond  there  were 
21  subscriptions  amounting  to  100/.  The  highest  subscription  was 
anonymous,  500/.  from  **  M.  S.  S.  D."  Perhaps  the  most  significant  is 
that  of  5/.,  the  spontaneous  offering  of  the  boys  of  the  Wellington  Re- 
formatory. A  few  givers  sent  monthly  subscriptions  to  the  frind  as 
long  as  the  pressure  lasted,  an  example  followed  in  India  in  times  of 
fitmine,  and  worthy  of  general  adoption.  In  addition  to  the  church 
collections  above  stated,  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  raised 
2,630/.  as  a  special  fund  for  sufferers  in  Hajpootana,  and  the  Free 
Church  802/.  for  orphans  in  Bombay  and  Hyderabad. 

'  After  careful  considei'ation  of  the  claims  of  Bombay,  of  Hajpoo- 
tana, and  of  a  mission  in  Hyderabad,  the  acting  committee  resolved 
to  send  aU  remittances  in  the  first  instance  to  the  central  committee 
in  Madras.  That  body  is  in  the  heart  of  the  greatest  suffering;  it 
represents  all  classes  and  creeds ;  it  established  a  careful  system  of 


THE   EDINBURGH   COMMITTEE.  103 

distribtition  and  control,  and  it  has  done  its  work  well.  At  the  same 
tinie,  seeing  so  many  of  the  subscribers  to  the  Edinburgh  fund  were 
interested  in  other  places  than  South  India,  the  acting  committee 
recommended  the  Madras  Agency  to  give  careful  and  generous 
consideration  to  applications  fi'om  the  places  named.  The  committee 
do  not  know  if  an  appeal  was  made  to  Madras  from  Bajpootana,  but 
the  Madras  grants  to  Bombay,  Mysore,  and  elsewhere,  seem  to  have 
been  satis&ctoiy.  In  this  as  in  all  previous  famines  it  has  been 
proved  that  the  best,  and  in  many  cases  the  only  agents  of  the  bounty 
of  this  countiy,  and  of  Qovemment  itself,  are  the  missionaries,  both 
Protestant  and  Boman  Catholic,  next  to  the  overburdened  district 
officers.  The  calamity  in  South  India  has  told  heavily  on  the  millions 
of  Christians  there,  as  shown  by  the  official  proceedings  sent  to  the 
Edinburgh  committee  every  week.  The  sum  of  20,000^.  was  aeat  to 
his  Excellency  the  Crovemor  of  Madras  in  six  remittances,  of  which 
the  last  reached  on  December  3.  This  yielded  no  less  than 
225,412  rs.,  owing  to  the  gain  by  exchange  at  from  la.  9^.  to  la,  8|(f. 
per  rupee.  When  the  net  amount  of  22,300^.  or  thereby  haa  reached 
India,  it  will  be  found  that  this  is  really  equal  to  about  25,000^.  or 
more,  according  to  the  purchasing  power  of  the  rupee  on  the  spot. 

'  The  total  cost  of  collecting  this  amount  has  been  925/.  The 
bulk  of  this,  855/.,  is  due  to  advertising  (630/.)  and  circulars  and 
postage  (225/1),  without  which  the  money  could  not  have  been  raised. 
The  money  allowed  by  the  committee  for  the  services  of  clerks  is 
60/.  The  amount  of  the  City  Chamberlain's  intromissions  as 
honorary  treasurer  of  the  frind  is  herewith  submitted  as  brought 
down  to  the  12th  instant,  and  docqueted  by  Mr.  Thomas  Dall,  C.A., 
as  honorary  auditor.  The  City  Chamberlain  has  considered  it  a 
privily  to  organise  and  direct  the  movement  under  the  acting 
committee,  a  privilege  which  the  three  honorary  secretaries — Messrs. 
Skinner  and  G.  Harrison,  and  Dr.  George  Smith,  CLE. — have  been 
delighted  to  share. 

'  So  £Eur  as  the  official  reports  of  the  Crovemment  of  India  show, 
the  following  sums  have  been  raised  for  the  relief  of  the  people  in 
recent  famines : — 


104 


PBIVATE   CHARITY. 


Year 


1861 
1866 

1860 
1874 

1877 


Flaoe 


Upper  India 
r  Onssa,     Behar, 
•land      North 
[Madras 

J  Rajpootana  and  I 
I  Central     India  f 

Bahar  .... 

{S.    India     and  \ 
Bombay  .     .    ./ 


From 
British 
Empire 


£ 

165,000 
121,000 

U.  P.  Oh. 
Bent 
23,000 
230,000 

650,000^ 


Famine 
I>eathB 


Cost  to 


State 


600,000 
1,600,000 

400,000 
a  few 

697,804 
For  nine 
months  in 
Madras 
only,  will  be 
double  this 
at  least. 


£ 
650,000 

1,600,000 


very  little 
7,500,000 

0,260,000 


People 


4,000,000 

Enormous 
but  not  re- 
ported 

1,000,000 

Unknown, 
but  little 

Not  yet  es- 
timated, but 
three  times 
that  in  1861 
at  least. 


*  In  the  twelve  months  ending  November  1877,  900,000  tons  of 

grain  were  imported  into  the  ports  of  the  province  of  Madras,  to  feed 

the  people,  or  5,600,000  lbs.  a  day.     This  seems  to  be  over  and  above 

the  large  import  inland  by  railways  from  the  north.     With  this  an 

average  number  of  three  millions  of  peasantry,  labourers,  small  artisans, 

and  the  respectable  and  high-caste  poor  were  fed  daily  by  Government, 

while  food  was  supplied,  in  addition  to  the  stocks  of  the  country,  to 

all  who  could  pay  for  it.     In  the  interior  there  were  villages  where 

food  was  not  available  at  any  price,  while  it  was  brought  up  as  fast  as 

the  railway  could  carry  it  to  the  dying,  at  rates  whidi  seem  to  have 

risen  above  four  hundred  per  cent.     In  Mysore  and  Bellary  the  horrors 

of  &mine  seem  to  have  reached  their  height.     The  records  of  the  police 

tell  of  cannibalism  and  mortality  over  which  humanity  draws  a  veil. 

But  it  is  pleasing  now  to  read  this  extract  from  a  letter  received  by 

Dr.  Smith,  from  the  centre  of  Bellary,  where  the  suffering  was  most 

terrible.     The  date  is  December  22  last : — ''After  this  wonderfully 

favourable  weather,  we  have  heard  the  district  is  looking  perfectly 

beautiful.     Agriculture  and  crops  are  most  favourable,  grass  for  cattle 

is  abundant,  and  there  is  any  quantity  of  water  in  the  tanks — 10  or  1 2 

months'  supply  without  requiring  almost  another  shower." 

*  In  resigning  their  trust  the  committee  do  not  feel  that  it  is  their 
province  to  urge  the  adoption  of  any  one  panacea,  such  as  irrigation, 
or  railway.     They  are  satisfied  that,  in  the  last  ten  years  at  least. 


'  Over  820,000?.  were  received  before  the  fund  was  finally  dosed. 


AID  FROM  THE   COLONIES.  105 

sinoe  Lord  Lawrence's  great  scheme  came  into  force,  as  large  a  sum 
has  been  devoted  to  such  public  works  as  the  revenues  of  India  can 
bear,  but  they  are  not  prepared  to  say  that  the  money  has  always  been 
spent  in  the  wisest  way.  They  believe  that  much  more  could  be  done 
for  the  mitigation  of  famine  than  at  present,  by  such  an  administration 
of  the  land  tax  as  would  leave  the  peasant  less  in  the  hands  of  the 
money-lender,  and  might  develop  habits  of  thrift  and  comfort.  It  is 
in  the  people  themselves  eus  much  as  in  the  Qovemment,  that  in  India, 
as  in  other  lands,  power  to  withstand  famine  must  be  sought.  The 
committee  observe  with  satisfaction  that  the  present  Qovemment  of 
India  has  departed  from  its  early  policy  so  far  as  to  resolve  that  not 
less  than  one  million-and-a-half  sterling  shall  be  provided  by  every 
Budget  eus  a  reserve  for  famine  relief.  But  whether  India,  as  it  is,  can 
bear  the  strain  of  this  as  well  as  of  adequate  public  works ;  whether 
canals  cannot  yet  be  made  to  pay  as  well  as  railways,  and  if  so,  how 
far  they  will  protect  vast  populations  who  have  no  permanent  source 
of  water  supply ;  and  whether  the  land  tax  and  land  tenures  cannot 
be  dealt  with  in  the  spirit  of  Colonel  Baird  Smith's  report  and  Lord 
Canning's  orders  after  the  famine  of  1861 — these  and  other  such 
questions  are  for  the  solution  of  a  ParUamentaiy  or  Boyal  Commission. 
In  conclusion,  the  committee  rejoice  in  the  abundant  evidence  sup- 
plied by  official  assurances  of  the  Viceroy  and  the  Madras  and  Bombay 
authorities,  by  the  detailed  reports  of  the  Madras  relief  committees, 
and  by  the  vernacular  and  English  press,  that  the  aid  sent  from  this 
country  has  not  only  largely  saved  human  life,  mitigated  human 
suffering,  and  enabled  the  surviving  peasantry  to  stock  and  sow  now 
their  little  holdings,  but  has  bound  more  closely  the  political  ties 
between  the  people  of  Great  Britain  and  their  fellow-subjects  in  the 
East.  There  still  remains  the  great  question  of  the  support  and  train- 
ing of  thousands  of  orphans  to  be  dealt  with.  But,  believing  that  the 
Christian  benevolence  of  this  country  will  more  effectually  act  on  the 
movement  through  other  channels,  the  committee  do  not  recommend 
the  prolonged  continuance  of  the  Edinburgh  fund  for  relief  of  the 
famine  of  1877.' 

Glasgow  and  Greenock  both  opened  separate  funds ; 
from  the  former  city  £17,622  were  received,  and  from 
the  latter  £1,840. 

THE    COLONIES. 

In  Australasia  the  movement  for  relief  was  taken  up 
with  great  heartiness,  and  as  soon  as  efforts  were  com- 


106  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

menced  a  telegram  was  sent  to  the  Madras  committee, 
asking  whether  aid  would  be  preferred  in  grain  or 
money.  The  latter  was  considered  the  more  preferable 
mode,  and  the  Australasian  committees  were  so  advised. 
Public  meetings  were  held  in  the  chief  cities  and  country 
towns  ;  most  sympathetic  and  eloquent  speeches  were 
made.  Particularly  was  this  the  case  in  Sydney,  where 
the  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  caused  a  great  sensation 
by  his  generous  oratory.  The  amounts  raised  in  the 
various  colonies  were  as  follows  : — 

Victoria £28,600 

New  Soulih  VTales 18,000 

New  Zealand             13,000 

South  Australia 11,450 

TaEEmania 3,900 

Queensland 3,000 

Making  a  grand  total  oontiibuted  hj  Australia 

and  New  Zealand  of £77,950 

The  population   and  contribution  per  head  of  the 
people  in  each  province  are  given  in  the  annexed  table : — 

Estimated         r«    *,  'u  ,.• 

J^^l.  1878.  ^'  ^"^ 

South  Australia    ....        237,536  11^. 

106,000  S^d. 


Tasmania 
Victoria 
New  Zealand 
New  South  Wales 
Queensland 


861,500  7id. 

417,532  7  id. 

665,000  ^d. 

203,095  3|d. 


Total  2,479,880  making  7^. 

the  average  contribution  per  head  in  all  the  colonies. 

At  the  antipodes  of  Great  Britain,  as  in  Great  Britain, 
most  earnest  and  self-denying  efforts  were  made  to 
render  assistance.  A  description  of  what  was  done  in 
South  Australia  will  serve  as  an  indication  of  the  activity 
and  zeal  displayed.  On  Wednesday,  September  19, 
1878,  a  meeting  convened  by  the  mayor  of  Adelaide 
(Mr.  Caleb  Peacock)  was  held  in  the  city,  and  a  com- 


SOUTH   AUSTRALIAN  EFFORTS.  107 

mittee  formed  to  organise  a  scheme  for  sending  speedy 
relief  to  the  famine-stricken  districts  in  India.     This 
committee,  together  with  a  few  other  gentlemen  whose 
names  were  added  subsequently,  had  the  general  over- 
sight  of   the  movement,    but  the   practical  organisa- 
tion and  working  out  of  the  scheme  was  entrusted  to 
an  executive  sub-committee.     The  final  report  issued 
says  : — *  After  careful    deliberation  the  sub*committee 
considered  it  undesirable  and  unnecessary  to  make — 
as  they  were  strongly  urged  to  do — a  house-to-house 
canvass  in  Adelaide  and  the  suburbs  for  subscriptions. 
Active  measures,  however,  were  taken  to  disseminate 
information  respecting  the  famine  and  its  sad  results, 
and  to  distribute  subscription-lists  and  books  for  the 
collection  of  contributions.       The  sub-committee  re- 
ceived great  assistance  in  their  labours  from  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Register  newspaper,  who  printed  free  of 
cost  50,000  copies  of  an  article  on  the  famine  compiled 
from  authentic  sources ;  also  from  Messra  Scrjnngour 
and  Sons,  who  gratuitously  printed  a  large  number  of 
lithographed  letters,   with  which   they  communicated 
with  persons  in  the  city,  suburbs,  and  country  districts. 
Aid  was  also  afforded  by  Mr.  Dobson  (of  the  Temple 
of  Light),  who  presented  to  the  committee  a  number  of 
copies  of  photographs  received  from  the  mayor  of  Mel- 
bourne, portraying  the  sad  effects  of  the  fiamine.     To 
all  these  gentlemen,  and  to  many  others  whose  zealous 
co-operation  involved  the  expenditure  of  much  time  and 
attention,  the  committee  on  behalf  of  the  public  generally 
desire  to  record  their  most  sincere  thanks. 

*  Lists  were  distributed  to  all  parts  of  the  country 
as  follows : — To  local  committees,  103  ;  corporations, 
67  ;  district  councils,  380  ;  post  offices,  69  ;  public- 
houses,  570  ;  sheep-stations,  222  ;  police-stations,  85  ; 
public  institutions,  56;  private  institutions,  173;  banks, 
81  ;  local  courts,  6  ;  churches  and  chapels,  76  ;  societies, 


108  PBIVATB  CHABITT. 

20—1,908.     A  total  number  of  1,908  lists  and  68  books 
were  Issued  in  this  way. 

*  The  interest  which  was  taken  in  the  movement  by 
the  public  generally  in  South  Australia  was  manifested 
by  the  ready  response  which  was  made  to  the  appeal — 
a  response  which  enabled  the  committee  to  remit  within 
a  fortnight  a  first  instalment  of  3,000/.  This  credit 
was  sent  by  telegram,  so  that  it  was  immediately  avail- 
able in  India.  Within  six  weeks  a  further  remittance 
of  5,000/.  was  in  like  manner  sent  to  Madras,  and 
on  December  4  an  additional  3,000/.  was  forwarded. 
The  total  amount  raised  has  been  11,450/.:  deduct 
amount  already  remitted,  10,000/.;  expenses  incurred, 
260/. — 10,260/.;  leaving  amount  in  hand  to  be  remitted 
about  1,190/.  Reckoning  bank  interest  on  the  current 
account  and  the  exchange  on  drafts,  the  sum  of  ll,450/« 
subscribed  here  will  be  equivalent  in  India  to  an  amount 
exceeding  12,000/.' 

To  Victoria  belongs  the  honour  of  having  contri- 
buted the  largest  donation  to  the  fund  of  any  individual 
contributing.  Mr.  W.  J.  Clarke,  a  wealthy  squatter, 
gave  2,000/. 

From  Canada,  Jamaica,  and  other  West  India  Islands, 
Natal,  British  Guiana,  Mauritius,  Hong  Kong,  the  Straits 
Settlements,  Gibraltar — in  fact,  without  exception  horn 
every  part  of  the  British  dominions,  contributions  were 
sent.  The  solidarity  of  the  British  Empire  was  exem- 
plified in  a  most  pleasing  manner  by  the  sympathy  and 
aid  which  the  relief  fund  called  forth.  India  was  the 
centre  of  attraction  in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  a 
stronger  bond  than  administrative  acts  could  weave 
cemented  all  parts  of  the  Queen's  dominions  as  they  had 
never  been  cemented  before.^ 

^  The  Norfolk  Islaaders,  descended  from  the  mutineen  of  the  'Boimtj/ 
who  settled  first  at  Pitcaini,  and  were  then  moTed  to  Norfolk  Island, 
contributed  51/.  to   the  Madras  famine  relief  fund.     Dr.  Selwyn,   the 


CONTRIBUTIONS   IN   INDIA. 


109 


In  India  the  sum  raised  was,  comparatively,  not 
large,  but  the  explanation  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
distress  was  general  everywhere  save  in  Bengal,  and  that 
the  high  prices  of  food  and  other  articles  made  large 
donations  impracticable.  The  following  details  should 
be  of  interest : — 


ContrUmtions  from  Indian  Princes. 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  of  Baroda 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  of  Travancore    . 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  of  Cochin  .... 

H.H.  the  Kaja  of  Venkatagiri 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  Holkar      .... 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  of  Mourbhuij     . 

H.H.  the  Maharanee  of  Shoma  Moye  of  Gos8imbazar 

H.H.  the  Begum  of  Bhopal      .... 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  of  Vizianagram 

H.H.  the  Maharaja  of  Pumea  .... 

H.H.  the  Maharanee  of  Earjat  Koer  Ticari 

H.H.  the  Raja  of  Poodoocottah 


JRs, 

10,000 

8,000 

5,000 

2,000 

10,000 

6,000 

2,000 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

500 


<t,  p. 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 


Regimental  Contributions, 


2nd  Regt.  M.S.  Cav. 
officers  and  men  . 
2nd  Regt.  M,N.I.  . 
2nd  R^.  Ghoorkaa 
3rd  Regt.  Sikh  .  . 
4th  Regt.  B.I.  .  . 
4th  Regt.  M.I.  .  . 
4th  Regt.  P.C.H.C.  . 
4th  Cav.  H.C.  .  . 
5th  Regt.  Ghoorkas  . 


Rs,    a,  p, 

132  11  0 

115  0  0 

93  8  0 

153  11  6 

257  6  0 

282  13  0 

90    0  0 

236     4  0 

350    0  0 


Rs. 
8th  Regt.  N.I.  .  .127 
9th  Regt.  N.I.  .  .142 
10th  Regt.  M.N.L  .  95 
16th  Regt.  M.N.I.  .  142 
20th  Regt.  N.I.  .  .149 
25th  Regt.  N.I.  .  .  256 
26th  Regt.  N.I.  .  .136 
28th  Regt.  N.I.  .  .196 
40th  Regt.  ...  110 
89th  Regt.  H.M.      .  375 


a.  p. 

2  0 

9  0 

0  0 

14  0 

0  0 

11  0 

2  0 

8  0 

0  0 

0  0 


Bishop  of  Melanesia,  states  in  a  letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Madras,  that  the  whole 
community  does  not  numher  400  souls.  '  They  are  by  no  means  well  off, 
and  derive  their  money  chiefly  from  whaling,  which  is  carried  on  for  about 
six  months  of  the  year,  and  from  the  sale  of  their  produce  to  chance  whalers, 
and  also  by  the  sale  of  cattle  to  New  Caledonia.  But  the  story  of  the  &mine 
has  touched  their  hearts  deeply ;  and' as  they  took  advantage  of  the  day  of 
intercession  to  use  it  also  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  for  their  safety  during  the 
whaling  season,  their  offertory  may  be  considered  as  in  part  a  thank- 
offering.' 


110 


TBIVATB   CHABITY. 


MANSION  HOUSE  INDIAN  FAMINE  RELIEF  FUND. 


Comnnttee, 

The  Right  Honourable  Sir  Thomas  White,  Lord  Major  (chairman). 

The  Right  Honourable  the  Earl  of  Northbrook,  4,  Hamilton  Place, 

Piccadilly,  W. 


Sir  N.  M.  de  Rothschild,  M.P.,  New 

Court,  St.  Swithin's  Lane,  E.O. 
Lieut-General  Sir  Henry  Norman, 

16,  Westboume  Sq.,  W. 
K.    D.    Hodgson,    Esq.    M.P.,    8, 

Bishopsgate  St.  Within,  E.O. 
E.  0.  Baring,  Esq.,  8,  Bishopsgate 

St.  Within,  E.G. 
&  G.  H  Mills,  M.P.,  Lombard  St, 

E.O. 
H.  M.  Matheson,  Esq.,  S,  Lombard 

St,  E.O. 
Baron  de  Stem,  6,  Angel  Gourt,  E.G. 
L.  Huth,  Esq.,  12,  Tokenhouse  Yard, 

E.G. 
0.  Arbuthnot,  £^.,  83,  Great  St 

Helen's,  KG. 
J.  S.  Morgan,  Esq.,  22,  Old  Broad 

St,  E.G. 
J.  Fleming,  Esq.,  G.S.I.,  18,  Leaden- 
hall  St,  E.G. 
S.  Morley,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Tonbridge 
Alderman    Sir   W.    A.    Rose,  66, 

Upper  Thames  St,  E.G. 
Alderman    Sir   Robert   Garden,  2, 

Royal  Exchange  Buildings,  E.G. 
W.  R.  Arbuthnot,  Esq.,  Great  St 

Helen's,  E.G. 
Mr.  Alderman  Hadley,  Gity  Flour 

Mills,  E.G. 
Mr.  Alderman  Sidney,  Bowes  Manor, 

Southgate,  N. 

F.  W.  Buxton,  Esq.,  62,  Thread- 
needle  St,  E.G. 

Hon.  H  L.  Bourke,  18,  Fbch  Lane 

Henry  Bayley,  Esq.,  P.  and  O. 
Company,  Leadenhall  St.,  E.G. 

S.  P.  Low,  Baq.,  Parliament  St,  S.  W. 


W.  Scott,  Esq.,  6,  East  India 
Avenue 

M.  Girod,  144,  Leadenhall  St,  E.G. 

R  H.  Hardcastle,  Esq.,  144  Leaden- 
hall St,  KG. 

J.  Sands,  Esq.,  60,  Old  Broad  St, 
KG. 

J.  Pender,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Eastein  Tele- 
graph Company,  Old  Broad  St, 
KG. 

Charles  Teede,  Esq.,  College  Hill, 
KG, 

P.  Macfadyen,  Esq.,  Great  St 
Helen's,  E.G. 

G.  Parbury,  Esq.,  87,  Newgate  St., 
KG. 

Thomas  Gray,  Esq.,  84,  Fenchurch 
St,  KG. 

J.  H.  Grossman,  Esq.,  RoUb  Park, 
Ghigwell 

T.  J.  Reeves,  Esq.,  11,  King's  Arms 
Yard,  E.G. 

G.  B.  Bowden,  Esq.,  19,  Cullum  St, 
KG. 

A.  T.  Hewitt,  Esq.,  82,  Nicholas 
Lane,  E.G. 

G.  Arbuthnot,  Esq.,  40,  Thread- 
needle  St,  E.G. 

G.  Smith,  Esq.,  14,  Bride  Lane,  KG. 

J.  N.  Bullen,  Esq.,  65,  Old  Broad 
St,  KG. 

F.  W.  Heilgers,  Esq.,  Chartered 
Bank  of  India,  Australia,  and 
China,  Hatton  Chambers,  E.G. 

W.  Mackinnon,  Esq.,  British  Steam 
Navigation  Co.,  E.G. 

H.  S.  King,  Esq.,  66,  Gomhill,  KG. 


PRINCIPAL   SUBSCKIPTIONS  RECEIVED   IN   LONDON.  Ill 

Principal  Stihscriptions  received  in  Landan,^  ^ 

Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen-Empress    .         .  500  0  0 

His  Eoyal  Highness  the  Piince  of  Wales      .         .         .  525  0  0 

Her  Boyal  Highness  the  Princess  of  Wales  .         .         .  105  0  0 

His  Boyal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh        .         .  100  0  0 

Her  Boyal  and  Imperial  Highness  Duchess  of  Edinbui^h  50  0  0 

His  Boyal  Highness  Prince  Leopold     .         .         .         .  50  0  0 

His  Boyal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Cambridge         .         .  50  0  0 

Her  Boyal  Highness  the  Duchess  of  Cambridge    .         .  100  0  0 

The  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  of  Germany          .         .  100  0  0 

The  Grand  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Hesse        .        .        .  50  0  0 

The  Grand  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Mecklenburg  Strelitz  .  30  0  0 

His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford 500  0  0 

„         „      ,,       ,,      „  Northumberland       •         •        •  500  0  0 

„         „      „       „      „  Devonshire       ....  500  0  0 

The  Duchess  Dowager  of  Cleveland      ....  500  0  0 

The  Most  Noble  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury     .         ,         .  500  0  0 

The  Earl  of  Northbrook 500  0  0 

Lord  Leconfield 500  0  0 

The  Earl  of  Pembroke  and  Montgomery       .         .         .  500  0  0 

The  United  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons     ....  1,050  0  0 

The  Governor  and  Company  of  the  Bank  of  England    .  1,000  0  0 

Messrs-  N.  M.  de  Bothschild  and  Sons          .         .         .  1,000  0  0 

Messrs.  Baring  Bros,  and  Company      ....  1,000  0  0 

Messrs.  Coutts  and  Company 1,000  0  0 

The  Corporation  of  London 1,000  0  0 

The  Grocers' Company 1,000  0  0 

The  Mercers'  Company        ......  1,000  0  0 

The  Clothworkers'  Company 525  0  0 

The  Merchant  Taylors'  Company          ....  525  0  0 

The  Fishmongers'  Company 525  0  0 

The  Goldsmiths' Company 500  0  0 

The  Oriental  Bank  Corporation 500  0  0 

The  Widow  of  the  late  George  Ashbourne,  of  Calcutta  .  500  0  0 

Messrs.  J.  S.  Morgan  &  Co 500  0  0 

Messrs.  Arbuthnot,  Latham,  &  Co 500  0  0 

Messrs.  Stem  Brothers 500  0  0 

Messrs.  Glyn,  Mills,  Currie,  &  Co 500  0  0 

The  Commercial  Sale  Booms 1,698  16  0 

The  Baltic 1,899  0  0 

Members  of  the  Stock  Exchange 1,525  10  0 

Lloyds 2,300  2  6 


1 


This  list  is  prepared  chiefly  to  show  the  large  sums  giyenby  individuals, 


112 


PRIVATE   CHARITY. 


Tovmi 

r,  dso. 

• 

£ 

8. 

d. 

£ 

8, 

d. 

Aberdeen    . 

3,702 

10 

6 

Butterworth 

111 

15 

4 

Aldershot    . 

131 

18 

6 

Bridgenorth 

535 

6 

5 

Ashford 

160 

1 

2 

Beverley     . 

153 

3 

0 

AHton  upon  Mersey 

60 

19 

1 

Bromsgrove 

93 

12 

11 

Atherstone . 

105 

0 

0 

Buckingham 

150 

0 

0 

Aberystwith 

162 

18 

2 

Bamsley 

897 

0 

11 

Alford 

118 

6 

10 

Biidgwater 

150 

0 

0 

Alyth 

Alsa^r 

A  rbroath     •         • 

109  16 

81     3 

460  12 

0 

1 

10 

Cheltenham 
Colchester  . 

.      1,561 
806 

16 
14 

1 
0 

A  ViAinlArA 

64  13 

3 

Carlisle 

949 

14 

2 

Canterbury. 

962 

7 

11 

A  ./V^ 

^•^ 

£\ 

Cambridge  (Towi 

i)      969 

1 

6 

Burslem 

400 

^%  f\  ^\ 

0 

0 

Oambridge,  (Uni 

Bridport     . 

302 

7 

1 

versity)  . 

765 

3 

4 

Bristol 

5,430 

7 

2 

9  / 
Coventry     . 

763 

2 

6 

BuryStEdmundfl 

488 

1 

4 

Cork  . 

.      1,143 

19 

9 

Bath  . 

1,783 

13 

6 

Chester 

.      1,500 

0 

0 

Boston 

400 

0 

0 

Cardiff 

.      1,021 

0 

0 

Brighton     . 

2,985 

0 

0 

Cleckheaton 

600 

0 

0 

Belfast 

3,050 

2 

1 

Chesterfield 

314 

4 

9 

Bafiingstoke 

275 

6 

0 

Carnarvon  . 

280 

0 

0 

Banbury     . 

261 

7 

10 

Congleton   . 

300 

0 

0 

Batley 

350 

0 

0 

Couper  Angus 

250 

11 

3 

Birmingham 

7,922 

13 

2 

Chichester  . 

300 

5 

1 

Bodmin 

121 

15 

0 

Cirencester . 

331 

5 

9 

Bromley 

60 

1 

7 

Chard 

137 

3 

6 

Burnley 

1,803 

3 

7 

Cowes 

75 

2 

0 

Beaumaris  . 

61 

4 

7 

Croydon 

213 

19 

10 

Bedford 

859 

0 

0 

Chatham     . 

328 

6 

2 

Banff. 

1,208 

5 

3 

Crewe 

395 

11 

0 

Barton  on  Humber 

259 

17 

2 

Chipping  Nortor 

L          50 

0 

0 

Blairgowrie 

286 

5 

7 

Chippenham 

124 

0 

2 

Brockley  Road     . 

56 

3 

1 

Beverley  Minster 

55 

5 

4 

Dublin 

.   13,000 

0 

0    . 

Brighouse   . 

175 

15 

3 

Dundee 

.     4,148 

14 

4 

Barrow  inFumess 

776 

4 

3 

Doncaster   . 

962 

1 

9 

Burton  on  Trent . 

214  11 

0 

Derby 

.      1,912 

15 

7 

Battle 

178 

6 

6 

Devonport  . 

815 

15 

5 

Belford 

82 

4 

0 

Dewsbury  . 

700 

0 

0 

n.nd  the  nmoimts  ooi 

atributec 

1  th 

romr 

b  the  Mansion  Hoi 

ase  by  towns 

in 

Great  Britain,  by  collectionfl  in  places  of  worehip,  and  from  the  Colonies. 
The  broad  base  of  the  magnificent  contribution  of  £820,000  may  be  esti- 
mated from  the  particulars  here  recorded. 


CONTRIBUTIONS   FROM  TOWNS. 


113 


Towns, 

d'C.-- 

-continued. 

£ 

8. 

d. 

• 

£ 

8. 

d. 

Dorchester  . 

420 

7 

7 

Glossop 

203 

14 

6 

Dudley 

724 

2 

1 

Guiflborough 

100 

0 

0 

Dover 

637 

19 

7 

Goole 

113 

5 

1 

Durham 

340 

7 

2 

Giggleswick 

140 

6 

8 

Devizefl 

269 

5 

9 

Glastonbury 

75 

0 

0 

Denbigh 

148 

0 

0 

GilUngham  . 

50 

0 

0 

Deal   . 

109 

13 

6 

Guernsey     . 

387 

3 

6 

Dawliflh 

125 

0 

0 

Daventry    . 

100 

0 

0 

Hull 

4,746 

0 

5 

Darlaston    . 

67 

0 

0 

Halifax 

3,225 

11 

9 

Dunstable  . 

75 

19 

8 

Huddersfield 

.     3,750 

0 

0 

Dalton-in-Fumesi 

s         52 

0 

0 

Heywood     . 

.      1,144 

1 

6 

Dumfries     . 

61 

11 

6 

Hanley 

.      1,000 

0 

0 

Dartmouth . 

50 

0 

0 

Harrogate  . 

845 

0 

0 

Hereford     . 

468 

14 

10 

Exeter 

.      2,560 

0 

0 

Huntingdon 

460 

3 

4 

Elgin 

483 

10 

9 

Holmfirth  . 

401 

4 

7 

Exmouth     . 

321 

5 

0 

Hertford     . 

254 

4 

2 

East  Eetford 

169 

14 

7 

Homcastle  . 

244 

5 

5 

Eye     . 

87 

1 

8 

Hawick 

490 

0 

0 

EastLooe  . 

83 

13 

10 

Hallaton     . 

76 

3 

6 

Hove  . 

67 

5 

1 

Faveraham  . 

135 

4 

5 

Hendford    . 

86 

8 

4 

Falmouth    . 

198 

4 

3 

Harwich 

218 

14 

1 

Forfar 

173  18 

4 

Horbury 

100 

0 

0 

Fenton  Urban  Sa 

Hungerford 

90 

13 

1 

nitary   Distnci 

;        280 

0 

0 

Haverfordwest    . 

250 

14 

3 

Fariugdon  . 

111 

12 

9 

Hitchin 

176 

0 

1 

Folkestone  . 

265 

5 

6 

Hythe 

70 

3 

0 

Fazeley 

61 

14 

2 

Hayh'ng 

50 

0 

0 

Famham     . 

103 

6 

6 

Ipswich 

724 

1 

3 

Grimsby 

730 

0 

0 

Isle  of  Man 

492 

10 

0 

Grantham  . 

682 

10 

0 

Ivy  Bridge . 

52 

0 

0 

Gloucester  . 

594 

10 

0 

InvemesR    . 

548 

9 

3 

Great  Yarmouth  . 

509 

13 

8 

1 

Guildford    . 

363 

1 

10 

Jersey 

256 

4 

5 

Great  Driffield     . 

397 

6 

0 

Gi-avesend  . 

416 

4 

8 

Keighley     . 

1,645 

0 

0 

Gainsborough 

264 

14 

6 

Kendal 

1,689 

12 

10 

VOL.   II. 

I 

114 


PRIVATE    CHARITY. 


Toions, 

dsc, — continued. 

£ 

8. 

d. 

£ 

8. 

d. 

Kilkenny 

.      414 

10 

5 

Middlflsborough  . 

200 

0 

0 

Kircaldy 

.      330 

1 

2 

Monmouth . 

73 

6 

6 

Kiddenninster 

.      351 

12 

9 

Market  Drayton . 

50 

0 

0 

King's  Lynn 

.       290 

13 

4 

Market  Weighton 

50 

0 

0 

Kirkenbright 

.      187 

0 

8 

Maidenhead 

58 

0 

0 

Kingston-upon- 

Mafierton  -  with  - 

Thames     . 

.      242 

8 

5 

Wansford 

100 

0 

0 

Knottingsley 

.       133 

4 

6 

Knaresborough 

127 

8 

4 

Norwich 

2,192 

12 

3 

Kingsbridge 

150 

6 

10 

Nottingham 

2,408 

5 

0 

Kington,  Hereford         63 

15 

5 

Northampton 

1,555 

6 

11 

Newcastle  -  upon  - 

Leeds. 

.      7,243  13 

0 

Tyne 

6,446 

7 

4 

Leicester 

.      3,427 

9 

3 

Newport,  Isle  of 

Longton 

621 

14 

2 

Wight     . 

233 

18 

4 

Luton 

239 

8 

3 

Newcastle-  under- 

Lewes 

703 

0 

0 

Lyme 

372 

1 

4 

Lincoln 

600 

0 

0 

Newport,  Mon.   . 

803 

16 

4 

Lichfield     . 

422 

6 

2 

Newcastle,    Staf- 

Lymington. 

238 

2 

3 

fordshire  . 

100 

0 

0 

Ludlow 

151 

2 

9 

New  Malton, 

Louth 

478 

17 

9 

Yorkshire 

361 

13 

9 

Launceston 

203 

4 

11 

Neath 

383 

9 

8 

Leek  . 

253 

16 

6 

Northallerton 

190 

7 

10 

Loughborough 

130 

0 

0 

Newark 

231 

5 

4 

Lyme  B^gis 

86 

0 

0 

Newton  Abbot    . 

470 

0 

0 

Littlehampton 

55 

0 

0 

Newbury    . 

261 

0 

1 

Luton  TToo . 

68 

12 

4 

Lynn  . 

88 

11 

2 

Oswestry     . 

380 

3 

0 

Lostwithiel. 

70 

0 

0 

Ossett. 

200 

0 

0 

Littleport    . 

60 

3 

0 

Ottery  St.  Mary  . 

106 

7 

9 

Maidstone  . 

.      1,071 

16 

0 

Perth . 

3,175 

0 

0 

Macclesfield 

350 

0 

0 

Portland 

120 

0 

0 

Matlock 

331 

6 

7 

Plymouth    . 

2,216 

11 

10 

Margate 

289 

7 

6 

Portsmouth 

732 

1 

11 

Mansfield,  Notts . 

290  14 

0 

Pontefract  . 

405 

5 

6 

Morpeth      . 

155 

7 

6 

Penzance     . 

390 

0 

0 

Montrose    . 

140 

0 

0 

Penrith 

550 

0 

0 

Motherwell 

• 

73 

'7 

3 

Peterborough 

499 

11 

5 

TOWNS,   COLONIES,   CHURCHES. 


115 


Towns, 

<tc.- 

—continued. 

£        8. 

d. 

£      8. 

d. 

Prefiton 

.      4,655  15 

0 

Sutton  Coldfield 

267  10 

0 

Peterflfield  . 

89  16 

0 

Southampton 

.      1,382     6 

2 

Paisley 

.      1,000    0 

0 

Shrewsbury 

.      1,668     9 

7 

Stafford 

578     2 

7 

Rnnoom 

584    5 

6 

Sittingboume 

100    0 

0 

Bochdale     . 

.      2,000    0 

0 

Salisbury    . 

1,040    5 

3 

Bothesay  and 

St.  Austell . 

211     2 

4 

Bute 

475  10 

0 

South  Shields      . 

124  15 

0 

Rochester    . 

319  18 

5 

Sudbury 

150    9 

1 

Eomford     . 

356  11 

11 

Seaham  Harbour 

135     0 

0 

Beigate 

550     7 

10 

St.  Helens  . 

738     8 

6 

Beading 

737  14 

7 

Shipton-on- 

Bomfley 

159  15 

7 

Craven    . 

449     3 

11 

Bedditch     . 

50    0 

0 

Swansea 

358  15 

5 

Bipon 

406    0 

0 

Staines 

165  18 

7 

Boyston 

252  15 

10 

Bamsbottom 

300    0 

0 

Torquay 

950    0 

0 

Bichmond  (York, 

)       318     4 

5 

Taunton 

667  10 

0 

Botherham  . 

.      1,039     8 

1 

Tynemouth. 

877  19 

11 

Bhyl  . 

164  10 

2 

Tiverton 

194    0 

0 

Boss  . 

82     2 

6 

Torrington  . 

59  14 

7 

Tamworth  . 

341  11 

10 

Sheffield      . 

6,700    0 

5 

Teignmouth 

414     7 

4 

Stockport    . 

1,847     4 

0 

Tipton 

200     0 

0 

Stamford     . 

313    0 

0 

Tavistock     . 

252     7 

4 

Sidmouth    . 

245  19 

1 

Tewkesbury 

112     9 

0 

Southport    . 

1,532     6 

7 

Tenby . 

305     5 

6 

Scarborough 

818  12 

0 

Tumham  Green  . 

120  15 

2 

Sandwich    . 

128  16 

7 

Totnes 

56  11 

8 

Stoke-on-Trent    . 

610  19 

7 

Truro 

300     4 

2 

Stourbridge. 

541  14 

3 

Tenterden    . 

57     8 

6 

Stourport    . 

106  14 

11 

Towcester    . 

70  18 

3 

Sunderland. 

1,791     5 

5 

Stonehouse    (De- 

Ventnor 

51  15 

6 

von) 

180    0 

0 

Saffron  Walden  . 

404  10 

7 

Winchester . 

782     1 

0 

St.  Stephen's 

228  10 

0 

Wigan 

.      1,575    0 

0 

St.  Margaret's     . 

68  10 

0 

West  Bromwich  . 

703    7 

3 

Saltash 

67  12 

5 

Warwick 

4,553  15 

11 

South  Molton 

120  15 

5 

Windsor 

172     1 

0 

I  2 


116 


PRIVATE   CHARITY. 


Wolverhampton 

Wakefield    .         .      1 

Whitby 

Walsall 

Wells . 

West  Hartlepool 

Wuerdle  andWardle, 

Bochdale 
Wilton 
Wesit  Abbey 


TownSy  <tc. — continued. 

£     8,  d, 

,034    4  1 

,500    0  0 

748  14  5 

467     2  7 

183  18  8 

603     9  8 


180  0  0 
196  2  0 
140    0     7 


Wycombe  . 
Wisbech 
Wraxall  . 
Whitehaven 
Wednesbury 
Weymouth . 
Wrexham   . 

York  . 
Yeovil 


£    8.     d. 

78  18  3 
164  4  6 
132  17  6 
799  10  4 
394  9  11 
273  5  5 
286  4  11 

2,506  10     6 
100    0     0 


Golonie8, 


Auckland,  Kew  Zealand      .... 

British  Guiana 

Coquimboo  ...... 

Freemantle  (Western  Australia)  . 

Hong  Kong 

Hobart  Town 

Invercargill         .         .  .         .         . 

Jamaica      ....... 

New  Plymouth,  New  Zealand     . 

New  South  Wales       .         .         .         .         . 

Otago,  New  Zealand  ..... 

Pietermaritzburgh       ..... 

Wanganui,  New  Zealand     .... 

Wellington,  New  Zealand  .... 

Per  Sir  J.  Vogel,  Agent-General  for  New 

Zealand       ...... 

Collected  at  the  British  Yice-Oonsulate  at 

Fium^ 


Churche8y  dsc, 

Westminster  Abbey    . 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral    . 

Holy  Trinity,  Paddington 

St.  Paul's,  Paddington 

St.  John's,  Paddington 

St.  Mary  Abbotts,  Kensington 

St.  Mary  Magdalene,  St.  Leonards 

Holy  Trinity,  Tunbridge  Wells  . 


500 

2,000 

38 

43 

140 

1,553 

500 

1,024 

540 

'  17,740 

4,010 

860 

517 

1,994 

2,094 

21 


0  0 

0  0 

9  6 

11  8 

16  2 

8  4 

0  0 

10  0 

10  4 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

3  7 

6  1 

2  6 

3  4 


140  0 
147  9 
461  2 
424  15 
402  10 
333  5 
246  2 
239  18 


7 
3 
8 
2 
4 
8 
2 
3 


COLLECTIONS   IN  CHURCHES. 


117 


ChurcheSy  ike, — continued. 

St.  Jude's,  South  Kensington 

St.  Stephen's,  Westboume  Park 

Chiist  Church,  Highbury    . 

St.  Paul's,  Onslow  Square  . 

Camden  Church,  Camberwell 

Matson  Church,  Gloucester 

St.  Mark  and  St.  Andrew's,  Surbiton 

St.  Augustine,  Highbury  New  Park 

St.  James',  Kidbrook  . 

St.  Paul's,  Beckenham 

Quebec  Chapel  . 

St.  Stephen's,  Canonbury 

Christ  Church,  Streatham 

Beddington  Church     . 

St.  Bartholomew,  Sydenham 

St.  Michael's,  Blackheath  Park   . 

St.  Mary's,  Balham    . 

St.  Luke's,  West  Holloway 

St.  James'  Parish  Church,  Dover 

St.  Jude's,  Mildmay  Park   . 

Otley  Parish  Church  . 

Monken  Hadley  Church 

Parish    Church,    Holy   Trinity,    with    St 

Saviour's  Chapel  of  Ease 
St.  John  the  Evangelist,  Penge   . 
St.  John's,  Blackheath 
Christ  Church,  Lee 
Mortlake  Church,  with  Christ  Church,  East 

Sheen  .... 

Christ  Church,  Tunbridge  Wells 
Christ  Church,  Folkestone . 
St.  Stephen's,  South  Dulwich 
Ackworth  Church 
Bath  Abbey        .... 
St.  Peter's,  Bayswater 
St.  John  the  Baptist  Church,  Hove 
St.  Mark's,  Lewisham 
St.  Mark's,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 
St.  Michael's,  Highgate 
Christ  Church,  North  Brixton     . 
St.  George's,  Bloomsbury     . 


£ 

8. 

d. 

231 

15 

6 

228 

10 

0 

224 

4 

3 

223 

8 

5 

2U 

13 

7 

213 

9 

2 

202 

18 

10 

142 

10 

6 

110 

14 

1 

134 

16 

6 

116 

0 

4 

100 

0 

0 

146 

14 

2 

112 

2 

6 

181 

6 

0 

128 

7 

2 

100 

5 

0 

100 

0 

0 

102 

0 

0 

103 

9 

7 

126 

0 

0 

100 

10 

0 

123 

0 

0 

155 

10 

0 

113 

10 

4 

139 

1 

5 

117 

8 

9 

120 

16 

8 

170 

9 

0 

130 

6 

9 

176 

8 

2 

134 

12 

0 

183 

0 

5 

100 

1 

2 

100 

3 

4 

136 

6 

5 

108 

2 

4 

149 

2 

9 

125 

14 

6 

118 


PRIVATE    CHARITY. 


Sydenham 


Churches,  dec, — continued. 

Temporary  and  Parish  Church,  Cheltenham 

Trinity  Church,  Weston-super-Mare    . 

Parish  Church,  Weston-super-Mare     . 

Christ  Church,  Crouch  End,  Homsey  . 

St.  George's,  Bickley  . 

Foundling  Hospital  Chapel 

St.  Margaret's,  Lee 

Church  Eaton  Church 

St.  Mark's,  Tunbridge  Wells 

St.  Matthew,  Croydon 

Beverley  Church 

Earley  Church,  Heading 

Holy  Trinity,  Kilbum 

Christ  Church,  Surbiton 

Trinity  Church,  EastboumQ 

Parish  Church  of  Holy  Trinity, 

Christ  Church,  Worthing    . 

St.  James',  Holloway  .   '     . 

Eton  College  Chapel   . 

Satterthwaite  Cliurch . 

St.  Mary's,  Chelmsford 

Christ  Church,  Malvern 

St.  George's  Chapel,  Kemp  Town 

St.  James',  Westmoreland  Street,  Marylebone 

St.  Peter's,  Belsize  Park 

Rugby  School  Chapel . 

Christ  Church,  Gipsy  Hill  . 

Christ  Church,  Chislehurst . 

St.  Michael's,  Paddington  . 

Weybridge  Parish  Chm-ch  . 

St.  Mary's,  Christchurch,  and  St.  John  the 

Baptist,  Wimbledon     . 
Holy  Trinity,  Swane  .... 
St.  Paul's,  Hamlet  Bead,  Upper  Norwood 
Ford  Church,  Northumberland    . 
St.  Michael's,  Highgate 
Richmond  Church       .... 
Oswestry  Parish  Church 
St.  Leonard's  Parish  Chui*ch 
Lnmanuel  Church,  Streatham 


£ 

8. 

d. 

182 

19 

6 

159 

13 

9 

108 

11 

1 

105 

17 

8 

101 

19 

1 

105 

9 

9 

133 

6 

7 

126 

3 

0 

105 

1 

6 

123 

15 

10 

114 

12 

0 

142 

3 

10 

102 

3 

8 

132 

9 

10 

175 

15 

0 

180 

0 

0 

116 

17 

0 

165 

1 

10 

146 

0 

0 

122 

12 

0 

124 

2 

10 

105 

16 

2 

147 

8 

2 

111 

17 

0 

166 

12 

8 

101 

0 

0 

143 

12 

2 

122 

12 

2 

158 

9 

6 

116 

3 

10 

176 

12 

8 

136 

8 

4 

110 

5 

0 

143 

0 

0 

111 

19 

8 

105 

16 

2 

135 

10 

0 

113 

16 

8 

190 

5 

2 

(/. 


mJiHi  KF^  rent  . 

JPUBIIC  LIBfJAP.f 


k  MV> 


•    • 


COLLECTIONS   IN   CHURCHES. 


119 


Churches,  <t*c.-— contmued. 

Trinity  Church,  Cheltenham 

St.  Mark's,  Beigate     .         .         •        • 

Christ  Church,  Brighton 

St.  John  the  Divine,  Kennington 

Holy  Trinity,  Bournemouth 

Downs  Baptist  Chapel,  Clapton  . 

Camden  Boad  Baptist  Chapel 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle 

Begent's  Park  Baptist  Chapel 

Chelmsford  Congregational  Chapel,  London 

Eoad 

Blackheath  Congregational  Church 

New  Court  Congregational  Church,  Tolling- 

ton  Park 

Craven  Hill  Congregational  Chapel,  Tolling 

ton  P^k 

Lewisham  Congregational  Church,  Tolling 

ton  Park 

Brixton  Independent  Church 

St.  John's  Wood  Presbyterian  Church . 

St.  Paul's  Presbyterian  Church,  Westboume 

Grove 

Marylebone  Presbyterian  Church 
Central  Synagogue      .... 
Boman  Catholic  Churches  and  Chapels 
Primitive  Methodist  Connexion  . 
Welsh  Calvinistic  Methodists 


£      8. 

d. 

115  2 

9 

100  0 

0 

189  10 

0 

106  8 

10 

162  0 

11 

113  14 

7 

118  9 

0 

270  18 

0 

129  7 

2 

102  0 

6 

163  14 

6 

103  1 

6 

100  0 

0 

130  13 

5 

103  11 

10 

117  7 

2 

141  10 

0 

133  9 

1 

183  11 

0 

832  10 

0 

554  19 

5 

1,060  18 

4 

120  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   DISTRIBUTING   COMMITTEES:    INCIDENTS   IN   THE 

WORK   OF   RELIEF. 

The  record  of  the  labours  of  the  various  local  committees 
and  sub-committees  of  the  Madras  Presidency  covers 
nearly  fifteen  hundred  pages  of  foolscap,  in  most  cases 
printed  in  small  type.  It  is  obviously  impossible  to  do 
more  than  give  a  general  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  money  contributed  was  spent,  and  this  could  not, 
perhaps,  be  better  done  than  in  the  words  of  the  reports 
submitted  from  time  to  time.  To  these  reports  of  com- 
mittees may  usefully  be  added  incidents  of  interest 
gleaned  from  the  pages  of  the  '  Weekly  Statements  of  the 
Executive  Relief  Committee.'  At  the  outset  the  general 
committee  in  Madras  determined,  whilst  laying  down 
broad  lines  of  relief  arrangements,  to  leave  details  to 
local  committees.  These  committees  proved  themselves 
worthy  of  the  trust  reposed  in  them.  This  will  appear 
from  a  few  illustrative  particulars: — 

MODE  OF   BELIEF  IN  THE  MOFUSSIL. 

The  taluks  of  Tripatore  and  Uttengeny,  which  are  in  charge  of 
the  head  assistant  collector,  Mr.  LeFanu,  contain  a  population  of 
about  350,000  in  740  villages.  The  Uttengerry  taluk  is  as  large 
again  as  the  Tripatore  taJuk,  and  is  sufifering  from  jQunine  as  severely 
as  any  taluk  in  the  district  except  Darmapoory. 

The  mode  in  which  the  committee  proposes  to  work  these  taluks' 
for  relief  purposes  is  the  following : — The  taluk  of  Tripatore  is  divided 
into  eight  and  that  of  Uttengerry  into  sixteen  divisions,  each  division 
containing  about  thirty-four  villages  on  an  average.  The  members  of 
committee  have  each  undertaken  to  visit  all  the  villages  in  one  or 


PRINCIPLES    OF    RELIEF.  121 

more  divisionB,  to  go  from  house  to  house  and  to  inquire  into  the  cir- 
cumstances of  every  householder,  and  to  enter  on  the  spot  in  a  book 
made  for  the  purpose  the  name  of  the  person  entitled  to  relief,  the 
amount  of  kist  paid  on  his  land,  and  the  amount  within  20  rs.  to  be 
given  him.  If  his  case  be  such  as  to  require  more  help  than  20  rs.  a 
note  is  to  be  made  of  it  for  the  favourable  consideration  of  the  com- 
mittee. Then  a  '  ticket '  is  given  to  the  individual  with  a  number  on 
it  corresponding  to  the  number  opposite  his  name  in  the  book,  and  he 
is  told  to  come  to  the  taluk  town  any  day  after  the  20th  instant  to  get 
the  sum  allotted  to  him.  The  object  of  fixing  this  date  is  twofold — 
1,  ih&t  sufficient  time  be  given  to  the  delegates  to  prepare  their  lists 
and  get  them  passed  by  the  committee ;  and,  2,  that  sufficient  time 
be  given  to  the  Madras  committee  to  arrange  for  I'emitting  the  sum 
asked  for.  The  method  entails  much  labour,  but  we  are  convinced 
that  it  is  the  onli/  ^dent  plan  of  carrying  out  the  intention  of  the 
relief  committee.  The  list  of  gentlemen  who  have  volunteered  to 
carry  out  this  plan  in  these  taluks,  which  I  append,  will  show  you 
that  money  placed  at  the  disposal  of  this  committee  will  be  utilised  in 
the  best  possible  manner  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  distressed. 

The  urgent  necessity  of  having  the  money  placed  at  once  at  the 
disposal  of  the  committee  arises  from  the  fact  that  unless  cultivators 
are  assisted  within  fifteen  days  to  sow  their  fields,  the  season  for  sow- 
ing will  have  passed  away  and  the  opportunity  of  helping  them  lost 
for  the  present.  I  trust,  therefore,  that  the  sum  asked  for  will  be 
sanctioned  without  delay. 

Our  calculation  of  the  probable  sum  required  is  made  as  follows  : — 
From  inquiries  made  by  me  in  some  villages  I  conclude  that  an 
average  of  ten  cultivators  in  each  village  will  require  help  on  an 
avei-age  of  1 5  rs.  each.  In  740  villages  this  will  amount  to  1 1 1,000  rs., 
which  is  a  little  more  than  the  sum  asked. 

This  committee  agree  with  the  Madi-as  committee  that  it  is  very 
desirable  to  have  some  general  standard  by  which  grants  to  ryots  in  a 
collectorate  should  be  regulated.  But  this  is  very  difficult,  and  indeed 
impossible  under  the  circumstances,  if  our  aid  to  ryots  is  to  be  of  real 
value.  The  time  required  for  conference  and  discussion  by  committees 
before  such  a  standard  could  be  arrived  at  is  the  very  time  in  which 
the  ryots  should  sow  their  fields,  and  hence  in  which  the  aid  of  the 
committee  would  be  of  any  permanent  value  to  them.  Besides,  the 
necessities  of  ryots  in  different  parts  of  the  same  districts  vary,  and 
hence  the  average  amount  to  be  given  must  also  vary.  When  I  wrote 
my  letter  of  the  13th  my  calculation  of  the  probable  sum  required  for 
these  two  taluks  was  based  on  my  experience  in  some  villages  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  district.     In  those  villages  I  found  that  small 


122  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

cultivators  had  either  died,  left  their  villageB,  or  had  lapsed  to  the 
class  of  coolies  ;  and  that  only  the  more  respectable  had  remained  at 
home,  greatly  reduced  in  circumstances;  in  flact,  in  a  state  of  great  desti- 
tution. Hence  I  calculated  that  there  would  be  an  average  of  ten 
persons  in  every  village  who  would  require  help  averaging  15  rs.  each. 
I  have  been  this  week  visiting  villages  in  this  taluk  every  day,  in  order 
to  prepare  a  list  of  such  as  are  entitled  to  relief  from  the  committee, 
and  I  find  that  the  average  number  in  each  village  is  as  much  again, 
but  that  the  average  sum  required  by  each  person  is  less  by  one-half. 
That  these  villages  are  not  a  fair  sample  of  all  villages  in  the  taluk  I 
feel  certain,  for  they  are  those  which  have  suffered  least  from  famine. 
The  general  principles  on  which  this  committee  give  help  to  culti- 
vators are  these : — 

1.  Kot  to  help  such  puttadars  as  can  obtain  a  loan  from  Go- 

vernment. 

2.  Not  to  give  anything  towards  buying  bullocks. 

3.  Not  to  give  money  to  any  man  unless  the  village  munsif 

and  others  testify  that  what  he  says  about  his  circum- 
stances is  true  and  that  he  will  use  the  money  given 
him  for  cultivation. 

4.  To  help  cultivators  who  have  cattle  to  procure  seed  grain. 

5.  To  help  such  as  have  neither  bullocks  nor  seed  grain  to  buy 

the  latter  and  hire  the  former. 

6.  To  help  those  whose  houses  are  either  wholly  or  partially 

destroyed. 

Our  plan  of  operation,  which  I  sketched  in  my  letter  of  the  13th 
instant,  is  such  as  to  secure  full  and  correct  infoi-mation  of  every 
cultivator,  and  so  of  enabling  us  to  give  according  to  the  relative 
wants  of  each  individual,  from  1  r.  to  20  rs. — Trtpatore  Committee. 

I  enclose  an  English  copy  of  *  Instructions '  which  we  issue  in 
Tamil  to  the  agents  of  the  local  committee.  After  defining  the 
classes  Government  provide  for,  these  instructions  sanction  the  five 
following  kinds  of  relief : — 

1.  Persons  in  great  distress  who  are  not  entitled  to  Govern- 

ment help. 

2.  Friendless  children  and  orphans  not  reached  by  Government. 

3.  Hire  of  two  ploughs  for  a  day,  or  one  plough  for  two  days, 

in  cases  of  great  poverty — equivalent  to  a  grant  of  1 2  annas. 

4.  Where  the  roofs  of  houses  have  been  sold  for  fodder,  or  have 

been  sold  for  the  sustenance  of  the  owner,  or  have  been 


TESTIMONY   OF    GOVERNMENT   OF    INDIA.  123 

burnt,  three  days'  000I7  for  a  man  and  a  woman  may  be 
given  when  the  need  is  gi*eat — the  object  being  to  give 
support  while  the  work  is  being  done. 
5.  In  extreme  cases  clothing  may  be  given  during  the  cold 
season — three  yards  of  rough  cloth  to  an  adult,  and  one 
and  a  half  for  a  child. 

The  maximum  aid  per  diem  to  be  given  to  an  adult  is  the  value  of 
1  lb.  of  rice  (equal  to  1  anna  3  pies  at  present)  and  3  pies  in  money, 
and  for  a  child  half  that  amount. 

No  aid  in  excess  of  5-8-0  rs.  per  mensem  is  to  be  given  to  one 
family  without  the  express  sanction  of  the  Committee. — Div/lvjul 
Committee. 

At  no  better  place  than  this  perhaps  could  the  tes- 
timony of  the  Government  of  India  to  the  good  work 
done  by  the  local  committees  be  stated.  Writing  to  the 
Secretary  of  State,  the  Viceroy  in  Council  said:  'In 
their  "  Weekly  Statement "  of  October  20  the  committee 
laid  down  the  general  principles  which  have  since 
guided  their  expenditure.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
Government  officials  in  the  districts,  and  by  the  agency 
of  two  of  their  own  delegates,  they  established  sub- 
committees and  agencies  all  over  the  country,  number- 
ing by  last  reports  no  less  than  110;  and  to  these  sub- 
committees they  entrusted  the  expenditure  of  their 
funds,  with  the  general  instructions  that  two-thirds  of 
the  sums  supplied  were  to  be  expended  in  giving  to 
agriculturists  the  means  of  starting  afresh  in  their  call- 
ing, by  assisting  them  to  rebuild  their  houses,  and  to 
re-purchase  bullocks  and  implements  of  agriculture,  &c. ; 
and  one-third  was  to  go  towards  relieving  the  destitute 
classes  not  reached  by  Government  agency.  How  this 
latter  part  of  the  scheme  has  worked,  and  whether  it 
has  clashed  in  any  way  with  the  relief  given  out  of 
Government  funds,  we  have  no  information;  but  as  the 
district  officers  must  of  necessity  be  the  backbone  of 
the  sub-committees,  and  as  the  instructions  of  the  com- 


124  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

mittee  have  been  precise  and  explicit,  to  avoid  all 
appearance  of  interference  with  the  action  of  Govern- 
ment, we  presume  that,  although  the  operations  of  the 
committee  must  at  some  points  have  overlapped  those 
of  Government,  yet,  on  the  whole,  the  money  has  been 
usefiilly  expended,  and  that  no  friction  has  taken  place* 
In  regard  to  the  main  scheme,  however,  of  setting  up 
agriculturists,  we  have  explicit  testimony,  borne  by 
several  officers,  to  the  excellent  effect  it  has  had  in  pre- 
serving the  self-respect  and  position  of  the  ryot,  saving 
him  from  sinking  to  the  position  of  a  day  labourer,  and 
enabling  him  to  turn  to  the  best  advantage  the  favour- 
able prospects  of  the  season.  We  do  not  think  a  more 
judicious  method  of  expending  the  bulk  of  the  vast 
sums  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  committee  could  have 
been  devised,  and  it  has  doubtless  done  incalculable 
good.  Our  heartiest  acknowledgments  are  due  to  the 
committee  for  this  result,  and  for  the  care  they  have 
taken  to  avoid  friction  or  interference  with  the  measures 
of  Government.'  ^ 

The  nature  of  the  relief  actually  afforded  may  be 
gathered  from  the  following  extracts: — 

Dindigul,  November  17,  1877. 

We  are  now  progressiog  well  with  the  work  of  distributiDg  the 
fiindB  placed  at  our  disposal.  We  have  already  sent  out  into  the 
villages  18,000  rs.,  most  of  which  has  been  distributed,  leaving  us  at 
this  present  with  a  balance  of  7,000  rs.  in  hand.  It  has  already  been 
necessary  to  modify  our  original  plan  of  distribution.  In  that  we 
depended  principally  upon  the  sei  vices  of  the  village  officials  for  the 
distribution  of  relief,  their  work  being  controlled  and  attested  by 
honorary  members  of  the  committee,  consisting  chiefly  of  the  principal 
ryots  residing  in  the  villages.  We  soon  found  these  officials  were  not 
trustworthy.  In  most  cases  there  was  delay  in  bestowing  relief,  and 
greater  delay  in  submitting  reports  and  retui  es.  During  the  famine 
these  men  have  had  much  extra  work  thiown  on  theii*  hands ;  for 

^  The  despatch  from  which  the  above  is  taken  was  written  in  reply  to 
one  from  the  Secretary  of  State,  dated  November  8. 


SUFFERING   IN  MADURA   DISTRICT.  125 

example,  the  distribution  of  money  doles  in  their  villages,  while  their 
only  pay  was  a  piece  of  manippa  land,  which  in  the  famine  brings 
them  in  nothing,  and  is  a  loss  to  them  by  the  amount  they  have 
expended  upon  it.  Is  it  surprising  that  with  daily  facilities  for  mis- 
appropriating money,  and  with  the  pressure  of  the  famine  upon  them, 
they  recouped  themselves  for  theii*  work  and  time  by  retaining  money 
which  should  have  relieved  needy  villagers  ?  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  the  village  officials  have  been  demoralised  during  the 
famine.  It  would  have  been  money  well  spent  if  funds  which  have 
gone  to  import  men  and  horses  from  other  parts  of  India  had  been 
employed  in  rewarding  these  wretchedly  remunerated  village  officials 
for  the  substantial  and  responsible  work  they  were  called  upon  to 
perform.  As  it  was,  a  short  experience  proved  that  it  was  inexpedient 
to  employ  them ;  and  the  honorary  members,  who  were  appointed 
without  a  reference  being  first  made  to  them,  proved  in  the  majority 
of  cases  either  unwilling  or  incompetent  to  do  our  work. 

In  this  state  of  things  we  had  to  look  around  for  other  agencies 
which  were  fortunately  at  hand.  The  Rev.  J.  S.  Chandler,  d£  Battala- 
gundu,  undertook  the  distribution  of  funds,  directly,  or  by  the  aid  of 
his  catechists  and  teachers,  in  sixty  villages.  The  Bev.  E.  Chester 
allowed  his  subordinates  to  take  charge  of  forty-one  villages.  The 
Rev.  L.  St.  Cyr  and  the  Rev,  A*  J.  Larmey,  Roman  Catholic  priests, 
had  the  distribution  in  thirty-one  villages  allotted  to  them  ;  and  the 
special  deputy  collector,  Subba  Iyer,  undertook  relief  operations  in 
forty-three  villages; 'while  I  employed  agents  in  seventeen  villages. 
This  makes  a  total  of  197  villages  thus  provided  for  out  of  204  in  the 
taluk.  The  distributors  are  all  strongly  urged  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  local  knowledge  of  the  village  officials  and  principal  ryots  while 
bestowing  relief. 

We  find  this  plan  works  very  well.  The  committee  appoints 
the  proportion  of  relief  to  be  given  in  each  village.  Special  cases 
needing  extra  assistance  must  be  referred  to  the  committee.  Occa- 
sionally a  village  headman  refuses  to  attest  the  registers  and  tickets 
because  he  is  not  paid  for  it  and  it  is  not  Government  work ;  but  a 
substantial  ryot  can  always  do  this  duty.  At  times  the  distributor 
has  been  urged  to  divide  a  certain  proportion  of  the  funds  with  the 
village  officials,  and  in  one  case  the  goomastah  of  a  village  munsif 
kept  back  a  portion  of  the  money  dole,  on  the  pretext  that  the  persons 
owed  money  to  him.  We  have  not  yet  met  with  any  case  where  the 
distributors  have  taken  a  part  in,  or  connived  at,  wrong-doing  of  this 
sort.  This  committee  acknowledge  with  pleasure  the  earnestness  and 
promptitude  with  which  the  various  distributors  have  entered  upon 
this  chaiitable  duty. 


126  PRIVATE  CHAiaxr. 

The  suffering  in  the  district  is  still  great,  and  mast  needs  be  till 
after  the  harvest  is  gathered  in.  At  Kettiappetty,  during  the  short 
time  the  agent  of  this  committee  was  there  bestowing  relief,  three 
persons  died  of  starvation.  Out  of  thirteen  children  sent  to  me  a 
fortnight  ago,  five  have  already  succumbed,  and  others  remain  in  a 
very  precarious  condition.  I  have  started  an  orphanage,  in  which 
there  are  at  present  124  children.  Within  the  next  week  the  number 
will  reach  150.  Some  of  the  children  sent  from  the  oatl3ring  dis- 
tricts are  in  a  most  deplorable  condition,  and  the  utmost  care  and 
attention  fails  in  many  cases  to  save  them. 

There  are  villages  where  special  help  is  needed.  In  some  places 
almost  the  entire  village  has  been  burned  down  by  thieves  who  hoped 
to  profit  by  the  confusion.  For  example,  the  village  of  Malliap- 
panpatti  consisted  of  two  or  three  streets  of  Koman  Catholic  and  one 
row  of  pariah  houses.  The  houses  were  fired  and  all  destroyed,  with 
the  exception  of  the  pariah  houses.  This  happened  some  months  since, 
yet  many  of  the  villagers  have  been  unable  to  rebuild  their  houses,  and 
seek  aid  from  us. 

We  are  thankful  for  the  means  placed  at  our  disposal  for  relieving 
the  general  distress,  and  trust  that,  as  the  sum  already  allotted  to  us 
will  soon  be  expended,  the  general  committee  will  give  us  a  further 
grant  of  10,000  rs.  for  the  month  of  December. 

P.S. — I  had  scarcely  completed  this  letter,  when  a  communication 
from  a  member  of  the  committee  came  to  hand,  from  which  I  extract 
the  following  paragraph  : — 

*  A  young  man  died  at  our  church-door  last  night.  A  Chakklia 
boy  died,  and  the  body  was  left  unburied  for  five  days  in  Pangalapatti. 
In  Athoor,  when  they  were  distributing  relief,  a  man  who  stepped 
forward  to  receive  his  dole  at  the  call  of  his  name  died  from  the  effort 
before  receiving  the  dole.' — W.  Yorke. 

Ck>imbatore,  November  25, 1877. 

I  have  the  honour  to  submit  another  report  on  the  working  of  the 
local  committee  at  Coimbatore;  and  I  trust  that  the  general  com- 
mittee wiQ  be  satisfied  that  the  funds  are  being  distributed  and  aid 
afforded  to  those  requiring  it  with  as  much  rapidity  as  is  possible. 
My  former  report  shows  the  modes  of  relief  to  which  we  are  giving 
our  particular  attention,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  recapitulate  them. 

2.  In  the  town  of  Coimbatore  the  expenditure  during  the  past 
fortnight  has  been  3,632  rs.  12  annas,  as  shown  in  the  following 
table : — 


RELIEF   IN   COIMBATOBE   DISTRICT, 


127 


Form  of  Relief 


Support  of  life,  money  dole,  &c. 

Day  nuraeriee     . 

Clothing     .... 

Repairing  houses 

To  cultivators  for  seed,  &c. 

Miscellaneous  charity . 

Office  expenses  . 


No.  of  persons 


5,279 

4,718 

296 

72 

3 

243 


Amount 


Rs.  A. 

2,468  8 

615  12 

217  16 

272  4 

28  0 

77  3 

3 


3,632  12 


The  averages  will  be  found  to  be  as  satisfactory  as  in  my  former 
report.  A  sum  of  283  rs.  9  annas  has  to  be  deducted  from  the  cost 
proper  of  feeding  the  children  in  the  day  nursery,  for  that  sum  was 
expended  in  building  the  three  sheds  required  and  in  fencing  the 
same ;  a  lump  sum  of  28  rs.  10  annas  was  also  paid  for  some  Swiss 
milk,  of  which  very  little,  however,  has  yet  been  used.  Making 
allowance  for  these  sums,  the  averages  ai*e  approximately  7^  annas  per 
head  for  money  doles;  8^  pies  for  the  day  nursery;  15  annas  for 
clothing;  3-12  rs.  for  repairing  houses;  9-6-4  rs.  to  cultivators; 
6-1  annas  for  miscellaneous  charity. 

3.  I  mentioned  in  my  last  that  we  contemplated  starting  a  large 
day  nursery,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  a  feeding-kitchen  for  poor 
children  :  and  we  find  it  working  admirably.  The  number  of  children 
has  increased,  and,  as  will  be  seen,  the  daily  average  of  children  fed 
numbers  337.  Two  of  the  ladies  of  the  station  have  most  kindly 
undertaken  the  superintendence  of  the  kitchen,  and  are  indefatigable 
in  their  attendance  and  care  for  the  children  who  flock  to  the  place. 
There  are  still  many  cases  of  most  feaifully  emaciated  children,  some 
still  coming,  whose  chances  of  life  seem  quite  gone ;  and  since  October 
12,  when  the  kitchen  was  first  commenced,  thirteen  children,  who  were 
too  far  gone  when  brought  to  the  kitchen,  have  died.  But  numbers  of 
children  have  benefited,  and  been  saved  by  this  timely  aid ;  some 
have  so  improved  that  they  have  been  removed  fix>m  the  list,  and 
others  are  rapidly  improving ;  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  contrast  their 
appearance  now,  bad  as  in  many  cases  it  still  is,  with  their  general 
appearance  some  few  weeks  back. 

4.  The  repoi-ts  from  the  various  sub-committees  among  whom  the 
town  was  divided  are  all  most  cheering,  showing  that,  though  distress 
still  prevails  in  parts,  and  will  continue  until  the  harvest  is  got  in  and 
prices  fall,  the  general  condition  of  the  people  is  much  improved,  and 
the  numbers  receiving  weekly  doles  wUl  probably  be  soon  reduced ; 


128 


PRIVATE   CHAKITY. 


though  the  expenditure  for  clothing  and    repair  of   houses    may 
increase. 

5.  The  item  of  miscellaneous  charity  is  given  to  help  strangers 
back  to  their  villages,  and  also  to  those  who  have  no  fixed  residence 
in  town  and  yet  require  immediate  reli^. 

6.  In  the  Coimbatore  taluk  the  returns  show  an  expenditure  of 
8,14-7-8  rs. ;  the  averages  being  nearly  1  r.  per  head  for  money  doles ; 
4^  annas  for  clothing ;  7-3-3  rs.  for  repairing  houses;  6-2-10^  rs.  to 
cultivators ;  and  8-1 0§  annas  for  miscellaneous  charity.  The  average 
for  money  doles  is  higher  than  in  the  town,  but  that  is  owing  to  the 
fact  that  in  many  cases  money  doles  have  to  be  given  for  two  or  three 
weeks  at  a  time,  as  the  villages  cannot  be  constantly  visited,  while 
in  the  town  the  doles  are  given  weekly. 


Fonii  of  Relief 


Support  of  life,  money  doles,  &c 
Olothing    .... 
Kepairing  houses 
To  cultivators  for  seed,  &c. 
MiBcellaneous  charity . 


No.  of  persons 


6,289 

133 

215 

199 

90 


Amoant 


Rs.  A. 
6,342  10 

76  10 
1,648  8 
1,229  12 

60    0 


8,147    8 


7.  The  reports  from  the  sub-committees  of  this  taluk  show  that 
almost  all  lands  are  now  under  cultivation  save  those  purposely 
reserved  for  pasturage ;  that  the  growing  crops  are  very  fine,  and  that 
prospects  are  most  cheering :  at  the  same  time,  in  some  outlying 
villages  whei'e  Government  aid  had  clearly  never  penetrated,  there  is 
still  much  distress  and  much  emaciation,  especially  among  the  children, 
and  help  will  be  needed  till  January.  Besides  the  money  doles  the 
chief  aid  now  to  be  given  is  for  repairing  and  rebuilding  houses, 
many  having  been  totally  destroyed. 

8.  In  Pulladum  taluk  the  expenditure  has  been  13,949-4  rs.;  and 
the  averages,  as  far  as  can  be  estimated,  for  the  number  of  persons 
relieved  has  not  always  been  given,  is  11-10  annas  for  money  doles; 
1-8  rs.  for  repairing  houses;  6-1-6  rs.  to  cultivators;  5-8  annas  for 
miscellaneous  charity.  The  sum  shown  for  clothing  is  the  amount 
expended  in  the  purchase  of  cloths,  which  are  being  gradually  dis- 
tributed ;  and  the  returns  do  not  show  the  number  distributed  up  to 
the  15th  instant. 


RELIEF    IN   COIMBATORE. 


129 


Form  of  Relief 


Support  of  life,  money  doles,  &c. 

Glothing 

Kepairing  houses 

To  cultivators  for  seed,  &c. 

Miscellaneous  charity. 

Office  expenses   .... 


No.  of  persons 

Amount 

Rs.     A. 

3,046 

2,254     6 

624  14 

118 

177    0 

1,793 

10,022  11 

— 

60  12 

— 

9  10 

13,949    4 


9.  From  this  tahik  the  report  showB  the  prospects  to  be  good ; 
cultivation  progressing  steadily,  the  cholnm  and  cumboo  crops  pro* 
mising  to  be  very  fine.  But  in  many  cases  ryots  still  want  help, 
having  spent  their  all  in  bringing  their  lands  under  cultivation,  and 
not  being,  of  course,  able  to  go  to  the  Grovemment  Belief  Works,  since 
they  must  continue  to  watch  and  tend  their  growing  crops. 

10.  In  this  taluk  I  regret  to  say  that  there  have  been  very  serious 
complaints  of  the  extortions  practised  on  the  poor  ryots  by  the 
officials,  the  monegars  and  cumums.  It  has  been  reported  that  in 
many  cases  the  monegars  and  cumums  have  extorted  one-half  of  the 
relief  given  to  the  ryots ;  and  in  one  case  where  6  rs.  were  given  to  a 
lad  for  his  support  and  to  enable  him  to  repair  his  house,  no  less  than 
5  rs.  were  said  to  have  been  taken  by  the  village  officials,  the  reason 
for  such  an  exaction  being  that  the  lad  had  at  first  refused  to  give 
anything.  This  last  case  was,  I  am  glad  to  say,  at  once  brought  to 
the  notice  of  Mr.  Gnanabaranom  Pillay,  one  of  our  committee 
members,  who  was  visiting  the  taluk,  and  h9  at  once  brought  it  to 
the  notice  of  the  magistrate,  who  has  taken  up  the  case.  The 
magistrate  has  written  to  me  that  on  his  taking  up  the  inquiry  a 
large  number  of  similar  complaints  were  made  to  him ;  and  our  com- 
mittee  member,  Mr.  Gnanabaranom  Pillay,  is  going  out  to  the  taluk 
to  prosecute  such  cases  as  may  be  brought  to  light.  I  hear  that  the 
prompt  action  of  the  magistrate  has  had  an  immediate  good  efiect, 
causing  the  restoration  of  a  great  part  of  what  had  been  extorted,  and 
I  trust  that  any  true  cases  may  be  successfully  prosecuted,  and  this 
wholesale  plunder  by  village  officials  be  put  a  stop  to. 

11.  In  the  taluk  of  Oodoomalapettah  the  expenditure  has  been 
11,297-1-6  rs.,  the  averages  being  2-5-7  rs.  for  money  doles;  IJ  rs. 
for  clothing;  3-12  rs.  for  repairing  houses;  4-0-3  rs.  to  cultivators; 
1-11-1  rs.  for  miscellaneous  charity.  The  average  for  money  doles 
may  seem  high  compared  with  other  taluks,  but  it  is  to  be  explained 
by  the  doles  being  given  to  last  over  some  weeks,  as  the  villages  cannot 
be  constantly  visited. 

VOL.  II.  K 


130 


PRIVATE    CHARITY. 


Form  of  Relief 


Support  of  life,  money  doles,  &c. 

Clotoing 

RepairiDg  houses 

To  cultivators  for  seed 

Miscellaneous  charity. 

Office  expenses    .... 


No.  of  persons 


746 
76 

797 

2,168 

30 


Amount 


Re.  a. 

1,753  8 

84  4 

738  0 

8,667  4 

60  12 

3  5 


11,297    1 


12.  The  Bub-committee  hope  that  by  the  end  of  the  month  they 
will  have  disbursed  all  the  money  received.  They  report  that,  as  in 
other  taluks,  cultivation  is  general  and  prospects  excellent,  the  fear 
now  seeming  to  be  that  there  may  be  too  much  rain. 

13.  The  return  from  Pollachy  taluk  has  not  been  received  by  me, 
it  having  been  returned  to  that  sub>committee  for  amendment ;  but 
the  distress  there  is  very  little  and  the  amount  expended  is  conse- 
quently small,  while  Mr.  Moonesawmy,  the  assistant  surgeon  there, 
who  has  joined  our  committee,  reports  that  he  still  has  sufficient 
funds  in  his  hands. 

14.  I  think  the  general  committee  may  rest  assured  that  the 
funds  are  being  distributed  wisely  and  expeditiously.  What  has 
occurred  in  Pulladum  taluk  shows  the  difficulties  that  stand  in  the 
way  of  distribution,  even  where  the  committee  members  are  on  the 
spot  and  pay  the  money  personally  into  the  hands  of  the  recipients  of 
relief;  and  shows  how  impossible  it  is  to  delegate  the  distribution  to 
others  than  the  committee  members.  It  is  also  reported  that  in 
many  cases  the  village  officers  report  lands  as  uncultivated  which  on 
inspection  are  found  to  have  growing  crops ;  so  that  it  is  impossible 
to  rely  on  reports  without  personal  inspection  to  test  their  truth. 
Committee  members  being,  then,  the  only  reliable  agents  for  the 
actual  distribution  of  the  money,  the  distribution  must  necessarily 
occupy  some  little  time.  But  in  spite  of  all  these  difficulties  I  think 
the  funds  are  being  well  distributed.  The  only  complaints  we  have 
had  have  been  from  the  PuUadum  taluk ;  and  I  do  not  think  the 
general  committee  need  fear  that  there  has  been  any  delay  such  as 
to  affect  the  cultivation,  seeing  that  from  every  taluk  we  receive 
reports  that  all  lands  are  under  cultivation. 

15.  The  ryots  have  certainly  shown  well  in  these  trying  times. 
In  many  cases  they  have  litersdly  sold  everything  in  order  to  be  ablo 
to  sow  their  lands ;  and  though  the  lands  are  sown  the  ryots  must  be 
supported  until  the  harvest  ia  got  in.    They  well  deserve  it,  and  such. 


REPORT   FROM   TRICHINOPOLY.  151 

as  1  gather  from  one  sub-committee's  reports,  will  be  one  principal 
form  of  relief  for  the  next  month  or  two. 

F,S. — Our  fortnightly  return  will  be  sent  as  soon  as  the  amended 
return  is  received  from  PoUachy. 

Trichinopoly,  December  11,  1877. 

I  have  the  honour  to  forward  my  report  on  the  operations  of  the 
Trichinopoly  Local  Committee  to  November  30,  to  go  by  to-morrow's 
post  together  with  the  prescribed  returns  and  a  printed  copy  of  our 
Proceedings,  dated  November  29,  1877. 

There  was  a  short  delay  in  our  getting  to  work  in  the  outlying 
portions  of  the  district  in  consequence  of  the  exceedingly  heavy  rain 
which  fell  last  month  and  made  travelling  a  matter  of  difficulty 
everywhere,  and  in  some  places  impossible,  but  the  task  of  distributing 
funds  has  been  pushed  on  with  vigour  and  we  have  already  brought 
relief  to  the  doors  of  a  vast  number  of  indigent  persons. 

We  commenced  work  by  dividing  the  whole  district  into  circles, 
and  to  each  circle  one  member  of  our  committee  was  appointed  to  go 
frt)m  village  to  village  and  fr^m  house  to  house,  administering  relief 
to  those  persons  who  were  in  want  of  food,  making  advances  to  ryots 
for  the  purchase  of  seed  and  for  the  hire  of  ploughing  cattle  and 
giving  clothes  to  the  naked. 

The  general  condition  of  the  district  was  even  worse  than  we 
anticipated,  and  from  nearly  every  side  we  have  received  reports 
showing  how  severe  and  widespread  was  the  distress.  Mr.  Pattabiram 
Fillai,  the  collector's  sheristadar,  and  a  member  of  our  committee,  writes 
of  the  Manapparai  circle  as  follows  :  '  The  people  are  in  as  wretched  a 
state  as  could  be  imagined.'  *  Three-fourths  of  the  houses  in  Poyam- 
patti  are  roofless.*    In  another  village  *  35  houses  have  been  deserted.' 

In  Melayadupatti  and  its  suburbs  *I  saw  the  same  thing  over 
again — ruined  houses,  emaciated  men  and  women,  and  skeleton  chil- 
dren, a  sad  spectacle.'  *  The  state  of  these  people  and  of  those  whom 
I  had  the  good  fortune  to  relieve  in  the  Manapparai  circle  cannot  be 
realised  by  any  who  have  not  seen  them.  ...  I  was  sun*ounded  by 
hundreds  of  females  and  children  with  scarcely  a  cloth  to  cover  them.' 
Speaking  generally  of  the  condition  of  a  group  of  15  villages  in  his 
circle  he  says,  *  The  people  were  eating  wild-grown  greens  which  the 
late  rains  have  produced — their  huts  were  in  ruins  and  afforded  them  no 
shelter,  their  clothes  were  all  rags,  and  most  of  them  were  almost  naked.' 

Yoiu*  committee  will  see  from  these  brief  extracts  how  terrible  was 
the  distress  in  his  circle,  and  what  energy  it  required  to  bring  relief 
surely  and  swiftly  to  every  man's  house.  Mr.  Pattabiram  has  devoted 
the  whole  of  his  time  to  this  work  with  the  most  gratifying  results. 

K  2 


132  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

In  his  last  repoi-ts  he  writes,  *  Crowds  of  ryots  went  in  for  the 
purchase  of  paddy,  grain,  and  cumboo  seeds  in  the  fairs  which  are 
held  in  their  vicinity.  .  .  .  They  have  set  about  repairing  their  houses, 
ploughing  their  waste  fields,  sowing  seeds  and  preparing  seed  beds.' 
The  clothes  sent  by  the  Trichinopoly  Committee  (200  pieces,  each  40 
yards  long  and  1^  yards  wide)  were  of  the  gi-eatest  use.  The  people 
piized  them  highly. 

The  commissioner  for  the  Kuttalai  circle,  a  pensioned  tahsildar, 
writes  that  many  of  the  lyots  are  in  a  very  reduced  condition  without 
seed  or  money  to  pay  labourers  or  to  maintain  themselves. 

From  the  Musiri  circle  accounts  are  rather  more  cheering.  Mr. 
Salisbury  writes  that  there  is  a  fair  average  of  land  under  cultivation 
in  the  68  villages  visited  by  him. 

From  Arealur,  Mr.  J.  Arivanandam  Pillai  writes  that  the  stand- 
ing crops  in  some  50  villages  have  been  utterly  destroyed  by  locusts. 
He  describes  the  state  of  one  village,  Thiranypoliem,  as  follows  :  *  The 
whole  of  the  ryots,  including  the  village  munsif,  presented  such  a 
ghastly  appearance  that  I  never  saw  anything  like  it  during  the 
whole  of  the  famine.  I  was  somewhat  thrown  back  in  my  ardour  by 
the  remarks  of  the  tahsildar  and  the  deputy  collector,  who  were  of 
opinion  that  there  was  no  great  fe.mine  in  their  taluks  ;  but  when  I 
actually  went  to  the  villages  the  ravages  of  the  locusts,  the  emaciated 
bodies  of  the  ryots,  the  tottering  condition  of  their  huts,  the  torn  rags 
which  covered  their  nether  limbs,  all  these  told  me  a  different  tale. 
The  distress  is  beyond  description.* 

Our  operations  in  Udayarpollium  taluk  were  checked  by  a  letter 
dated  November  7,  addressed  to  our  Vice-President,  Mr.  Seshiah 
Sastri,  C.S.I. ,  by  the  tahsildar,  who  writes  as  follows  :  '  On  a  careful 
enquiry  into  the  condition  of  this  taluk  I  find  that  there  is  very  little 
necessity  at  present  for  affording  any  relief  whatever  to  any  class  of 
poor  people  here.' 

Further  enquiry,  however,  into  the  actual  state  of  the  taluk  placed 
under  his  charge  led  the  tahsildar  to  alter  his  opinion,  and  on 
December  4  he  writes  again  to  ask  for  money  for  ryots  who  have  no 
food  and  no  means  to  buy  food. 

The  general  result  of  our  work  in  the  taluks  for  the  period  ending 
November  30  is  as  follows  : — 

In  Manapparai  10,829  persons  have  received  5,339  rs.  for  support 
of  life;  1,779-15  rs.  have  been  spent  in  providing  clothing,  1,525  rs. 
for  repairing  houses,  and  2,928  rs.  for  purchase  of  seed,  &c. 

In  the  same  circle  Tahsildar  Sambamuti  Ayar  distributed  2,221 
rs.  for  support  of  life;  for  clothing,  1,196  rs.;  for  re})airing  houses, 
897  rs. ;  for  purchase  of  seed  and  bullock  hire,  1,310  rs 


REPORT   FROM   TRICHINOPOLY.  133 

In  the  Musiri  taluk  824  persons  received  1,992  rs.  for  the  support 
of  life ;  342  were  clothed  (411  rs.) ;  176  rs.  were  given  for  the  repair 
of  51  huts,  and  11  cultivators  received  102  rs.  among  them  for  the 
purchase  of  seed  grain. 

In  Arealur  636  persons  received  support,  and  48  persons  were 
clothed.  These  numbers,  however,  represent  but  a  very  small  portion 
of  the  whole  work  that  has  to  be  accomplished  in  this  circle,  and 
which  is  being  proceeded  with  as  fast  as  circumstances  will  allow. 

In  the  KuttaJai  circle  49  persons  received  233  rs.  for  support  of 
life;  97  were  clothed  ;.40  houses  were  repaired ;  377  persons  received 
1,791  rs.  for  purchase  of  seed,  <kc.  - 

In  Thatchenkurchi  circle  (Trichinopoly  taluk)  1,439  persons  re- 
ceived varying  sums  of  money  for  support  of  life ;  1,214  were  clothed ; 
208  received  sums  of  money  for  repairs  of  houses;  444  received 
advances  for  the  purchase  of  seed. 

The  Kev.  Mr.  Joyce,  Eoman  Catholic  chaplain ;  Mr.  Seshiah  Sas- 
tri,  C.S.I.j  Mr.  Adolphus ;  M.Il.Ily.  Perriasamy  Mudaliyar,  and  the 
Bev.  Mr.  Guest  undertook  the  duty  of  looking  after  the  poor  of  the 
town  of  Trichinopoly. 

Mr.  Seshiah  Sastri  and  Perriasamy  Mudaliyar  have  disbursed 
5,457  rs.  for  the  support  of  life  for  about  700  families  of  Gosha  women 
containing  2,107  souls.  Some  of  the  money  was  intended  for  repair- 
ing houses  destroyed  by  the  rains,  and  some  200  rs.  were  distributed 
to  the  poorest  boys  in  the  Government  Normal  School. 

The  Bev.  Mr.  Guest  has  distributed  money  to  2,033  persons  for 
support  of  life ;  72  persons  were  clothed ;  30  rs.  were  advanced  to  3 
cultivators. 

The  Kev.  Mr.  Joyce  has  relieved  1,682  persons,  and  200  were 
clothed  ;  33  rs.  were  given  for  repairing  houses. 

From  the  Bev.  Mr.  Adolphus  280  persons  have  received  advances 
for  support  of  life ;  clothes  were  issued  costing  25  rs.;  17  ra.  were 
given  for  repairing  houses. 

Mr.  Webster  has  spent  597  rs.  for  subsistence  of  121  ryots,  pur- 
chase of  seed,  hire  of  bullocks,  &c. 

Mr.  Parsick,  C.E.,  has  distributed  among  1,440  persons,  chiefly  the 
children  and  women  of  coolies  attending  the  relief  works,  clothes 
valued  at  1,000  rs. 

By  the  Bev.  Mr.  Nicholas  162  rs.  were  distributed  for  support  of 
life,  and  10  rs.  were  speut  on  clothing  in  the  TJdaiyarpolliem  taluk. 

The  reports  received  from  these  gentlemen  tell  the  same  tale  of 
great  distress  and  suffering  and  of  gratitude  for  timely  relief  afforded. 
The  narratives  of  distress  in  the  town  are  all  touching  and  painfully 
interesting.     Of  one  section  of  people,  the  Gosha  women,  Mr.  Seshiah 


134  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

Sastri  writes  as  follows  :  *  Some  of  the  dwellings  are  respectable,  but 
the  generality  are  wretched  hovels,  which,  with  the  household  utensils, 
are  not  worth  more  than  a  few  rupees.  In  them  dwell  Gosha  ladies 
with  their  numerous  families,  eking  out  a  miserable  subsistence  out  of 
their  own  earnings  from  laoe-work,  and  making  gold  thread,  malring 
up  flower  garlands  and  green  bangles  and  out  of  any  earnings  of  their 
husbands,  descended  of  once  well-to-do  &milies,  but  now  sunk  to  the 
position  of  jutka  drivers,  menial  servants,  punkah  pullers,  or  in  receipt 
of  a  scanty  and  unoertaiu  income  from  nominal  religious  service  at 
mouldering  tombs  and  half-ruined  dargahs.  The  tale  of  famine  as 
we  read  it  in  the  condition  of  these  Gosha  women  and  of  their 
wretched  huts  was  in  many  cases  most  heai'trending.  Some  fiunilies 
represented  the  nobility  of  the  days  of  Chunda  Sahib  :  Dewans,  com- 
mandants, killedars,  royal  physicians,  and  palace  high  priests.' 
The  condition  of  other  classes  of  people  in  other  quarters  of  the  town 
is  vividly  painted  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Adolphus,  Joyce,  and  Guest 

Extracts  from  these  i-eports  and  from  those  received  from  the 
taluks  are  forwarded  with  this  letter,  and  will,  I  believe,  be  perused 
with  gr^t  interest  by  your  committee. 

We  are  still  in  full  swing  and  have  plenty  to  do  before  our  work 
comes  to  a  close.  It  is  not  yet  too  late  to  make  advances  for  the  pur- 
chase of  seed  grain,  and  we  have  many  poor  persons  who  are  still  in 
need  of  clothing.  Mr.  Seshiah  Sastri  having  telegraphed  to  Bombay, 
Madras,  and  Negapatam,  found  that  the  latter  place  afforded  the 
cheapest  market,  and  we  have  already  obtained  500  pieces  of  doth 
from  that  town. 

Ealastri,  February  1878. 

To  check  the  application  of  relief  the  committee  have  appointed 
four  supervisors  who  receive  weekly  a  list  of  grants  made,  with  their 
objects,  and  who,  after  inquiry,  report  as  to  the  use  which  the  re- 
cipients have  made  of  the  money  received.  The  grants  for  seed  grain 
and  bullocks  are  the  most  important,  and  the  report  on  these,  though 
weekly  continued,  cannot  be  completed  until  next  month,  i.e.,  until 
after  sowing  time  is  over. 

The  reports  received  to-day  may  perhaps  be  taken  as  typical.  They 
show  that  out  of  14  villages  for  which  reports  are  received  to-day,  the 
whole  amount  of  land  for  which  advances  have  been  made  has  been 
cultivated  in  eleven  cases :  in  the  remaining  three  cases  advances  have 
been  given  for  sowing  44  kawnies,  of  whidi  23|  kawnies  are  already 
sown,  and  the  rest  of  the  land  is  ploughed  ready  for  sowing.  The 
total  expenditure  thus  far  is,  then,  grants  for  seed  grain  and  bul- 
locks.    Ryots  understand  thoroughly  the  gratuitous  nature  of  the 


DECAYKD   GENTRY   IN   TANJORE,  135 

grant.     Fully  one-half  of  the  cultivation  now  on  the  ground  is  from 
seed  grain  bought  with  Mansion  House  money. 
The  expenditure  thus  far  is  as  follows : 

Rs.       a.    p. 

(1)  For  seed  gndn  and  bullocks      .        .        .    d0,095  14    0 

(2)  „    Money  doles  and  cloths      .        .        .      1,284    4    6 

(3)  ,,    Office  charges 206    1    6 

(4)  „    Oontingencies 24  15    4 

This  leaves  a  balance  of  2,487-12  rs.  in  the  hands  of  the  Kalastri 
Committee. 

This  balance,  together  with  the  5,000  rs.  now  asked  for,  the  Com- 
mittee propose  to  expend  thus  : 

Rs.    a.  p. 

(1)  Seed  grain  and  bullocks    ....      4,500    0  0 

(2)  Money  doles,  houses,  weavers'  cloths         .       2,380    0  0 

(3)  Office  charges 580    0  0 

(4)  Oontingencies 27  12  0 

7^87  12    0 

As  giving  an  indication  of  the  suffering  caused  by 
high  prices,  the  following  letter,  written  by  the  Honour- 
able A,  Seshiah  Sastri,  C.S.I.,  once  prime  minister  of 
Travancore,  is  instructive: — 

Trichinopoly,  December  6, 1877. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  writing  a  few  lines,  touching  the  condition  of 
the  poor  people  residing  in  the  Fort  and  suburbs  of  Tanjore,  to  which 
place  I  paid  a  visit  the  other  day,  and  request  the  fistvour  of  your 
laying  the  same  before  the  President  and  members  of  the  committee 
at  your  earliest  convenience  for  their  consideration. 

2.  I  am  a  native  of  the  Tanjore  district — served  there  upwards  of 
three  years,  now  ten  years  ago,  residing  in  the  town  of  Tanjore,  and, 
during  the  greater  portion  of  that  time,  held  the  honorary  ofEice  of 
Vice-President  of  the  Municipality,  the  duties  of  which  brought  me 
face  to  face  with  every  class  of  the  residents  and  took  me  to  eveiy 
nook  and  comer  of  the  town.  I  have  thus  had  ample  opportunities 
of  observing  and  knowing  the  condition  of  the  people  dwelling  therein, 
and  may  therefore  be  trusted  in  the  statements  which  I  am  about 
to  make. 

3.  Moreover,  during  my  recent  brief  visit,  I  met  many  of  my  old 
friends,  both  in  and  out  of  the  service,  and  derived  much  information 
from  them  as  to  the  present  distress  among  the  poor  of  the  town. 

4.  The  Mahrattas  of  Tanjore,  both  Sundras  and  £rahmins«  form  a 


136  PKIVATB   CHARITY. 

singularly  isolated  community,  whom  the  adventures  of  war,  two 
centuries  back,  threw  suddenly  into  the  possession  of  one  of  the  richest 
and  finest  kingdoms  in  the  Carnatic,  and  time  and  distance  have 
almost  completely  cut  off  their  connections  with  their  mother-country 
— Maharashtra. 

5.  Once  in  possession  of  the  principality  which  fell  to  them  for  the 
asking  almost,  they  seldom  had  further  occasion  for  the  exercise  of 
military  virtues,  and,  as  a  people,  they  soon  relapsed  into  an  easy  and 
luxurious  life,  and  everything  which  could  contribute  to  finery  and 
luxury  was  cultivated  to  a  perfection  which  to  this  day  has  not  been 
attained  in  the  court  of  any  other  native  prince  in  India. 

6.  Leaving  out  the  members  of  the  Boyal  Family,  the  families 
more  distantly  related  to  it,  the  dignitaries  of  the  palace,  all  of  whom 
contented  themselves  with  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  royal  favour 
and  grace,  and  deriving  the  means  of  living  in  splendour  direct 
from  the  Sovereign's  bounty — leaving  out  the  numerous  class  of 
officials,  high  and  low,  who,  in  the  plenitude  of  unbridled  power,  de- 
rived a  boundless  income,  the  mass  of  the  Mahrattas  derived  an  easy, 
comfortable  subsistence,  some  by  betaking  to  service,  almost  nominal 
in  many  cases,  on  the  numerous  establishments  of  the  supeiior  class 
above  alluded  to,  as  bearers  of  swords,  maces,  lances,  fiags,  and  various 
other  emblems  of  power- as  sepoys,  as  peons,  as  mahoute,  as  drivers, 
as  household  stewards,  ck;.  Others  by  betaking  to  professions  not  re- 
quiring severe  manual  labour,  such  as  making  flower  garlands,  lace* 
work,  embroidery,  and  tapestry;  and  similar  refined  occupations  too 
numerous  to  mention. 

7.  On  the  cession  of  the  principality  to  the  British  about  80  years 
ago,  the  wealth  and  affluence  of  many,  chiefly  of  the  official  class,  dis- 
appeared. But  as  moist  of  the  members  and  dependents  of  the  Royal 
Family  and  the  grandees  and  dignitaries  of  State  always  lived  within 
the  town,  their  condition  was  not  very  seriously  affected,  so  long  as 
the  Eaj  was  maintained  and  supported  by  the  Punjum  Hassa  allow- 
ance. 

8.  When  the  Kaj,  however,  became  extinct,  scarcely  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago,  the  fall  became  to  them  a  reality,  and  in  spite  of  arrange- 
ments considerately  made  by  the  British  with  a  view  to  break  the  fall, 
ruin  and  wretchedness  have  been  overtaking  them  year  after  year ;  for 
the  impoverishment  of  each  nobleman's  family  involved  in  the  ruin 
perhaps  a  dozen  poor  families,  their  servants  and  dependents.  The 
pensioned  class  have  been,  for  years,  bearing  up  against  the  severe 
pressure  of  high  prices.  Those  engaged  in  occupations  I  have  already 
described  have  been  sinking  deeper  and  deeper  in  poverty,  both  by  the 
falling  off  of  their  trades  and  by  the  high  price  of  food  grains. 


DECAYKP    GENTRY    IN   TANJORE.  137 

Though  a  few  families  have  emigrated,  still  the  mass  cling  to  their 
homes,  trying  to  make  a  suhsistenoe  out  of  almost  nothing. 

9.  Simple,  artless,  ignorant,  and  credulous  in  the  extreme,  knowing 
and  caring  to  know  nothing  of  the  world  outside,  unaccustomed  to 
severe  work,  and  addicted  to  an  idle  and  luxurious  life,  and  pi*oud  of 
historical  associations  yet  too  fresh  to  be  forgotten,  they  have  been, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  in  a  very  wretched  condition  of  late  years. 
As  one  of  them  very  pithily  said  to  me,  *  We  cannot  work — we  will 
not  steal — we  must  not  beg — we  are  left  to  starve.* 

10.  In  several  families,  of  even  the  poorest,  the  females  are  quasi- 
Gosha,  and  are  utterly  unproductive  members.  I  mean  unproductive 
in  an  economic  sense — for  otherwise,  poverty  and  progeny  seem  to  go 
only  too  much  hand  in  hand  ! 

11.  Now,  I  think,  it  will  be  easy  to  conceive  the  eflfects  of  a  ter- 
rible famine  on  a  population  so  situated — a  famine  which  has  taken 
away  all  the  surplus  produce  of  the  district,  and  sent  up  the  cost  of 
the  food  grains  to  at  least  three  times  the  normal  prices.  I  have  been 
informed  that  the  present  condition  (as  indeed  their  past  ever  since 
the  famine  began)  of  at  least  a  thousand  families  is  deplorable  in  the 
extreme,  and  I,  who  know  the  people  so  well,  can  well  realise  it. 

12.  It  is  nothing  against  the  argument  of  my  cause,  if  the  district 
of  Tanjore  yielded  a  fair  crop  last  year,  or  if  a  bumper  crop  is  maturing 
on  the  ground  in  the  present.  Naboth's  vineyard  is  indeed  laden  with 
fruit — ^but  what  of  it  to  the  poor  neighbours,  who  cannot  get  or  buy 
a  share  of  it.  This  is  exactly  the  position  of  the  bulk  of  the  poor  of 
Tanjore  Fort  and  suburbs,  and  it  is  on  their  behalf  I  venture  to  appeal 
to  the  general  relief  committee  at  Madras,  who  are  so  nobly  adminis- 
tering the  charity  of  the  English  nation.  I  feel  confident  that  no 
portion  of  the  Mansion  House  fund  could  be  better  spent  than  on 
the  mansions  of  fia,llen  greatness  in  Tanjore  or  in  the  tottering  hovels 
where  poverty  reigns  supreme.  I  feel  sure  that  a  grant  of  75,000  rs. 
will  go  a  great  way  to  bring  relief  home  to  them  and  send  into  many 
a  poor  man's  hut  a  ray  of  cheerfulness  in  a  night  of  darkness.  I  also 
think  I  could  organise  a  thoroughly  respectable  and  trustworthy 
agency  to  carry  out  the  distribution  of  relief,  should  my  proposal  meet 
with  sanction. 

The  system  adopted  in  Mysore,  where  district  officers 
were  more  freely  employed  than  in  Madras,  will  be  seen 
from  the  two  tables  appended: — 


138 


PRIVATE   CHARITT. 


Extxact  from  diaiy  of  Mr.  Venkbt  Row,  Special  Relief  Officer, 

Eolur  District. 

Monday,  January  7. — ^Visited  (3  milee)  Ellavoopally  P.  Oensus  work 
occupied  me  from  7  A.X.,  to  3  p.x.  During  which  relief  was  given  to  4 
families.    00  rs.  were  distributed  among  them  as  follows : — 


House 
No. 

2 

3 
6 

8 

Rs. 
25 

15 
30 

20 

Name 

Purpose 

Akki,  with  a  brother  and  two  dauffhters. 
Her  condition  was  enough  to  touch  even 
the  hardest  heart.   Pays  12  rs.  Kanda- 
y am,  had  2  bullocks  and  2  cows  last  year 

Mooneaka,  with  two  grown-up  sons  and 
2  pairs  of  bullocks  and  30  sheep  last 
year,  has  one  bullock.    I{o  bouse 

Baswa,  with  two  brothers,  a  sister  and 
mother,  all  were  in  the  Sriniwaspoor 
I  lelief  Camp.   Had  a  pair  of  good  duI- 
locks,  4  she-bufiitloee,  15  sheep.    Pays 
7  rs.  Eandayam.   His  land  is  not  culti- 
vated ;  has  no  house 

Hanama,  by  caste  Vaddar,  a  son  and  two 
miserable    daughters  lately  retunied 
from  relief  camps,  now  lives  by  beg- 
ging.   Has  no  house 

For  a  pair  of  bullocks 

For  one  bullock  and 
to  build  a  hut 

6  rs.  for  hut 
6  rs.  for  food 
20  rs.  for  a  pair  of 
bullocks 

6  rs.  for  a  hut 
5  rs.  for  food 
10  rs.  for  a  pair  of 
buffaloes 

The  relief  afforded  to  the  two  last  cases  was  an  incalculable  blesmng  to 
them,  for  they  never  even  dreamt  that,  in  their  present  desperate  condition,  to 
which  they  had  been  inured  for  18  months  past,  a  relief  of  this  kind,  en- 
abling them  to  settle  once  more  in  life  with  their  relations,  would  come  to 
them  so  unexpectedly. 

Returned  home  at  4  p.m. 

Wednegday,  January  9. — Visited  two  villages,  Sataandhalli  and  Gui>- 
ganahalli.  205  rs.  were  distributed  among  17  families  in  both  the  villages, 
as  follows :— 


A   RELIEF   OFF/CER'S   DAY'S    WORK. 


139 


House 
No. 

TU 

Name 

Purpose 

4 

25 

Vengti,  with  a  grown-up  son  and  two 
children,  her  husband  died  of  starva- 

25 rs.  for  a  pair  of 

bullocks 

tion.    Pays  8  rs.  Kandayam 

6 

10 

Vengatrama,  has  one  bullock.    Pays  8  is. 
Eiindayam 

10  rs.  for  a  bullock 

10 

5 

Timmi  and  her  daughter 

2  rs.  to  patch  up  hut, 
3  rs.  for  fooa 

12 

20 

Mooniga,  his  mother  and  wife.  Pays  7  rs. 
JtLandayam,  hfiA  become  a  day  labourer, 

20  rs.  for  a  pair  of 

bullocks 

his  land  is  waste 

13 

13 

Yenketrama,  has  one  bullock,  pays  7  rs. 

10  rs.  for  a  bullock, 

Kandayam 

3  rs.  to  patch  up  hut 

15 

10 

Mooniga,  has  one  bullock 

10  rs.  for  a  bullock 

20 

5 

Naga,  weaver,  and  three  dependents,  has 
a  loom 

5  rs.  for  materials 

20 

35 

Venketramu,  and  nine  members,  all  in 

25  rs.  for  buUocks, 

miserable  condition,  has  20  acres  of 

10 18.  for  food 

dry  land  and  no  bullocks,  had  a  pair  of 

bullocks  and  3  cows  last  year 

22 

10 

Lutchmi  and  three  others 

10  rs.  for  a  bullock 
or  a  cow 

29 

10 

Dassa  and  four  others,  pays  5  rs.  Kandi^ 
yam,  has  one  bullock 

10  rs.  for  a  bullock 

83 

5 

Moonehanooma,  and  three  others    . 

5  rs.  for  clothing 

33 

10 

Lonna,  weaver  low  caste,  has  no  loom    . 

5  rs.  for  loom. 

• 

5  rs.  for  materials 

11 

7 

Byah,  has  no  house        .... 

5  rs.  for  house 
2  rs.  for  clothing 

30 

4 

Moonigah,  weaver,  has  a  loom 

4  rs.  for  materials 

140  PRIVATE    CHARITY 


INCIDENTS   IN    RELIEF. 
(a  page  from  a  delegate's  note-book.) 

The  ryots  are  a  very  simple  race,  with  child-like 
habits  of  dependence  on  whomsoever  finds  them  the 
pittance  they  require  to  borrow  now  and  then  to  form 
the  trifling  capital  requisite  for  their  rude  operations  in 
husbandry. 

At  one  place  the  notices  convening  a  famine  meeting 
had  been  issued  sufficiently  early  to  allow  some  idea  of 
the  purposes  of  the  Madras  Committee  to  get  abroad  in 
the  bazaars  and  through  the  villages.  The  meeting  was 
held,  and  it  was  decided  to  apply  for  funds  for  distribu- 
tion. In  the  afternoon  a  band  of  some  250  ryots  appeared 
in  the  compound  of  the  house,  and  sent  in  word  that 
they  had  come  for  their  money.  A  message  was  sent  back 
to  them  that  no  money  was  as  yet* available  for  distribu- 
tion ;  when  they  sat  down  in  ranks,  apparently  with 
the  intention  of  being  on  the  spot  to  secure  the  promised 
aid  the  moment  it  should  arrive.  As  time  passed  on, 
and  night  fell,  there  was  no  clamour,  but  the  poor 
fellows  slipped  away  by  twos  and  threes  till  the  place 
was  empty.  Probably  each  of  them  has  ere  this  been 
gladdened  by  the  receipt  of  a  dole  sufficient  to  give 
them  a  start,  and  has  had  his  faith  in  the  committee 
fully  restored. 

I  wish  I  could  paint  a  picture  which  would  show 
the  English  subscribers  the  following  scene: 

A  window  in  an  old  public  building  opening  into  a 


A   COMMITTEE   DISPENSING   RELIEF.  141 

courtyard — time  6.30  p.m.,  so  that  the  Indian  apology 
for  twilight  is  almost  over.  On  the  window-seat  is  a 
flickering  candle  by  which  sits  a  pale  Englishman,  one 
of  the  best  known  of  our  civilian  judges.  Standing  by 
him  another  judge — perhaps  the  best  native  lawyer  in 
the  Empire  ;  behind  them,  looming  in  the  shadowy 
background,  several  members  of  committee,  native  and 
European,  and  your  "  delegate."  Just  below  the  candle 
on  a  ledge  along  the  wall  is  an  energetic  East  Indian 
gentleman,  who  takes  now  and  again  a  ticket  from  the 
holder  below.  In  the  courtyard  is  a  motley  crew  of  all 
sorts.  Gap-toothed  crones  and  younger  women  de- 
formed or  sickly  ;  old  men  tottering  with  age  and 
young  men  with  palsy ;  children  of  both  sexes  homeless, 
friendless,  and  foodless.  Then  a  sprinkling  of  mauvais 
sujets^  professional  beggars,  and  here  and  there  a  sturdy 
old  mendicant  of  the  Ochiltree  type,  who  considers 
himself  prescriptively  entitled  to  a  share  of  any  *  awms ' 
which  may  be  going  anywhere  in  his  beat. 

This  is  the  Local  Committee  inspecting,  as  a  body, 
the  applicants  for  relief  to  whom  individual  members  of 
their  body  have  given  tickets. 

The  children  are  the  class  par  excellence  which  the 
grisly  old  giant  Famine  delights  to  run  ^  amok '  amongst. 
You  can  tell  at  a  glance  the  poor  wee  bairns  that  have 
been  in  his  cruel  grip.  The  head  looking  unnaturally 
large  by  contrast  with  the  emaciated  trunk,  the  shoulder 
blades  projecting  as  if  they  had  been  inserted  by  mistake 
in  too  small  a  carcase,  the  arms  and  legs  shrivelled  to 
the  size  of  thqir  bones,  except  at  the  knees  which  are 
swollen.  Then  the  expression  of  the  bleared  little  faces. 
The  vacant  fixed  loolc  in  the  eyes,  the  drawn  cheeks 
and  lips,  and  the  premature  air  of  resignation,  which 
one  sees  sometimes  in  a  monkey  when  it  looks  up  at 
you  with  the  mournful  face  of  an  old  man  whose 
troubles  had  told  on  him. 


142  PRIVATE  CHARITY. 

At  one  place  the  faces  of  some  of  the  children 
haunted  us  so  much  that  orders  were  given  for  200 
of  the  worst  cases  to  be  collected.  You  should  have 
seen  them,  for  I  could  not  hope  to  give  you  an  adequate 
idea  of  their  misery.  In  some  the  last  forces  of  their 
system  seemed  to  have  been  expended  in  growing,  and 
I  never  saw  folk  out  of  Dora's  drawings  whose  length 
was  so  hideously  disproportionate  to  their  breadth. 

Others  were  tiny  and  wizened  every  way,  as  if  an 
attempt  had  been  made  to  see  into  how  small  a  compass 
a  suflFering  body  and  soul  could  be  compressed. 

The  whole  party,  after  we  had  inspected  them,  were 
marched  off  to  a  camp,  but  as  it  was  impossible  of 
course  to  coerce  them,  over  100  slipped  away,  and  only 
96  reached  the  new  home.  The  poor  wee  runaways 
preferred,  I  suppose,  the  evils  they  knew  of,  bad  as 
they  were,  to  the  horrid  vague  unknown.  Those  that 
allowed  themselves  to  be  taken  care  of,  were  fed  ad  lib,j 
and  in  one  part  at  least  of  each  little  body  that  line 
of  beauty,  the  curve,  was  substituted  for  the  hideous 
famine  angles. 

But  the  hunger  had  got  too  strong  a  hold  on  them 
to  be  dislodged  by  one  meal,  however  good  and  large. 
So  during  the  night  the  small  sinners  crept  under  the 
tatties  into  the  hospital  for  adults,  and  stole  the  rations 
supplied  to  the  patients. 

And  yet  when  morning  came  each  little  maw  was 
as  ready  as  ever  for  food — ^maybe  the  more  ready  for 
the  stolen  sweets  of  the  midnight  meal,  for  in  con- 
valescence most  surely  '  Vappetit  vient  par  le  mangeanV 

— F.  ROWLANDSON. 

Scenes  hy  the  Wayside, 

On  a  recent  tour,  I  heard  directly  of  not  less  than  30  deaths  from 
starvationy  in  five  or  six  villages.  I  also  saw  several  in  a  starving 
condition,  some  of  whom  have  since  died.     In  one  enclosure  I  saw  a 


SCENES   BY   THE   WAYSIDE.  148 

man,  willing  and  strong  to  work,  but,  from  hunger,  lying  upon  his 
back,  with  arms  and  legs  extended,  apparently  insensible.  The  empti- 
ness of  the  abdomen  showed  the  cause  of  his  trouble.  A  little 
distance  from  him  lay  his  wife,  in  a  half-conscious  state,  with  an  in£uit 
trying  to  extract  nourishment  Irom  its  mother's  breast,  and  an  older 
child  lying  a  little  way  off,  in  the  same  condition  as  the  mother.  I 
have  heard  that  the  man  died  soon  after.  In  the  same  village,  the 
day  before  I  was  there,  a  young  man  climbed  a  tree  in  search  of  half 
grown  fruit,  became  dizzy  from  weakness,  fell,  and  was  killed. 

I  was  told  by  three  men,  each  of  different  caste,  in  another  small 
village,  who  mentioned  the  names  of  deceased  persons  as  they  counted 
them  over,  that  in  four  families  of  potters  in  that  village,  containing 
20  individuals,  there  had  been  nine  deaths  fr^m  starvation.  And  that 
of  16  houses  belonging  to  people  of  another  caste,  only  six  are  now 
occupied,  and  that  in  these  7  persons  had  died  from  htmger. 

I  was  also  told  by  the  same  men  and  another  belonging  to  a  little 
village  near,  that  11  of  the  18  houses  in  this  latter  viUage  are  now 
empty,  and  that  in  the  remaining  7,  six  have  died  from  want  of  food. 

It  is  for  the  relief  of  persons  thus  situated  that  assistance  is 
requested. 

My  duties  as  a  missionary  call  me  to  go  much  among  the  people, 
bring  their  wants  to  my  notice,  and  give  me  opportunities  to  help 
them  had  I  the  ability. 

The  rains  that  have  fallen  have  afforded  relief  to  some,  in  some 
respects,  already.  They  also  give  promise  of  future  harvests.  These 
however,  from  the  lateness  of  the  rain  and  other  reasons,  will  be  less 
abundant  than  in  ordinary  seasons.  Till  the  time  of  harvest  the 
price  of  grain  must  continue  to  be  very  high. — Bev.  J.  Hebbick, 
Madwra. 

Extreme  Wretchedness. 

Mr.  Dawes,  the  deputy  collector  in  charge  of  the  Ootenghiri  taluk, 
was  one  of  the  passengers,  and  I  had  much  useful  conversation  with 
him.  He  took  me  to  see  a  '  kitchen'  near  the  Morapoor  station,  but 
a  stream  running  across  the  road  was  so  swollen,  by  the  heavy  rains 
that  we  could  not  reach  it.  A  number  of  the  people,  however, 
gathered  about  us,  and  I  have  seen  nothing  in  the  camps  near  Madras 
to  compare  with  their  wretchedness.  Small-pox  has  been  very  rife, 
and  one  poor  woman  by  the  wet  road-side  appeared  to  be  dying  of  it. 
The  emaciation  of  the  sufferers  was  the  more  striking  from  their  naked- 
ness, which,  in  many  cases,  was  almost  wholly  uncovered.  Mr.  Dawes 
asked  for  clothes,  seed  grain,  and  bullocks. — F.  Bowlandsok,  Sept,  25. 


144  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 


A  Day's  Work  by  cm  Honorary  Secretary, 

The  work  of  dispensing  aid  as  per  your  rules,  enclosed  in  your 
letter  of  the  18th  instant,  has  gone  on  well.  The  plan  we  here  adopted 
is  briefly  as  follows : — 

(1.)  I  personally  pay  out  all  funds  and  as  fiu-  as  possible  to  the  in- 
dividuals receiving  the  aid.  Gosha  women  and  sick  persons  of  course 
have  the  aid  sent  to  them  by  trustworthy  friends. 

(2.)  The  other  members  of  the  committee  examine  and  inquire 
into  the  needs  of  all  applicants  for  relief  except  Christians,  and  those 
accepted  are  sent  to  me  with  a  note  giving  some  particulars,  &c. 

(3.)  From  7  a.m.  to  10  a.m.  I  receive  all  who  have  the  notes  of  my 
colleagues,  and  take  the  liberty  to  inquire  into  any  applications  which 
may  be  made  after  those  having  the  '  chits'  are  cared  for. 

(4.)  Ail  members  of  the  committee  are  bound  by  promise  to  exer- 
cise every  precaution  to  keep  out  the  unworthy,  and  each  is  personally 
responsible  for  all  whom  he  may  send. 

(5.)  The  amount  which  each  applicant  may  receive  is  left  entirely 
to  me. 

Of  course  these  brief  rules  are  subject  to  alteration  if  found  to  be 
contrary  to  your  wishes  or  undesirable. 

(6.)  My  accounts  are  subject  to  inspection  by  any  member  of  the 
committee.  I  have  up  to  this  evening  distributed  1,384  rs.  to  352 
families.  Consequently  I  have  only  616  rs.  now  in  my  hands,  and 
this  will  go  off  at  the  rate  of  200  rs.  or  more  per  day. 

Poor  ryots  by  scores,  and  others  of  every  caste,  creed,  and  profes- 
sion armed  with  *  chits,'  stating  the  urgency  of  their  case,  from  the 
village  munsif  and  kumam  where  they  reside,  from  near  and  afar 
come  here  daily  for  aid.  Each  'chit'  generally  tells  a  sad  tale  of  bul- 
locks dead,  house  tumbled  down  or  burnt  up,  seed  grain  required,  or 
a  widow  and  destitute  children,  or  orphans,  or  of  sickness  and  distress 
in  the  family  of  the  bearer,  whose  whole  demeanour  shows  that  the 
letter  is  only  too  true.  Thus  come  the  wails  from  the  villages  day  by 
day.  Each  member  of  the  local  committee  has  assured  me  that  the 
importunities  of  the  crowds  about  his  house  or  office  daily,  for  an  order 
that  they  may  get  money  to  relieve  their  need  or  distress,  is  perfectly 
excrucicUing.  Personally,  it  is  not  too  much  when  I  say  that  fre- 
quently 1,000  persons  ai'e  in  or  about  my  compound,  each  trying  to 
get  an  opportunity  to  press  his  claim  for  aid.  The  rush  is  so  great 
that  I  have  to  have  a  police  constable  and  two  or  three  trusty  men 
constantly  on  duty  to  keep  order.  But  I  think  I  succeed  pretty  well 
in  giving  to  the  deserving  and  in  getting  rid  of  the  drift.     I  first 


DIFFICULTIES   IN   DISTRIBUTION.  145 

receive  all  applicants  for  aid  Bent  by  my  oolleagues  on  the  committee ; 
(2)  those  sent  by  village  munsifs  and  kumams;  (3)  those  known 
to  me  personally  or  to  some  one  of  my  trustworthy  native  assistants ; 
(4)  all  those  sent  by  any  responsible  person,  known  to  be  such  by  any 
one  of  us ;  (5)  I  then  look  over  the  company  of  other  applicants  and 
listen  to  what  each  has  to  say  for  himself ;  of  course  in  the  case  of 
many  a  look  is  enough.  I  have  no  idea  that  our  plan  is  the  best  pos- 
sible, but  it  is  the  best  I  can  think  of,  and  it  seems  to  work  well. 
While  we  do  not  do  all  we  should  like  to  do,  and  while,  no  doubt,  we 
are  sometimes  deceived,  thousands  are  aided  who  otherwise  would 
either  soon  be  in  sad  distress  or  dead. — Kev.  J.  E.  Clough,  Ongole, 


Difficulties  in  DistribtUion. 

A  few  of  the  incidents  that  one  meets  with  may  be  interesting  as 
showing  the  condition  and  disposition  of  the  people.  In  Bammeracherd 
we  met  a  small  farmer  who  had  been  very  well  off;  he  had  spent  a 
great  deal  of  money  in  bupng  fodder  for  his  cattle ;  but  prolonged 
drought  baffled  his  efforts  to  keep  them  alive ;  he  had  lost  every  one, 
had  no  means  to  cultivate  his  land,  he  was  badly  off  for  clothing,  his 
house  had  become  quite  desolate,  his  wife  had  died  some  days  pre- 
vious to  my  visit ;  and  the  poor  man  was  thoroughly  dispirited.  I 
gave  him  a  blanket  and  a  little  money  for  the  purchase  of  seed  grain. 
In  other  instances  I  have  found  that  there  was  great  need  of  careful 
enquiry  in  giving  help.  In  one  village  I  found  two  families,  culti- 
vators, extremely  poor,  receiving  the  Government  money  dole.  I 
asked  if  they  had  not  sown  their  lands.  The  reply  was  that  all  their 
cattle  were  dead  and  they  had  no  means  whatever  to  sow  their  fields. 
I  visited  their  houses  and  saw  the  empty  stalls,  and  ploughs  lying 
idle.  It  seemed  a  worthy  case  for  help ;  but  on  further  enquiry 
where  the  fields  were,  the  kind  of  soil,  what  seed  they  proposed  to 
sow,  &c.f  1  discovered  that  the  nature  of  the  soil  was  such  that  it  was 
useless  to  sow  it  this  season,  as  the  cold  weather  crop  would  not  grow 
in  it ;  and  that  it  would  be  therefore  quite  useless  at  present  to  give 
any  help  for  ploughing  the  land. 

In  a  neighbouring  village  to  which  this  news  had  spread,  I  was 
met  the  same  day  by  a  number  of  farmers  who  pleaded  for  help,  as 
they  had  no  means  to  cultivate  their  land.  One  man  in  particular 
said  he  had  60  acres,  and  had  not  been  able  to  cultivate  a  foot,  he 
was  so  poor.  I  said  I  woidd  go  and  see  his  land,  and  was  then  told 
by  an  on-looker  that  the  man  had  let  it,  that  it  had  been  cultivated 
and  the  crops  on  it  doing  well. — Rev.  E.  Lewis,  BeUary. 

VOL.  II.  I* 


I4fi  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 


Taluk  Triumvirates, 

Gooty,  October  2,  1877. 

I  believe  the  following  is  an  outline  of  the  scheme  we  agreed  on 
this  morning. 

Operations  to  be  entrusted  to  the  *  taluk  triumvirates '  (as  I  may 
call  them)  composed  in  each  case  of  (1)  the  taluk  relief  officer,  (2)  a 
selected  native  gentleman,  and  (3)  myself. 

The  names  of  the  taluk  officers  and  native  members  you  are 
aware  of.     The  forms  of  relief  to  be  two,  viz.: — 

1.  The  feeding  of  children  in  day  nurseries. 

2.  The  relief  by  yioney  pittances  of  persons  who  by  reason  of 

social  position  are  deterred  from  accepting  Government 
relief  on  works  or  in  close  camps,  and  yet  are  legitimate 
objects  of  charity. 
There  will  be  no  difficulty  in  deciding  upon  the  claims  of  children, 
inasmuch  as  the  mere  fact  of  obvious  need  will  be  a  sufficient  qualifi- 
cation. 

The  task  of  selecting  proper  objects  for  the  second  kind  of  relief 
will  be  much  more  delicate  and  difficult.  Our  object  will  be  to  relicA-e 
the  sufferings  of  persons  who  may  reasonably  be  excused  for  persist- 
ence in  shrinking  from  the  tests  of  need  which  Government  have 
imposed. — W.  H.  Glenny. 

An  Audadoua  Suggestion, 

At  the  Erode  meeting  it  was  proposed  by  some  of  the  native 
gentlemen  present  that  one  of  the  committee's  operations  should  be  the 
lending  of  money  at  a  low  rate  of  interest  to  the  more  wealthy  lyots, 
i.e.,  their  own  class,  as  they  complain  that  they  have  to  pay  high  rates 
now.  I  did  not  underatand  that  the  loans  were  asked  for  with  any 
idea  of  indirectly  benefiting  the  population  generally,  but  gathered 
that  these  gentlemen  were  seeking  simply  to  enrich  themselves  from 
your  fdnds.  This  incident  throws  some  little  light  on  the  difficulties 
which  attend  the  distribution  of  our  funds  in  outlying  places. — 

F.  ROWLANDSON. 

Suffering  among  Classes  beyond  Scope  of  Government  Operations, 

For  some  months  past  the  evidence  of  suffering  in  regard  to  the 
families  of  certain  classes  has  been  quite  clear,  and  the  scheme  of 
Government  out-door  relief  in  cooked  food,  though  meeting  the 
necessities  of  the  old  and  feeble,  has  not  been  brought  home  to  the 


HORRORS  OF  THE  FAMINE.  147 

great  bulk  of  the  poor  requiring  food.  It  is  well  known  that  food  is 
distributed  daily  at  the  Government  feeding  house  and  camps,  one 
meal  a  day  to  from  12,000  to  16,000  persons;  but  although  theee 
feeding  dep6ts  have  been  increased  since  February,  so  scattered  is  the 
area  of  the  town  that  it  is^  quite  impossible  for  parents  who  may  be 
in  service  and  earning  small  wages  to  absent  themselves  and  accom- 
pany their  children  to  the  feeding  depots.  The  consequence  is  these 
children,  in  very  large  numbers,  have  suffered  and  are  suffering  from 
the  usual  consequences  of  chronic  starvation,  and  unless  means  can  be 
devised  to  supply  the  children  of  the  industrious  poor  with  food  in 
excess  of  the  means  of  the  parents,  many  must  die  before  food  supplies 
return  to  their  normal  value. 

Some  weeks  ago,  one  of  the  very  worst  cases  of  starvation  I  have 
ever  seen  came  under  my  notice,  and  on  enquiry  it  turned  out  that 
the  poor  little  victim  was  not  a  waif  and  stray  from  a  famine  village, 
but  simply  the  child  of  the  widow  of  a  domestic  servant,  out  of 
employ,  who  had  been  fighting  the  battle  of  life  for  years,  almost 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  my  own  residence.  This  child  was  simply 
a  living  skeleton,  with  every  bone  and  *  anatomical  process '  distinctly 
marked,  and  so  weak  that  she  could  not  stand  aJone.  In  this  instance 
the  effects  of  starvation  were  too  far  advanced  to  admit  of  remedy, 
but  investigation  showed  that  there  were  many  others  travelling 
along  the  same  road  to  premature  death,  and  who  were  not,  and  who 
could  not  be,  reached  by  the  Government  scheme  of  reliaf.  Recent 
inspection  of  the  recipients  of  money  dole  from  the  town  relief 
committee  in  Madras  (the  classes  who  aro  ordinarily  in  no  way 
depending  on  charity)  convinces  me  that  the  food  deficiency  is  affect- 
ing very  seriously  theJr  condition,  and  that  the  young  children  of  these 
classes  must  be  helped  with  a  liberal  hand  if  we  would  preserve  their 
lives  for  the  benefit  of  the  commonwealth. — Dr.  Cornish. 

Horrors  of  the  Famine, 

Allow  me  to  add  some  incidents  supplied  by  one  member  of  the 
committee,  the  Bev.  J.  S.  Chandler,  of  Battalagundu,  who  writes  : — 
*  On  Friday,  the  19th  instant,  a  child  died  in  my  compound  that  had 
been  picked  up  in  the  streets,  after  having  been  deserted  by  its  mother 
for  three  days.  On  Saturday,  the  27th  instant,  another  child  died 
from  the  same  cause.  On  the  morning  of  that  day  my  school-boys 
found  the  body  of  a  famine-stricken  woman  in  the  Battalagundu  river. 
On  the  day  previous,  Catechist  Anthony  found  a  body  in  the  Venka- 
dasthri  Kottai  rivei*,  and  had  it  buried.  He  reports  having  seen 
twenty-five  or  thirty  bodies  that  had  been  brought  down  the  river. 

l2 


148  PRIVATE   CHAKITY. 

On  the  29th  instant  I  overtook  a  starved  weaver  tottering  along  the 
road  two  miles  from  his  home.  He  had  a  fresh  wound  on  the  top  of 
his  head  produced  by  a  recent  fall.  I  placed  him  in  my  bandy  and 
conveyed  him  home. 

*  On  the  21st  instant,  on  visiting  a  hamlet,  I  was  pained  to  see 
tliat  all  the  children  there  were  in  a  starving  condition,  yet  none  of 
them  were  beggars. 

*  A  few  days  later,  the  catechist  above  mentioned  was  sitting  in  a 
public  place  in  a  neighbouring  hamlet,  when  a  boy  came  along  with  a 
bunch  of  gi'eens  to  be  cooked  for  the  femily.  As  he  was  slowly  passing 
by,  he  exclaimed,  "  My  eyes  are  dim,"  and  falling  to  the  ground,  died 
in  a  short  time. 

*  Recently  the  corpse  of  a  woman  was  carried  along  the  road  slung 
to  a  pole  like  an  animal,  with  the  face  partly  devoured  by  dogs.  The 
other  day,  a  figunished  craacy  woman  took  a  dead  dog  and  ate  it,  near 
our  bungalow.* 

This  is  not  sensational  writing.  The  half  of  the  horrors  of  this 
famine  have  not,  cannot,  be  told.  Men  do  not  care  to  reproduce  in 
writing  scenes  which  have  made  their  blood  run  cold.  Yet  it  is  neces- 
sary, time  and  again,  to  allude  to  these  sufferings,  that  people  beyond 
our  borders  may  know  that  the  famine  is  still  a  dreadful  reality. — 
W.  YoRKE,  Dindigul. 

Female  Nakedneaa. 

I  have  been  much  struck  by  the  absence  amongst  the  famine  sub- 
jects of  that  modesty  which  so  generally  prompts  the  native  women 
to  cover  their  breasts,  and  have  been  assured  by  more  than  one  officer 
that  it  is  the  result  of  their  intense  misery.  It  is  true  one  native 
gentleman  on  the  Salem  committee  (himself  I  believe  a  Madrasee) 
told  me  that  this  modesty  was  not  as  habitual  in  the  Salem  district 
as  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Madras ;  but  a  district  officer  told  me  that 
in  normal  times  the  women  always  keep  themselves  covered  unless 
when  about  the  doors  of  their  houses  or  at  work  in  their  own  fields. 
Another  consideration  is  that  in  SaJem  the  Government  have  been 
giving  employment  to  the  large  weaver  community,  and  have  now  in 
stock  so  enormous  a  quantity  of  cloths  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  avoid 
the  sale  of  them  becoming,  for  a  time  at  least,  a  Oovernment  monopoly 
when  trade  in  the  commodity  recovers  its  normal  activity.  Possibly 
some  arrangement  could  be  made  by  which  the  naked  can  be  clothed 
and  the  danger  threatening  the  weavers'  trade  be  averted. — ^F.  Bow- 

LAin)S0N. 


THE    PATIENCE    OF   THE    PEOPLE.  149 


Insect  Pests  in  the  Fields, 

A  great  calamity  has  befallen  a  large  tract  of  some  50  villages  in 
the  Perambalore  taluk — a  calamity  greater  than  the  famine.  The 
ravages  of  locusts  was  something  fearful — there  was  not  a  grain  of 
cholum,  cumboo,  or  varagu  left  on  the  stalk.  My  road  was  crossed 
by  swarms  of  these,  and  the  road  was  actually  covered  by  them  100 
yards  before  me.  The  young  ones  hop  their  march  while  the  winged 
ones  lead  the  army.  When  they  alight  on  fields,  the  young  ones 
stick  to  the  root  and  cut  the  stalk  down,  while  the  bigger  ones  take 
their  position  on  the  ears  and  eat  away  the  grain.  You  see  a  field 
after  their  devastation — ^the  sight  is  most  melancholy — as  if  a  row  of 
sticks  were  stuck  in  the  ground ;  no  blade,  no  ears,  and  no  freshness 
in  the  plant,  as  if  their  vitality  had  departed  from  them.  One  ryot 
determining  to  cut  his  ci-op,  gi'een  as  it  was,  to  save  at  least  some  of 
it,  had  collected  labourers  to  do  so  the  next  morning;  but  to  his 
amazement,  the  whole  had  been  eaten  up  during  the  night ;  and  the 
locusts  stuck  to  him  in  such  numbers  as  threatened  to  eat  him  up 
alive. — Member  of  Trichinopoly  Committee, 

The  Patience  of  the  People, 

"My  immediate  object  in  writing  to  you  is  to  warn  you  that  appli- 
cations hitherto  made  for  relieving  distress  in  this  district  do  not 
represent  anything  like  even  a  tenth  part  of  what  we  want.  I  believe 
the  acting  collector's  committee  applied  to  Madras  for  1,000  rs.,  and 
perhaps  you  have  sent  one  or  two  more  thousands  to  the  district. 
Now,  in  one  taluk  aJone  there  are  upwards  of  5,000  ryots,  holding 
puttahs  of  10  rs.  and  under,  whose  crops  have  failed.  Supposing, 
then,  we  give  these  men  10  rs.  a  head,  that  will  represent  50,000  rs. 
I  know  this  district  well,  and,  as  you  know,  I  can  converse  with  the 
people  in  Tamil,  and  I  tell  you  that  everywhere  in  the  uplands  of  this 
district  there  is  a  very  great  mortality  among  their  cattle  used  for 
ploughing,  and  a  very  general  inability  among  the  people  to  pi*ovide 
themselves  with  new  bullocks  or  to  buy  seed.  There  are  also  many 
cultivators  who  have  never  been  and  who  never  will  go  to  a  relief  house, 
and  who  would  rather  die  at  home  than  leave  their  villages  and  seek 
Government  gratuitous  relief.  These  men  are  simply  pining  away 
slowly,  and  to  make  proper  use  of  the  funds  at  our  disposal  it  is 
necessary  that  those  persons  should  be  sought  out  in  their  own  homes 
and  relief  given  them  then  and  there  in  the  shape  of  a  small  money 
donation.  In  truth,  the  closer  you  look  into  matters,  and  the  better 
you  know  the  people,  the  more  you  see  how  fearfully  widely  spread  is 


150  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

the  present  distress,  borne  by  the  poor  creatures  in  dumb  resignation 
to  fate,  and  with  scarcely  a  murmur.     I  dare  say  you  have  received 
reports  of  the  cultivation  prospects  of  the  coming  year,  in  their  general 
tenor  very  favourable.     I  advise  you  to  distrust  them.     It  is  quite 
true  that  at  the  commencement  of  the  cultivation  season  a  veiy  great 
deal  of  land  was  ploughed  and  sown,  and  it  was  then,  as  of  course 
you  know,  that  the  kumum's  accounts  were  drawn  up  and   sent 
on  through  the  taluk  to  the  collector's  office ;  but  as  far  as  I  can 
ascertain,  no  account  has  been  taken  of  the  subsequent  loss  by  drought, 
and  in  my  wanderings  about  the  villages  I  should  say  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood half  the  dry  land  is  still  lying  waste,  as  the  crop  planted  in 
July  failed  for  want  of  rain  later  on,  and  then  mortality  among  the 
cattle  and  poverty  among  the  people  prevented  a  second  sowing  of 
crops. — E.  FoRSTER  Webster,  Trickinopohj. 

Disappointments;  Gratitude, 

The  first  sowing,  after  the  rains  came  in  September,  very  generally 
rotted  ;  the  second  sowing,  as  soon  as  the  young  plants  were  above 
ground,  has  generally  been  devoured  by  the  grasshoppers.  Ryots 
during  the  past  few  days  and  now  are  trying  to  sow  again,  but  the 
poorer  ones  are  sorely  pressed  for  seed,  I  assure  you.  Every  hour  of 
the  day,  yes,  every  half-hour,  and  fi'equently  much  oftener,  I  receive 
*  chits '  from  some  one  of  my  colleagues  travelling  in  the  district,  or 
from   Government  munsifs,  which  read   like  this — *  The  bearer  of 

this  chit  is  a  ryot  living  in  the  village  of  .     Before  the  &mine 

he  was  well-to-do,  but  three  of  his  four  bullocks  are  dead.  He  culti- 
vates   acres  of  ground.     He  sowed  one  half  of  jowalee  and  the 

seed  rotted.  He  sowed  it  again,  and  the  grasshoppers  ate  up  the 
plants  as  soon  as  out  of  the  ground.  He  has  no  means  to  purchase 
seed  grain,  and  no  one  will  sell  to  him  on  credit.  His  family  is  also 
suffering  for  want  of  proper  food.  Please  help  him  all  you  can,'  &c. 
Or  another  chit  reads  thus — '  The  bearer  of  this  note  is  a  widow  who 

resides  at  .     Her  husband  died  of  cholera  some  months  ago. 

She  has  a  little  land  and  two  bu£&loes  are  yet  aJive.  If  she  can  get 
a  little  seed  grain  she  hopes  to  get  some  of  her  neighbours  to  sow  a 
small  piece  of  her  ground  at  least.  She  is  very  poor;  has  four 
children,  and  two  of  them  are  sick.  They  all  need  cloths  badly. 
Please  do  for  this  poor  woman  all  you  can,'  &c. 

These  are  not  fancy  sketches,  but  like  applications,  either  by  letter 
or  in  person,  are  dozens  every  day.  As  I  give  3  rs.  or  5  rs.  or  so  to 
such  as  described  above  and  tell  them,  *  This  is  charity  given  by 
kind-hearted  generous  Englishmen  to  you  who  are  suffering  and 


HEAKTY    GRATITUDE.  151 

starving.  Take  it  and  try /or  another  crop  with  all  your  might,  that 
you  and  your  little  ones  may  live  and  not  die,'  I  should  like  you  and 
your  friends  in  England  to  see  the  expression  of  thankfulness  and 
gratitude  upon  their  dark,  careworn,  haggard  faces.  A  chord  had 
been  stnick  probably  never  touched  before. 

I  hope  you  will  send  me  a  large  donation  this  time.  I  now 
frequently  sit  to  receive  applicants  from  7  a.m.  until*  4  p.m.,  with  a 
recess  of  twenty  minutes  for  breakfast  only.  10,000  rs.  put  out 
here  just  now  woidd  (D.V.)  do  a  grand  work  for  this  section,  the 
beneficial  effects  of  which  would  last  through  a  generation.  My  col- 
leagues are  helping  with  a  will  that  does  them  all  great  credit. 
Government  munsifs  from  near  and  afar  are  begging  for  the 
privilege  of  sending  in  people  for  aid.  As  funds  at  my  disposal  here- 
tofore were  limited,  of  course  T  have  had  to  go  slowly.  I  can  now 
distribute,  if  health  continues,  and  put  it  just  where  it  ought  to  go  (a 
few  exceptions  no  doubt)  1,000  i-s.  per  day,  five  days  per  week. 
Please  ask  the  committee  to  give  us  here  this  time  5,000  rs.  at  least  if 
possible.  We  should  like  10,000  rs.  to  meet  the  emergencies  described, 
above,  but  don't  want  to  appear  selfish.  I  am  keeping  the  name 
of  each  individual,  caste,  age,  viUage,  taluk,  district,  amount  given  and 
why. — J.  E.  Olough,  Ongole. 

Gratitude, 

Children  and  even  infants  in  arms  have  had  relief  put  into  their 
little  hands  by  me,  one  rupee,  half  a  rupee,  or  a  quarter  of  a  rupee,  all 
in  silver,  as  each  case  needed — the  parents  in  the  same  family  being 
separately  provided  for  with  larger  sums.  In  making  this  distribu- 
tion I  told  the  parents  they  would  see  from  this  that  their  emaciated 
little  children  too  were  cared  for  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  and 
even  the  children  of  England ;  school  childi*en,  too,  of  England  having 
contributed  to  the  bounty.  In  every  case  the  money  has  been  paid 
by  me  direct  to  every  individual,  old  as  well  as  young. 

On  the  part  of  the  recipients  of  the  bounty,  the  most  heartfelt 
expressions  of  gratitude  have  been  addressed  to  me,  and  every  pos- 
sible outward  token,  indicative  of  the  inward  feeling,  exhibited, 
both  by  Hindu  and  by  Mussulman,  by  male  as  well  as  by  female.  I 
give  here  some  of  these  grateful  tokens  exhibited  after  receiving  the 
relief,  because  these  are  genuine  expressions,  deliberate  dictates  of  the 
heart ;  expressions  of  respect,  &c.,  before  receiving  relief,  I  consider 
mostly  perfunctory  and  commonplace ;  these  I  do  not  mention.  Com- 
plete prostration  of  the  person ;  bowing  the  head  almost  to  the 
ground ;   kneeling  down,  clasping  both  hands  before  the  chest  and 


150  PRIVATE    CnAKITY. 

the  present  distress,  borne  by  the  poor  creatures  in  dumb  resignation 
to  fete,  and  with  scarcely  a  murmur.     I  dare  say  you  have  received 
reports  of  the  cultivation  prospects  of  the  coming  year,  in  their  general 
tenor  very  favourable.     I  advise  you  to  distrust  them.     It  is  quite 
true  that  at  the  commencement  of  the  cultivation  season  a  very  great 
deal  of  land  was  ploughed  and  sown,  and  it  was  then,  as  of  course 
you  know,  that  the  kumum's  accounts  were  drawn  up  and   sent 
on  through  the  taluk  to  the  collector's  office ;  but  as  far  as  I  can 
ascertain,  no  account  has  been  taken  of  the  subsequent  loss  by  drought, 
and  in  my  wanderings  about  the  villages  I  should  say  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood half  the  dry  land  is  still  lying  waste,  as  the  crop  planted  in 
July  failed  for  want  of  rain  later  on,  and  then  mortality  among  the 
cattle  and  poverty  among  the  people  prevented  a  second  sowing  of 
crops. — E.  FoRSTER  Webster,  Trichiriopoly, 

DisappowUments  ;  Gratitude. 

The  first  sowing,  after  the  rains  came  in  September,  very  generally 
rotted  ;  the  second  sowing,  as  soon  as  the  young  plants  were  above 
ground,  has  generally  been  devoured  by  the  grasshoppers.  Ryots 
during  the  past  few  days  and  now  are  trying  to  sow  again,  but  the 
poorer  ones  are  sorely  pressed  for  seed,  I  assure  you.  Every  hour  of 
the  day,  yes,  every  half-hour,  and  fi-equently  much  oftener,  I  receive 
*  chits '  from  some  one  of  my  colleagues  travelling  in  the  district,  or 
from   Government  munsifs,  which  read   like  this — *  The  bearer  of 

this  chit  is  a  ryot  living  in  the  village  of  .     Before  the  femine 

he  was  well-to-do,  but  three  of  his  four  bullocks  are  dead.  He  culti- 
vates   acres  of  ground.     He  sowed  one  half  of  jowalee  and  the 

seed  rotted.  He  sowed  it  again,  and  the  grasshoppers  ate  up  the 
plants  as  soon  as  out  of  the  ground.  He  has  no  means  to  purchase 
seed  grain,  and  no  one  will  sell  to  him  on  credit.  His  family  is  also 
suffering  for  want  of  proper  food.  Please  help  him  all  you  can,'  &c. 
Or  another  chit  reads  thus — '  The  bearer  of  this  note  is  a  widow  who 

resides  at  .     Her  husband  died  of  cholera  some  months  ago. 

She  has  a  little  land  and  two  buffiJoes  are  yet  alive.  If  she  can  get 
a  little  seed  grain  she  hopes  to  get  some  of  her  neighbours  to  sow  a 
small  piece  of  her  ground  at  least.  She  is  very  poor;  has  four 
children,  and  two  of  them  are  sick.  They  all  need  cloths  badly. 
Please  do  for  this  poor  woman  all  you  can,'  &c. 

These  are  not  fency  sketches,  but  like  applications,  either  by  letter 
or  in  person,  are  dozens  every  day.  As  I  give  3  rs.  or  6  rs.  or  so  to 
such  as  described  above  and  tell  them,  '  This  is  charity  given  hy 
kind-hearted  generous  Englishmen  to  you  who  are  svffering  and 


HEAKTY    GRATITUDE.  151 

starving.  Take  it  and  try /or  a/nother  crop  with  aU  your  might,  that 
you  and  your  little  ones  may  Uvs  and  not  die,  I  should  like  you  and 
your  friends  in  England  to  see  the  expression  of  thankfulness  and 
gratitude  upon  their  dark,  careworn,  haggard  feces.  A  chord  had 
been  struck  probably  never  touched  before. 

I  hope  you  will  send  me  a  large  donation  this  time.  I  now 
frequently  sit  to  receive  applicants  from  7  a.m.  until*  4  p.m.,  with  a 
recess  of  twenty  minutes  for  breakfast  only.  10,000  rs.  put  out 
here  just  now  woidd  (D.V.)  do  a  grand  work  for  this  section,  the 
beneficial  effects  of  which  would  last  through  a  generation.  My  col- 
leagues are  helping  with  a  will  that  does  them  all  great  credit. 
Government  munsifs  from  near  and  afar  are  begging  for  the 
privilege  of  sending  in  people  for  aid.  As  funds  at  my  disposal  hei*e- 
tofore  were  limited,  of  course  T  have  had  to  go  slowly.  I  can  now 
distribute,  if  health  continues,  and  put  it  just  where  it  ought  to  go  (a 
few  exceptions  no  doubt)  1,000  rs.  per  day,  five  days  per  week. 
Please  ask  the  committee  to  give  us  hei^e  this  time  5,000  rs.  at  least  if 
possiMe.  We  should  like  10,000  rs.  to  meet  the  emergencies  described- 
above,  but  don't  want  to  appear  selfish.  I  am  keeping  the  nam^ 
of  each  individual,  caste ^  age,  village,  taluk,  district,  amount  given  a/nd 
why. — J.  E.  Olouoh,  Ongole. 

Gratitude. 

Children  and  even  infants  in  arms  have  had  relief  put  into  their 
little  hands  by  me,  one  rupee,  half  a  rupee,  or  a  quaiiier  of  a  rupee,  all 
in  silver,  as  each  case  needed — the  parents  in  the  same  family  being 
separately  provided  for  with  larger  sums.  In  making  this  distribu- 
tion I  told  the  parents  they  would  see  from  this  that  their  emaciated 
little  children  too  were  cared  for  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  and 
even  the  children  of  England ;  school  children,  too,  of  England  having 
contributed  to  the  bounty.  In  every  case  the  money  has  been  paid 
by  me  direct  to  every  individual,  old  as  well  as  young. 

On  the  part  of  the  recipients  of  the  bounty,  the  most  heartfelt 
expressions  of  gratitude  have  been  addressed  to  me,  and  every  pos- 
sible outward  token,  indicative  of  the  inward  feeling,  exhibited, 
both  by  Hindu  and  by  Mussulman,  by  male  as  well  as  by  female.  I 
give  here  some  of  these  grateful  tokens  exhibited  ajler  receiving  the 
relief,  because  these  are  genuine  expressions,  deliberate  dictates  of  the 
heart ;  expressions  of  respect,  &c.,  before  receiving  relief,  I  consider 
mostly  perfunctory  and  commonplace ;  these  I  do  not  mention.  Com- 
plete pi-ostration  of  the  person ;  bowing  the  head  almost  to  the 
ground ;   kneeling  down,  clasping  both  hands  before  the  chest  and 


152  PRIVATE   CHABITT. 

throwing  them  over  the  head,  and  salaming  from  the  foot  to  the  head 
over  and  over  again  ;  throwing  themselves  at  my  feet  unexpectedly — 
this  I  always  restrain  when  I  see  it  coming,  but  it  has  been  difficult  to 
do  so.  There  have  been  more  touching  tokens  also  in  the  grateful  tears 
of  Hindu  and  Mussulman  widows  who  may  have  handled  rupees  when 
their  departed  husbands  received  pay,  but  who  have  not  had  that 
gratification  I  know  not  for  how  many  years — ten,  fifteen,  twenty, 
thirty — ^and  in  all  probability  never  expected  that  gratification  again 
in  this  world.  When  such  as  these  actually  held  in  their  hands  hard, 
shining,  full  rupees  (the  Treasury  had  fortunately  supplied  me  with 
many  new  *  Empress '  rupees)  two,  three,  four,  or  more  which  they 
could  call  their  own,  for  themselves  and  starving  children,  it  was  but 
natural  that  they  should  ever  and  anon  open  the  palm,  take  a  glance 
of  the  money,  then  close  the  palm  as  if  sure  of  the  money,  and  after  a 
while  repeat  the  process  of  taking  another  glance,  all  the  while  their 
and  their  children's  names,  <&c.,  were  being  entered  in  the  register. 
These  in  particular  i-etired  with  fervent  protestations  about  lighting 
especial  lamps  in  their  homes  in  honour  of  the  kind  donors,  and  pray- 
ing the  Almighty  to  bless  the  donors  and  their  offspring. 

Some  poor  creatures  declared  they  had  been  living  on  greens,  and 
they  quite  looked  it,  and  now,  they  said,  they  would  get  a  little  meat 
or  fish.  Some  old  women  between  sixty  and  seventy  had  longed  for 
a  little  mittoy,  a  luxury  they  enjoyed  in  better  days,  which  days  had 
now  so  long  passed  away,  and  now,  for  once — they  would  treat  them- 
selves to  some  and  gratify  their  longings.  (This  reminded  me  of  the 
patriarch  Isaac.)  Such  and  similar  were  the  outpourings  of  heart 
on  the  part  of  these  poor  creatures  in  the  comparative  seclusion  of  my 
verandah  where  they  received  the  money.  It  so  happens  that  I  can 
speak  Hindustani  as  well  as  Tamil. 

When  thanks,  loud  and  repeated,  were  expressed  to  me  with  pro- 
fessions of  my  being  their  visible  Sami — a  notion  which  of  course  I 
instantly  checked — I  have  told  them,  using  an  Oriental  illustration 
which  would  be  well  understood  by  them,  that  they  (the  famine- 
stricken  people)  were  the  dry  fields  and  dry  garden-beds  perishing  for 
want  of  irrigation ;  that  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  England  were  the 
grand  lake  or  large  tank  which  contained  the  water  supply.  It  was 
to  them  that,  under  Qod,  the  thanks  were  due,  and  not  to  me  who  was 
a  mere  channel,  and  nothing  more,  through  which  the  precious  liquid 
flowed. 

This  always  led  to  a  fresh  outburst  of  hearty  good  wishes ;  that 
the  British  nation  might  flourish  for  generations  to  come,  and  the 
British  flag  wave  over  the  land  for  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  years. 
— 7%e  Bev.  T.  P.  Adolphus,  Trichvnopoly. 


GOODNESS   OF   THE   POOR   TOWARDS   EACH   OTHER.    153 


Extortion  hy  ViUage  OfficidU. 

Extortion  by  village  officers  of  portions  of  doles  given  to  the  poor 
has  been  very  general  [in  this  sub-division].  In  only  one  case  did 
there  seem  sufficient  evidence  to  make  prosecution  advisable.  In  that 
case  the  defendant  (a  village  headman)  was  sentenced  to  six  months' 
rigorous  impiisonment,  and  a  fine  of  50  rs.  or  four  months  more. 
The  difficulties  of  getting  convictions  in  such  cases  were  strikingly 
illustrated  in  this  one.  In  the  first  place  the  detection  was  quite 
accidentally  made  by  the  European  officer  himself.  And  the  conviction 
took  place  in  the  face  of  the  refusal  by  the  principal  witness  to  give 
evidence.  Fortunately  the  officer  had  on  the  spot  caused  this  witness's 
complaint  to  be  recorded.  The  defendant's  &ther  actually,  by  bribing 
a  Government  peon,  detained  the  witness  on  the  way  to  court  and 
delayed  the  trial  for  a  week,  and  but  for  very  energetic  personal  exer- 
tions by  the  famine  officer  would  doubtless  have  spirited  the  witness 
away  altogether. — W.  H.  Glenny,  Gooty, 

Dislike  to  Relief  Camps, 

I  heard  of  men  and  women  being  harnessed  to  their  ploughs  in 
place  of  their  lost  bullocks,  and  of  other  poor  agriculturists,  who  not 
having  even  ploughs,  were  seen  dragging  large  branches  of  trees  over 
their  little  plots  of  land.  The  recent  excellent  fall  of  rain  has  brought 
up  all  over  the  country  a  weed  with  a  bulbous  root,  which  although 
in  ordinary  years  it  is  only  used  in  small  quantities,  owing  to  its  un- 
wholesomeness,  is  now  being  eaten  largely  by  the  poor,  forming  the 
staple  of  the  only  diet  they  can  procure  outside  of  the  Government 
closed  camps,  which  appear  to  be  as  much  disliked  as  is  the  '  work- 
house '  by  the  respectable  poor  at  home.— F.  Bowlandson. 

The  Goodness  of  the  Poor  towards  each  other, 

A  great  deal  too  much  is  said  about  the  readiness  of  the  poor  to 
sponge  on  the  bounty  of  Government,  or  of  private  charity.  Half  of 
the  tales  on  this  subject  are  untrue  and  the  other  half  garbled  or 
exaggerated.  Exceptional  cases  have  been  known,  but  the  general 
experience  of  the  Teynampett  nursery,  and  I  imagine  of  others,  is, 
that  mothers,  aunts,  grandmothers,  or  neighbours  will  bring  children 
up  to  be  fed,  and,  though  in  want  themselves,  never  express  by  word 
or  sign  a  desire  to  share  in  the  help  they  know  is  meant  only  for 
young  children.  Big  boys  will  bring  little  boys,  and,  though  lank 
and  hungry,  and  casting  longing  eyes  on  the  food,  are  only  intent  on 


154  PRIVATE   CUABITY. 

seeing  their  charges  get  their  allotted  ration.  For  six  weeks  past  a 
little  girl  of  ten  or  eleven  has  been  bringing  up  two  sickly  children 
twice  a  day,  nursing  them  with  the  tenderest  care  and  never  asking 
for  bite  or  sip  on  her  own  account.  She  showed  no  signs  of  starvation 
until  the  last  few  days,  when  I  noticed  that  she  was  beginning  to  go 
down,  and  I  have  asked  the  lady  in  charge  of  the  nursery  to  bring  her 
on  the  list  of  those  to  whom  one  good  meal  a  day  may  mean  the  salva- 
tion of  life. — Dr.  Oobnish. 

Practical  Help, 

I  would  venture  to  make  a  suggestion  on  one  point  in  which 
private  charity  could  in  the  interior  of  the  district  be  employed  with 
the  utmost  advantage,  and  afford  relief  which  (though  urgently  re- 
quired) cannot  be  given  by  Government.  Many  hundreds  of  cases  of 
poor  ryots  have  come  to  my  notice  whom  this  famine  has  reduced  to 
absolute  destitution.  They  have  lost  their  cattle,  sold  or  mortgaged 
their  lands  and  their  little  personal  property.  Hitherto  they  have 
managed  to  live  by  working  on  roads,  but  when  ordinary  times  return 
and  works  are  closed,  they  will  have  simply  nothing  to  face  the  world 
with,  and  their  condition  in  fact  will  be  worse  when  the  famine  is 
over.  For  such  as  these  (and  they  are  painfully  numerous)  Govern- 
ment can  do  nothing  beyond  having  kept  them  alive  hitherto  by  pro- 
viding work  and  by  keeping  them  alive  till  the  end  of  the  £unine. 
But  private  charity  could  do  a  great  deal  of  real  good  by  making 
small  grants  to  such  persons,  and  by  enabling  them  again  to  start  in 
life  when  the  present  hard  times  are  over. 

I  can  imagine  no  better  object  for  private  charity  than  this,  and  I 
would  earnestly  bring  it  to  the  notice  of  the  committee.  There  are, 
of  course,  many  other  excellent  and  legitimate  objects  to  which  private 
charity  can  be  devoted.  But  if  the  committee's  funds  are  limited,  far 
more  good  will  be  done  in  the  interior  of  the  district  by  devoting  as 
much  money  as  possible  to  one  comprehensive  and  useful  measure, 
than  by  dividing  it  among  many  schemes  however  beneficial  in  them- 
selves.— W.  A.  Howe,  Divisional  Oficer. 

Personal  Investigation  of  Belief  Lists, 

On  the  whole  I  am  of  opinion  from  what  I  have  seen  that  the  best 
way  of  doing  the  most  good  with  this  money  in  this  estate,  where  there 
is  such  a  dead  level  of  poverty  in  all  the  villages,  with  all  castes  and 
classes,  is  not  so  much  by  giving  large  sums  to  a  few  persons,  as  dmall 
amoimts  to  a  great  many,  to  enable  them  to  get  their  lands  already 
sown  weeded,  or  to  re-thatch  their  houses,  which  are  roofless,  or  to 


THE  INADEQUACY  OF  FUNDS.  155 

have  a  small  sum  in  hand  to  maintain  themselves  till  January.  My 
procedure  is  very  simple.  I  know  the  general  state  of  each  village  as 
well  as  anybody  else.  I  select  as  many  of  the  worst  as  possible  with 
reference  to  the  amount  allotted,  making  no  distinction  whether  they 
are  owned  by  the  zemindar  or  by  private  persons.  The  headmen  are 
directed  to  prepare  a  list  of  persons  deserving  and  wishing  to  receive 
a  small  assistance,  and  not  holding  more  land  than  five  kalems  of  seed 
land  and  ten  gurukoms  of  dry  land,  or  possessing  more  than  one 
bullock.  This  list  is  submitted  to  the  tahsildar,  and  when  the  day  is 
fixed,  the  ryots  come  up  for  distribution.  A  few  questions  are  asked 
on  each  case,  and  sometimes  it  happens  that  a  kumam  has  included 
all  his  own  friends  and  servants  and  excluded  the  others.  When  the 
list  is  gone  through,  I  ask  to  see  the  remainder  of  the  villagers,  who 
have  come  up  to  watch  proceedings ;  and  some  of  these  I  select  on 
personal  enquiry.  In  fact  I  believe  that  I  have  got  some  of  the  most 
deserving  cases  in  this  way.  Ab  the  ryots  must  often  come  with  some 
of  their  family,  each  ryot  is  asked  to  bring  up  his  own  people  with 
him  ;  and  in  this  way  I  have  seen  a  vaat  number  of  families  in  a  more 
thorough  manner  than  I  could  have  done  at  any  other  period  of  the 
last  eight  months.  The  majority  of  the  women  and  girls  of  the  lower 
castes,  and  indeed  some  of  the  Sudras  as  well,  seem  to  be  barely 
covered  with  decency ;  and  I  should  be  glad  to  have  more  to  give 
away  in  cloths ;  but  I  quite  see  that  there  is  great  danger  in  this  of 
the  same  women  following  from  camp  to  camp  ;  and  getting  a  double 
or  treble  share. — J.  Leb  Warner,  Bamnad, 

Th^  InadeqiLacy  of  Fwnda, 

The  population  of  the  taJuk  is  320,723,  of  which  12,818,  or  close 
upon  four  per  cent.,  are  in  the  town  of  Dindigul,  and  3,753  are  in  the 
hill  villages  where  no  relief  is  required.  The  remaining  304,152  are 
distributed  in  204  villages  in  the  taluk.  Now,  reserving  1,000  rs. 
to  be  spent  in  the  town  of  Dindigul,  we  have  7,000  rs.  for  each  of  the 
months  of  November  and  December  to  be  spent  in  the  taluk,  being 
23  rs.  per  1,000  inhabitants,  and  for  October  and  January,  only  half 
that  amount.  We  are  already  learning  how  difficult  a  thing  it  is  to 
take  23  rs.  into  a  village  containing  1,000  inhabitants  and  render 
efficient  aid  to  the  distressed  there.  It  is  only  sufficient  to  aid  about 
five  cultivators  out  of  the  1,000  inhabitants.  What  ai-e  these  rupees 
among  the  many  people  who  have  been  plunged  in  povei-ty  by  the 
severity  of  the  famine  %  The  same  sum  will  re-roof  four  or  five  houses 
only  in  a  village  of  about  330  houses,  leaving  nothing  for  other  cases 
of  distress.     The  donations  appear  generous  when  we  speak  of  the 


156  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

Inmp  sums,  but  when  we  examine  the  distribntion  in  detail,  we  then 
realise  how  very  little  it  will  do  to  mitigate  the  general  distress. 
From  one  village  of  1,000  inhabitants,  weU-authenticated  petitions 
for  105  rs.  were  presented  in  one  day.  We  were  able  to  send  them 
23  rs.  as  their  proportion  for  the  month  of  November.  Such  illustra- 
tions might  be  multiplied  to  any  extent.  From  all  sides  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  distributor  is  that  the  grants  we  allow  are  nothing 
like  adequate  to  meet  the  distress.  I  write  thus,  not  with  a  desire  on 
the  part  of  this  committee,  or  of  myself,  to  complain  of  the  allotment 
made  by  the  general  committee  to  us,  but  to  repi*e6ent  the  actual 
facts,  and  to  express  the  hope  that  the  general  committee  will  be  in 
a  position  to  give  us  additional  aid  for  January  and  February. — W. 
YoRKE,  bindigvl. 

My  grants  to  individuals  have  been  almost  ridiculously  small ;  but 
the  general  poverty  of  all  classes  on  this  large  estate  is  so  great  that 
there  is  no  other  course  open.  I  will  give  an  instance.  At  a  place 
called  Karencottai  I  held  a  distribution  taking  in  20  odd  villages 
which  have  been  much  afflicted  by  the  famine.  When  the  money 
was  nearly  all  exhausted,  there  remained  a  great  number  of  applicants 
whose  names  had  not  been  included  in  the  prepared  lists.  AH  these 
persons  held  out  their  puttahs,  pleading  most  lustily  for  help.  Their 
appearance  gave  unmistakable  signs  of  long  privation.  When  I  ex- 
plained  to  them  that  the  money  is  a  free  gift  and  that  it  cannot  be 
made  to  go  farther  than  it  does,  the  whole  chorus  shouted  that  they 
might  at  least  have  a  rupee  apiece,  and  return  to  their  villages.  Even 
this  I  was  unable  to  do  for  them.  Numbers  are  beginning  to  return 
to  their  homes  from  Ceylon,  many  of  them  dreadfully  emaciated. 
Their  story  is  always  the  same.  They  went  over  in  the  summer 
months  to  escape  starvation.  The  planters  took  advantage  of  the 
numbers  to  lower  their  rates  for  labour ;  and  hundreds  only  obtained 
one  meal  a  day,  and  are  now  returning  with  nothing  saved  and  a 
blank  future  before  them,  unless  they  can  get  assistance. — J.  Lee 
Warner. 

A  Lively  Sense  of  Gratitude. 

Both  in  Coimbatore  and  Salem  fine  rain  has  fallen,  and  much  land 
has  been  ali-eady  brought  under  cultivation,  but  I  am  sorry  to  sjiy 
that  a  large  number  of  puttadars  (ryots)  are  still  present  in  relief 
camps,  having  lost  their  bullocks,  their  implements,  and  everything 
they  possessed  (including  their  health  and  ability  to  work). 

The  present  season,  so  far,  is  the  most  favourable  that  has  been 
known  for  years  past,  and  with  small  advances  to  the  poorer  lyots  to 
buy  seed  grain,  or  a  pair  of  bullocks  and  a  plough,  an  immense 


A   LIVELY   SENSE    OF   GRATITUDE.  167 

amount  of  good  might  be  done.  Whatever  the  committee  may  see  fit 
to  allot  to  district  committees  with  the  object  of  helping  the  poor 
but  respectable  ryots  should  be  given  without  delay,  for  it  is  essential 
in  these  dry  districts  that  the  ploughing  and  sowing  should  be  done 
before  the  setting  in  of  the  north-east  monsoon. 

I  was  present  yesterday  at  Sunkerrydroog  when  Mr.  Longley,  the 
collector  of  the  district,  enquired  into  the  circumstances  of  a  lyot. 

The  man  attracted  my  attention,  amongst  thousands  of  starving 
creatures,  by  his  extreme  emaciation.  He  holds  a  puttah  of  land,  for 
which  he  pays  ten  rupees  a  year.  A  poi-tion  of  this  land  he  managed 
to  plough  and  sow  with  the  help  of  his  friends.  His  own  bullocks 
died  in  the  hot  weather.  He  has  had  no  food  or  means  of  support  for 
months  past,  and  applied  at  the  camp  for  relief,  simply  to  keep  life  in 
his  body.  This  poor  fellow  was  so  attenuated  that  the  circumference 
of  his  arm  in  the  thickest  portion  measured  only  four  and  a  half 
inches,  and  his  thigh  in  the  middle  nine  inches,  and,  although  a  well- 
built  and  tall  man,  measured  only  25  inches  round  the  chest.  His 
present  condition  is  such  as  to  render  him  physically  imfit  for  any 
exertion.  Mr.  Longley  told  him  he  should  have  an  advance  of  15  rs. 
to  buy  seed  and  bullocks,  and  the  man  was  quite  happy  and  ready  to 
go  back  to  his  own  village,  though  literally  at  death's  door  from  long 
starvation.  I  saw  another  case  this  morning  of  a  man  who  pays  30 
rs.  a  year  to  Government — who  has  lost  wife,  children,  bullocks,  and 
everything  that  constitutes  a  native's  enjoyment  of  life,  but  who  is  in 
better  health  and  strength  for  work,  and  who  will  be  helped  by  an 
advance. 

There  are  thousands  of  cases  of  this  description  in  Coimbatore  and 
Salem.  The  Government  officials  have  been  already  overwhelmed 
with  applications  for  advances  from  respectable  landholders,  and  after 
discussing  the  matter  carefully  with  the  officials  in  Coimbatore  and 
Salem,  I  can  only  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  bountiful  private 
charity  of  our  fellow-countrymen  cannot  be  better  bestowed  than  in 
helping  the  class  of  small  landholders  to  set  themselves  up  again  in 
the  implements  and  accessories  of  a  husbandman's  career.  No  time 
should  be  lost  in  the  allotment  of  grants  for  this  piu-pose  if  the  com- 
mittee are  satisfied  that  the  object  is  one  coming  within  the  sphere  of 
relief  contemplated  by  them. 

The  class  of  persons  to  whom  this  relief  is  applicable  are  well 
known  to  native  and  European  officials.  They  are  the  tillers  of  the 
soil,  and  non-migratory  in  their  habits.  Kelief  can  be  apportioned 
without  the  slightest  difficulty  to  the  necessities  of  each  case. — Db. 
Cornish. 


158  PRIVATE   CHARITY, 


Absurd  'Scares J 

In  anticipation  of  the  approval  of  the  committee,  I  am  authoris- 
ing my  colleagues  to  grant  estimated  cost  of  cultivation  to  ryots  paying 
less  than  20  rs.  of  annual  land  assessment  whose  kharif  crops  have 
been  entirely  destroyed  by  the  recent  excess  of  moisture.  The  marked 
fall  in  temperature  indicates  that  the  rain  has  at  last  ceased.  We  can 
now  see  what  amount  of  irreparable  damage  has  been  done.  Whole 
fields  of  kharif  crops— cholum  and  cumboo — have  been  utterly 
destroyed  :  some  half  harvested,  some  untouched  by  the  sickle,  but 
which  were  almost  ripe  for  it  ten  days  or  a  foi-tnight  ago. 

I  submit  that  no  class  are  more  legitimate  objects  of  assistance 
than  these  poor  people  who,  after  seeing  their  crops  safely  through  the 
perilous  days  of  July  and  August,  and  giving  promise  of  a  bounteous 
harvest,  have  at  the  last  moment  been  disappointed  of  the  fruit  of 
their  enterprise  and  industry. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  or  deception  in  these  cases.  Nor  can  there 
be  any  suspicion  or  fear  on  the  part  of  the  recipients.  I  should  think 
that  gifts  of  this  kind  may  perhaps  at  least  force  upon  the  ryots  the 
conception  that  these  grants  of  money  do  not  come  from  Government, 
but  from  the  English  people.  Hitherto,  in  the  majority  of  cases  the 
donees  have  received  with  manifest  incredulity  our  assurance  that 
*  the  Sircar '  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter.  In  one  instance  a 
number  of  people  who  had  actually  ploughed  their  lands  declined  at 
the  last  moment  to  receive  the  money  from  Captain  Hopkins.  They 
admitted  that  they  suspected  some  new  device  to  screw  revenue  out 
of  them.  Another  scare  remains  at  this  moment :  doubtless  it  will 
shortly  be  overcome  by  a  little  management.  The  Qoondacul  nursery 
is  empty,  owing  to  an  idea  that  the  nurseries  are  intended  as  traps  in 
which  to  catch  children  to  be  carried  away  to  Madras  or  across  the  sea 
to  be  christianised.  On  October  1  ten  thousand  people  on  our  works 
deserted  to  a  man  simply  because  of  a  rumour  originating  in  the  idle 
chatter  of  a  subordinate,  that  all  the  coolies  were  to  be  carried  off  to 
forced  labour  in  the  Nilgiris.  I  mention  these  occurrences  to  illustrate 
the  necessity  of  cautious  dealings  with  this  population  in  the  present 
matter.— W.  H.  Glenny. 

Unselfish  Children, 

There  were  943  children,  some  of  whom  were  quite,  and  many 

nearly,  naked. 

Probably  they  would  be  equally  so  in  normal  times  at  their  own 
homes,  but  then  in  the  wet  and  cold  they  can  get  warm  shelter,  and 


TYPICAL   CASES    OF    DISTRESS.  159 

need  not  leave  it  for  their  food.  But  in  the  camp  it  is  necessary  to 
collect  all  the  inmates  in  pens  for  feeding,  and  there  is  no  shelter  from 
the  wind  and  rain,  either  as  they  make  their  way  across  the  wide  spaces 
between  the  sheds,  or  as  they  sit  on  the  wet  ground.  I  went  down 
the  rows  and  selected  187  children  to  whom  the  sub-committee  will 
give  cloths. 

I  was  struck  by  the  goodness  of  the  elder  children  to  their  orphaned 
little  brothers  and  sisters.  I  noticed,  as  they  flocked  in,  two  or  three 
lads  staggering  along  under  the  weight  of  a  chubby  little  one,  re- 
minding one  of  *  Sloppy  *  and  *  The  Minders.*  As  I  went  down  the 
row  I  found  a  small  damsel  with  her  portion  untasted  before  her.  On 
questioning  her  I  found  she  was  a  caste  girl,  and  could  not  eat  until 
she  had  first  performed  her  ablutions.  She  could  not  have  been  more 
than  seven  years  old,  and  looked  a  healthy  child  and  likely  to  have  a 
good  appetite. — ^F.  Eowlandson. 

A  Selfish  Reason. 

As  we  were  leaving  the  village  they  brought  forward  a  boy  of  about 
14,  and  told  me  he  had  wet  land  but  no  means  of  cultivating  it,  as  his 
elder  brother  had  sold  off  everything  and  gone  away.  I  asked  how  many 
bullocks  they  had  in  the  village,  and  was  told  22  pairs  1  I  then  asked 
the  richest  man  in  the  village  if  he  would  help  the  boy  with  the  loan 
of  some  bullocks,  but  he  entirely  refused.  I  leamt  subsequently  at 
the  committee  meeting  that  owners  of  cattle  here  will  neither  lend 
nor  hire  them  to  landowners  who  have  none.  *  Of  course  not,'  was  the 
remark ;  '  if  they  can  prevent  the  others  from  cultivating  they  will  get 
80  much  the  better  price  for  their  grains.' — F.  Rowlakdson. 

Typical  Ca^es  of  Distress, 

Case  I. — ^Narasami,  widow  of  Eaghavachari,  aged  38,  Vishnava 
Brahmin,  has  dependent  on  her  (1)  son  Kistnadu,  aged  12  years,  (2) 
son  Copaludu,  aged  10,  (3)  son  Samadi,  aged  8,  (4)  daughter  See- 
tamma,  aged  5,  (5)  daughter  Alamelu,  aged  12  months,  and  (6) 
Seshamma,  her  sister,  aged  40.  Her  husband  died  two  months  ago. 
He  was  up  to  his  death  pusari  (priest)  of  the  Vishnu  temple,  for 
which  he  got  5  rs.  per  mensem.  The  widow  has  a  dilapidated  house, 
and  half  a  cawnie  of  land,  which  cannot  be  cultivated,  as  she  has  no 
male  relation  or  cattle.  She  cannot,  according  to  her  caste  rules, 
leave  her  house  for  twelve  months  after  the  death  of  her  husband. 

Case  II, — Nagamma,  widow  of  Subba  Eow,  aged  36,  Brahmin. 
She  has  a  father-in-law,  Ghedambari  Bow,  aged  75,  and  blind.     Six 


160  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

months  ago  he  went  to  Tripatti  to  borrow  money  on  land  already 
mortgaged,  but  she  has  not  heard  of  him  since.  She  herself  has  no 
land.  She  lives  in  her  own  house,  which  is  mortgaged.  Her  hus- 
band's grandfather  was  tahsildar  of  Chittoor.  She  has  one  brother, 
who  gets  his  living  by  begging,  and  who  occasionally  helps  her. 

Case  II L — Ghengamma,  widow  of  Siddappa,  aged  42,  Karamala 
caste ;  has  one  son  Annasami,  aged  6.  Has  no  property  or  house  to 
live  in ;  lives  in  a  chuttrom ;  is  reduced  to  weakness  by  the  famine. 
She  had  village  relief  dole,  but  this  had  been  discontinued  by  Grovem- 
ment ;  she  wiU  not  go  to  the  relief  camp  on  account  of  caste  pre- 
judices. 

Case  IV, — Lutchami,  widow  of  Eama  Keddi,  aged  28,  Beddi 
caste.  Her  husband  died  five  days  ago ;  has  a  son  Thalwa,  aged  6.  Has 
now  neither  land  nor  house ;  all  were  sold  owing  to  the  famine. 

Case  V, — Sayamma,  widow  of  Chunga  Heddi,  aged  52,  Beddi 
caste.  Lives  in  the  house  of  another,  having  no  property  of  any 
kind.  She  looks  weak,  did  work  on  the  roads,  but  is  now  unable ; 
her  feet  are  swelling. 

Case  VL — Ghengamma,  widow  of  Subbamma,  aged  80,  Pariah. 
Has  no  one  to  support  her,  has  no  property,  will  not  go  to  the  relief 
camp,  as  she  thinks  *  there  is  no  one  to  feel  for  her.' — Hev,  J.  M. 
Strachan,  M.D. 

^Real^  Charity  hy  the  Taluk  Triumvirate, 

We  are  much  in  want  of  more  hands,  but  perforce  have  to  do 
without  them.  There  are  no  non-official  Europeans  in  the  division. 
Among  the  mercantile  community  theoe  may  be  fit  persons,  but  we 
do  not  know  of  any.  The  agriculturists,  with  whom  we  have  constant 
intercourse,  have  many  excellent  qualities,  and  are,  under  noimal 
circumstances,  honest  enough.  But  recently  we  have  had,  in  the  way 
of  our  public  business,  conclusive  proof  that  it  is  unwise  to  subject 
their  temptation-resisting  power  to  too  severe  a  strain.  Be  it  under- 
stood that  our  native  colleagues  are  altogether  exceptional  men.  Any 
one  of  them  is  a  richer  man  than  any  of  his  European  colleagues  ever 
will  be.  This,  however,  is  a  minor  matter.  AU  three  are  men  of  un- 
blemished character  and  eminently  charitable  dispositions.  Jutur 
Subba  Baddy's  reputation  is  local,  but  the  fame  of  the  good  works  of 
Sanjiva  Beddy  of  Joharapuram  and  Nigi  Beddy  of  Groondacul  has,  I 
believe,  reached  England.  The  munificence  of  these  gentlemen,  be  it 
observed,  has  manifested  itself  in  deeds  quite  different  from  the  ex- 
tremely '  other-worldly '  performances  which  form  the  staple  Indian 
variety  of  'charity.'     These  gentlemen  have  actually  spent  their 


EVIL   OF   INDISCRIMINATE   CHAKITY.  161 

monej  in  feeding  the  hungry — the  clean  and  the  unclean :  a  thing 
that  no  Hindu  ever  did  pour  f aire  son  salut, — W.  H.  Glknny. 

Evil  of  Indiscriminate  Charity. 

Spending  money  is  a  simple  matter.  For  instance — let  it  be 
known  in  a  village  that  a  charitable  gentleman  will  present  a  cloth  to 
every  old  woman  who  approcushes  the  presence  with  a  plentiful  lack 
of  raiment.  The  rustic  murmur  will  spontaneously  spread  abroad  ; 
and  everywhere  he  halts  the  charitable  gentleman  will  not  only  have 
opportunity  of  attiring  files  upon  files  of  ancient  dames,  but  his  ex- 
penditure will  be  assisted  by  a  rise  in  the  local  cloth-market  of  any- 
thing from  five-and-twenty  per  cent,  upwards.  If  the  evil  effects  of 
unthinking  and  short-sighted  benevolence  were  confined  to  the  con- 
genial sphere  of  the  elderly  female  portion  of  the  community,  one 
would  let  it  pass  without  serious  criticism.  But  the  af&iir  assumes  a 
darker  complexion  when  it  is  a  question  of  sapping  the  self-reliant 
and  industrious  character  of  a  valuable  population,  and  holding  out 
rewards  for  success  in  deception. 

We  wish  that  our  leisure  had  been  greater,  so  that  we  might 
have  done  more.  But  we  humbly  claim  for  our  work  the  modest 
merit  of  careful  execution.  No  doubt,  with  all  our  care,  we  have 
occasionally  been  egregiously  imposed  upon.  With  less  care  there 
would  have  been  more  imposture. 

Every  case  was  separately  enquired  into,  by  the  light  of  the  best 
information  available,  and  every  rupee  delivered,  with  all  circum- 
stances of  publicity,  into  the  hands  of  the  grantee,  by  or  in  presence 
of  a  European  officer,  and  each  case  is  recorded  in  detail.  I  speak 
chiefly  of  *  agricultural  cases ;'  there  was  no  analogous  need  for  details 
in  giving  people  cloths,  for  instance.  Doles  and  donations  '  in  sup- 
port of  life '  were  not  granted  without  very  thorough  investigation. 
Grants  of  money  for  cost  of  cultivation  were,  as  far  as  time  allowed, 
followed  as  well  as  preceded  by  enquiry ;  with  the  result  that  in  some 
cases  it  was  discovered  that  the  money  had  been  obtained  by  false 
pretences.  The  mendacious  recipients  were  in  such  event  called  upon 
to  disgorge:  which  they  invariably  did,  through  fear  of  unknown 
consequences.  One  poor  fellow  of  his  own  motion  came  from  some 
distance  and  delivered  up  his  grant,  saying  that  he  had  changed  his 
mind  about  ctdtivating.  He  was  probably  afterwards  ascertained  to 
be  a  fit  subject  for  a  donation  *  in  support  of  life.' — ^W.  H.  Glenny. 


VOL.  II.  M 


162  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 


Scene  in  a  Relief  Camp, 

This  morning  I  visited  the  relief  camp  of  Chittoor,     Formerly 
there  were  in  it  over  3,000,  now  about  1,000.     The  situation  of  the 
camp  is  most  picturesque ;  not  far  from  a  beautiful  tank,  which  re- 
minds one  of  a  miniature  Scotch  loch,  it  is  surrounded  by  hills,  whose 
crags  and  grassy  crevices  looked  beautiful  in  the  L'ght  of  the  early 
sun.     Not  far  from  the  entrance  is  a  graveyard  full  of  nameless 
graves ;  and  on  enquiry  I  found  it  was  the  convicts'  graveyard ;  this 
time  last  year  there  were  not  many  graves  in  it,  but  about  last 
Christmas  cholera  came  and  the  yard  was  filled.     I  went  carefully 
through  each  line  of  the  inmates  of  the  relief  camp,  and  I  can  bear 
witness  to  the  fact  that  the  able-bodied  have  been  weeded  out.     I  saw 
very  few  indeed  that  did  not  bear  the  unmistakable  stamp  of  starva- 
tion.    A  group  might  easily  have  been  formed  as  ghastly  as  any  that 
have  been  photographed.     Their  '  bones  speak  '  as  the  natives  expres- 
sively say.     About  50  cloths  were  given  away,  and  many  of  the 
recipients  fell  down  on  their  £ftces  and  touched  our  shoes  in  token  of 
their  gratitude.     I  visited  the  hospital  and  found  it  clean,  but  very 
damp  owing  to  the  heavy  rains.      There  were  the  usual  cases  of 
starvation-diarrhoea.     In  the  women's  ward  we  came  to  a  fair  young 
girl,  covered  nicely  in  her  cumbly,  her  hand  under  her  head,  apparently 
sleeping  comfortably,  but  on  trying  to  feel  her  pulse,  I  found  her 
dead.     In  the  men's  ward,  a  well-built  young  man  was  found  in 
extremisj  his  eyes  sunk,  his  cheeks  drawn,  the  slow,  laboured  heaving 
of  his  chest,  all  showing  that  the  end  was  not  far  off.     A  stimulant 
was  administered,  but  he  was  beyond  the  reach  of  remedy,  beyond 
hope.     In  passing  through  the  lines  of  the  women,  I  saw  one  with  a 
baby,  and  asked  to  see  it ;  its  skinny  form  was  nestled  to  its  mother's 
breast ;  I  told  her  it  was  dead ;  and  then  she  gave  a  look  of  suffering 
that  went  through  one's  heart,  and  burst  out  into  a  wail  that  told  a 
mother's  suffering  at  the  loss  of  her  last,  her  only,   child.      I  saw 
also  three  other  bodies — that  of  a  young  man,  a  young  woman,  a 
young  girl,  who  had  died  during  the  night.     The  young  woman's 
mouth  was  wide  open  and  hei*  eyes  were  dreadfully  staring,  as  if 
Graving  in  death  for  food.     Afber  visiting  the  camp,  I  went  and  saw 
about  500  ryots  who  had  come  in  from  the  villages  for  seed  grain,  all 
of  them  wUling  to  cultivate  and  yet  obliged  to  stand  idle. — Kev.  J. 
M.  Strachan. 


FROM  DROUGHT  TO  DELUGE.  1  G3 


From,  Drought  to  Deluge, 

Camp  Kamuthi,  December  16,  1877. 
I  am  more  cheerful  to-day,  and  therefore  think  it  the  best  oppor- 
tunity to  write  to  you  again  what  has  happened  in  this  part  of  the 
estate.     There  was  an  unusual  fall  of  rain  all  the  night  of  the  Gth, 
and  in  consequence  all  the  rivers  were  in  high  flood.     Suddenly  and 
simultaneously  almost,  a  great  many  tank  bunds  in  this  and  the 
neighbouring  estate  of  Sivagunga  gave  way :  and  all  these  waters, 
taking  the  direction  of  the  sea-level,  were  poured  upon  the  Kamuthi 
taluk,  and  the  Yl^I,  which  takes  its  coiu-se  through  the  Eamnad 
taluk.     All  the  tanks  of  these  two  taluks  had  already  received  an 
abundant  supply,  and  the  ragi  harvest  was  almost  ripe,  and  the  ryots 
were  cheerfully  looking  forward  to  the  termination  of  last  year's 
sufferings  in  the  cutting  of  the  crop,  some  of  which  would  support 
them,  while  the  sale  of  the  remainder  would  enable  them  to  buy  fresh 
paddy  seed  for  the  second  crop,  or  bullocks  if  they  had  already  got 
seed,  or  to  clear  their  debts.     In  one  day  all  the  standing  water,  and 
the  works  which  held  it  in,  were  swept  away,  and  in  some  places  the 
crops  lost  or  materially  damaged.     This  is  not  all,  unfortunately.     At 
Tomchali  and  Kamuthi,  two  largQ  villages,  and  one  of  them  almost  a 
town,  the  floods  passed  over  the  towns,  and  in  many  cases,  besides 
throwing  the  houses  down,  swept  everything  out  of  them.      The 
people  were  already  in  a  miserable  condition  enough  ;  and  now  many 
of  them  are  turned  out  into  the  open.     In  Kamuthi,  where  I  am 
now  writing,  having  got  here  after  the  greatest  difficulties,  379  houses, 
including  65  terraced  and  well-built  houses,  have  been  knocked  to 
pieces.     In  the  hamlets  round  it  200  more  houses  have  been  swept 
away,  and  from  this  place  down  to  the  sea  every  village  has  its  tale  of 
distress.     The  loss  of  human  lives  is  not  very  great  so  far  as  I  can 
ascertain,  but  all  the  cattle  which  were  grazing  on  the  open  fields  (the 
whole  country  is  a  plain  down  to  the  sea  for  25  miles)  seem  to  have 
been  swept  before  the  flood.     The  shepherds  of  one  village,  besides 
their  houses,  lost  their  whole  stock,  1,500  sheep,  37  oxen  :  therefore, 
I  think  that  if  you  have  a  large  surplus  at  your  disposal,  you  will 
cheerfully  give  me  an  additional  grant.      I  think  what  you  have 
already  given  me  would  have  been  enough  for  all  my  wants,  without 
this  additional  disaster,  but  now  I  cannot  fix  the  exact  amount  which 
I  really  may  want,  as  till  the  water  subsides  it  is  so  difficult  to  follow 
the  track  of  the  flood  ;  I  should  say  that  another  10,000  rs.  would  be 
enough.   My  horse  haa  been  nearly  drowned  twice  in  this  tour  in  mud 
and  quicksand,  and  I  have  repeatedly  had  to  do  a  march  on  foot, 
wading  in  mire,  and  to  get  to  Kamuthi  at  all  I  had  to  take  my  clothes 

k2 


164  PRIVATE   CHARITY. 

off.  Beally  I  am  not  exaggerating  the  misery  of  this  small  town 
when  I  say  that  it  is  sickening  to  see  it,  and  not  have  the  funds  to 
aUeviate  it  all.  If  you  send  me  another  small  grant,  I  can  aUeviate 
some  of  it,  though,  of  course,  I  am  writing  to  the  collector  of  the 
district,  and  I  do  not  know  what  help  the  Government  is  inclined  to 
give. — J.  Lee  Wabneb. 


THE    1-LB   EATION 


CHAPTERS    I.— IV. 


THE   1-LB.   RATION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  QUANTITY  OF  FOOD  NECESSARY  TO  SUPPORT  LIFE. 

Long  familiarity  with  the  dismal  duty  of  fighting  famine 
in  India  has  not  yet  led  to  certitude  in  modes  of  conflict. 
The  experience  of  former  disasters  has  not  yet  been 
formulated  and  made  easy  of  access.  Consequently  each 
new  catastrophe  presents  the  spectacle  of  schemes  at- 
tempted which  afterwards  have  to  be  amended ;  indeed 
experience  has  to  be  *  made '  instead  of  a  few  broad 
lines  of  policy  being  followed,  adapted  to  meet  particular 
circumstances,  which,  in  time  of  scarcity,  are  pretty 
much  the  same  in  all  parts  of  India.  In  1873-74,  when 
the  scarcity  in  Behar  was  occupying  much  time  and 
attention,  one  of  the  chief  subjects  of  consideration  was 
the  amount  of  food  required  daily  by  the  people  who 
were  to  be  fed  at  the  State's  expense.  Lord  Northbrook, 
the  Viceroy,  on  the  data  that  if  I4  lb.  is  enough  for  an 
adult,  1  lb.  per  head  will  feed  a  population  including 
children  of  all  ages,  put  the  quantity  at  half  a  seer,  or  one 
pound  of  grain  for  each  man,  woman,  and  child.  Sir 
Kichard  Temple,  who  took  over  charge  of  the  famine 
portfolio  when  he  succeeded  Sir  George  Campbell  as 
Lieutenant  Governor  of  Bengal,  put  the  quantity  at 
three-quarters  of  a  seer,  or  1^  lbs.  In  urging  the 
adoption  of  this  standard,  Sir  Richard  said : — 


168  THE   1-LB.  RATION. 

This  rate  (}  of  a  seer,  or  about  1^  lbs.  per  head,  for  men,  women, 
and  children),  at  which  grain  should  be  provided,  was  assumed  after 
due  consideration  and  discussion.  The  lowest  diet  provided  in  Bengal 
gaols  for  non-labouring  prisoners  is  equal  to  about  1  seer,  or  2  lbs.  The 
ordiQaiy  diet  of  a  labouring  adult  in  Bengal  is  taken,  after  statistical 
enquiry,  to  be  1  seer  of  rice,  besides  i  seer  (about  ^  lb.)  of  fish,  pulse, 
pepper,  or  other  condiments.  The  diet  prescribed  for  adult  Bengalee 
emigrants  on  shipboard  and  for  Bengalee  sailors,  always  exceeds  one 
seer  a  day  in  total  weight,  and  in  some  cases  it  reaches  2  seers  a  day. 
Many  of  the  poor  people  for  whom  grain  was  to  be  provided  would 
be  labouring  hard  on  relief  works  during  inclement  and  exhausting 
weather.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  Gk>vemment  provision  of  grain  con- 
sisted of  rice,  which  contains  less  strength-giving  qualities  than  wheat 
and  some  other  grains.  It  was  known  that  each  bag  of  the  expected 
consignments  of  Burmah  rice  would  contain  from  8  to  20  per  cent,  of 
innutritions  husk.  In  view  of  all  these  considerations  I  framed  my 
estimates  of  total  requirements  on  the  basis  that  each  person  to  be  re- 
lieved would  on  the  average  require  }  of  a  seer  (1^  lbs.  of  grain)  a  day. 
In  practice  it  is  found  that  even  to  ordinary  paupers,  who  did  not 
do  any  work,  local  committees  had  to  give  f  of  a  seer  of  rice  daily  be- 
sides one  pie  (|  of  a  penny)  for  the  purchase  of  salt  and  condiments ; 
to  women  in  delicate  health  and  to  persons  reduced  by  previous  hunger, 
a  still  larger  daUy  dole  had  to  be  allowed. 

The  Duke  of  Argyll  was  at  that  time  Secretary  of 
State  for  India,  and  when  the  question  came  before  him, 
he  supported  the  larger  estimate  and  ordered  its  adoption. 
His  Grace  argued  that  it  was  better  to  err  on  the  safe 
side,  and  give  the  people  a  fraction  more  than  was  ab- 
solutely essential  rather  than  a  fraction  less. 

When  distress,  in  1876,  occurred  in  Bombay,  as  is 
stated  in  the  Bombay  narrative,  in  vol.  i.  of  this  book,  a 
system  of  works  of  two  kinds,  viz.,  professional  agency, 
in  which  75  per  cent,  of  an  ordinary  day's  toil  should 
be  done,  and  Civil  agency,  in  which  50  per  cent  was 
required,  was  adopted ;  those  who  worked  hardest  were 
best  paid.  The  rates  which  were  decided  upon  have 
been  already  given,  but  they  may  be  repeated  here. 
They  are : — 


RATION    ON   RELIEF    WORKS.  169 

Public  Works  Department  Scale. 

Man.  Womaw.         Child  otbb  7  tears  op  agb 

1  ansa,  plus  the  value       ^  anna  plus  the  value       ^  anna,  plus  the  value 
of  1  lb.  of  grain.  of  1  lb.  of  grain.  of  ^  lb.  of  grain. 

Civil  Agency  Scale,^ 

i  anna,  plus  the  value       ^  anna,  plus  the  value       ^  anna;  plus  the  value 
of  1  lb.  of  grain.  of  1  lb.  of  grain.  of  ^  lb.  of  grain. 

In  Madras  the  Board  of  Revenue,  dealing  with  cer- 
tain proposals  then  before  it,  prescribed  the  following, 
with  reference  to  the  existing  orders  of  Government  as 
to  addition  of  condiments  or  equivalent  in  money,  to 
grain  wages. 

Maximam  in  monej.         In  grain  and  money. 

BS.     A.    P. 

Men 0    2    0  1^  lbs.  and  3  pies. 

Women  and  grown  boys       .014  1    lb.  and  2  pies. 

Children      .        .        .        .    0    0  10  Of  lb.  and  1  pie. 

The  quantity  of  rice  which  the  maximum  rate,  2 
annas,  would  purchase  in  most  districts  at  that  time 
was  from  1'7  to  2  lbs.,  and  3  pies  would  purchase 
about  ^  lb.  Hence  the  2 -anna  rate,  which  was  very 
generally  in  force,  left  about  li  lbs.  over  and  above 
what  had  to  be  bartered  for  condiments.  This  the 
Board  considered  excessive. 

The  orders  from  which  the  above  rates  are  quoted 
go  on  to  say: — 

The  Board  will  therefore  prescribe  1^  lbs.  and  3  pies  as  the  grain 
and  money  wage  of  a  man  oooly,  and  rule  that  when  prices  rise  so  that 
anna  1-9  will  not  buy  1^  lbs.  of  second  sort  rice,  the  grain  and  money 
scale  is  to  be  introduced.  The  following  will  be  substituted  for  the 
draft  rule  10  in  certain  instructions  submitted  for  sanction : — 

Wages  paid  iu  money  are  not  to  exceed  2  annas  for  a  man, 
auna  1-4  for  a  woman  or  boy  between  twelve  and  fifteen  years,  and 
10  pies  for  a  boy  or  girl  between  seven  and  twelve  years  old.  Boys 
over  fifteen  are  paid  as  men,  and  girls  over  twelve  as  women.  Chil- 
dren under  seven  are  not  to  be  employed  on  relief  works.    When  local 

^  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  were  never  more  than  10  per 
cent,  of  the  people  on  Civil  Agency  works :  nine-tenths  were  on  the  Public 
Works  scale. 


170  THE   1-LB.  RATION. 

prices  rise  so  high  that  anna  1-9  will  not  purchase  1^  lbs.  of  second 
sort  rice  (38*98  tolahs=l  lb.),  arrangements  are  to  be  made  to  pay  in 
grain  and  money  on  the  following  scale  : — 

Men 1^  lbs.  +  3  pies. 

Women  and  grown  boys .        .     1     „    +  2    „ 
Obildren         .        .        .        .    0}  ,,    + 1  pie. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  Board  have  throughout 
taken  rice  as  the  grain  with  reference  to  the  price  of 
which  wages  are  to  be  adjusted.  This  is  favourable  to 
the  cooly,  as  the  other  grains  which  are  the  ordinary 
food  of  the  bulk  of  the  labouring  classes  are  still  cheaper 
than  rice.  Government  had  not  then  specified  what 
grain  should  be  taken. 

When  the  correspondence  came  before  the  Madras 
Government  on  January  12  (his  Grace  the  Gover- 
nor had  not  returned  from  Delhi),  the  Government 
approved  the  Board's  proceedings,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  rule  regulating  the  rate  of  grain 
wages,  in  which  they  considered  IJ  lbs.  should  be 
substituted  for  1 J  lbs.,  and  they  directed  that  when  2 
annas  would  not  buy  1^  lbs.  of  second  sort  rice,  or 
other  grain  in  general  local  use,  wages  were  to  be  paid 
in  grain,  together  with  a  small  money  payment  for 
condiments,  thus: — 

lbs.    pies. 

Men 1^  +  3 

Women  and  grown  boys   .        .        .1+2 
Children 0}  +  1 

It  was  added  :  '  The  adoption  of  rice  as  the  grain 
with  reference  to  the  price  at  which  wages  are  to 
be  adjusted  is  approved.  Collectors  will,  of  course, 
understand  that  so  long  as  the  local  market  rates  for 
other  staple  grains  will  provide  the  prescribed  ration 
for  the  money  wage,  the  change  to  grain  wage  need  not 
be  made.'  ^ 

^  The  officer  (Mr.  J.  F.  Price^  assistant  to  the  collector  of  Bellary,  soon 
after  made  acting  collector  of  Ouddapah,  where,  duriDg  the  distress  he 
did  most  excellent  service)  upon  whose  comments  this  order  was  passed, 


REASONS   FOB   2   LBS.   FEB    DIEM.  171 

This  was  practically  the  ration  which  was  being 
granted  in  the  Madras  Presidency  when  Sir  Richard 
Temple   hurriedly  arrived   in   the   Presidency — 'like 

gave  the  following  reaaons  why  at  least  two  pounds  of  grain  per  day,  and 
condiments^  should  be  given : — 

First, — ^The  coolies  are  not  in  good  condition.  One  cannot  posltiyely 
call  them  emaciated,  but  they  are  below  the  mark,  and  getting  any  decent 
amount  of  work  out  of  them  will,  unless  they  are  fiiirly  fed,  end  in  the 
appearance  of  sickness;  certainly  cholera,  and  probably  fever  and  dysentery, 
which  will  soon  cut  them  off  by  hundreds.  The  recent  outbreak  of  cholera, 
which  made  its  appearance  after  a  slight  shower  of  rain,  showed  how  prone 
the  coolies  were  to  take  disease. 

Secondly, — ^There  are  no  relief  houses  on  the  works,  and  all  that  is  given 
in  the  way  of  relief  is  to  persons  who  are  too  much  emaciated  to  work,  or 
who  (according  to  your  verbal  instructions  to  me)  are  blind  or  maimed.  We 
employ  only  those  able  to  work,  and  the  coolies  have  ^m  their  earnings  to 
support  a  brood  of  children,  and  perhaps  an  aged  relative  or  tv^o.  If  the 
allowance  is  cut  down,  the  working  members  of  the  family,  as  they  have 
either  to  do  their  tasks  or  to  receive  reduced  wages,  must  eat  what  they  get, 
and  the  family  must  go  hungry.  As  the  State  will  not  allow  them  to  starve, 
it  must  maintain  them  by  that  pernicious  institution  (relief  houses)  which  I 
look  upon  as  an  incentive  to  pauperism  and  rascality  of  all  kinds.  To  say 
nothing  of  their  evil  efiects,  the  cost  of  relief  houses  would  be  a  far  heavier 
charge  upon  the  public  purse  than  that  of  the  small  extra  allowance  of  rice 
given  to  the  actual  working  coolies. 

Thirdly, — ^Not  giving  an  amount  of  food  which  will  allow  of  the  working 
members  of  a  family  keeping  those  who  are  too  young  or  too  old  to  labour 
produces  want,  and  its  sequence  crime,  and  the  latter,  as  far  as  the  district 
is  concerned,  not  of  the  ordinary  petty  class,  but  of  a  serious  type.  The 
interior  arrangements  of  gaols  are  nowadays  so  comfortable  that  people  in 
these  famine  times  often  prefer  the  regular,  plentiful,  and  varied  diet,  the 
easy  work,  and  comfortable  quarters  which  accompany  a  sentence  of 
imprisonment,  to  the  hard  life  of  the  free  man.  Persons  with  these  views 
are  not,  as  the  present  state  of  the  district  gaol  shows,  very  few,  and  they 
will  cost  the  State  many  hundreds  of  pounds  long  after  the  famine  has 
become  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  Bellary  taluk,  I  may  in  support  of  my 
view  mention,  is  free  from  anything  but  petty  crime. 

FovrtJdy, — The  price  of  everything  here  is  so  high,  that  by  the  time 
that  a  coolie  has  bartered  a  portion  of  his  day's  wage  of  grain  for  salt  and 
condiments,  which  he  must  have,  or  eventually  die  firom  the  simple  fact  of 
his  eating  rice ;  he  has  less  than  half  of  what  is  considered  amongst  natives 
to  be  the  ordinary  amount  of  food  which  a  labourer  in  hard  work,  such  as 
digging  gravel  or  breaking  stones  for  eight  hours  a  day,  can  consume. 

Having  been  for  two  months  brought  in  constant  contact  with  a  very 
large  body  of  famine  coolies  whom  I  have  carefully  observed,  I  consider  it 
my  duty  to  state  why  I  think  that  the  present  scale  of  payment  should  be 
adhered  to.  If  another  is  ordered,  I  will  at  once  introduce  it,  bat  I  feel 
bound  to  express  my  conviction  that  it  will  lead  to  much  misery  and  want. 


172  THE    1-LB.  RATION. 

an  arrow  released  from  the  bow,'  as  one  collector 
described  his  advent  and  progress — about  the  middle 
of  January. 

Sir  Richard  Temple  left  the  presence  of  Sir  John 
Strachey  on  January  9,  strongly  impressed  with 
these  ideas  above  all  others,  viz.  (a)  that  no  waste 
was  to  be  permitted  ;  (b)  that  extravagance  was  to  be 
sternly  checked  ;  (c)  that  lavish  expenditure  was  not 
to  be  sanctioned  for  a  moment;  (d)  that,  in  a  word, 
the  State's  resources  were  to  be  carefully  husbanded- 
The  Delegate  pondered  this  counsel,  and,  ten  days  after, 
when  in  Bellary,  saw  means  by  which  he  thought  he 
could  reduce  probable  expenditure  by  25  per  cent. 
The  people  were  receiving  more  food  than  they  needed; 
it  might  be  cut  down  by  at  least  one-fomth.  So  on 
January  19  he  wrote,  with  a  confusion  of  expres- 
sion^ not  creditable  to  an  *  experiment '  of  such  vast 
importance,  as  follows: — 

The  present  rate  of  wages  is  fixed  at  2  annas  per  diem  for  an 
adult,  and  proportionately  lower  for  women  and  children.  This  rate 
is  fixed  upon  the  supposition  that  it  will  purchase  1^  lbs.  of  grain  per 
diem — a  quantity  which  is  deemed  essential  for  a  mem  while  at  toork. 
There  might  indeed  be  a  question  whether  life  carmot  he  iustained 
with  1  pound  of  grain  per  diem,  and  whether  Goveiiiment  is  bound  to 
do  more  than  sustain  life.  This  is  a  matter  of  opinion ;  and  I  myself 
think  that  1  lb.  per  diem  might  be  sufficient  to  sustain  life,  and  that 
the  experiment  ought  to  be  tried.  Possibly  the  gangs  might  not  per- 
ceptibly fall  off  in  condition.  After  a  week  or  fortnight  of  experience 
it  woTild  be  seen  whether  they  so  fell  off  or  not ;  if  they  were  to 

seriously  fell  off,  then  the  point  could  be  considered The 

people  are  in  very  good  case.    A  reduction  might  now  be  demanded 
in  the  interests  of  financial  economy,  and  might  be  attempted  for  a 


to  the  necessity  for  opeDbg  reUef-houees,  and  to  increased  crime  and  disease, 
and  that  it  will  eventually  add  to  the  burden  which  the  State  has  taken 
upon  itself. 

*  See  papgages  italicited  in  the  succeeding  extracts. 


THE  '  EXPERIMENT  '  PROPOSED.  173 

time  at  least  without  danger ;  at  all  events  the  trial  might  be  made 
for  people  at  taskwork,  and  especially  with  those  who  are  not  really 
at  taskwork  and  who,  though  nominally  at  some  sort  of  taskwork, 
are  doing  very  light  or  nominal  work,  (hie  pound  of  grain  ought  to 
be  made  to  suffice.  At  the  present  prices,  a  rate  of  one  anna  and  a 
half  would  purchase  a  pound  of  grain,  and  would  leave  a  small  margin 
for  condiments,  vegetables  and  the  like.  It  may  be  that  Government 
would  be  willing  to  allow  more  than  a  pound  a  day  of  grain  if  its 
financial  means  permitted ;  but  the  demands  of  economy  seem  to  re- 
quire that  at  all  events  a  trial  should  be  made  as  to  whether  a  pound 
a  day  might  not  be  made  to  suffice  for  the  one  purjx)se  which  is  ad- 
mitted, namely,  the  staving  off  of  danger  by  starvation. 

A  copy  of  this  minute  was  sent  to  the  Madras 
Government  at  the  same  time  that  the  original  was 
forwarded  to  the  Government  of  India.  The  sugges- 
tion was  received  in  divers  ways  by  the  different 
authorities.  By  the  Supreme  Government,  solicitous 
for  the  financial  aspect  of  the  question,  it  was  cordially 
welcomed  ;  by  the  Madras  authorities,  anxious  to  save 
the  people  alive  and  in  good  heart,  it  was  looked 
upon  with  hostility,  and,  for  a  time,  resisted.  In  his 
joumeyings  through  the  Presidency,  the  Delegate 
arrived  at  Madras  at  the  end  of  January,  and  had 
repeated  conferences  with  the  Governor  and  his  Council 
in  which  he  urged,  with  much  force  and  persistency 
the  desirability  of  adopting  his  suggestion,  which  was 
that  one  pound  of  grain  plus  half  an  anna  (three 
farthings)  be  the  daily  ration.  The  Madras  Govern- 
ment were  prepared  to  give  all  due  consideration  to 
the  arguments  for  economy,  and  the  problem  they 
found  difficult  of  solution  was  whether  the  quantity  of 
food  proposed  would  suffice  to  keep  the  multitudes  in 
fair  health.  Their  medical  officers,  when  consulted 
gave  a  most  emphatically  adverse  opinion ;  other 
officers — ^those  in  charge  of  camps — were  equally  em- 
phatic in  condemnation  of  the  proposal.  Such  state- 
ments as   the  following  from    Major   A.  G.    Murray, 


174  THE   1-LB.  RATION. 

special  relief  officer,  were  before  the  Government,  and 
naturally  caused  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  Council. 
Major  Murray,  writing  to  the  collector,  Mr,  Barlow, 
said: — 

The  hoflpital  assistant  in  medical  charge  of  the  camp  at  the  Bed 
Hills  assures  me  that  1^  Ihe.  of  raw  rice  per  diem  is  no  more  than  is 
absolutely  sufficient  for  an  adult  person,  whether  he  be  old  and  in£rm 
or  no,  and  I  quite  hold  the  same  opinion. 

A  less  amount  of  food  might  sustain  life,  but  would  not  be  sufficient 
to  save  the  recipient  from  hunger,  which  in  feeding  these  persons  is,  I 
suppose,  the  intention  of  the  Government. 

The  complaint  of  the  able-bodied  adult  doing  a  day's  work  is  that 
he  receives  no  more  for  his  day's  work  than  this  bare  allowance  of 
food. 

At  length,  with  a  desire  to  be  loyal  to  the  Supreme 
Government  and  in  sympathy  with  the  wish  for 
economy,  the  Madras  authorities  yielded,  and  on 
January  31  an  order  of  the  Governor  in  Council 
was  issued,  in  which  Sir  Richard  Temple's  proposal 
was  adopted,  and  the  amount  to  be  given  to  labourers 
on  relief  works  fixed  at  the  value  of  one  pound  of  grain 
plus  half  an  anna. 


175 


CHAPTER   11. 

THE   CONFLICT   BETWEEN  THE   DELEGATE   AND 

DR.    CORNISH. 

No  sooner  were  orders  issued  for  the  *  experiment ' 
of  keeping  the  people  on  one  pound  of  food  per  day  than 
a  great  outcry  was  raised.  In  vol.  i.,  chap,  iii.,  of  this 
book,  reference  is  made  to  the  feeling  evoked  in 
India  generally,  but  particularly  in  Madras.  Further 
instances  need  not  be  given  here,  but  attention  may  at 
once  be  directed  to  the  controversy,  in  which  the  Sani- 
tary Commissioner  of  Madras,  Dr.  Cornish,^  was  pitted 
against  Sir  Richard  Temple.  Of  the  argument  between 
these  two  functionaries  as  complete  a  digest  as  possible 
will  be  given. 

Sir  Richard  Temple's  minute  was  gazetted  on  Feb- 
ruary 3 ;  on  the  16th  of  the  same  month  Dr.  Cornish  had 
prepared  a  protest  which  he  submitted  to  the  Madras 
Government.  He  began  with  citing  the  passage  in 
Sir  Richard  Temple's  minute  wherein  he  expressed  the 
*  opinion  '  that  the  ration  might  be  reduced.  *  As  the 
adviser  of  Government  on  public  health  questions  in  this 
part  of  India,'  Dr.  Cornish  recorded  his  '  respectful  pro- 
test '  against  *  opinions '  which  were  in  direct  contradic- 
tion to  the  accumulated  testimony  of  scientific  observers 
in  every  country  in  which  the  question  of  the  quantity 
and  variety  of  food  essential  to  keep  a  labouring  man  in 


*  *  A  famine  authority  of  whom  all  India  will  one  day  he  proud/  was  the 
expression  used  of  Dr.  Oomish  hy  Sir  W.  Rohinson,  K.O.S.I.,  speaking  in 
the  Madras  Legislative  Oouncil,  in  March  1878. 


176  THE    J -LB.  RATION. 

health  and  strength  had  been  the  subject  of  investigation, 
*  Sir  Richard  Temple's  opinion  was  an  individual  one 
only,  unsupported  by  evidence,  scientific  or  otherwise, 
as  to  the  sufficiency  of  16  oz.  of  cereal  grain  to  maintain 
a  labouring  adult  in  health,'  whilst  there  was  a  large 
accumulation  of  facts  which  did  not  aflFord  any  support 
to  such  a  theory.  Sir  R.  Christison,  of  Edinburgh,  was 
of  opinion  that  '  the  adult  human  body  requires  36  oz. 
of  dry  food  per  diem,  arranged  so  that  the  carboniferous 
and  nitrogenous  principles  may  be  in  the  proportion  of 
three  of  the  former  to  one  part  of  the  latter.'  This  is 
seldom  obtained  in  India,  the  nitrogenous  principle 
in  foods  being  defective. 

In  1863  the  question  of  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
food  necessary  in  India  was  made  the  occasion  for 
close  and  searching  enquiry.  This  enquiry  was  insti- 
tuted at  the  instigation  of  the  British  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  the  reports  of  district 
medical  officers  and  others  on  this  point  were  submitted 
by  Dr.  Cornish  to  the  Madras  Government  in  the  year 
1864.  ^ It  is  a  curious  feet,'  Dr.  Cornish  says,  'that 
amongst  all  the  reporters  there  was  this  combined  testi- 
mony, that  the  minimum  grain  allowance  of  a  man  in 
health  and  in  work  was  not  less  than  24  oz.^  while  the 
amount  which  a  native  of  good  appetite  was  capable  of 
disposing  of,  estimated  by  natives  themselves,  was  from 
24  to  48  oz.  per  diem.  For  Bellary  and  Cuddapah  the 
average  daily  allowance  of  dry  cereal  for  a  labourer  was 
reported  to  be  33  and  48  oz.,  respectively.' 

The  physiological  needs  of  the  adult  human  body, 
according  to  all  scientific  investigators,  necessitate  the 
expenditure  of  from  140  to  180  grains  of  nitrogen  in 
twenty-four  hours,  while  the  body  is  in  a  state  of  rest.  In 
ordinary  labour  about  300  grains  of  nitrogen  will  be 
excreted,  and  under  great  physical  exertion,  such  as 
that  of  walking  for  many  hours  consecutively,  Irom  500 


EFFECT  OF  INSUFFICIENT  FOOD.  177 

to  600  grains.  Now,  if  this  amount  of  nitrogen  is  not 
provided  in  food,  it  is  obvious  that  the  body  must  prey 
on  its  own  tissues  so  long  as  any  remain  to  be  preyed 
upon,  and  this  is,  in  fact,  what  happens  when  the  food 
taken  into  the  body  is  insufficient  in  quantity  or  quality 
to  compensate  for  the  constant  waste  that  is  going  on  in 
every  organ  and  tissue. 

The  quantity  of  nitrogen  in  16  oz.  of  rice  may  be 
from  68  to  80  grains.  Dr.  Cornish  proceeded  to  remark 
that  the  quantity  of  food  essential  to  maintain  life  is  a 
question  very  much  of  the  work  expected  to  be  got  oiit 
of  the  eater.  '  If  we  want  to  get  a  maximum  of  steam- 
power  out  of  an  engine  we  must  feed  the  furnace  liberally 
with  coals,  and  in  like  manner  a  man  would  soon  cease 
to  have  any  power  in  his  muscles  if  the  food  supplies 
were  inadequate.'  A  feeble  vitality  might  be  maintained 
for  a  certain  length  of  time  on  a  diet  the  staple  of  which 
is  a  pound  of  rice  per  diem,  but  labour  on  public  works 
on  such  a  dietary  is  quite  out  of  the  question.  As 
soon  as  the  nitrogenous  matters  of  the  food  cease  to  sup- 
ply the  normal  waste  of  the  muscular  and  other  tissues, 
the  body  itself  begins  to  die.  If  this  slow  death  of  the 
body  goes  on  for  too  long  a  time,  the  Indian  labourer 
finds  himself  precisely  in  the  condition  of  the  Edinburgh 
physiologist  (Dr.  Stark,  who  tested  in  his  own  person 
the  effects  of  a  reduced  dietary) ;  he  is  the  victim  of  a 
form  of  starvation  from  which  no  amount  of  subsequent 
liberality  in  feeding  can  save  life.  Dr.  Cornish  urged 
that  practically  the  important  point  was  this  ;  any 
dietary  which  contains  less  than  200  grains  of  nitrogen 
for  natives  of  India  will  not  permit  of  severe  labour  or 
task  work.  '  The  gaol  diets  in  this  Presidency  are  cal- 
culated to  provide  from  200  to  300  grains  of  nitrogen, 
and  in  certain  instances  these  diets  have  had  to  be  sup- 
plemented by  extra  meat  and  vegetables  to  prevent  the 

VOL.   II.  N 


178  THE   1-LB.  RATION. 

men  from  falling  into  a  low  condition  unfitting  them 
for  their  daily  task.  It  comes  therefore  to  this  ; 
whether  in  the  present  dearth  of  supplies  a  man  engaged 
on  task  labour  and  paid  at  the  rate  of  one  pound  of  grain 
per  diem,  and  half  an  anna  in  cash,  can  with  the  latter 
coin  purchase  a  suflScient  amount  of  nitrogenous  nutri- 
ment (to  say  nothing  of  salt,  oil,  condiments,  vegetables 
and  firewood)  to  make  his  daily  ration  equivalent  to  200 
grains  and  upwards  of  nitrogen.  The  reply  is,  simply, 
that  neither  in  the  shape  of  meat,  fish,  dhoU,  milk,  or 
buttermilk,  can  he  procure  a  sufficiency  to  eke  out  the 
defects  of  his  grain  ration.' 

In  a  previous  letter  (No.  105,  dated  February  7), 
Dr.  Cornish  had  pointed  out  that  the  effects  of  insuffi  - 
cient  nutriment  might  not  be  immediately  apparent,  and 
in  regard  to  this  question  of  a  pound  of  grain  being 
enough,  or  not  enough,  they  would  never  know  the 
results  until  the  mischief  resulting  from  a  deficient 
supply  of  nitrogenous  food  had  gone  so  far  that  a 
retracing  of  their  steps  would  be  powerless  to  save  life. 
*  I  cannot  too  often  repeat,'  he  said,  '  that  it  is  the  slow 
and  gradual  form  of  starvation  by  defective  nutrition  in 
the  daily  food  that  is  the  most  difficult  to  deal  with  by 
after-remedies.  It  is  easier  in  these  cases  to  break  down 
the  vital  powers  than  to  build  up  or  restore.'  The 
Sanitary  Commissioner's  final  remark,  in  his  letter, 
indicated  a  blot  in  Sir  Richard  Temple's  proposals.  Dr. 
Cornish  said : — '  If  the  1  lb.  of  rice  be  inadequate  for 
the  daily  ration  of  a  labouring  man,  it  is  sufficiently 
obvious  that  if  he  attempt  to  divide  this  amount  of  food 
with  young  children,  or  do  without  food  for  one  day  in 
the  week  (on  Sundays),  the  breakdown  in  strength  will 
come  only  the  faster.' 

The  Madras  Government  were  much  impressed 
with  the  tone  and  spirit  of  this  letter — strong  on  its 
scientific  side,  powerful  in  its  appeal  to  humane  and 


DIFFICULTY   OF   RECOVERING   THE   STARVING.         179 

utilitarian  considerations.  The  Governor  in  Council 
resolved  to  forward  a  copy  of  Dr.  Cornish's  letter  to  the 
Government  of  India  and  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 
with  an  intimation  that  the  Madras  Government  were 
anxiously  watching  the  eflFect  of  the  scale  of  wages  in 
force,  and  had  directed  that  weekly,  or,  if  necessary, 
more  frequent  reports  of  the  results  be  submitted  to 
Government.  They  also  arranged  that  Dr.  Cornish 
should  personally  inspect  some  of  the  working  gangs  in 
the  North  Arcot  and  Ceded  districts,  and  report  the 
results  of  his  observations.  The  Governor  in  Council 
further  resolved  that  a  copy  of  Dr.  Cornish's  letter 
should  be  forwarded  to  the  Board  of  Revenue  and  every 
collector  and  district  officer  in  charge  of  relief  opera- 
tions, in  order  to  warn  them  of  the  importance  of  the 
anxious  duty  confided  to  them  of  watching  the  effect  of 
the  tentative  reduction  of  subsistence  allowance,  and 
directed  that  all  Zillah  surgeons  at  stations  in  the  vici- 
nity of  which  relief  works  were  in  progress,  should,  as 
soon  as  the  new  scale  of  wages  had  been  in  force  for  one 
week,  report  to  Government,  after  careful  inspection  of 
the  labourers,  whether  they  could,  or  could  not,  detect 
any  indication  of  loss  of  power  or  flesh  in  the  coolies ; 
they  were  also  to  maintain  constant  supervision,  and 
forward  periodical  reports  on  the  subject. 

Sir  Richard  Temple  was  not  slow  to  take  up  the 
gage  thrown  doXvn.  He  wrote  another  minute,  re- 
viewing the  objections  of  the  Sanitary  Commissioner, 
Madras,  to  the  reduced  scale  of  wages,  dated  Coimba- 
tore,  March  7,  in  which  he  remarks : — *  Inasmuch  as  his 
(Dr.  Cornish's)  views,  if  these  were  to  be  adopted  with- 
out adequate  deliberation,  might  involve  a  large  and 
unnecessary  expenditure  of  public  money,  1  would  sub- 
rait  for  the  consideration  of  the  Governments  of  India 
and  Madras,  a  few  remarks  on  these  objections.'     Into 

TS   2 


180  THE    1-LB.  RATION. 

the  purely  professional  part  of  his  opponent's  arguments 
Sir  Richard  would  not  enter  further  than  to  note  that 
while  no  doubt  abstract  scientific  theories  of  great  value 
on  the  subject  of  public  health  are  of  modern  growth, 
the  Indian  population  with  which  they  were  then  deal- 
ing had  lived  for  centuries  in  disregard  of  them,  and 
practically  at  the  present  date  the  poorer  classes,  even 
in  countries  much  more  civilised  than  India,  did  not 
actually  obtain,  either  in  food,  lodging,  or  ventilation, 
the  amount  declared  by  scientific  men  to  be  necessary. 
Sir  Richard  further  noted  particularly  that  '  most  of  Dr. 
Cornish's  observations  refer  to  Europeans  living  in  a  cold 
climate,  where  waste  is  greater,  and  largely  exceeding 
the  natives  of  India  in  average  weight,  requiring  there- 
fore more  food.  The  Edinburgh  enquiries,  which  he 
cites,  however  applicable  to  European  cases,  and  how- 
ever valuable  in  the  abstract,  are  not  strictly  and 
exactly  applicable  to  the  poorer  classes  of  the  Madras 
Presidency.'  The  practical  question,  however,  was 
this  :  '  Can  and  does  the  new  scale  of  wages  suffice  to 
keep  the  people  with  whom  we  are  now  dealing  in  fair 
health  under  present  conditions  and  circumstances. 
More  than  this  Grovernment  has  declared  itself  unable  to 
undertake.'  The  evidence  of  relief  camps  in  the  Madras 
Presidency  showed  that  a  native  at  rest  can  gain  flesh 
on  a  pound  a  day.  ^  Dr.  Cornish  apparently  assumed 
that  by  the  new  scale  a  man  could  not  obtain  1  .^  lbs.  To 
this  Sir  Richard  replied : — '  But  in  the  first  place  it  is 
to  be  observed,  that  at  present  prices  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  distressed  district  a  man  can,  with  the 
half  anna  which  he  receives  in  cash,  buy  an  extra  half- 
pound  of  grain  a  day,  and  still  have  a  small  margin  over 

^  I  was  informed  at  Vellore  that  indigent  adidta  admitted  to  the  relief 
camp  in  consequence  of  their  inability  to  work  have  improved  considerably 
on  a  ration  of  a  pound  a  day.  Dr.  Fox,  the  civil  surgeon^  and  Captain 
Hairia^  the  relief  officer,  were  agreed  on  this  point — Sir  JR.  Temple. 


THE  RATION  EQUAL  TO  THE  WORK.       181 

for  condiments  ;  that  ie,  he  earns  sufficient  to  allow  him 
the  minimum  quantity  requisite  to  keep  him  in  health 
while  at  work.  More  than  this,  I  submit,  it  is  not  in 
the  power  of  Government  to  do.* 

It  must  be  remembered  (Sir  Richard  continued) 
that  in  the  Madras  Government  Orders  of  January  31 
two  rates  of  working  pay  are  laid  down,  and  that  all 
persons  who  do  work  amounting  to  75  per  cent,  of 
the  Public  Works  rate,  receive  one  pound  of  grain  and 
one  anna  jn  cash,  while  those  who  receive  a  pound  of 
grain  plus  half  an  anna  (who  alone  are  referred  to  by 
Dr.  Cornish)  are  only  required  to  render  task -work  at 
half  the  Public  Works  rat€.  Now  the  Public  Works 
labourers  are  paid  by  piece-work,  and  no  definite  task 
is  asked  for ;  they  do  as  much  or  as  little  as  they  like, 
and  are  paid  accordingly.     The  minute  proceeded  : — 

The  result  is  that  those  who  really  undeigo  the  severe  physical 
exertion  descrihed  by  Dr.  Cornish  do  actually  receive  wages  equal  to 
H>  P^i'^ps  even  2  lbs.  a  day,  which  is  tantamount  to  what  he  recom- 
mends. It  is  only  for  those  who  do  not  undergo  such  exertion  that 
the  lower  scale,  recommended  by  me,  and  ordered  by  the  (Government 
of  Madras,  is  intended.  Practically,  at  this  time,  by  Public  Works 
rate  is  meant  the  amount  of  work  done  per  rupee,  and  relief  labourers 
on  the  first  standard  are  expected  to  do  three-quarters  as  much  for  a 
rupee  as  common  laboupers,  that  is,  supposing  the  Public  Works 
Department  rates  for  earth-work  to  be  8  cubic  yards  per  rupee,  then 
relief  labourers  of  the  1st  class  have  to  do  6  cubic  yards  for  the  same 
money ;  and  two  annas  being  taken  as  the  minimum  wages  on  which 
they  can  be  maintained  in  health,  j  of  a  cubic  yard  is  the  task  assigned 
to  enable  men  in  this  class  to  earn  their  two  annas.  It  is  considered 
(and  this  is  in  accordance  with  Dr.  Cornish's  views)  that  persons  doing 
less  work  than  this  can  live  on  less,  so  while  the  2nd  class  laboiurer 
does  only  ^  a  cubic  yard  of  earth-work  daily,  he  receives  in  retmn  1^ 
annas.  But  as  observed,  the  Public  Works  rate  is  not  a  task  but  a 
scale,  and  ordinary  labourers  are  not  content  to  earn  2  annas  daily  by 
excavating  one  cubic  yard,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  earn  much  more 
than  this.  I  was  informed  by  Mr.  O'Shaughnessy,  the  district 
engineer  of  Nelloi'e,  that  some  of  the  gangs  at  work  on  the  East 
Coast  Canal  were  earning  5  and  even  6  annas  a  head  daily,  that  is 


182  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

were  doing  five  or  six  times  as  much  work  as  is  demanded  from  the 
relief  labourers  on  the  lower  scale. 

The  objection  to  the  new  scale,  which  Dr.  Cornish  states  in  detail, 
is  properly  formulated  by  the  phrase  a  full  day's  wage  (that  is,  some- 
thing more  than  the  1  lb.  and  the  ^  anna)  for  a  fair  day's  work.  But 
the  phrase  postulates  that  there  is  a  fair  day's  work,  which  is  just 
what  the  vast  majority  of  the  relief  labourers  do  not  render.  There- 
fore they  are  not  entitled  to,  and  do  not  physically  need,  the  full  day's 
wage.  Where  they  render  a  really  fair  day's  work,  there  they  do 
receive,  under  the  new  rules,  more  than  the  reduced  scale.  The  rates 
were  avowedly  recommended  by  me  as  experimental,  and  if  they  shall 
be  found  insufficient  they  may  be  increased ;  but  it  appears  to  me  that 
they  have  not  yet  been  found  so,  and  that  Dr.  Cornish  argues  from 
a  mistaken  premise  which  undermines  his  conclusions.  If  the  poor 
people  were  found  to  be  falling  off  in  condition,  then  I  would  at  once 
recommend  an  alteration  in  the  rate ;  but  at  present  we  have  no  such 
experience. 

There  was  one  point  which  Sir  Richard  felt  he  must 
concede  to  Dr.  Cornish's  arguments.  In  laying  down 
the  minimum  scale,  it  was  of  course  intended^  that 
each  labourer  should  be  able  to  consume  his  own  wages, 
and  not  have  to  share  them  with  other  persons  of  his 
family.  These  members  of  the  family  should  either 
work  for  themselves,  or  if  unable  to  do  so  should  be 
admitted  to  gratuitous  relief.  The  case  of  young  child- 
ren who  accompanied  their  parents  to  the  works,  but 
were  too  young  to  work,  that  is  children  from  one  year 
to  seven  years  of  age,  had  already  attracted  his  atten- 
tion, and   he  had  recommended  in  a  separate  minute 

^  With  respect  to  the  remark '  it  was  of  course  intended,'  &c.,  one  of  the 
Madras  papers  at  the  time  remarked,  '  In  his  first  order  about  reducing  the 
wages  Sir  Richard  foigot  the  children.  It  is  all  very  well  to  say  that  he 
had  always  intended  that  they  should  be  separately  provided  for,  but  if  an 
officer  comes  in  with  full  powers  to  make  a  change,  reduces  wages,  and  does 
not  give  the  compensatory  provision  for  the  children  (which  would  have  left 
matters  very  much  as  they  were  before)  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  relief 
was  restricted  to  the  actual  worker,  and  not  extended  to  their  families.  Mr. 
Ross,  of  Bellary,  expressly  put  the  question  as  to  whether  he  was  to  relieve 
the  children  of  workers,  and  was  told  that  he  was  not  to  do  so.  How,  then, 
about  the  "  intention  **  which  was  said  to  be  cherished  P ' 


PRECONCEIVED   PHYSIOLOGICAL   THEORIES   DERIDED.     183 

that  a  subsistence  allowance  be  granted  to  them.     Sir 
Richard  continued:— 

Further  I  would  urge,  aa  the  one  motive  common  to  the  Govern- 
ments of  India  and  Madras  and  to  all  connected  with  the  famine  relief 
worksy  the  preservation  of  life  and  the  mitigation  of  extreme  suffering 
at  the  smallest  cost  to  the  State  consistent  with  the  attainment  of  the 
object  in  view,  that  the  enquiry  as  to  whether  the  reduced  scale  of 
wages  is  sufficient  to  enable  the  people  to  tide  over  the  next  few 
months  without  serious  danger  to  themselves  shoidd  be  decided  not 
by  preconceived  physiological  theories,  but  by  patient  practical  examin- 
ation of  the  people  themselves,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  whether  there  is 
in  &ct  ajiy,  or  any  serious,  change  in  their  physical  condition  under  the 
new  scale  as  compared  with  their  average  condition  in  ordinary  times. 
Having  carefully  inspected  during  my  tour  in  this  Presidency  thou- 
sands of  relief  labourers,  I  give  it  as  my  opinion  that  with  very  few 
exceptions,  which  are  not  as  a  rule  traceable  to  insufficient  i-elief 
wages,  the  general  physical  condition  of  the  laboui-era  is  as  good  now 
as  in  ordinary  years.'  If,  as  already  stated,  I  find  after  a  little  more 
experience,  that  the  new  scale  of  wages  does  seem  insufficient  to  main- 
tain the  people  in  health,  I  will  be  the  first  to  say  so ;  but  so  far,  this 
has  not  seemed  to  be  the  case. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  not  possible,  I  submit,  to  determine  d  priori 
on  scientific  data  what  amount  of  food  is  necessary  to  sustain  the  par- 
ticular classes  who  come  to  our  relief.  The  real  point  to  be  considered 
is  whether  in  ordinary  times  they  get  more  than  one  pound  a  day  for 
a  male  adult.  This  is  an  economic  question  which  can  be  determined 
by  calculating  the  rates  of  wages  in  the  rural  districts — not  the  wages 
of  trained  professional  labourers  employed  by  public  bodies,  not  the 
wages  of  stalwart  men  of  the  professional  class  of  workmen,  but  men 
of  lesser  physique  and  lighter  frame,  such  as  that  of  the  village  poor 
-^the  wages  received  by  the  labouring  poor  in  the  villages  of  the 
interior ;  and  then  by  taking  the  prices  of  common  grains  in  ordinary 
years.  Now  from  enquiries  made  in  various  districts  of  the  Madras 
Presidency,  I  apprehend  that  the  labouring  poor  in  rural  localities  can 
hardly  get  more  than  one  pound  a  day  for  a  male  adult  in  ordinary 
times.  If  this  be  so,  then  the  reduced  scale  must  be  sufficient  for  these 
i^ame  people  on  the  Government  relief  works,  and  need  not  be  increased. 

Another  minute  followed  quickly  from  the  same  pen 

^  This  assertion  is  sLcwn  to  \e  baseless  from  the  fact  thnt  during  the 
morth  when  ibis  "vias  ^litlen  the  death  registers  showed  50,000  additional 
deaths,  and,  further,  there  weie  many  deaths  which  were  neTer  registered. 


184  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

in  which  Dr.  Cornish's  scientific  argument  was  tra- 
versed. After  quoting  certain  passages  from  his 
antagonist's  letter,  Sir  Richard  says : — *In  the  "Madras 
Manual  of  Hygiene,"  compiled  under  the  orders  of 
Government,  and  published  in  1875,  the  main  parts  of 
Dr.  Cornish's  theories  are  adopted.  It  is  stated,  j)age 
96 : — "  The  unavoidable  internal  work  of  the  adult 
human  being,  that  is,  the  movements  necessary  for 
respiration,  circulation,  and  digestion  require  a  mini- 
mum of  138  grains  of  nitrogen  in  24  hours  for  their 
maintenance.  In  a  state  of  idleness  of  mind  and  body, 
the  least  amount  compatible  with  health  may  be  stated  as 
200  grains  for  a  man  and  180  for  a  woman.  In  the 
ordinary  circumstances  of  the  soldier,  the  artisan,  the 
field  labourer,  and  the  prisoner  in  most  of  our  gaols,  300 
grains  will  be  a  fair  minimum.  Very  great  physical 
exertion  will  demand  500  grains  or  even  more." ' 

Sir  Richard  admitted  that  the  opinion  that  1  lb. 
a  day  of  grain  might  suffice  for  a  relief  labourer,  toge- 
ther with  some  allowance  for  condiments  and  the  like, 
or  some  nutritious  substance,  was  not  indeed  based  on 
scientific  theory  It  was  founded  rather  on  probabili- 
ties practically  deduced  from  the  condition  of  the  poorer 
classes  in  ordinary  times,  and  on  the  results  of  gei^eral 
experience.  It  was  not  put  forth  with  absolute  confi- 
dence. It  was  to  be  subjected  to  trial,  not  by  theore- 
tical data,  but  by  the  observation  of  its  actual  results. 
He  added :  '  Certainly  this  opinion  was  not  based  on  so- 
called  scientific  evidence,  apparently  taken  as  proved  on 
the  strength  of  experiments  made  on  men  of  different 
races  and  habits,  living  under  different  circumstances, 
in  an  altogether  different  climate,  and,  probably,  ex- 
ceeding by  a  third  in  average  weight  the  people  to 
whom  the  results  of  the  experiments  are  with  such 
confidence  applied.      For  administrative  and  financial 


DIETARIES   OF   MADRAS   SOLDIERS.  185 

purposes,  1  should  not  base  my  recommendations  on 
such  data,  inasmuch  as  the  question  must  be  one 
extremely  difficult  of  scientific  ascertainment,  and  in 
respect  to  which  even  the  best-conducted  experiments, 
if  made  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  might  lead  to 
varying  results.  And  in  order  to  show  how  little  these 
data  can  be  accepted  for  these  purposes,  it  is  sufficient 
for  me  to  refer  to  the  "  Madras  Manual  of  Hygiene  "  itself.' 
Sir  Richard  proceeded  : — 

In  an  appendix,  from  page  361  to  380,  are  given  the  whole  range 
of  Madras  dietaries  for  soldiers,  sepoys,  and  prisoners — military  and 
civil — under  various  drcumstanoes  of  sickness  and  in  health.  They 
prove,  first,  that  as  regards  natives  of  the  country  the  carboniferous 
bear  to  the  nitrogenous  elements  of  food,  the  ratio  of  about  7  to  1^ 
instead  of  3  to  1  as  in  English  dietaries  (in  the  ration  of  the  sepoy  on 
foreign  service  the  proportion  is  10  to  l-26'70  oz.  to  2*68,  page  379), 
and  as  the  absolute  weight  of  food  taken  daily  by  natives  and  Europeans 
is  probably  about  the  same,  it  follows  that  the  amount  of  nitrogen 
required  by  natives  must  be  much  less  than  that  required  by  Europeans. 
And  when  the  diets  are  examined  this  is  found  to  be  the  case.  The 
Madras  sepoy,  when  ordered  on  foreign  service,  during  which  he  may 
be,  and  often  is,  called  upon  to  undergo  severe  physical  exertion, 
receives  a  full  ration  from  Government.  According  to  the  theory,  he 
requires  a  minimum  of  300  grains  of  nitrogen  when  performing  ordinary 
duties,  but  when  marching  or  undergoing  severe  labour  he  needs  500 
or  600  grains.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  gets  (page  379)  only  178  grains, 
little  more  than  half  the  minimum  required,  and  only  about  a  third  of 
what  is  declared  necessary  to  him  when  called  upon  to  do  strenuous 
work.  According  to  this  theory,  then,  the  Madras  sepoy  would  be 
undergoing  starvation  at  the  hands  of  Gk)vemment.  But,  in  fact,  he 
is  not  so  reduced  physically,  nor  does  he  fail  that  Government  when  it 
calls  upon  him  for  exertions  compared  to  which  the  labour  demanded 
from  most  of  our  relief  labourers  is  as  nothing.  This  case,  I  submit, 
makes  very  strongly  against  Dr.  Cornish's  theory,  but  a  still  stronger 
one  yet  remains  behind. 

The  British  soldier,  to  whom,  if  to  any  one,  the  theory  should 
apply,  requiring  like  the  sepoy  300  to  600  grains  under  like  circum- 
stances, receives  242  grains  of  nitrogen  in  his  full  ration,  that  is,  25 
per  cent,  less  than  the  minimum  required  to  keep  him  in  health  when 
in  garrison,  and  less  than  half  what  he  ought  to  have  when  marching 


186  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

or  on  servioe.  But  this  is  not  all,  for  when  his  ordinary  work  is  not 
demanded  of  him,  as  when  he  is  in  garris(Hi  or  at  sea,  he  receives  only 
a  reduced  ration  and,  singularly  enough,  though  the  details  of  the  two 
rations  are  altogether  dijflferent  (''  Madras  Manual,"  pages  364  and  369), 
the  amount  of  nitrogen  contained  in  each  is  identical,namely,  155  grains, 
about  half  of  tJbe  amount  declared  to  be  the  minimum  necessary  to 
maintain  him  in  health,  a  quarter  of  what  he  should  have  when  on 
servioe,  and  considerably  lees  than  the  least  amount  compatible  with 
health  in  a  state  of  rest  of  body  and  mind,  as  laid  down  in  the  quota- 
tion from  the  ''  Madras  Manual"  already  cited.  Ajocording  to  this 
theory  we  should  have  to  imagine  that  the  British  soldier  is  half 
starved  on  board  ship,  or  that  he  is  landed  in  India  in  a  reduced  con- 
dition physically,  or  in  a  state  of  health  which  could  hardly  be  restored 
by  subsequent  nutrition.     The  actual  fact  is,  of  course,  the  reverse. 

'These  statements  and  estimates  of  the  chemical 
constituents  of  the  military  rations,  both  for  European 
and  native  troops,  are  not  (be  it  remembered)  made  by 
me/  continued  the  Delegate,  '  but  they  have  been  fur- 
nished by  the  "  Madras  Manual  of  Hygiene ; "  they  are  put 
in  the  simplest  form  possible,  and  can  be  verified  by  any 
one,  though  he  may  not  be  versed  in  the  chemistry  of 
food  or  the  data  on  which  the  calculations  are  made. 
And  I  submit  that  they  prove  conclusively  that  the 
theories  enunciated  by  English  authorities,  however 
eminent,  and  apparently  adopted  without  additional 
experiment  by  the  "  Manual,"  do  not  in  fact  apply  except 
in  the  most  general  way  to  Englishmen  themselves,  and 
cannot  be  at  all  accepted  as  valid  reasons  why  Govern- 
ment should  desist  from  a  trial  suggested  by  experience, 
which,  if  successful,  will  conduce  to  saving  the  people 
on  the  one  hand,  and  to  preventing  unnecessary  expen- 
diture on  the  other.  I  should  not  have  discussed  this 
matter  at  all  had  not  the  scientific  theory  been  pro- 
pounded with  so  much  decision  and  with  such  strongly- 
worded  remonstrance  against  the  disregard  of  it.  But 
we  see  that  the  theory  is  not  applicable,  and  cannot  be 
implicitly  accepted.     If,  as  stated  in  my  minute  of  7th 


DR.  Cornish's  reply.  187 

current,  it  is  found  on  a  deliberate  and  dispassionate 
trial  that  the  new  scale  is  insuflScient,  and  that  the 
labourers  do  not  maintain  their  health,  it  can,  of  course, 
be  revised.  But  I  have  sufficiently  shown  that  this  is 
a  matter  which  may  be  left  to  careftil  observation  of 
the  condition  of  the  people,  and  not  deduced  (t  priori 
from  theoretical  considerations  which  break  down  when 
subjected  to  plain  criticism  and  are  shown  to  be  inap- 
plicable to  the  case  in  hand.  Though  constrained  to 
demur  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Sanitary  Commis- 
sioner applies  certain  theories  to  the  proposed  practice 
in  our  relief  operations,  I  am  fully  conscious  of  the 
benevolent  and  charitable  motive»by  which  Dr.  Cornish 
is  actuated,  and  of  his  meritorious  labours  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people  in  this  Presidency.' 

The  rumour  was  current  in  Madras  that  when  Dr. 
Cornish  received  the  two  minutes  of  Sir  Richard 
Temple,  which  were  forwarded  to  him  by  the  Madras 
Government,  he  exclaimed,  with  Cromwell  just  before 
the  battle  of  Dunbar,  'The  Lord  has  delivered  him 
into  my  hands.'  Certainly  the  Sanitary  Commissioner 
girded  his  loins,  and  penned  a  reply  which  the  medical 
profession  generally  considered  smote  the  adversary 
hip  and  thigh.  This  rejoinder  was  written  in  a  white 
heat  of  feeling,  but,  competent  authorities  assert,  without 
being  in  any  sense  unfair  to  the  antagonist's  argument. 
A  summary  of  the  minute  would  not  do  justice  to  it, 
and,  in  spite  of  its  length,  a  full  abstract  must  be  given. 

In  his  covering  letter,  forwarding  the  reply.  Dr. 
Cornish  said : — 

The  Government  of  India,  while  giving  every  publicity  to  the 
minutes  above  refeiTed  to  in  the  official  Gazette  of  India,  has  not 
thought  proper  to  give  a  like  publicity  to  my  letter  No.  115  of 
February  13,  to  overthrow  the  arguments  of  which  these  minutes  were 
especially  designed.     The  subject  involved  is  the  sufficiency  or  other- 


188  THE   1-LB.    RATION, 

wise  of  an  arbitrary  allowance  of  food  to  maintain  the  health  and 
strength  of  the  labouring  poor.  It  is  a  practical  question  of  the 
highest  interest  to  men  of  science,  political  economists,  and  social 
reformers  in  eveiy  part  of  the  world,  and  in  the  interests  of  humanity 
generally  I  venture  to  express  a  hope  that  the  fullest  publicity  be 
given  to  my  own  part  in  the  discussion  as  well  as  to  Sir  Bichard 
Temple's,  so  that  the  public,  and  scientific  men  in  particular,  may 
have  the  subject  of  discussion  before  them. 

This  remonstrance  produced  effect,  for  Dr.  Cornish's 
letters  appear  in  the  Blue  Book  on  the  Indian  Famine, 
having  been  previously  published  in  the  Gazette  of 
India. 

Dr.  Cornish,  in  the  earlier  paragraphs  of  his  '  Reply 
to  Sir  Richard  Temple's  Minutes  of  March  7  and 
14,  as  to  the  sufficiency  of  a  pound  of  grain  as  the 
basis  of  famine  wages,'  is  somewhat  apologetic  as 
regards  his  own  action  in  bearding  an  official  of  the 
eminence  of  Sir  Richard  Temple.  '  Sir  Richard  Temple 
thought,'  he  says,  *  that  the  sufficiency  or  insufficiency 
of  this  grant  of  food  was  a  matter  of  "opinion,"  and 
recommended  that  a  scale  of  payment  based  on  the 
price  of  a  pound  of  grain  should  be  tried  "  as  an  experi- 
ment" in  the  various  relief  operations  throughout  this 
Presidency,  and  the  Madras  Government  had  already 
acceded  to  the  proposition,  and  issued  orders  for  the 
enforcement  of  a  reduced  scale  of  wages,  before  I  was 
aware  that  the  subject  had  been  before  the  Government. 
Under  these  circumstances.there  was  a  choice  of  courses 
before  me :  I  might  have  held  my  peace,  and  in  the 
event  of  subsequent  calamity  have  sheltered  myself 
under  the  plea  that  the  Madras  Government  had  not 
done  me  the  honour  of  seeking  my  advice  before  sanc- 
tioning the  reduced  scale  of  wages  ;  or,  knowing  from 
long  and  painful  experience  the  risks  to  the  population 
resulting  fi'om  inadequate  food  and  nourishment,  and 
the  general  want  of  accurate  knowledge  of  subjects  by 


THE  DELEGATE  PROVED  INCONSISTENT.      189 

most  people,  I  might  have  ventured,  unsolicited,  to 
sound  a  not€  of  warning  to  the  Government,  and  to 
state  my  opinion  in  terms  admitting  of  no  misunder- 
standing. I  chose  the  latter  course,  and  I  am  very  glad 
that  I  did  so,  as  my  letter  has  drawn  forth  two  elabo- 
rate minutes  from  Sir  Richard  Temple  regarding  the 
basis  on  which  he  calculated  that  a  pound  of  grain  a  day 
would  suffice  for  a  labouring  man,  and  the  subject  can 
now  be  discussed  purely  on  its  merits  by  scientific  men 
and  the  public  at  large,  quite  irrespective  of  the  official 
positions  of  the  parties  contributing  to  the  solution  of 
the  problem  of  feeding  a  people  with  the  least  ex- 
penditure of  life  and  money/ 

Then  followed  a  thrust :  '  I  have,  of  course,  been 
an  attentive  reader  of  famine  literature,  to  which  Sir 
Richard  Temple  has  been  so  large  and  valuable  a  con- 
tributor. His  most  masterly  "  Narrative  on  the  famine 
in  Bengal  and  Behar  in  1874  "  lays  down  with  clearness 
and  precision  the  data  on  which  the  importation  of  grain 
was  then  determined,  and  I  need  not  say  that  I  agree 
almost  entirely  with  every  word  Sir  Richard  Temple 
then  wrote  in  regard  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the 
food  required  for  the  maintenance  and  health  of  the 
people.'  The  passage  which  is  quoted  in  chapter  i.  of 
this  section  is  given  in  parallel  columns,  with  extracts 
from  the  minutes  of  1877,  and  Sir  Richard  Temple  is 
convicted  of  inconsistency. 

In  his  minute  of  March  7,  1877,  Sir  Richard 
Temple  declines  to  enter  into  the  *  purely  professional 
arguments*  advanced  in  Dr.  Cornish's  letter  further 
than  to  note  that,  '  while,  no  doubt,  abstract  scientific 
theories  of  great  value  on  the  subject  of  public  health 
are  of  modern  growth,  the  Indian  population,  wirii 
which  we  are  now  dealing,  have  lived  for  centuries  in 
disregard  of  them/     To  this  Dr.  Cornish  replies : — 


190  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

I  must  confess  that  I  am  not  quite  clear  as  to  the  meaning  of 
the  above  extract.  I  did  not  put  forward  any  '  abstract  scientific 
theory,'  but  merely  stated  a  /actf  that  as  the  human  frame,  in  eveiy 
race  and  climate,  disposes  of  a  certain  amount  of  nitrogenous  matter 
eveiy  twenty-four  hours,  a  like  amount  must  be  taken  into  the  body 
in  food  to  restore  that  waste,  otherwise  the  tissues  of  the  body  will 
gradually  disappear;  and  that  in  my  opinion  one  pound  of  rice, 
containing  from  sixty  to  eighty  grains  of  nitrogen,  and  a  small  money 
payment  of  six  pice,  or  three  farthings,  would  not  suffice  to  enable 
a  labourer  to  provide  a  sufficiency  of  nitrogenous  food  to  restore  his 
daily  waste  of  tissue.  In  reply,  I  am  told,  in  effect,  that  abstract 
scientific  theories  are  very  pretty  in  their  way,  but  that  the  Indian 
people,  who  disregard  them,  manage  to  get  on  very  well  without 
them.  But  this  manner  of  disposing  of  the  subject  does  not  seem  to 
have  satisfied  Sir  Bichard  Temple,  for  in  a  subsequent  minute, 
dated  March  14,  he  endeavours  to  grapple  with  the  scientific  objec- 
tions to  his  proposals. 

It  was,  however,  with  the  practical  objections  of  the 
first  minute  that  Dr.  Cornish  preferred  to  deal  at  the 
outset.  He  did  this  by  showing  that  the  enquiries  of 
1863  proved  that  Sir  Richard  was  in  error  in  supposing 
that  his  (Dr.  Cornish's)  remarks  had  reference  to  the 
dietaries  of  Europeans,  when  he  was  at  special  pains  to 
point  out  that  an  independent  investigation,  conducted 
by  20  or  30  medical  officers  in  the  mofussil  civil  sta- 
tions, and  checked  by  his  (Dr.  Cornish's)  own  indepen- 
dent enquiries  and  observations,  showed  that  the 
minimum  grain  allowance  of  a  man  in  health  and  in 
work  was  not  less  than  24  ounces,  and  that  it  was  fre- 
quently double  that  quantity  in  favourable  seasons. 
Moreover,  in  regard  to  the  proportion  of  nitrogenous  to 
non-nitrogenous  food,  the  reference  made  to  Sir  Robert 
Christison's  labours  was  simply  to  show  the  standard 
to  which  all  successful  dietaries  should  approach,  and 
Dr.  Cornish  expressly  admitted  that  in  the  food  of  an 
Indian  people  the  *  proportions  of  1  to  3  are  but  barely 
attained,  and  the  tendency  is  always  to  a  smaller  pro- 


INDIAN   £XP£RIENGE   AVAILABLE.  191 

portion  of  nitrogenous  food.'  The  whole  experience  he 
wished  to  bring  forward  on  this  question  of  food  and 
health  was  Indian  experience,  and  he  expressed  himself 
surprised  that  Sir  Richard  Temple,  who  knew  so  well 
in  1874  what  the  ordinary  food  of  the  people  was,  should 
write  as  if  there  had  never  existed  any  periodical 
medical  literature  in  India,  or  that  he  should  ignore  the 
fact  that  every  Indian  medical  authority  who  had 
written  on  the  subject  of  food  for  prisoners  was  opposed 
to  his  recent  opinions.  '  One  might  think/  indignantly 
writes  the  Sanitary  Commissioner,  *  from  Sir  Richard 
Temple's  minute,  that  men  like  Leith,  Che  vers,  Ewart, 
Bedford,  Strong,  Mouat,  Fawcus,  Irving,  Forbes, 
Watson,  Mayer,  Lyon,  myself,  and  many  others,  whose 
papers  I  have  not  immediately  at  hand  to  refer  to,  had 
never  thought  out  the  subject  of  feeding  in  its  practical 
and  scientific  aspects,  and  that  gaol  and  other  diets  in 
India  had  been  constructed  without  reference  to  the 
nutritious  quality  of  the  food  grains,  or  to  the  propor- 
tions of  the  various  kinds  of  food.  It  must  be  abun- 
dantly clear  to  Government  that  if  this  new  theory  of 
Sir  Richard  Temple's  is  correct,  viz.,  that  1  lb.  of 
grain  and  a  small  money  payment  equivalent  to  three 
farthings,  is  enough  to  keep  a  labouring  man  in  health 
and  strength  while  undergoing  a  fair  daily  task,  then 
every  administration  in  India  has  been  for  years  past 
inciting  people  to  break  the  law  by  providing  criminals 
with  a  dietary  beyond  their  actual  necessities,  and  all 
the  carefully  recorded  experience  of  the  last  30  years, 
as  to  the  e£fects  of  food  on  health  in  Indian  gaols,  must 
be  discarded  as  worthless.' 

Dr.  Cornish  would,  he  said,  have  occasion  to  show, 
however,  that  the  carefully  built  up  experience  of  the 
past  must  be  the  guide  in  this  matter,  in  preference  to 
the  mere  'opinions'  of  a  gentleman  \^ho,  apparently 


192  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

unconscious  of  the  cruelty  involved  in  his  proposals, 
would  desire  to  begin  a  huge  *  experiment '  on  the 
starving  poor  of  this  country,  at  a  time  and  under  con- 
ditions which  would  prevent  the  results  of  that  '  experi- 
ment' ever  being  tested  and  recorded.  Dr.  Cornish 
continued  (and  in  these  passages  he  touched  some  of  the 
vital  points  of  the  controversy,  particularly  in  reference 
to  the  examinations  of  relief  gangs  periodically) : — 

What  in  fact  was  tUe  proposition  of  Sir  Richard  Temple's  to 
which  I  took  exception  f  It  was  this.  '  There  might  indeed  be  a 
question  whether  life  cannot  be  sustained  with  one  pound  of  grain  per 
diem,  and  whether  Gk)yeriiment  is  bound  to  do  more  than  sustain  life. 
This  is  a  matter  of  opinion,  and  I  think  that  one  pound  per  diem 
might  be  sufficient  to  sustain  life,  and  that  the  experiment  ought  to  be 
tried.  Perhaps  the  gangs  might  not  perceptibly  fall  off  in  condition. 
After  a  week  or  fortniglit  of  experience,  it  would  be  seen  whether 
they  so  fisdl  off  or  not.' 

If  it  were  not  so  serious  a  matter  as  a  blind  experimentation  on 
the  limits  of  human  endurance,  it  would  be  amusing  to  note  the 
method  by  which  Sir  Richard  Temple  hereproposes  to  test  the  results. 
'  After  a  week  or  fortnight  of  experience,'  he  says,  *  it  would  be  seen 
whether  the  gangs  fidl  off  perceptibly  in  condition.'  Now  what  are 
the  conditions  abroad  in  the  country  by  which  such  an  experiment 
could  be  subjected  to  those  rigorous  tests  which  would  satisfy  practical 
men  as  well  as  scientific  men  ?  Our  relief  works  are  scatt^^  over 
many  thousands  of  square  miles  of  country,  they  are  but  indifferently 
supervised,  and  in  no  instances  are  the  native  supervisors  qualified  to 
test  the  results  of  any  special  efystem  of  feeding  or  payment  as 
regards  the  health  of  the  people.  To  record  the  results  c^  such  an 
experiment  with  the  accuracy  required  it  would  be  essential  to  weigh 
every  individual  of  a  gang,  to  enter  their  names  and  weights  in 
columns,  and  to  repeat  the  weighing  week  by  week  for  a  period  of 
several  months, — to  note  also  the  condition  of  each  individual,  week 
by  week)  as  to  ansemia,  pulse,  tongue,  heart's  action,  muscular  power, 
&c.  An  'experiment'  of  this  nature  might  be  carried  out  as 
regards  a  few  persons  under  the  constant  observation  of  a  medical 
man,  aided  by  careful  assistants,  but  it  is  obvious  that  the  results  on 
a  large  scale,  according  to  the  tests  proposed  by  Sir  Richard  Temple, 
could  never  be  ascertained.  Sir  Richard  Temple  does  not  seem  to  be 
aware  of  the  fact  that  *  a  week  or  two  '  of  low  living,  while  doing 


TESTS   SUGGESTED    INADEQUATE.  193 

much  mischief,  might  still  give  no  results  measurable  by  the  eye  or 
by  weighing. 

There  is  nothing  more  remarkable  in  connection  with  these 
famine  relief  works  than  the  sudden  changes  and  fluctuations  in  the 
persormel  of  the  gangs.  The  people  inspected  one  day  may  be  away 
the  next.  The  people  falling  ill  and  unable  to  work  are  replaced  by 
others,  and  there  is  never  any  certainty  that  two  inspecting  officers 
going  over  the  same  gi'ound  within  a  short  interval  of  time  are 
seeing  the  same  people  Any  comparison  of  their  observations  or 
reports,  therefore,  can  scarcely  be  gone  into  profitably  while  this 
uncertainty  exists  in  regard  to  the  identity  of  the  individuals  com- 
posing the  gangs. 

There  is,  however,  a  rough  and  coarse  test  of  the  results  of  the 
reduction  of  wages  'which  may  commend  itself  to  the  notice  of 
Crovemment.  It  is  that  while  the  numbers  paid  for  and  supposed  to 
be  employed  on  relief  works  in  the  first  week  in  February  were 
907,316,  they  fell  in  the  last  week  of  March  to  662,195,  and  that  the 
numbers  '  too  weak  for  work,  requiring  cooked  food  in  relief  houses,' 
had  increased  from  38,163  in  the  first  week  of  March,  to  99,113  in 
the  last  week  of  the  same  month.  From  my  recent  inspection  in 
Madanapalli  and  Boyachoti  I  found  these  helpless  and  infirm  people 
wei'e  increasing  at  the  rate  of  more  than  100  a  day  at  each  relief 
house,  and  if  they  continue  so  to  increase,  as  I  think  is  but  too 
probable,  the  numbers  to  be  fed  in  the  Guddapah  district  will 
probably  reach  20.000  within  the  next  two  months,  instead  of  3,294, 
as  in  the  last  week  of  March.  I  leave  it  for  others  to  determine 
whether  the  policy  of  instituting  a  bare  subsistence  wage  on  relief 
works  has,  or  has  not,  contributed  to  the  enormous  increase  of  the 
sick  and  feeble,  and  of  the  gratuitous  feeding  throughout  the  dis- 
tressed districts. 

The  condition  of  the  labouring  gangs  varied  very 
much  in  the  several  localities.  Some  had  very  little 
distance  to  go  to  their  labour,  and  in  such  cases  the  col- 
lection of  half  a  cubic  yard  of  road  material  Dr.  Cornish 
thought  might  not  involve  any  unusual  exertion.  But 
even  in  these  cases  he  had  seen  work  attempted  when 
the  ground  was  as  hard  as  iron,  and  with  tools  much 
too  heavy  for  the  strength  of  those  who  had  to  wield 
them,  and  oflScials  of  the  Public  Works  Department  had 
told  him  that  in  their  contract  rates  no  coolies  would 

VOL.   II.  o 


194  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

ever  think  of  attempting  work  of  this  kind  except 
when  the  ground  had  been  softened  by  rain.  In 
Buch  cases  the  bodily  wear  and  tear  of  moving  half  a 
cubic  yard  of  material,  or  executing  50  per  cent,  of  a 
Public  Works  Department  task,  was  considerable,  and 
especially  in  the  case  of  weakly  gangs.  He  had  seen 
moreover  very  wretched  and  enfeebled  creatures  in 
the  gangs  who  had  come,  some  distances  of  four, 
six,  and  even  eight  miles  to  their  work,  some  of 
them  dragging  their  children  to  and  fro  with  them, 
and  he  had  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  when  these 
walking  distances  and  carrying  weights  were  taken 
into  account  with  the  day's  work,  the  expenditure  of 
force  was  far  ahead  of  its  replenishment  in  the  shape  of 
food  wages. 

With  regard  to  the  statement  that  the  lowest  scale 
of  wages  would  permit  in  most  instances  of  men  buying 
1^  lbs.  of  grain  in  addition  to  condiments  and  some 
other  nourishment,  however  that  might  be  the  case  in 
the  BeUary  district  or  in  certain  stations  on  the  line  of 
railway  which  Dr.  Cornish  had  not  then  inspected,  it 
was  not  so  in  the  upland  taluks  of  North  Arcot  and 
Cuddapah.  At  Goorumkonda  the  bazaar  price  of  rice 
was  only  13  lbs.  the  rupee,  and  at  Royachoti  about 
14  lbs.,  so  that  one  anna  would  not  purchase  even  1  lb. 
of  grain.  The  mode  of  calculating  the  wages,  too,  in 
some  districts  had  practically  the  effect  of  reducing  the 
earnings  of  men  from  la.  6p.  to  1  a.  5p.  or  la.  4p.,  and 
what  with  deductions  for  short  work,  and  the  *  custo- 
mary tribute '  to  the  gangsmen,  there  was  reason  to  fear 
that  in  a  very  large  proportion  of  cases  the  labourers 
did  not  get  anything  like  the  whole  of  the  reduced  wage. 

Dr.  Cornish  noted  that  Sir  Richard  Temple  had 
made  a  most  important  concession  to  the  famine  labour- 
ers in  consequence  of  his  protest,  and  if  no  oth^  good 


SUNDAY   WAGE   GRANTED.  195 

had  resulted,  he  felt  bound  to  thank  the  Delegate  for  the 
consideration  given  to  the  last  paragraph  of  his  letter, 
in  which  he  pointed  out  that  a  man  must  eat^  even  if  tie 
had  no  work^  on  Sundays,  and  that  a  subsistence  wage 
ought  not  to  be  shared  with  young  children. 

Practically  (Dr.  Comiah  oontinaes),  there  is  now  very  little 
difference  between  Sir  Richard  Temple's  wage-rate  and  my  own  recom- 
mendations. I  have  contended,  and  have  given  reasons  for  consider- 
ing, that  the  basis  of  a  pound  of  grain  for  a  labouring  man  was  unsafe, 
especially  when  that  wage  was  paid  only  for  siz  days  in  the  week, 
and  when  helpless  children  had  to  share  in  the  food.  Sir  Richard 
Temple  admits  the  weakness  of  this  portion  of  his  scheme,  and  by  con- 
ceding additional  help  to  feed  the  young,  has  in  point  of  fact  yielded 
all  that  I  felt  justified  in  urging. 

According  to  my  observation,  though  the  ordinary  wage  rate 
of  2  annas,  1-6,  and  1  anna  for  men,  women,  and  children  respec- 
tively, may  in  some  districts  be  too  little  to  procure  a  sufficiency 
of  nourishing  food  to  keep  up  health,  yet  in  times  like  these  the  people 
are  ready  enough  to  work  for  such  wages  cheerfully,  and  with  a  good 
heart,  getting  payment  for  and  doing  work  only  on  six  days  in  the 
week.  Whatever  deficiencies  in  their  food  there  may  be  they  supple- 
ment in  their  own  fashion  by  using  articles  that,  though  not  in  general 
use,  may  help  at  a  pinch  to  sustain  life,  such  as  the  seeds  of  the 
bamboo,  tamarind,  dkc.,  the  pith  of  the  aloe  plant,  and  certain  jungle 
leaves  like  the  Sethia  Indica. 

The  actual  wage  receipts  of  a  man,  wife,  and  four  children,  on  the 
old  and  amended  new  scale  of  wages  are  given  below 

Ordinary  ScaU, 

B.  A.  p. 

Man       .        .        6  days  at  2  annas      .               0  12  0 

Woman  .        .               „        1^    „        .        .        0  0  0 

2  0hildren       .               „        1      „        .        .        0  12  0 

2  Children  under  7  years  of  age              .       .  — 

Total  per  week        .210 

Sir  Bichard  Temples  Amended  Sade, 

Man        ,        .        7  days  at  1^  annas  •        .        0    10      6 

Woman  .        .  „         U    „  ..089 

2ChUdien      .  „         1      „  .        .        0    10      0 

2  Ohildren  under  7  years  ^    „  .,036 

Total  per  week        .213 
o2 


196  THE   J -LB.    RATION. 

From  this  oomparison  it  will  be  seen  that  in  the  case  of  a  man 
with  a  family  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  workers  and  two 
non-workers,  he  ia  actually  better  off  by  three  pies  per  week  under 
Sir  Blchard  Temple's  modified  reduced  wage  than  he  was  when  work- 
ing six  days  in  the  week  for  ordinary  wages.  Mr,  "West,  C.E.,  in 
charge  of  the  Cheyar  embankment  works,  informs  me  that  to  meet  the 
views  of  the  district  authorities,  and  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  com- 
petition in  the  labour  market,  he  has  reduced  his  rates  from  the 
ordinary  two  annas  to  the  modified  scale  of  Sir  Richard  Temple's,  and 
paid  for  the  Sundays,  and  that,  practically,  his  disbursements  per  head 
average  just  the  same  ae  before. 

The  great  financial  saving,  therefore,  of  ever  so  many  lakhs  of 
rupees  is  not  likely  to  accrue  from  the  introduction  of  the  new  scale  of 
wage.  It  has  given  intense  dissatisfaction  to  the  labouring  people, 
who  could  not  or  would  not  comprehend  its  terms ;  it  has  opened  the 
door  for  abuses  of  various  kinds,  and  it  has  not  tended  to  economy  in 
disbursements. 

Sir  Eichard  Temple  asks  if  I  will  admit  that  a  pound  of  grain  a 
day  is  sufficient  to  maintain  an  adult  native  of  India  in  a  *  state  of 
rest.'  In  reply,  I  have  to  state  that  I  do  not  know  of  any  cereal  grain 
which  would  give  a  sufficiency  of  albuminous  matter  in  a  lb.  weight 
to  replace  the  daily  waste  of  nitrogen  from  the  adult  native  body,  and 
consequently  I  am  unable  to  admit  any  such  proposition.  The  '  evi- 
dence '  adduced  by  Sir  Richard  Temple  in  regard  to  this  matter  is  in 
reality  no  evidence  at  all.  Sir  Richard  says  that  in  the  Yellore  relief 
camp  Dr.  Fox  and  Captain  Harris  were  agreed  that  men  had  so  im- 
proved on  1  lb.  of  grain ;  but  when  I  came  to  enquire  into  this  matter 
I  found  that  the  '  evidence '  rested  on  general  impressions,  and  not  on 
periodical  weighing  and  individual  record  of  weight  from  time  to 
time. 

Even  in  the  '  weight  test '  some  caution  is  necessary,  for  many  of 
the  people  who  come  into  camps  appear  to  be  filling  out  and  fattening, 
when  in  reality  they  are  getting  dropsical  and  in  a  fair  way  to  die.  I 
can  easily  understand  that  the  people  in  the  Yellore  camp  did  better 
on  1  lb.  of  grain  per  diem  than  they  did  on  12  ounces,  which  was 
the  scale  in  use  a  few  weeks  ago  when  Dr.  Fox  urged  an  increase. 

I  have  thought  it  safer  and  more  prudent  in  this  matter  to  fall 
back  on  our  experience  in  dieting  non-labouring  prisoners,  and  to  re- 
commend 20  ounces,  or  1^  lb.  of  cereal  grain  besides  dhoU,  vegetables, 
condiments,  &o,,  for  adults  fed  in  relief  camps,  and  this  allowance 
is  now  sanctioned  by  (Government,  and  should  be,  I  think,  a  Tninimni^ 
allowance,  considering  how  much  tissue  these  poor  creatures  have  to 
repair  before  they  can  be  brought  into  a  state  to  do  a  day's  work. 


KESULTS   OF   WEIGHINGS.  197 

In  a  paper  recently  brought  to  my  notice  by  Sutgeon-General  G. 
Smith,  I  find  that  at  Nellore  Surgeon-Major  A.  M.  Ross  lias  been  weigh- 
ing coolies  on  relief  works,  and  their  average  weight  is  below  that  of 
average  *  under  trial '  prisoners  in  gaol.     Thus : — 


In  Gaol, 

Men. 

Women. 

Children. 

1091  lbs. 

92-3  Ibe. 
Rdifff  Works, 

700  lbs. 

94*3  lbs. 

77-6  lbs. 

46-0  lbs. 

These  weights  appear  to  indicate  much  wasting,  but  the  weighings 
will  be  continued  and  reported  on  from  week  to  week. 

In  the  last  paragraph  of  his  minute  of  March  7,  Sir  Bichard 
Temple  states  his  belief  that  the  labouring  poor  in  Madras  in  nutil 
localities  can  hardly  get  more  than  one  pound  of  grain  a  day  for  a 
male  adult  in  ordinary  times.  The  enquiries  on  which  this  belief  is 
founded  were  made,  I  apprehend,  by  Sir  Richard  Temple  himself,  in 
his  rapid  journey  through  the  country. 

But  I  should  submit  to  any  impartial  person  whether  enquirie? 
made  in  this  way,  to  satisfy  a  foregone  conclusion,  can  be  compared  in 
value  with  the  careful  statistical  enquiry  undertaken  calmly  and 
deliberately  in  the  years  1862  and  1863,  and  which  enquiry  furnished 
the  basis  for  all  our  subsequent  arrangements  in  the  dieting  of  the 
people  under  circumstances  where  they  cannot  have  any  voice  in  the 
choice  of  their  own  food.  Most  people  in  India  are  acquainted  with 
the  sort  of  answer  a  high  official  personage  will  get  in  reply  to  leading 
questions,  and  if  Sir  Richard  Temple  thinks  he  has  got  at  the  truth  in 
this  matter,  I  can  assure  him,  after  a  close  practical  study  of  the  food 
of  the  people  of  Southern  India  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  that  he  is 
utterly  and  entirely  mistaken,  and  that  so  far  from  the  labouring 
adults  living  upon  a  pound  a  day,  they  eat  on  the  average  nearly 
double. 

Dr.  Cornish  then  proceeded  to  the  consideration  of 
Sir  Richard  Temple's  second  minute,  of  March  14, 
in  which  he  entered  upon  the  scientific  questions  in- 
volved in  the  objections  to  his  diet  scale.  Here  again 
justice  will  not  be  done  to  the  argument  save  by 
copious  quotations.     Dr.  Cornish  says  : — 

In  this   minute  Sir  Eichard  Temple  obRerves,  para^^ph  6  : — 


198  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

'  The  opinion  that  1  lb.  a  day  of  grain  might  suffice  for  a  relief 
labourer,  together  with  some  allowance  for  condiments  and  the  like,  or 
some  nutritious  substance,  was  not  indeed  based  on  scientific  theory. 
It  was  founded  rather  on  probabilities  practically  deduced  from  the 
condition  of  the  poorer  classes  in  ordinary  times,  and  on  the  results  of 
genera]  experience.' 

I  think  it  would  have  been  more  to  the  point  if  Sir  Hichard 
Temple  had  given  something  a  little  more  precise  than  the  vague 
term  'general  experience.'  I  may  ask,  in  return, whose  experience? 
Not  Sir  Bichard  Temple's,  surely ;  for  in  1874  he  assiu'es  us  that  the 
people  in  Bengal  habitually  use  from  one  to  two  seers  of  grain  (2  to 
4  lbs.)  per  adult,  and  that  even  the  people  in  relief  houses,  doing  no 
work,  got  two-thirds  of  a  seer  (1^  lbs.)  Sir  Eichard  Temple  records 
nothixig  of  his  travels  in  Bombay,  showing  that  the  people  on  relief 
worfcft  there  lived  on  1  lb.  of  grain  a  day.  It  was  only  on  his  arrival 
in  the  Bellary  district  that  he  evolved  this  strange  doctrine,  that  a 
Madrassee  could  do,  what  the  people  in  no  other  part  of  India  can, 
thrive  on  16  oz.  of  cereal  grain  a  day. 

A  quotation  was  made  from  a  letter  by  Sir  R. 
Christison  on  the  rations  of  soldiers  ;  the  passage  urged 
that  '  unskilled  constructors  of  dietaries  in  famine 
times'  should  be  *  somewhat  modest'  in  respect  to  their 
knowledge.  It  should  make  them  especially  cautious 
in  the  enunciation  of  new  and  strange  doctrines  such  as 
*  that  the  amount  of  nitrogen  required  by  natives  must 
be  much  less  than  that  required  by  Europeans.'  Dr. 
Cornish  proceeded : — 

This  is  really  the  crucial  test  of  the  whole  question,  and  I  am 
afraid  it  cannot  be  definitely  settled  on  the  ipse  dixU  of  Sir  Bichard 
Temple.  In  the  scientific  world  we  are  accustomed  to  ask  that  any 
one  bringing  forward  a  new  theory  shall  state  the  facts  on  which  his 
theory  is  based ;  and  in  this  case  it  would  be  quite  fair  to  ask  Sir 
Bichard  Temple  whether  by  himself,  or  with  professional  aid,  he  has 
endeavoured  to  test  his  theory  by  estimating  and  measuring  the 
amount  of  nitrogen  which  natives  of  ordinary  size  and  weight  elimi- 
nate from  their  bodies.  The  investigation  is  one  of  by  no  means  a  dif- 
ficult character,  and  no  one  has  any  right  to  bring  forward  such  a 
theory  in  proof  of  the  sufiiciency  of  a  scale  of  food  without  first  ascer- 
taining, by  repeated  investigation  and  experiment,  that  the  nitrogen 
excreted  by  natives  is  proportionately  less  than  in  Europeans.     The 


SIR   RICHARD    TEMPLE's    MISTAKES.  199 

consequences  of  our  acceptdng  such  a  theory  without  the  clearest  and 
plainest  proof  might  be  most  disastrous,  and  the  (yrwa  prohamdi  re- 
mains with  the  originator  of  the  theory. 

I  almost  wish,  in  regard  to  Sir  Richard  Temple's  reputation  as  a 
gentleman  of  many  and  varied  accomplishments,  that  he  had  spared 
me  the  difficulty  of  dealing  with  his  ' crucial  tests'  in  paragraphs  11 
and  12  as  regards  the  alleged  discrepancies  in  theory  and  practice  as 
to  the  amount  of  nitrogen  necessary  to  a  successful  dietary.  It  is  not 
a  pleasant  thing  for  one  in  my  position  to  point  out  errors  of  compre- 
hension on  Sir  Richard  Temple's  part ;  but,  however  painful  the  opera- 
tion, it  must  be  done.  Sir  Richard  Temple  quotes  from  the  '  Madras 
Manual  of  Hygiene,'  a  work  of  admitted  excellence,  by  Surgeon-Major 
H.  King,  M.B.,  the  composition  of  a  scale  of  rations  allowed  to  native 
soldiers  on  foreign  service.  He  points  out  very  truly  that  these 
rations,  while  yielding  an  abundance  of  carboniferous  food  (32  oz. 
of  rice),  are  very  defective  in  nitrogenous  principles,  the  whole  weight 
of  food  in  fact  yielding  only  178  grains  of  nitrogen  per  diem.  '  Ac- 
cording to  this  theory,'  observes  Sir  Richard  Temple,  '  the  Madras 
sepoy  would  be  undergoing  starvation  at  the  hands  of  Government. 
But,  in  fact,  he  is  not  reduced  physically,  nor  does  he  fail  the  Govern- 
ment when  it  calls  upon  him  for  exertion.  This  case,  I  submit,  makes 
very  strongly  against  Dr.  Cornish's  theory.' 

I  have  no  excuse  to  make  for  this  dietary  of  our  native  soldiers 
on  foreign  service.  I  gave  it  up  fifteen  years  ago,  and  recorded  my 
opinion  of  it  in  the  following  terms  : — *  The  deficiency  of  animal  food 
in  the  diet,  and  the  excess  of  carboniferous  material,  is  undoubtedly  a 
fertile  source  of  the  prevalence  of  sickness  in  native  troops  on  foreign 
service.  The  mortality  of  Madras  troops  on  this  diet  in  Burmah  is 
more  than  double  what  occurs  in  Indian  stations,  where  they  find  their 
own  food.' ' 

The  foreign  service  'ration'  in  fact  is  a  'survival'  from  the 
time  of  the  first  Burmese  "War.  It  was  formed  in  times  long  before 
sanitary  commissioners  or  chemists  learned  in  food-composition 
existed ;  and  at  the  present  time  it  is  no  more  to  be  regarded  as  a 
typical  '  diet '  than  are  the  buttons  on  the  backs  of  our  dress-coats  to 
be  regarded  as  a  device  for  supporting  a  sword-belt.  The  ration  is 
simply  an  '  aid '  to  the  soldiers  employed  in  a  foreign  country,  and  the 
men  are  put  under  no  stoppages  whatever  on  account  of  it,  but  draw 
the  full  pay  of  their  rank,  just  as  if  they  had  to  find  every  particle  of 
food  out  of  their  pay.  If  the  relief  coolies  in  whose  behalf  I  have 
protested  had  seven  or  nine  rupees  a  month  in  addition  to  the  pound 

*  Madras  Medical  Journal^  vol.  viii.  p.  30. 


200 


THE    1-LB.    RATION. 


of  grain,  I  shoiild  have  made  no  objections  to  the  insufficiency  of  their 
rations. 

The  GU)vernment  expect,  in  these  settled  times,  with  the  Burmese 
markets  well  supplied  with  poultry,  eggs,  fish,  and  flesh,  that  the 
Sepoy  can  buy  his  nitrogenous  food  for  himself,  and  practically  he  does 
so  to  such  an  extent  that  of  late  years  the  troops  stationed  in  Burmah 
have  been  almost  as  healthy  as  when  in  Southern  India. 

But  there  are  and  have  been  exceptions.  I  need  not  go  back  to 
the  very  terrible  mortality  of  native  troops  from  bowel  complaints  in 
the  first  and  second  Burmese  Wars.  These  things  are  matters  of 
history,  but  no  latar  than  the  year  1872  a  detachment  of  native 
troops  was  sent  from  Burmah  to  occupy  posts  on  the  Anucan  river 
in  co-operation  with  the  Lushai  expedition. 

In  this  locality  the  men  had  no  market  at  hand  in  which  to  buy 
animal  food,  and  in  attempting  to  live  on  their  'rations'  they  sickened 
and  died  in  large  numbers.  The  proportions  are  given  in  the  following 
table : — 


Strength      .        .        .        .  184 

Hospital  admissions     .        .  901 

Deaths    (12  from    'dropsy,'  6 

from  *  debility')        .        .  17 


Ratios  of  sick  to  strength 

per  mille        .        .         .  4,8967 
Deaths       ....     146*7 


In  this  case  and  in  all  others  demanding  active  service  away  from 
markets  of  supply,  the  native  soldier  on  fomgn  service  does^  in  fact, 
*  fail  to  do  what  the  GU)vemment  expects  of  him,'  and  simply  because 
his  '  rations '  are  unfitted  of  themselves  to  support  his  health  and 
strength.  The  fact  is  acknowledged  and  admitted  by  every  officer 
who  has  commanded  in  Burmah. 

Then,  again,  the  *  rations '  of  the  European  soldier  do  not,  as  Sir 
Richard  Temple  supposes,  constitute  his  whole  food.  Every  com- 
manding officer  knows  that  the  British  soldier  habitually  buys  extra 
meat  from  the  bazaar  out  of  his  ample  pay,  and  there  is  no  regiment 
in  the  country  which  has  not  a  provision  shop  of  its  own  in  which 
anything,  from  a  Yarmouth  bloater  to  a  truffled  sausage,  may  be 
bought.  The  I'ations  on  the  whole  are  fairly  adapted  for  the  British 
soldier,  although  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  eats  more  meat  than  the 
quantity  contained  in  the  ration. 

I  must  confess  that  I  was  a  little  staggered  by  Sir  Eichard  Temple's 
quotation  of  the  scale  of  food  allowed  to  '  European  soldiers  on  board 
ship.'  I  was  travelling  at  the  time  of  receiving  the  minute,  and  away 
from  all  books  of  reference,  so  that  I  could  not  verify  the  composition 
of  the  diet  as  given  in  the  '  Madras  Manual  of  Hygiene ' ;  but  I  knew 
that  this  diet  had  been  framed  under  the  advice  of  scioitific  men,  and 


HALF    RATIONS    AND   TBE    RESULT.  201 

that  it  was  not  likely  to  err  in  the  direction  of  giving  too  little  nitro- 
genous food,  and  I  was  quite  satisfied  that  some  error  had  crept  into 
the  calculations,  and  that  Sir  Richard  Temple  had  pitched  upon  this 
'  crucial  instance '  without  thought  of  the  possible  inaccuracy  of  the 
figures.  The  explanation  of  the  calculated  quantity  of  nitrogen  in 
this  diet  being  only  155  grains  per  day  is  very  simple.  The  diets 
which  are  valued  in  the  ap^^endix  to  the  *  Madias  Manual  of  Hygiene ' 
are  all  taken  from  the  *  Madias  Medical  Code.'  The  quantities  of  this 
particular  diet  will  be  found  in  the  code,  page  133,  vol.  u.  The 
transcriber  instead  of  entering  4  lbs.,  or  64  oz.  of  '  fresh  bread'  for  a 
week's  ration,  has  made  the  mistake  of  entering  4  oz.,  and,  as  a  conse- 
quence, all  the  calculations  of  albuminous  and  carboniferous  food  are 
below  the  actual  truth. 

There  is  also  another  error.  The  calculator  of  the  nutritive 
values  has  assumed  that  *  salt-meat '  contains  less  albumen  than  fi'esh, 
and  has  put  down  a  less  propoiiion  of  nitrogen  for  the  salt-meat ;  but 
this  is  not  really  the  case,  though  in  salt  meat  the  albuminous  matter 
may  be  less  easily  digested.  The  effect  of  salting  meat  is  to  harden 
tbe  albuminous  tissues,  and  to  cause  the  watery  juices  of  the  meat  to 
enter  the  brine ;  consequently  salt  meat  has  more  albumen  in  a  given 
weight  than  fresh  or  preserved  meat.  On  the  whole  I  consider  the 
ship-board  dietary  of  the  European  soldier,  containing  as  it  does, 
according  to  my  calculation,  from  200  to  240  grains  of  nitrogen  per 
diem,  vevy  well  suited  for  a  class  of  people  who  have  nothing  whatever 
to  do 

I  feel  bound,  however,  to  protest  against  the  line  of  argument 
advanced  by  Sir  Richard  Temple,  that,  as  the  British  soldier  only 
needs  so  much  nitrogenous  food,  the  native  of  India  can  do  with  two- 
thirds  of  that  amount,  or  less.  We  have  no  grounds  whatever  for 
admitting  so  dangerous  a  theory,  and  all  our  practical  experience  tells 
just  the  other  way 

The  effects  of  improving  the  standard  of  diets  in  the  Madras  gaols 
in  1867,  so  as  to  raise  the  amount  of  albuminous  food  equal  to  from 
200  to  240  grains  of  nitrogen  per  diem,  has  been  to  diminish  the  mean 
annual  death-rate  from  107  to  about  22  per  thousand  for  the  eight 
years  in  which  the  new  dietaries  have  been  in  force.  This  ought  to 
be  fairly  convincing  testimony,  but  there  is  more  behind.  A  few 
years  ago  a  gaol  superintendent,  who  had  been  admonished  by  Govern- 
ment for  over  much  flogging,  was  requested  to  adopt  some  other  mode 
of  punishment,  and  the  punishment-book  showed,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  months,  some  himdreds  of  entiies  to  this  effect :  *  Half  rations 
until  he  completes  his  task.'  The  result  was  great  increase  of  sickness 
and  mortality  from  the  diseases  such  as  now  fill  our  famine  camps, 


202  TUB    1-LB.    RATIOX. 

viz.y  sloughing  ulcers,  bowel  complainte,  dropsy,  and  impoverished 
blood.  On  discontinuing  the  food  punishment,  the  mortality  began 
slowly  to  subside  to  its  normal  proportions.  So  close  is  the  connec- 
tion in  &jct  between  a  sufficiency  of  nitrogenous  food  and  the  health 
of  the  prisoners,  that  I  never  now  hear  of  an  increase  of  bowel 
disorders  and  di*opsies  in  a  gaol  without  at  once  suspecting  tam- 
pering with  the  food  or  provisions  in  the  district  prisons.  In 
talking  the  matter  over  with  the  Inspector-Creneral  of  Prisons,  I 
find  that  he  has  arrived  at  precisely  the  same  conclusion.  After 
the  Bengal  famine,  I  see  it  noted  that  the  rate  of  mortality  in  the 
Julpigoree  gaol  was  27  per  cent.,  chiefly  from  'bowel  complaints.' 
In  Rungpore  17*6  per  cent.  In  Gya,  Tirhoot,  and  Chumparun  the 
mortality  was  17,  10,  and  15  per  cent,  respectively.  *  Dysentery 
was  the  most  fatal  disease.'  The  precis  writer  who  compiles  the 
sanitary  statistics  of  the  India  Office  does  not  appear  to  have  had  a 
notion  of  the  connection  of  the  imdue  gaol  mortality  with  the  famine, 
but  notes  that  a  '  special  report  has  been  called  for '  to  explain  it. 
Beading  between  the  lines  I  can  at  once  tell  him  that  it  was  a 
mortality  from  starvation  diseases. 

With  all  these  facts  before  me,  I  think  myself  quite  justified  in 
having  given  early  warning  of  the  danger  of  reducing  wages  to  the 
basis  of  one  pound  of  cereal  grain  a  day,  even  admitting  that  my  re- 
monstrance was,  as  Sir  Bichard  Temple  states,  *  strongly  worded.'  It 
saves  time  to  state  in  plain  terms  one's  actual  meaning,  and  my  mean- 
ing was  quite  evident  when  I  showed  that  Sir  Kichard  Temple's 
proposals  were  out  of  harmony  with  the  experience  of  the  Bengal 
famine,  and  with  our  actual  knowledge  of  the  effects  of  insufficient 
food. 

Up  to  this  point,  however,  Dr.  Cornish  had  been  dis- 
cussing the  question  apart  from  actual  facts  fiirnished 
by  the  famine.  In  the  remaining  portion  of  his  letter, 
which  is  quoted  in  its  entirety,  he  deals  with  observed 
facts.     He  says  : — 

There  remains  yet  one  more  point  to  be  noticed  with  reference 
to  differences  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  present  condition  of  the 
labouring  poor.  On  this  point  Sir  Bichard  Temple  states :  '  Having 
carefully  inspected  during  my  tour  in  this  Presidency  thousands  of 
relief  labourers,  I  give  it  as  my  opinion,  that  with  very  few  excep- 
tions, which  are  not  as  a  rule  traceable  to  insufficient  wages,  the 
general  physical  condition  of  the  labourers  is  as  good  now  as  in 
ordinary  years.' 


EFFECT  OF  PRIVATION  ON  THE  PEOPLE.     203 

This  is  Sir  Richard  Temple's  opinion,  but  not  mine.  I  too  have 
seen  a  considerable  number  of  relief  labourers,  and  have  taken  some 
pains  to  find  out  where  the  distress  really  is,  and  my  experience  is 
this,  that  if  I  want  to  see  the  darkest  side  of  the  famine  picture,  I 
must  look  for  it  elsewhere  than  amongst  the  ranks  of  those  who  have 
stUl  strength  enough  left  them  to  work.  Consequently  I  make  it  a 
point  of  examining,  wherever  I  can,  the  condition  of  the  people  fed 
in  relief  houses,  lungerkhanas,  and  by  private  chaiity.  I  try  to 
ascertain  the  condition  of  the  poor  who  frequent  the  public  bazaars 
and  markets ;  and  I  pay  special  attention  to  the  condition  of  the  old 
and  the  young,  whom  I  find  almost  invariably  to  be  the  earliest 
victims  of  distress.  It  is  in  this  respect  probably  that  my  estimate 
of  the  effects  of  the  famine  on  the  h^th  of  the  lower  classes  differs 
so  widely  from  Sir  Richard  Temple's.  My  own  view  is  briefly  this, 
that  the  famine  is  pressing  with  peculiar  severity  upon  certain 
sections  of  the  labouring  classes,  who  average  fi'om  twenty  to  thirty 
per  cent,  of  the  population  of  the  several  districts ;  that  amongst 
these  classes  there  has  been  ab-cady  a  very  large  mortality,  primarily 
due  to  bad  and  insufiicient  feeding;  and  that  the  condition  of  the  sur- 
vivoi-s  is  in  many  cases  critical  in  the  extreme,  as  shown  by  the  rapidly 
increasing  proportion  of  persons  who  are  unfit  to  work,  and  who  have 
to  be  fed  entirely  at  Government  expense  to  keep  the  feeble  vitality 
they  have  from  being  altogether  extinguished. 

Immediately  the  condition  of  a  people  becomes  so  low  that  they 
cannot  work,  the  question  of  saving  life  becomes  enormously  compli- 
cated, and  in  plain  language  the  time  has  then  passed  by  when 
Government  relief  can  do  more  than  attempt  to  rescue  a  few 
possessed  of  the  strongest  constitutions.  What  has  been  our  experi- 
ence in  this  respect  in  the  Madras  relief  camps  now  being  established 
throughout  the  country)  Sir  Richard  Temple,  I  observe,  in  his 
numerous  minutes,  has  passed  by  this  subject  of  the  actual  mortality 
of  the  famine-stricken,  but  as  a  public  health  official,  I  am  bound  to 
take  notice  of  it. 

The  following  figures  show  the  mortality  amongst  this  class 
of  the  population  in  the  Madras  camps  for  ten  weeks  ending 
March  31  :— 

Mean  strength  Total  deaths  Annual  rates  per  mille 

11,006      .        .        1,971        .        .        .    030-8 

This  enormous  mortality  simply  means  an  annual  death-rate 
equivalent  to  930*8  per  mille  of  the  population  constantly  under 
observation,  and,  in  fact,  is  a  death-rate  which  wipes  out  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  living  within  a  year.     The  excessive  death-rate  going 


204  THE   1  LB.    RATION. 

on  in  Madras  is  going  on  in  every  relief  camp  in  the  country.  I  find 
but  little  difference  in  the  proportion  of  deaths,  whether  in  North 
Arcot,  Ouddapah,  or  Madras.  And  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  this 
excessive  death-rate  is  due  to  cholera  or  small-pox,  for  the  Madras 
camps  have  been  singularly  free  of  the  former,  and  by  means  of 
vaccination  the  small-pox  epidemic  has  been  controlled.  The  deaths 
are  almost  entirely  due  to  diseases  which  invariably,  in  India,  attack 
under-fed  and  starved  people,  viz.,  extreme  wasting  of  tissue,  and 
destruction  of  the  lining  membrane  of  the  lower  bowel.  This  is  a 
simple  statement  of  fact.  Thanks  to  the  assistance  of  Surgeon-General 
G.  Smith  and  his  able  medical  staff  in  Madras,  this  question  of  the 
nature  of  the  famine  disease  has  been  abundantly  verified  by  post-mortem 
examinations.  Surgeon-Major  Porter  informs  me  that  the  average 
weight  of  bodies  of  full-grown  men  he  has  examined  has  varied  from 
fifty-seven  to  eighty-five  pounds,  and  it  is  enough  to  record  this  &ct 
to  show  the  extreme  wasting  going  on  during  life. 

But  if  the  condition  of  the  labouring  classes  is  so  generally 
satisfactory  to  Sir  Richard  Temple,  how  is  it,  I  may  ask,  that  the 
death-returns  of  the  famine  districts  are  so  much  above  what  is  usual) 
I  have  not  as  yet  received  the  returns  for  February,  but  those  for 
December  and  January  are  available  for  comparison  with  the  average 
results  of  the  previous  five  years.  I  must,  however,  note  with 
respect  to  these  district  death-returns,  that  from  personal  investiga- 
tion in  the  districts,  I  know  they  very  much  understate  the  real 
mortality  of  the  last  few  months.  The  truth  is,  the  famine  has 
disorganised  our  village  establishments  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
actual  numbers  who  have  already  perished  will  never  be  known. 
Hundreds  and  thousands  of  people  have  died  away  from  their  homes, 
have  fedlen  down  by  the  roadsides,  and  their  bodies  have  been  left  to 
be  eaten  by  dogs  and  jackals.  Mr.  Gribble,  the  sub-collector  of 
Cuddapah,  in  the  course  of  a  morning's  ride  of  fourteen  miles,  came 
upon  eight  unburied  bodies,  and  at  Boyachoti  in  January  last  Mr. 
Supervisor  Matthews  informed  me  that  after  an  outbreak  of  cholera 
fifty-three  dead  bodies  lay  for  days  exposed  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  river, 
near  the  works  the  relief  coolies  were  engaged  on.  Walking  over 
this  ground  two  months  after  the  event,  the  numerous  skulls  and 
human  bones  scattered  on  the  surface  convinced  me  that  the  state- 

I  ment  was  founded  on  fact. 

I  With  our  village  establishments  panic-stricken,  and  the  village 

messengers  away  at  relief  works,  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  death 
registration  has  been  most  incomplete.  At  Madanapalli  I  found  that 
the  deaths  in  the  civil  hospital  had  exceeded  those  borne  on  the 
village  register  for  certain  months,  and  at  Boyachoti    the  deaths 


MORTALITY    IN   FAMINE   DISTBICTS. 


205 


amongHt  the  Btarvisg  people  sent  into  the  relief  shed  in  March  had 
exceeded  the  r^pustered  mortality  for  the  whole  town.  It  is  obvious 
therefore  that  the  figures  I  now  give  do  not  represent  the  real  truth  of 
our  losses ;  they  are  at  the  best  approximate  only. 


Mortality  in  Famine  Districts, 


DiRtricto. 

Chlngle- 
put. 

Nellore 

North 
Aroot 

Kumool 

Cndda- 
pah 

Bellarj 

Fopalation 

Average  of  6  years  (  December 
ending    1876       ( January 

938,184 

1,892 
1,404 

1,376.811 

2,007 
1,794 

2,015,278 

RtgiMUrtd 

8.446 

3,943 

014,432 

[  DeaOu. 

1,420 
1,371 

1,361,194 

2  336 
1,933 

1,668,006 

2,686 
2,268 

2,866 
6,094 

6.644 
11,143 

6.046 
13,686 

11,862 
6,263 

6,612 
13,861 

7,440 
6,361 

Ratio  per  1,000  of  population 

per  annum 
Average  of  6  years  (two  months) 
Present   season  (two  months) 

21-08 
67-2 

16-6 
78-7 

21-9 
68-7 

18*3 
118-8 

18-9 
88-7 

17-4 
60-4 

Even  these  figures,  which  we  know  to  be  imder  the  truth,  show 
an  appalling  mortality  in  the  famine  districts  during  December  and 
January.  I  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  state  of  things  here 
indicated  has  much  improved  in  February  and  March.  But  in  our 
municipal  towns,  or  in  some  of  them  at  least,  within  the  £unine  area, 
death  registration  is  more  efficiently  managed,  and  the  following 
figures  will  tend  to  show  the  gravity  of  the  famine  as  exemplified  in 
an  abnormal  death-rate.  In  Bellary  I  have  long  had  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  registration  was  not  properly  done,  and  the  returns  of 
some  of  the  Bellary  municipalities  are  obviously  imperfect.  The  first 
thing  that  attracted  my  attention  in  connection  with  the  famine,  on 
returning  to  duty  in  the  end  of  January,  was  the  abnormal  death-rate 
amongst  certain  classes  and  certain  l(X2alities  of  the  Presidency  town, 
and  I  lost  no  time  in  drawing  the  attention  of  GU)vemment  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  people,  and  suggesting  measures  for  combating  the  great 
destruction  of  life  then  going  on.  While  the  mortality  of  the  Presi- 
dency town  was  exaggerated  by  the  influx  of  starving  immigrants,  the 
experience  of  other  municipalities  shows  that  throughout  the  famine 
tract  the  death-rate  has  risen  out  of  all  proportion  to  its  normal 
condition. 


206 


THE   1-LB.    RATION. 


Mortality 

vn  the  Municipalities  of  the  Famine  Districts, 

Municipal 
towns 

g 
897,652 

87,827 

29,929 

§ 

4» 

•3 

1 

d 

1 

1 

3 

^ 

1 

a 
< 

4.918 

Popnlation 

38,022 

12,103 

2o,679 

16,276 

61,766 

22,728 

6.7B0 

Registered  Deatlis. 


•o  ts 

%l 

»ga    (Dec. 

1.211 

66 

63 

84 

41 

71 

60 

77 

69 

9 

7 

f  _2    •  Jan. 

si   i**"- 

1  g  ( 1876  Dec. 

1,260 

66 

87 

81 

80 

73 

66 

67 

47 

10 

8 

1,100 

66 

88 

80 

26 

60 

40 

63 

61 

9 

4 

2,034 

96 

127 

80 

48 

876 

88 

192 

448 

127 

11 

1  3     1877Jan 

4,069 

867 

169 

146 

66 

147 

82 

114 

180 

24 

9 

^1  1 1877  Feb. 
Ratio  per  1,000 

4,401 

87 

288 

216 

41 

171 

92 

127 

278 

6 

27 

of  population 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

per  annum 

Average  of  6 

* 

years   (8 

86-9 

20-8 

17*1 

38-4 

82*0 

81*9 

86*6 

144 

39-8 

16*6 

16-4 

months) 

Present  season 
(3  months) 

\  106-5 

^           1 

689 

78-06 

47-3 

61-2 

106-6 

63-1 

83^ 

1691 

98-3 

88-3 

The  &inine  so  far  has  ab-eady  fallen  very  heavily  on  the  old,  the 
weakly  constitutioned,  and  young  children.  It  is  still '  weeding  out ' 
from  our  lahouring  classes  a  large  number  of  victims,  and  in  consider- 
ation of  the  fact  that  diseased  conditions  dependent  on  insufficient  food 
follow  vMvny  months  after  tlie  cattse  has  passed  away,  I  apprehend 
that  a  heavy  and  unusual  mortality  will  continue,  even  after  the 
period  of  drought  and  dearth  of  food  has  ended. 

The  survivors  of  the  famine  will  be  the  strongest  and  best  fitted 
of  their  race  to  continue  the  species,  and  when  plenty  again  blesses  the 
land,  they  will  produce  a  vigorous  race  of  descendants ;  but  I  think 
there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  this  food  deficiency  has  fisillen 
very  heavily  upon  the  ordinary  agricultural  labouring  poor,  and  that 
many  years  must  elapse  before  they  will  have  made  up  the  niunbers 
who  have  fallen,  and  are  still  falling,  victims  to  the  combined  famine 
and  pestilence  now  in  our  midst.  I  have  in  former  reports  called  at- 
tention to  the  fact,  that  the  children  bom  of  famine-stricken  mothers 
are  nothing  but  skin  and  bone.  My  recent  experience  goes  to  show 
that  the  birth-rate  is  seriously  diminishing,  and  that  pregnancy 
amongst  the  distressed  women  is  becoming  a  rare  condition. 

It  is  on  these  grounds  that  I  cannot  subscribe  to  the  pleasing  and 
hopeful  telegrams  in  which  Sir  Richard  Temple  summarises  the  weekly 
progress  of  events  for  the  benefit  of  the  Home  Government  and  the 


TWO    POINTS   OF    VIEW.  207 

English  people.  There  are  two  sides  to  every  picture.  Sir  Bichard 
Temple,  like  a  skilful  general  commanding  in  battle,  naturally  fixes 
his  attention  on  the  main  points  of  attack  and  defence,  and  so  long 
as  these  are  safe,  his  main  work  is  accomplished. 

I,  on  the  other  hand,  as  a  public  health  official  whose  special  duty 
is  to  preserve  life,  am  bound  to  listen  to  the  cries  of  the  wounded,  and 
to  note  in  what  way  the  combatants  suffer,  and  I  should  be  wanting 
in  my  duty  to  myself  and  to  the  Government  I  serve,  if  I  failed  to 
state  the  facts  coming  to  my  knowledge,  and  the  deduction  di-awn  from 
those  facts. 

A  few  days  before  leaving  the  Presidency  of  Madras 
to  assume  the  governorship  of  Bombay,  Sir  Richard 
Temple  replied  to  Dr.  Cornish's  letter  in  a  minute 
dated  Cuddalore,  April  18.  It  was  comparatively  brief, 
and  was  confined  to  a  few  points  upon  which  he  held 
exactly  opposite  opinions  to  Dr.  Cornish.  Having 
regard  to  the  importance  of  the  subject,  Sir  Richard 
refrained  from  *  making  the  objections  which  might 
ordinarily  be  made  to  the  tone  of  some  parts  of  the 
Sanitary  Commissioner's  minute  as  an  official  paper.' 

Sir  Richard  accepted  the  Sanitary  Commissioner's 
assurances  that  the  '  Madras  Manual  of  Hygiene '  was 
wrong  on  the  point  upon  which  the  Delegate  had  rested. 
He  proceeded  to  indicate  a  weakness  in  the  argument 
of  Dr.  Cornish.  Sir  Richard  says : — *  It  is  not  neces- 
sary, however,  to  pursue  this  point,  or  any  such  like 
points,  because  I  understand  that  the  medico-chemical 
theories  upon  which  the  Sanitary  Commissioner  of 
Madras  seems  still  to  rely  are  not  implicitly  accepted  by 
the  highest  sanitary  authorities  in  India,  and  do.  not 
entirely  coincide  with  the  newest  development  of  scien- 
tific thought  regarding  the  carbonaceous  and  nitroge- 
nous elements  necessary  for  the  nutrition  of  the  human 
fi^me.  Nor  is  it  practically  necessary  to  discuss  further 
the  Sanitary  Commissioner's  opinion  regarding  the  suf- 
ficiency or  otherwise  of  the  reduced  wage,  because  in  his 


208  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

present  minute  he  admits  that,  as  now  applied,  it  is  suf- 
ficient. His  previous  objections  appear  to  have  been 
diminished  by  the  granting  of  the  wage  on  Sundays  as 
well  as  week  days,  and  by  the  granting  of  a  small 
allowance  for  the  support  of  the  young  children  of  per- 
sons employed  on  the  works.  I  had  myself  always 
contemplated  that  the  reduced  wage  should  be  allowed 
on  Sundays.  As  regards  the  very  young  children,  their 
case  did  not  at  first  suggest  itself  for  consideration,  as 
all  young  children  from  seven  years  and  upwards  were 
admitted  to  relief.  But  as  soon  as  the  case  of  the  children 
under  seven  years  of  age  was  brought  to  my  notice, 
I  recommended  that  they  also  should  receive  a  small 
allowance.  I  found,  however,  that  this  had  been  already 
ordered  by  the  Madras  Government/ 

On  the  main  point  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  rate  to 
support  labourers  on  works,  Sir  Richard  Temple 
would  not  give  way.  He  had  his  own  observation  to 
go  by.  Seeing  is  believing.  Consequently,  he  re- 
marks: *  Though  I  do  not  undertake  to  pronounce  any 
opinion  upon  a  medico-chemical  point,  yet  I  do  under- 
take to  say  whether  thousands  of  relief  labourers  in- 
spected by  me  are  physically  in  fair  working  condition 
or  not.  And  I  adhere  to  the  opinion  previously  ex- 
pressed, that  the  many  gangs  which  I  inspected  working 
on  the  reduced  wage  were  in  such  condition,  regard 
being  had  to  the  condition  of  such  persons  in  ordinary 
times.  In  this  opinion  I  was  confirmed  by  the  expe- 
rienced medical  officer  on  my  staflF  who  had  seen  the 
realities  of  famine  in  other  parts  of  India.  But  in 
order  that  no  doubt  might  remain  upon  the  point,  I 
asked  for  and  obtained  the  opinion  of  the  Sanitary 
Conomaissioner  with  the  Government  of  India.  And 
after  inspecting  in  different  parts  of  the  country  some 
35,000  relief  labourers,  he  pronounced  them  to  be,  with 


THE  RATION  DECLARED  SUFFICIENT.       209 

some  individual  exceptions,  in  fair  condition.  This, 
then,  is  the  true  test  of  the  insufficiency  or  otherwise  of 
the  reduced  wage,  to  which  I  have  always  appealed,  and 
still  appeal.  According  to  this  test  the  wage  appears 
to  be  sufficient  at  present.  If  at  any  time  any  marked 
deterioration  of  the  physical  condition  were  to  indicate 
that  the  reduced  wage  is  insufficient,  then  I  shall  be  the 
first  to  make  a  revised  recommendation/ 

Sir  Richard  drew  a  distinction  between  those  em- 
ployed on  works  and  those  in  relief  camps.  He  said  : 
*  Inferences  deduced  from  the  condition  of  the  reci- 
pients of  gratuitous  relief  are  wholly  irrelevant  if 
attempted  to  be  applied  to  the  conditions  of  relief 
labom*ers.  If,  unhappily,  there  be  mortality  among 
the  inmates  of  relief  camps,  it  by  no  means  follows  that 
there  is  any  mortality  among  relief  labourers.  In  point 
of  fact  there  is  no  mortality  among  relief  labourers 
except  from  cholera,  small-pox,  or  other  diseases,  and 
when  sometimes  cholera  has  stricken  and  dispersed 
large  gangs  of  relief  labourers,  there  has  never  been 
any  reason  to  suppose  that  the  scourge  arose  from  want 
of  food.  Again,  if  notwithstanding  scientifically  ar- 
ranged diets  the  condition  of  the  inmates  of  relief 
camps  continues  bad,  no  amelioration  whatever  could 
be  afforded  by  raising  the  wages  of  relief  labourers,  who 
are  a  totally  different  class.  These  poor  inmates  have 
never  gone  to  relief  works  at  all.^  Indeed  the  very 
reason  of  their  admission  to  the  relief  camps  is  this,  that 
they  are  incapable  of  going  to  relief  works.  They  are 
diseased  or  infirm,  or  being  indisposed  to  work  have 
wandered  about,  or,  passing  by  means  of  relief  close  at 
home,  have  wandered  to  a  distance.  Being  thus  help- 
less for  one  reason  or  another,  they  are  picked  up  and 

*  This  was  shown  to   he  entirely  incorrect.      Thousands  went  from 
works  to  camps,  either  immediately,  or  after  an  intezyal  of  starring  at  home. 

VOL.  II.  P 


210  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

» 

taken  care  of;  bat  when  picked  up  they  toe  often 
beyond  the  reach  of  human  aid.  No  analogy,  there- 
fore, drawn  from  these  persons  can  possibly  be  appli- 
cable to  relief  labourers,  and  to  mention  the  two  cases 
with  any  sort  of  parallelism  and  in  any  kind  of  connec- 
tion, would  be  to  produce  confusion  of  ideas  and  other 
misapprehension.  If  indeed  persons  who  were  pale  on 
being  admitted  to  relief  works  were  to  become  thinner 
and  thinner  and  weaker  and  weaker,  till  at  last  they  had 
to  be  drafted  off  to  gratuitous  relief  camps  as  unfit  to 
work,  then  that  would  be  a  reason  for  considering  the 
wages,  but  this  is  just  what  has  not  occurred,  and  is  not 
occurring.  If  I  saw  or  knew  of  any  signs  of  it  occur- 
ring, then  I  should  be  the  first  to  move.  Many  relief 
labourers  indeed  have  left  the  works  of  their  own 
accord,  not  so  much,  however,  because  the  wage  was 
reduced,  but  rather  because  task-work  was  enforced,  or 
because  the  scene  of  labour  was  removed  to  a  distance 
firom  their  homes.' 

With  this  the  wordy  warfere  between  the  Delegate 
of  the  Government  of  India  and  the  Sanitary  Commis- 
sioner of  Madras  came  to  an  end.^ 

1  On  more  careful  examination  of  the  papers  I  find  that  the  Goyemment 
of  Madras  asked  Dr.  Oomiah  to  reply  to  one  of  the  paragraphs  of  Sir  Richard 
Temple's  minute  (the  last  passage  quoted  above).  The  Sanitary  Oonmuasioner 
did  so,  and  quoted  the  Delegate's  own  words  and  instanced  his  own  acts  in 
sending  people  from  works  to  relief  camps  as  the  last  thing  Sir  Richard 
Temple  did  in  the  Madras  Presidency. 


211 


CHAPTER  III. 

EVIDENCE   PRO    ET   CON   AS   TO   THE   SUFFICIENCY 

OF  THE   RATION. 

Afteb  the  scale  of  wages  prescribed  in  the  Government 
order  of  January  31  had  been  in  operation  six  weeks, 
the  Madras  authorities  had  before  them  a  mass  of  papers 
from  district  officers,  which,  in  their  opinion,  proved 
that  the  wage  was  insufficient  to  maintain,  in  all  cases, 
the  condition  of  people  working  on  relief  works,  while 
their  Sanitary  Commissioner  considered  the  sustenance 
afforded  thereby  generally  insufficient.  Further,  from 
a  letter  written  by  the  secretary  (Mr.  C.  E.  Bernard, 
C.S.I.),  to  Sir  Richard  Temple  regarding  the  Delegate's 
classification  of  gangs,  it  appeared  that  out  of  94,250 
persons  inspected  in  the  Madras  Presidency,  28,850  were 
reported  as  middling,  and  15,800  as  indifferent,  while 
of  the  gangs  inspected  in  other  provinces,  numbering 
3,100,  1,000  were  reported  as  indifferent.  It  further 
appeared  that  in  Mysore  a  larger  food  allowance  per 
head  than  was  permitted  for  Madras  had  been  authorised. 
His  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  carefully  considered 
the  papers  proving  the  above  statements,  and  also  had 
the  advantage  of  conferring  with  Sir  Richard  Temple 
thereon;  he  resolved  to  wait  reports  from  other  districts 
as  weU  as  further  reports  from  the  Coimbatore  and  Cud- 
dapah  districts,  before  finally  deciding  on  the  question  of 
the  adequacy  or  otherwise  of  the  scale  of  allowances 
laid  down  in  the  Government  order  already  quoted. 

p  2 


212  THE    1-LB.   RATION. 

There  was,  however,  no  doubt,  in  the  opmion  of  his 
Grace  in  Council,  from  a  perusal  of  the  reports  already 
received,  as  well  as  from  the  personal  observations  of 
members  of  the  Government,,  that  many  persons  were 
to  be  found  in  gangs  who  were  failing  in  strength 
from  insufficient  nourishment  or  from  other  causes. 
This  might  arise  fix)m  their  having  been  previously 
weakened  by  insufficient  or  bad  food  before  coming  to 
the  works,  or  from  their  having  been  in  bad  health ;  or, 
again,  from  the  task  of  work  exacted  from  them  being 
too  heavy,  having  regard  to  the  sustenance  given.  His 
Grace  in  Council  therefore  directed  the  special  attention 
of  all  collectors  and  di^asional  officers  to  those  predispos- 
ing causes.  Any  persons  found  in  working  gangs  whose 
appearance  indicated  failing  condition  were  to  be  at  once 
withdrawn  from  such  gangs  and  given  some  lighter 
work,  or  if,  on  any  large  work,  such  persons  were  found  to 
be  numerous  and  no  relief  camp  was  sufficiently  near ,  they 
were  to  be  placed  together  in  a  special  gang  and  given 
such  additional  allowance  as  might  be  found  necessary  to 
maintain  their  health  and  strength.  Where  the  members 
of  a  gang  generally  showed  signs  of  physical  deteriora- 
tion, it  might  indicate  that  the  work  had  been  too  great, 
the  allowance  of  food  too  small,  or  possibly  that  they 
had  not  received  the  full  benefit  of  the  allowance  granted, 
either  in  consequence  of  malpractices  on  the  part  of 
maistries  and  overseers,  or  because  they  had  dependents 
living  upon  them,  and  sharing  their  bare  subsistence 
allowance,  whose  wants  should  have  been  discovered 
and  relieved,  if  necessary,  by  the  village  officers.  The 
order  continued  : — '  In  case  of  children  on  works,  who 
are  found  to  be  habitually  weak  or  exhausted  at  the 
end  of  the  day,  it  may  be  necessary  either  to  give  them 
increased  nourishment,  to  reduce  their  work,  or  to  re- 
lieve them  altogether,  if  under  ten  years  of  age,  of  work 


REPORTS   ON   THE   RATION.  213 

as  a  test.  His  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  cannot 
too  strongly  impress  upon  all  divisional  and  relief 
officers  the  importance  of  the  most  vigilant  attention 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  people  on  relief  works  and 
in  the  villages  under  their  charge.  The  success  of  any 
measures  devised  for  the  relief  of  present  distress  will 
mainly  depend  upon  the  personal  exertions  and  vigilance 
of  local  officers,  and  the  completeness  of  their  detailed 
arrangements.  One  point  especially  must  never  be 
overlooked,  but  which  has,  it  is  feared,  not  received 
sufficient  attention  in  some  places,  namely,  the  regularity 
and  frequency  of  payments  of  wages.' 

This  order  was  communicated  to  all  collectors  and 
relief  officers,  and  proved  but  the  presage  of  another 
order  issued  six  weeks  later,  doing  away  with  the  1-lb 
ration  altogether. 

The  reports  from  some  of  the  officers  were  most  ad- 
verse to  the  scale  recommended  by  Sir  Richard  Temple. 
A  selection  from  them  may  be  made  as  follows : — 

With  reference  to  G.  O.  No.  329,  of  January  31,  1877,  Mr.  W. 
H.  Glenny  has  the  honour  to  say  that,  according  to  his  own  observa- 
tions, and  that  of  the  officers  assisting  him,  he .  does  not  think  the 
physical  condition  of  the  people  on  relief  has  deteriorated  in  con- 
sequence of  the  reduction  of  wages.  The  gangs  now,  it  is  true,  present 
a  far  poorer  appearance  than  they  did  a  month  ago.  But  he  conceives 
that  this  is  owing  to  the  elimination  of  persons  of  conspicuously  well- 
noiuished  physique. 

On  Mai^ch  21  I  inspected  about  1,500  coolies  employed  in  making 
a  road  towards  the  Mysore  frontier  to  meet  a  road  in  course  of  con- 
struction there  leading  from  Colar  to  MuddanapuUy  and  Punganur. 
There  were  several  gangs  of  Brinjaries  and  many  Mussulmans  em- 
ployed. Of  the  1,500  coolies,  Mr.  Clerk  and  myself  picked  out  250, 
or  16  per  cent.,  who,  in  our  judgment,  were  in  very  bad  condition,  and 
many  of  them  more  fitted  for  a  relief  camp  than  for  labtiur  on  relief 
wages.  There  were  about  50  men  and  perhaps  30  women  out  of  the 
whole  number  in  good  muscular  condition.  The  children  were  nearly 
all  feeble,  emaciated,  and  anaemic.  The  young  girls  who,  from  their 
ages,  should  have  been  women,  were  arrested  in  their  development, 


214  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

and  showing  no  signs  of  puberty.  A  few  women  brought  their  infants 
with  them  to  the  works,  and  these  youngsters  were  literally  starving 
for  want  of  nourishing  breast-milk. — Dr.  Cornish. 

If,  as  the  famine  officers  believe  here  (Bellary  district),  the  able- 
bodied  people  have  mostly  other  means  of  support  than  the  subsistence 
wage,  it  is  clear  that  their  present  physical  condition  is  no  guide  to  na 
in  determining  the  point  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  wage.  I  am,  how- 
ever, inclined  to  the  view  that  there  has  been  a  gradual  deterioration 
in  the  physical  condition  of  the  people,  and  that  the  proportion  of 
those  who  are  weakly  and  emaciated  must  be  fast  increasing.  I  judge 
BO  from  the  condition  of  the  labouring  gangs  which  are  considered 
'  able-bodied,'  and  note  the  almost  complete  absence  of  redundant  flesh 
among  them,  and  from  the  admitted  fact,  that,  as  the  able-bodied  are 
discharged  from  the  road  gangs,  their  places  are  taken  by  people  who 
are  physically  reduced.  I  note,  too,  with  some  apprehension,  the  fact 
that,  in  the  town  of  Bellary  itself  more  than  10  per  cent,  of  its  popu- 
lation is  receiving  some  sort  of  relief  in  the  shape  of  partial  meals  of 
cooked  food.  It  may  be  that  this  relief  is  abused  to  some  extent,  but 
on  this  point  the  local  committees  will  hereafter  report.  Meanwhile, 
the  applicants  for  relief  amongst  the  town  poor  are  increasing  every 
day.  But,  besides  the  town  poor,  I  saw  yesterday  at  the  feeding  house 
in  Bruce  Pettah,  more  than  800  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  im- 
migrant population  who  came  and  waited  patiently  for  hours  in  expec- 
tation of  getting  a  meal  of  cooked  food.  Amongst  these  were  some  ter- 
rible pictures  of  emaciation  and  misery,  and  at  the  least  there  were  more 
than  50  children  amongst  them,  who,  if  not  taken  into  some  home,  and 
fed  and  nursed,  will  assut*edly  die  within  a  short  time. — Dr.  Cornish. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  labouring  classes,  as  a  rule,  have  fiiUen 
ofl*  greatly  in  condition  within  the  last  few  months,  and  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  we  see  n:one  of  the  worst  cases  of  destitution  in  the 
streets.  All  such  cases  are  at  once  sent  either  to  hospital  or  to  the 
relief  camps  by  inspectors  who  patrol  the  town  for  the  purpose ;  but 
after  all  this  weeding  out,  I  can  say  most  decidedly  that  the  people  I 
meet  now  in  the  streets  are  much  thinner  and  poorer-looking  in  eveiy 
way  than  those  I  saw  six  months  ago,  when  even  the  poorest  mingled 
in  the  streets. — Surgeon-Major  A.  E.  M.  Ross,  NeUore. 

I  have  the  honour  to  report  that  I  have  ordered  the  foUowiug 
rates  to  be  paid  to  relief  labourers  from  Monday,  April  23,  except  in 
the  town  of  Adoni,  where  the  existing  scale  will  be  adhered  to  : — 

AVcnnen  *  annas      \  rp^  inefficient  gangs  for  seven  days. 

Infante".        *.        ^'      \)  T<^  o""*^"^^  ^"^  for  six  days. 


CONDITION   OF  THE   DISTRESSED.  215 

The  reasons  are,  to  meet  increased  pressure  now  visible  in  the 
condition  of  the  labourers  themselves.  I  have  inspected  carefully 
24,000  of  them  within  the  week.  Captain  Hamilton  has  seen  all  the  re- 
mainder, and  agrees  with  me  that  the  time  for  some  relaxation  has  come. 

This  pressure  is  chiefly  due  to  the  advancing  season  and  the  time 
the  people  have  been  on  the  works.  But  there  are  other  causes.  The 
price  of  grain  h««  risen  and  18  rising,  and  Bometimee  it  knot  easy  to 
get  on  the  remoter  works,  while  at  places  distant  from  Adoni  the 
price  fluctuates  greatly.  The  evening  storms  which  now  frequently 
occur  interrupt  payments  and  cause  much  inconvenience  to  the 
labourers  camped  on  the  roads.  Their  clothes  are  getting  very  ragged. 
The  great  heat,  at  a  time  when  generally  they  are  not  compelled  to 
work,  is  trying  ;  and  the  recruiting  for  NeUore  has  undoubtedly 
pressed  very  severely  on  the  adult  male  labourers. 

In  fact,  it  is  among  the  latter  that  the  change  is  visible,  and  this 
accounts  for  the  apparent  disproportion  in  the  new  rates.  The  women 
still  look  much  as  before,  as  no  direct  pressure  has  been  put  on  them 
to  go  to  Nellore.  Many  of  them  are  in  excellent  condition,  sleek  and 
&t.     This  cannot  be  said  of  any  of  the  men. 

I  maintain  the  old  scale  at  Adoni,  as  it  is  properly  only  a  dep6t  to 
catch  up  persons  who  want  work.  There  is  a  great  tendency  amongst 
the  labourers  to  gravitate  thither,  and  this  can  be  best  met  by  making 
outside  works  more  attractive.  Moreover,  at  Adoni  grain  is  cheapest, 
and  there  is  always  shelter. — W.  B.  Oldham,  B.C.S. 

Here  in  Alur,  however,  I  agree  with  Mr.  Maltby  in  thinking 
that  the  people  are  decidedly  thinner  than  they  were. 

I  have  thought  it  necessary,  in  anticipation  of  your  sanction,  to 
raise  the  rates  in  Alur  taluk  from  23rd  instant  by  3  pies  all  round. — 
W.  H.  Glenny. 

With  reference  to  G.  O.  No.  1,088,  dated  the  15th  ultimo,  I 
have  the  honour  to  forward  a  copy  of  a  letter  No.  48,  dated  the  21fet 
instant,  from  Mr.  Oldham,  in  charge  of  the  Adoni  taluk,  reporting 
that  he  has  raised  the  wages  of  men,  women,  and  children  to  2  annas, 
1^  annas,  and  1  anna  respectively. 

I  also  inclose  copy  of  paragraphs  2  and  4  of  letter  No.  138,  dated 
20th  instant,  from  the  sub-collector,  that  he  has  raised  the  wages  in 
the  Alur  taluk  3  pies  all  round. 

2.  I  quite  agree  with  them  as  to  the  necessity  for  this ;  a  time  of 
great  pressure  has  arrived.  The  heat  of  the  weather  is  very  severe 
and  the  strength  of  the  labourers  is  decreasing  in  consequence  (with 
the  bare  subsistence  given  them). 

3.  But  what  I  would  most  earnestly  request  is  this :  that  Govern- 


216  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

ment  should  be  moved  to  allow  this  higher  scale  of  wages  everywhere 
in  the  district,  at  least  during  the  ensuing  month.  Uniformity  ib 
most  desirable,  and  the  necessity  is  the  same  everywhere,  for  prices 
are  rising. — J.  H.  Master,  Collector  of  BeUa/ry, 

Judging  from,  the  present  physical  condition  of  the  labourers 
generally,  I  think  that  they  are  failing  in  health  and  ^pdling  off  in 
strength.  Many  who  were  working  with  pick  axes  a  few  weeks  ago 
are  now  unable  to  use  them,  and  they  complain  of  debility,  which 
their  reduced  and  decaying  forms  and  himgry  appearance  clearly 
indicate.  I  have  seen  some,  between  thirty  and  thirty-five,  so  feeble 
as  to  reqidre  a  support  to  walk,  and  I  learnt  that  they  were  a  few 
days  back  in  good  health  and  were  working  on  relief  works  for  wages, 
but  are  now  succumbing  to  inadequate  food  and  defective  nourishment. 

Every  labourer  honestly  complains  of  low  wages  and  earnestly 
solicits  an  increase ;  and  their  cry  that  they  are  ill-fed  and  are 
starving  and  becoming  feeble  day  by  day  is  loud  and  general  in  every 
gang  that  I  have  seen.  From  careful  observation  and  frequent  and 
varied  tests  I  am  convinced  that  the  mere  individual  subsistence 
allowance  that  we  now  give  them  as  wages  is  barely  sufficient  for  a 
single  meal  in  these  hard,  hot  days  when  they  have  to  work  under 
the  burning  sun. — C.  Ra.ghava  Row,  Deputy  Collector. 

In  continuation  of  my  letter  No.  218,  of  April  8,  and  with  refer- 
ence to  your  foot-note  to  G.  O.  No.  757,  of  March  1,  I  have  the 
honour  to  report,  for  your  information,  that  since  my  arrival  at 
Kottoor,  Kudligi  taluk,  I  have  almost  every  day  waiched  the  manner 
in  which  the  large  crowds  of  the  relief  labourers  on  the  several  works 
ab^ut  this  place  are  working.  No  less  than  2,080  coolies  have  come 
under  my  observation,  not  mere  inspection,  and  I  must  say  that  the 
result  has  not  been  encouraging. 

The  female  coolies  outnumber  the  male  beyond  all  proportion, 
and  the  bulk  of  them  are  of  low  physique,  many  adults  and 
broods  of  young  children  looking  pale  and  lank.  The  grown-up 
women,  though  of  middle  age,  and  some  of  their  infants  strolling 
about  the  place,  pass  for  miserable  moving  skeletons.  The  mothers 
complain  that  the  \  anna  allowed  to  each  of  the  children  is  not 
enough  to  buy  sufficient  nourishment  for  it,  the  pittance  paid  to 
themselves  scarcely  sufficing  to  buy  them  a  good  day's  meal.  Con- 
sidering  therefore  the  amount  of  exhaustion  resulting  from  exposure 
to  the  burning  sun  of  April  and  May,  and  the  discouraging  indica- 
tions of  the  process  of  wastage  among  the  relief  labourers,  I  would 
respectfully  suggest  a  gradual  increase  in  the  present  rate  of  wages, 
until  such  a  time  as  we  could  detect  a  change  for  the  better  in  their 


CONDITION  OF   THE   DISTRESSED.  217 

phjBique.  In  maJdng  this  suggestion  for  your  oonsidei'ation  I  have 
not  lost  sight  of  the  importance  of  the  difference  to  the  treasury  that 
would  result  from  having  to  '  make  the  increase^in  the  rates  to  over  a 
lakh  and  a  quarter  of  the  labourers  in  my  division,'  but  I  feel  bound  to 
do  so  at  any  risk  in  furtherance  of  the  liberal  policy  of  Government 
declared  in  the  Grovemment  order  under  reference. — Murugeseh 
Mudaliyab)  Dejputy  Collector, 

The  weavers,  on  the  whole,  of  whom  there  were  many  on  this 
road,  appeared  to  be  the  feeblest  people  amongst  the  gangs. 
Guinea-worm  was  very  prevalent,  and  all  cleusses  of  these  gangs 
showed  the  tendency  to  scurvy  indicated  by  swollen,  spongy,  and 
bleeding  gums. 

I  learnt  from  Mr.  Oldham  that  it  has  not  been  the  practice 
hitherto  in  this  taluk  to  pay  the  coolies  for  Sundays.  In  the  opinion 
of  this  gentleman  and  Capt.  Hamilton,  there  has  been  a  perceptible 
change  for  the  worse  in  the  condition  of  the  gangs  of  late,  so  much  so 
that  Mr.  Oldham  had  determined  on  raising  the  rates  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  week  on  his  own  responsibility.  Mr.  Oldham  had 
come  to  this  decision  without  any  communication  with  me  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  stated  that  consideiing  the  prices  of  food  and  the  condition  of 
the  people,  he  deemed  an  increase  of  wage  to  be  necessary.  I  left 
Adoni  on  Monday  afternoon  for  Goondacul. 

At  Goondacul  I  met  Mr.  Glenny,  the  sub-collector  of  the  district, 
and  Lieutenant  Wilson,  on  famine  works,  and  as  the  Honourable  Sir 
Kichard  Temple  was  expected  to  arrive  during  the  night,  the  inspec- 
tion of  gangs  at  Goondacul  was  deferred  until  next  morning. 

Goondacul. — On  the  morning  of  the  24th  instant  I  accompanied 
Sir  Kichard  Temple  in  the  inspection  of  a  gang  of  about  1,000  coolies 
at  Goondacul ;  of  these  people  180  were  men,  and  the  rest  women  and 
children. 

Of  the  180  men  present.  Sir  Eichard  Temple  selected  41  (or  more 
than  22  per  cent.)  as  unfit  for  work,  and  directed  that  they  should  be 
fed  at  the  neighbouring  reUef  house.  In  looking  over  the  remainder, 
I  noticed  eighteen  others,  who,  in  my  judgment,  were  out  of  condition 
and  unfit  for  hard  work,  though  equal  perhaps  to  a  slight  exertion. 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  Dr.  Harvey,  the  private  surgeon 
to  Sir  Eichard  Temple,  in  his  memorandum  published  in  the  Gazette 
of  India  of  April  14,  page  993,  should  have  noticed,  on  February  22, 
that  the  Goondacul  gangs  were  the  best  he  had  seen.  The  majority  of 
the  Goondacul  people,  he  observes, '  belonged  to  a  class  above  the  lowest, 
and  were  almost  without  exception  in  very  fine  condition,  looking 
as  though  they  had  undergone  no  suffering,  nor  ever  missed  a  meal.' 


218  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

With  regard  to  the  foi'ty-one  men  selected  by  Sir  Eichard  Temple 
as  too  weak  for  work,  it  was  asoertamed  that  twelve  of  them  had 
recently  come  upon  the  works,  and  the  remainder  had  been  from  two 
to  five  months  employed  in  the  gangs.  It  was  certain,  therefore,  that 
twenty-nine  of  the  number  had  been  living  for  some  time  on  the  re- 
duced wages,  and  as  Dr.  Harvey  specially  comments  on  the  fine 
physique  of  the  Goondacul  gangs  on  Februaiy  22,  it  would  seem  to 
follow  that  two  months  of  reduced  wages  had  produced  the  de- 
terioration observed  and  commented  on  by  Sir  Bichard  Temple  on 
April  24. 

The  women  and  children  in  these  gangs  fisir  outnumbered  the 
men.  A  few  women  were  selected  by  Sir  Bichard  Temple  as  unfit 
for  work,  and  sent  to  a  relief  house.  I  noticed  that  many  of  the 
women  were  thin  and  worn,  and  others  ansemic,  and  I  should  have 
selected  from  fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent,  of  them  as  below  their  normal 
condition.  The  tendency  to  a  cachetic  condition  of  the  gums  was 
noticed  in  these  gangs  also. — Dr.  Cornish. 

In  Government  Order  May  5,  1877,  No.  1,648,  it  is  laid  down 
that  care  is  to  be  taken  that  no  able-bodied  coolies  are  to  be  retained 
in  the  camp.  In  this  district,  where  relief  works  are  available  for 
the  demand  of  labour,  a  famine  camp  thus  becomes  a  large  hospital 
where  men  reduced  by  starvation  are  fed  and  brought  to  a  proper  condi- 
tion to  enable  them  to  work,  which  accomplished,  they  are  discharged. 

The  diet  laid  down  in  the  Government  Order  referred  to  is 
literally  a  subsistence  diet,  one  upon  which  existence  might  be 
held  for  a  prolonged  period,  but  certainly  not  one  upon  which  persons 
reduced  by  starvation  could  be  expected  to  improve.  Indeed,  the 
diet  conveys  a  sufficient  amount  of  carbonaceous  and  nitrogenous 
material,  but  it  has  no  provision  for  the  conveyance  of  many  salts 
which  are  equally  essential  for  the  due  maintenance  of  health,  the 
chief  of  which  may  be  noted  as  the  common  adjunct  of  sodic  chloride. 
Fresh  vegetables  and  fatly  matters  are  also  absent.  Without  the 
former  amongst  people  already  reduced  below  the  standard  of  health, 
infallibly  scorbutic  symptoms  will  rapidly  become  added  to  those  of 
starvation,  and  the  camp  will  become  decimated  by  the  most  intract- 
able forms  of  dysenteiy  and  diarrhoea. 

Doubtiess  in  camps  in  the  open  district  vegetable  matters  would 
be  supplied  by  the  natives  themselves  by  finding  edible  roots,  <kc.,  but 
here,  in  the  midst  of  a  large  city,  the  camp  inhabitants  naturally 
diffuse  themselves  around  the  bazaars  imploring  the  additional  neces- 
saries to  this  diet. — Surgeon  W.  G.  King,  M,B, 

I  made  enquiries  and  questioned  many  of  the  people,  but  I  saw 


CONDITION  OF  THE  DISTRESSED.  219 

and  heard  of  no  caae  of  their  eating  leaves,  and  everyone  said  that  he 
or  she  had  been  properly  paid.  I  do  not  think  that  famine  coolies  in 
these  parts,  though  they  may  give  the  head  oooly  or  maistry  the 
cnstomary  '  dustoori '  in  order  to  have  their  names  entered  upon  the 
rolls,  allow  themselves  to  be  defrauded  of  their  wages.  They  are 
open-mouthed  enough  in  their  complaints,  but  I  have  found  that  when 
anything  was  said  against  the  head  coolies  or  maistries,  it  was  gene- 
rally either  that  they  worked  the  people  up  to  their  allotted  tasks, 
struck  individuals  off  the  roll  for  being  constantly  absent,  or  else 
refused  to  enter  children  in  a  class  higher  than  they  should  be.  Mr. 
Cox,  who  understands  and  speaks  Telugu  remarkably  well,  and  who  is 
very  ready  to  hear  and  patient  in  investigating  every  complaint, 
no  matter  how  petty,  has  not  been  able  to  find  any  cases  of  the  coolies 
having  been  paid  lees  than  was  due  to  them.  I  have  not  the  slightest 
moral  doubt,  nor  has  he,  that  Government  has  been  considerably 
defrauded  as  regards  the  number  of  children  receiving  3  pies  per  diem. 
Some  cases  of  this  brought  forward  by  the  assistant  &mine  officer, 
Mr.  Horden,  are  now  under  investigation,  but  I  fear,  from  what  I 
saw,  that  nothing  can  be  made  of  them  from  a  magisterial  point  of 
view. 

Having  read  with  much  interest  the  remarks  made  by  Dr.  Cornish 
in  the  various  reports  submitted  by  him  to  Government,  I  have  been 
much  struck  with  their  correctness.  The  £BLmine  is  evidently  telling, 
and  telling  heavily,  upon  the  old  and  very  young.  The  former  are, 
with  very  rare  exceptions,  becoming  shrivelled,  flabby,  and  haggard 
in  appearance,  and  the  girls  and  boys  who  have  arrived  at  the  point 
of  puberty  show,  in  their  faces  and  limbs,  all  the  signs  of  insufficient 
feeding.  They  are  *  spindly,'  their  arms  are  thin  and  flabby,  their  legs 
are  wanting  in  flesh,  the  knee-joints,  in  the  case  of  the  boys,  and  of 
such  girls  who,  having  tucked  their  clothes  up  to  work,  allowed  of  my 
seeing  their  knees,  stand  out  like  knobs,  and  the  iosides  of  the  thighs 
are  flattened  and  loose.  The  busts  of  the  girls  have  not  filled  out, 
and  the  chests  of  the  boys  show  the  bones,  and  they  mostly  tie  them- 
selves tightly  round  the  waist,  producing  an  unnatural  and  pu% 
appearance  of  the  abdomen.  Their  skins,  instead  of  being  of  a  healthy 
smooth  brown,  have  a  nasty  yellowish  cast,  and  are  fr*equently  dull  in 
colour.  The  infant  population,  i.e.,  the  sucking  children,  are  very 
much  reduced,  in  some  cases  almost  skeletons;  their  arms  are  like 
sticks,  their  ribs  show  distinctly,  and  their  buttocks  are  perfectly  flat ; 
their  legs  are  like  their  arms.  At  Forumamilla,  the  larger  part  of 
the  children  in  arms  were  in  this  state  or  verging  upon  it.  The  pay- 
ment of  three  pies  for  these  can  do  no  good.  This  sum  will  not  pro- 
vide the  mother  with  a  sufficiently  increased  supply  of  food  to  find 


220  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

milk  for  her  little  one.  The  nursing  women  must  either  have  a  special 
and  considerably  increased  allowance,  or  the  in£uits  must  die.  This 
is  a  point  upon  which  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt.  I  have 
questioned  several  women  as  to  the  reason  of  their  children  being  in 
the  state  that  I  have  described,  and  the  answer  has  invariably  been 
<I  have  little  or  nothing  for  it.'  The  truth  of  this  was  apparent 
enough. 

The  Board  know  that  I  am  not  a  sensational  writer.  I  am  simply 
stating  ieuctSy  and  the  correctness  of  these  can  be  proved  if  Grovei-nment 
will  send  the  inspecting  medical  officer  just  appointed  to  this  district 
to  visit  the  northern  portion  of  the  Budwail  taluk. — F.  J.  Price, 
Acting  Collector  of  Ctcddapah, 

m 

The  falling  off  among  these  coolies  and  among  those  at  Kodoor 
was  plainly  the  result  of  continued  payment  at  the  lowei-  rate  (Scale  2), 
and  the  falling  off  has  been  i-endered  more  rapid  of  late  by  the 
exhaustion  of  dry  grains  in  the  local  markets.  Nothing  but  rice  is 
now  obtainable,  and  much  of  this  is  very  indifferent  in  quality.  A 
strict  watch  is,  however,  now  kept  by  the  police  to  prevent  the  sale 
of  any  which  appears  to  be  absolutely  unfit  for  food.  Still,  I  believe 
some  such  is  secretly  sold.  A  few  days  ago  the  tahsildar  seized  five 
bags  at  Rajampet  (my  present  camp)  which  were  utterly  unfit  for  food 
iBJid  almost  rotten  from  exposure  to  wet. — K.  S.  Benson. 

Having  on  May  8,  while  inspecting  the  road  from  Sundupalli  to 
Rayaveram,  mustered  and  examined  the  coolies  on  it,  I  beg  to  re|X>rt 
as  follows  on  the  condition  of  the  people  there.  I  counted  752  coolies 
altogether  in  16  gangs;  of  these  58  were  old  and  168  weak;  of  the 
weak  ones,  several  old. 

I  also  observed  about  70  young  children.  A  few  looked  plump, 
but  these  were  rare  objects,  most  of  the  little  ones  being  ill-fed ;  some 
of  them  looked  pale  and  had  that  peevish  look  resulting  from  priva- 
tion. One  case  in  particular  I  made  a  note  of : — ^A  woman  had  three 
children,  none  of  them  being  fit  to  work;  she  herself  got  1  anna 
4  pies  a  day,  the  children  together  9  pies,  making  a  total  of  2  annas 
1  pie  a  day.  Hice  was  sold  at  SundupalU  shandy  on  the  7th  at 
4  seers  per  rupee ;  it  was  slightly  cheaper  the  week  before.  With  her 
daily  income  the  woman  could  not  have  got  quite  half  a  seer,  or  a  very 
small  fraction  over  20  ounces  (3^  ollocks)  given  to  an  adult  pauper  in 
the  relief  camp,  who  gets  extras  besides ;  the  woman  and  children,  I 
need  hardly  remark,  were  half-starved.  Even  if  the  woman  had  got 
the  higher  rate  of  1  anna  5  pies,  her  condition  would  hardly  be  better. 
This  may  be  taken  as  an  individual  case,  but  I  am  certain  there  must 
be  many  families  in  the  same  condition.  The  wonder  is  that  the  relief 
camp  has  not  a  larger  number  in  it  than  it  has. 


CONDITION   OF   THE   DISTRESSED.  221 

That  these  low  rates  are  telling  much  upon  the  condition  of  the 
pLople  is  clear ;  how  much  longer  the  coolies  can  hold  out  on  them  is 
a  matter  depending  entirely  on  each  indiyidual's  personal  strength. — 
E.  V.  Beeby. 

Mr.  Money  tells  me  that  some  of  his  superintendents  are  measur- 
ing the  same  gangs  at  stated  intervals,  and  that  all  agree  that  the 
oooHes  are  falling  off. — J.  D.  Gribble. 

Adverting  to  paragraph  6  of  G.  O.  dated  January  31  last,  No.  329, 
Financial  Department,  I  have  the  honour  to  report  on  the  physical 
condition  of  the  coolies  employed  on  relief-works  in  this  district  during 
the  week  ending  Saturday,  May  5. 

The  special  relief  officer  says :  *  The  people  who  came  under  my 
notice  as  labourers  in  this  district  on  the  reduced  scale  of  wage  are 
still  falling  off;  and  it  will  be  unnecessary  that  I  should  furnish  any 
further  weekly  report  on  this  subject,  as  I  am  fully  convinced,  and  no 
further  experience  can  alter  this  conviction,  that  the  reduced  scale  of 
wage  is  insufficient  to  provide  the  labourer  with  the  necessary  food  to 
keep  up  his  physical  condition  and  at  the  same  time  do  any  work.' 

The  deputy  collector  in  charge  of  the  Saidapet  taluk  has  observed 
no  changes,  but  the  officers  in  charge  of  relief  works  in  the  TriveUore 
taluk  state  that  there  has  been  a  slight  deterioration  in  the  physical 
condition  of  the  coolies  owing  to  the  insufficiency  of  the  scale  of  wages, 
but  partly  to  the  excessive  heat  of  the  weather. — R.  W.  Barlow, 
Collector  of  Chingleput. 

On  the  morning  of  April  131  visited  some  gangs  of  labourers  em- 
ployed in  collecting  material  for  the  repair  of  the  Gooty  road,  about 
six  or  seven  miles  out  from  Bellaiy.  There  have  been,  until  recently, 
some  6,000  or  7,000  persons  employed  on  this  road.  On  the  morning 
of  my  inspection  I  examined  nearly  3,000  labourers  and  children. 

Many  changes  have  been  going  on  in  these  gangs,  and  only  the 
day  before  my  visit  about  500  were  selected  as  able-bodied  and  re- 
quested to  go  to  Nellore.  Some  of  these,  however,  had  not  left  the 
works,  and  have  since  been  given  the  option  of  transferring  their' 
services  to  the  new  railway  works  in  progress  within  the  district. 

From  my  note-book  I  sae  that  we  examined  964  men,  1,189 
women,  and  244  working  boys  and  girls.  From  300  to  400  non- 
working  children  were  also  inspected. 

Condition  of  the  Men, — ^The  men  are  generally  spare  of  flesh, 
though  naturally  broad-chested,  well-built,  and  muscular.  Guinea- 
worm  was  prevalent  amongst  them ;  many  were  anaemic  and  out  of 
condition,  and  had  spongy  gums,  and  pale  creamy  tongues  were 
more  frequently  present  than  absent  in  all  the  men  of  the  gangs.  Out 
of  the  964  men,  169  were  noted  as  being  feeble,  emaciated,  and  out  of 


222  THE    1-LB.    KATION. 

condition,  or  aboat  17  per  cent,  of  the  whole.    Some  of  these  were 
old,  as  well  as  enfeebled  by  privation. 

Women. — Of  1,189  women  examined,  245,  or  20  per  cent,  of 
the  whole,  were  noted  as  in  weak  health  and  emaciated  more  than 
osuaL  The  women  of  this  part  of  the  country  are  mostly  tall  and 
spare  of  flesh,  and  I  hardly  saw  one  really  stout  woman  amongst  them. 
Many  of  them,  besides  the  20  per  cent,  above  noted  as  iu  a  reduced 
condition,  were  pale,  anaemic,  and  evidently  unhealthy,  as  shown  by 
the  condition  of  their  tongues  and  spongy  unhealthy  gums. 

Chiidren. — The  working  children,  to  the  number  of  244,  were 
fidrly  well  nourished,  and  I  did  not  see  many  that  were  emaciated, 
but,  looking  at  their  gums  and  tongues,  it  was  clear  that  their  health 
was  generally  low ;  more  than  half  of  the  children  had  spongy  and 
discoloured  gums. 

The  non-working  children,  as  r^ards  the  elder  ones,  were  pretty 
well  taken  care  of,  but  the  babies  in  arms,  in  considerable  proportion, . 
showed  that  they  were  slowly  starving  from  defective  breast-milk  of 
the  mothers. 

The  labourers  on  this  road,  Mr.  Howe  informed  me,  were  fiurly 
representative  of  the  able-bodied  gangs  in  the  district. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  prevalence  amongst  these  gangs 
of  some  of  the  earliest  symptoms  of  scurvy.  *  Land  scurvy '  has 
been  known  to  prevail  in  India  over  extensive  tracts  of  country 
during  seasons  of  scarcity  and  famine.  The  opportunities,  however, 
for  studying  the  Eiymptoms  and  nature  of  the  disease  of  late  years 
have  not  been  taken  advantage  of,  and  very  little  is  known  about  it. 
It  would  seem  to  be  due,  as  in  the  case  of  sea  scurvy,  to  some  extent 
to  the  absence  of  fresh  vegetables  and  acid  vegetable  juices  and  fruits 
in  the  diet  of  the  people.  The  seasons  that  are  noted  for  scanty  pro- 
duction of  grain  and  cereals  are  remarkable  also  for  the  dearth  of 
fruits  and  green  vegetables,  which  in  ordinaiy  seasons  enter  so 
largely  into  the  dietary  of  the  people.  To  what  extent  the  population 
have  undergone  privation  in  this  particular  we  shall  never  know,  but 
a  significant  &ct  within  my  own  experience  may  not  be  out  of  place 
in  illustration.  In  travelling  fr-om  Yellore  to  Cuddapah  across 
conntiy  I  was  unable  to  buy  a  lime  in  any  village  or  town  bazaar 
that  I  passed  through.  Now  as  in  ordinary  times  lime  juice  is  used 
by  every  native  in  the  preparation  of  his  curry,  it  must  be  evident 
that  the  condition  of  the  people  in  regard  to  anti-scorbutic  fruits 
and  vegetables  must  have  changed  very  much  for  the  worse. — ^Db. 
Cornish. 


A   BOMBAY  journalist's   OPINION.  223 

Times  of  India,  March  12,  1877. 

....  Wliat  has  been  done  in  the  Bombay  Presideni^  in  this  way, 
where  also  this  leductiony  which  is  likely  to  prove  so  costly,  was 
introduced  as  an  experiment  1  Literally  nothing.  A  few  days  after 
the  introduction  of  the  new  scale  we  had  just  that  kind  of  cheerful 
assertion  from  Dr.  Hewlett  about  the  ^  remarkably  good  health '  of  the 
labourer  which  the  compassionate  physician  gives  on  leaving  the  room 
of  a  dying  patient.  As  the  people  in  the  works  sleep  on  the  roadside 
or  in  pits,  have  no  shelter  by  day  or  night,  are  clothed  in  rags,  and 
live,  but  only  the  strongest  of  them,  on  16  oz.  of  grain  per  diem,  it 
was  so  difficult  to  see  why  they  should  be  remarkably  healthy,  that 
Dr.  Hewlett's  assertions  did  as  little  harm  as  good.  But  for  six 
weeks  he  has  been  strangely  silent,  and  we  have  been  afforded  no 
mortuary  returns  save  those  for  cholera. 

We  have  now  shown  what  Dr.  Cornish,  the  adviser  of  the  Madras 
Government  on  public  health  questions,  thinks  of  the  new  scale  of 
famine  relief.  Dr.  Hewlett,  the  adviser  of  the  Bombay  Government, 
is  on  a  journey  we  know ;  peradventure  he  sleepeth,  with  ee£fy  and 
approving  dreams  of  the  new  policy,  and  for  anything  like  a  pro- 
fessional opinion  we  have  no  one  else  to  look  to  but  Dr.  Weir,  health 
officer  of  the  city,  not  the  Presidency.  According  to  the  communica- 
tion from  Dr.  Weir,  read  at  the  town  council  meeting,  the  condition 
of  the  city  promises  to  be  bad  enough,  simply  on  account  of  the 
exodus  from  the  £Eunine-stricken  districts  which  it  were  folly  not  to 
attribute  to  the  reduction  of  wages.  So  long  as  the  old  daily  wage  of 
two  annas  was  maintained  in  the  districts,  there  was  no  influx  into 
Bombay,  which  is  too  &r  away  from  the  famine  to  be  a  goal  for  any 
but  men  seeking  for  food  in  real  earnest.  Now,  Dr.  Weir  says,  there 
are  10,000  of  those  unfortunate  people  who  have  arrived  from  Foona 
and  Sholapur,  *  and  an  increasing  number  are  coming  in  every  day.' 
Sir  Frank  Souter,  the  man  of  all  others  in  a  position  to  speak,  said  he 
'  was  certain  that  people  were  flocking  in  from  all  parts,  and  con- 
sidered their  condition  should  be  promptly  looked  to.'  Dr.  Blaney, 
whose  long  experience  has  given  him  a  wide  knowledge  of  the  Bombay 
poor,  declared  the  evil  to  be  quite  as  serious  as  Dr.  Weir  reported. 
*  The  increase  of  mortality  was  not  ten  or  twelve  per  cent.,  but  already 
fifty,  sixty,  or  seventy  per  cent,  among  the  Bombay  poor.'  Colonel 
Hancock  also  bore  testimony  that '  the  numbers  were  increasing  every 
day.'  Dr.  Weir's  account  of  the  condition  of  the  famine-stricken 
people  is  most  pitiable,  and  is  singularly  in  accord  with  that  of  Dr. 
Cornish  in  Madras : — '  Exhausted  by  travel,  and  without  hope,  they 
are  smitten  by  every  breath  of  disease,  and  even  now  the  mortality 


224  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

from  fever  amongst  them  has  advanced  the  usual  death-rate  of  Uiis 
city  to  an  apparently  alarming  height.  .  .  .  Fever  is  the  disease  most 
fittal,  and  the  unusual  atmospheric  conditions  have  been  strangely 
favourable  to  its  development.  Famine-stricken  people,  overwhelmed 
by  despair,  are  little  capable  of  resisting  the  chills  of  this  season ;  and 
I  cannot  conceal  from  myself  that  the  damp  of  the  monsoon  will  prove 
terribly  fatal  and  destructive  to  those  now  seeking  refuge  in  this 
city.' 

The  only  witnesses  to  be  cited  on  the  other  side, 
so  far  as  the  Presidency  of  Madras  is  concerned,  are 
Surgeon-Major  S.  C.  Townsend,  officiating  sanitary 
commissioner  ydth  the  Government  of  India,  and  Mr. 
Lyon,  of  Bombay.  The  former  visited  the  people  on 
relief  works  near  railway  stations  and  inspected  them; 
the  latter  dealt  with  the  question  mainly  from  a  theo- 
retical point  of  view.^  Sir  Richard  Temple  wrote  a 
covering  minute  to  be  published  with  Dr.  Townsend's 
report.  In  that  minute  he  pointed  out  that  the  views 
of  the  Sanitary  Commissioner  of  the  Government  of 
India  on  this  important  matter  coincided  with  his  own, 
which  had  been  formed  after  inspecting  nearly  200,000 
people  under  relief  in  Southern  India.  Sir  Richard, 
therefore,  recommended  the  adoption  of  the  opinion  of 
Dr.  Townsend,  to  the  effect  that  there  were  not  as  yet 
any  sufficient  grounds  whatever  for  any  general  raising 
of  the  relief  wage  rates  in  the  Madras  Presidency. 

Dr.  Townsend,  in  his  report,  recapitulates  at  length 
the  history  of  the  various  rations  tried  in  the  Madras 
Presidency,  and  proceeds: — 

The  point  in  question  cannot,  in  my  opinion,  be  decided  on  phy- 
siological grounds.  It  is  true  that  some  years  ago  the  doctrine  on  the 
subject  was,  that  muscular  exertion  entailed  waste  of  muscular  tissue, 
and  that  in  order  to  compensate  this  waste,  food  containing  nitro- 
genous piindples  must  be  supplied  in  proportion  to  the  labour  under- 
gone; but  later  investigations  have,  I  believe,  tended  greatly  to  modify 

>  I  am  informed  that  Mr.  Lyon  never  saw  a  famine  cooly  in  his  life. 


DR.  townsend's  report.  225 

tliis  teaching,  and  certainly  at  tbe  preBent  time  there  is  no  theory  on 
the  suhject  so  generally  accepted  or  founded  on  data  so  incontrovertible 
that  an  economic  question  involving  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of 
public  money  can  be  decided  by  it. 

The  question  of  the  sufficiency  or  otherwise  of  any  scale  of  diet 
can  only  be  decided  by  observation  of  its  effect  on  individuals  and  on 
masses  of  people,  and  observations  of  this  kind  in  a  time  of  scarcity 
like  the  present,  if  conducted  impartially  and  without  bias  towards 
theories,  cannot  fail  to  contribute  £acts  bearing  on  the  question  of  the 
quantity  of  food  of  different  kinds  that  is  necessary  to  support  the 
human  system  under  certain  conditions,  which  would  be  of  great 
value,  from  a  scientific  point  of  view,  as  well  as  for  guidance  in  the 
conduct  of  measures  of  relief  in  future  times.     I  have  no  knowledge  of 
the  population  of  this  Presidency,  but  considerable  experience  in  other 
provinces  leads  me  to  believe  that  at  all  times  signs  of  mal-nutrition 
are  more  or  less  visible  among  the  power  classes  of  the  populations  of 
India.  ^     A  loose  and  shrivelled  skin,  a  pale  and  aniemic  aspect,  and 
emaciation  will  certainly  follow  privation  and  insufficient  food ;  but 
the  same  appearances  may  arise  from  defective  nutrition  resulting  from 
constitutional  debility  or  disease.     Again,  when  famine  presses  hard 
on  the  population,  diminutive  and  emaciated  infants  become  numerous, 
and  form  one  of  the  most  painftd  evidences  of  the  prevailing  distress ; 
but  in  the  best  of  times,  if  any  large  portion  of  the  poorer  classes 
were  subjected  to  inspection,  the  number  of  these  distressing  objects 
would  be  considerable.     Our  statistics  show  that  the  rate  of  mortality 
of  infants  among  the  population  of  this  country  is  as  high  or  even 
higher  than  in  the  manufacturing  districts  of  England,  and  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  the  number  of  women  who  are  unable  to  nourish 
their  infants  is  as  numerous  here  as  in  other  countries,  while  it  is  not 
the  habit  of  the  mothers  to  supplement  their  own  defective  supply  by 
other  food.     In  short,  the  scale  of  living  among  the  population  of  this 
country  is  at  all  times  low.     Diseases  resulting  from  mal-nutrition  are 
common,  and  the  rate  of  mortality  compared  with  that  of  other 
countries  is  very  high ;  therefore  when  inspecting  masses  of  people 
collected  from  the  poorer  classes  with  the  view  of  estimating  the 
effects  of  abnormal  scarcity  among  them,  a  very  large  allowance  must 
be  made  for  what  may  be  called  permanent  poverty,  and  which  it  is 
beyond  the  power  of  Government  to  remove. 

The  want  of  accurate  information  as  to  the  extent  to  which  the 
people  on  the  relief  works  possess  sources  of  support  other  than  the 

1  To  this  the  pertiaeot  remark  was  made, '  But  the  ''  poorer  classes  of 
the  populations  of  India  "  don't  die  at  the  rate  of  25  per  cent,  every  year.' 

VOL.  II.  Q 


226  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

daily  wage  given  them,  is  another  obstacle  in  the  way  of  forming  a 
correct  estimate  of  the  sufficiency  or  otherwise  of  that  wage  to  main- 
tain them  in  fair  condition.  Where  the  gangs  are  encamped  on  works 
away  from  their  homes,  and  where  the  men  are  equal  to  or  outnumber 
the  women,  it  is  probable  that  the  majority  are  dependent  solely  on 
the  wages  they  earn ;  but  when  the  works  are  near  the  larger  towns 
and  the  gangs  are  composed  to  a  very  large  extent  of  women  and 
children,  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  men  are  earning  wages  in  some 
form  elsewhere,  and  that  the  earnings  of  the  women  and  children  are 
simply  accessory  to  the  ordinary  means  of  support.  On  the  other 
hand,  enquiry  will  often  elicit  the  fact  that  individuals  on  the  works 
are  supporting  with  their  earnings  a  child  or  relation  at  home  besides 
themselves. 

But  notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  it  is  possible  by  a  careful 
scrutiny  of  large  gangs  of  people  in  different  localities,  combined  with 
information  derived  on  the  spot  from  the  officers  who  have  superin- 
tended the  relief  measures  from  the  commencement,  and  have  watched 
the  condition  of  the  people,  to  arrive  at  a  fair  estimate  of  the  extent 
to  which  the  people  have  suffered  and  are  suffering  from  the  prevailing 
scarcity  of  labour  and  deamess  of  food,  and  how  far  the  measures 
adopted  for  their  relief  have  proved  successful. 

The  appended  notes  give  the  details  concerning  the  several  gangs 
that  I  have  inspected  in  the  course  of  my  tour.  I  will  here  only 
direct  attention  to  the  points  more  particularly  bearing  on  the  question 
of  the  sufficiency  of  the  reduced  rate  of  wage.  The  first  bodies  of 
relief  labourers  that  I  inspected  were  at  Sholapur  in  the  Bombay 
Presidency.  Here  there  were  two  bodies  of  labourers.  A  large  body 
of  upwards  of  3,000  employed  under  the  Public  Works  Department, 
and  performing  about  half  the  task  ordinarily  exacted  from  able-bodied 
labourers.  The  men  were  receiving  1|  annas,  the  women  1^,  and  the 
children  |  of  an  anna.  Here  there  was  no  question  as  to  the  suffi- 
ciency of  the  food.  Men,  women,  and  children  appeared  in  good 
condition,  and  there  was  no  doubt  on  the  part  of  the  officers  superin- 
tending the  works  that  the  wage  was  quite  sufficient  for  the  support 
of  the  labourers  in  health. 

The  other  body  of  labourers  was  employed  under  the  Civil 
authorities,  and  numbered  about  300.  A  large  proportion  of  them 
were  above  middle  age,  and  they  had  come  on  the  works  in  Januaiy  in 
an  enfeebled  state.  Some  of  these  people  had  improved  since  they 
came  on  the  works,  but  as  a  body  they  were  much  lower  in  condition 
than  the  gangs  under  the  Public  Works  Department.  The  wage 
given  was  in  both  instances  the  same,  with  the  exception  that  t£e 
men  employed  on  the  Civil  works  received  only  1  ^  annas  instead  of  If ; 


INSPECTION   OF   LABOURERS   ON    WORKS.  227 

in  neither  case  was  payment  given  for  Sundays  when  no  work  was 
done.  The  lower  condition  of  the  Civil  gangs  was  no  doubt  due  chiefly 
to  the  circumstance  that  they  had  become  more  reduced  before  coming 
on  the  works.  The  average  age  of  the  adults  was  greater,  and  it  is 
probable  that  at  the  best  of  times  they  were  below  the  average  in 
physique. 

At  Adoni  I  inspected  nearly  13,000  relief  labourers,  the  greater 
majority  of  whom  had  been  on  the  reduced  rate  of  wage  for  above  a 
month.  The  task-work  performed  was  very  light,  not  more  than 
yV  of  the  task  exacted  from  a  coolie  in  ordinary  times.  The  largest 
gangs  employed  on  the  Yemmogamir  road  were  composed  chiefly  of 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Adoni ;  the  other  gang  contained  chiefly 
people  belonging  to  the  agricultural  population.  As  a  rule,  all  these 
people  were  in  fair  condition,  and  in  the  opinion  of  the  relief  officer 
they  had  not  deteriorated  since  the  reduced  rate  of  wage  had  been  in 
force.  There  were  of  course  exceptions,  and  weakly  and  feeble  people 
were  here  and  there  picked  out ;  but  these  exceptions  consisted  of 
persons  who  had  never  been  in  good  health  and  condition,  or  it  was 
found  on  enquiry  that  the  individuals  shared  their  wages  with  a  child 
or  other  relative. 

At  Bellary  I  inspected  upwards  of  10,000  relief  labourers.  At 
the  Hiriyal  road,  where  a  large  body  of  7,500  was  employed,  the  men 
considerably  outnumbered  the  women.  Task-work  was  exacted,  and 
if  the  task  was  not  complete,  less  wage  was  given,  and  the  great 
majority  were  receiving  less  than  the  reduced  rate.  There  was,  how- 
over,  no  sickness  among  them.  The  number  whose  appearance  called 
for  enquiry  was  very  small,  and  the  impoverished  appearance  of  the 
individuals  lighted  on  was  usually  accounted  for  in  much  the  same 
way  as  at  Adoni.  The  relief  officer  stated  that  these  gangs  had  im- 
proved greatly  in  appearance  since  the  works  were  established,  and 
they  had  certainly  not  fallen  off  since  the  reduced  rate  of  wage  had 
come  into  force. 

In  Cuddapah  I  inspected  two  bodies  of  labourers :  one  numbering 
590,  employed  close  to  the  town  and  station,  consisted  chiefly  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  the  women  greatly  outnumbered  the 
men ;  and  several  of  these  women  were  the  wives  of  syces  and  other 
servants  of  Europeans.  The  daily  task  exacted  was  light,  and  was 
commonly  completed.  In  my  opinion  these  people  were  in  appearance 
little,  if  at  all,  below  the  standai'd  of  health  common  in  the  town 
populations  of  this  country.  Some  were,  no  doubt,  thin  and  ansemic, 
but  the  number  was  small,  and  in  the  majority  of  these  cases  the  in- 
dividuals had  only  lately  come  on  the  works  or  had  been  suffering 
from  fever.    The  other  gang,  800  strong,  that  I  inspected  in  Cuddapah^ 

q2 


228  THE    1-LB.    KATION. 

was  composed  chieflj  of  the  agiicultural  population  belonging  to  the 
surrounding  villages.  Here  also  the  women  generally  outnumbei-ed 
the  men,  who  were  said  to  find  work  elsewhere.  The  general  appear- 
ance of  these  people  was  very  good.  A  very  laige  number  of  the 
men  and  women  were  as  stout  and  healthy-looking  as  they  could  be 
in  the  best  of  times ;  here  and  there  thin  and  weakly  persons  were 
observed,  but  on  enquiry  it  did  not  appear  that  their  weak  condition 
was  attributable  to  want  of  food.  The  relief  officer  stated  that  when 
the  people  received  the  higher  rate  of  wages  they  did  not  spend  more 
in  food  than  they  do  now,  but  saved  the  dififerenoe,  and  they  have  not 
deteriorated  in  condition  since  the  wage  was  reduced. 

At  Vellore,  North  Arcot  district,  I  inspected  altogether  about 
3,000  people  :  1,120  employeil  and  400  applicants  for  employment  in 
the  construction  of  an  embankment  on  the  Palaar  river  may  be  con- 
sidered as  samples  of  the  population  who  have  not  hitherto  been  on 
relief,  for  those  employed  had  been  collected,  some  for  about  a  fort- 
night, others  for  not  more  than  a  few  days.  The  proportion  of  men 
employed  here  was  small,  being  only  7  men  to  28  women  and  children, 
and  a  veiy  large  proportion  of  the  men  were  old  or  elderly.  The 
task  exacted  here  is  75  per  cent,  of  the  ordinary  Public  Works  De- 
partment rates,  and  the  people  are  paid  at  the  following  rates : — 


Men 

• 

• 

.     1  anna  11  pie. 

Women  . 

« 

■ 

1  anna  5  pie. 

Ohildren . 

• 

% 

1  anna. 

This  is  higher  than  the  reduced  rate  given  in  other  districts,  and 
seven  days*  payment  is  given  for  six  days'  work.  The  elderly  men 
were  most  of  them  of  spare  habit,  but  they  were  fairly  muscular  and 
their  appearance  healthy.  The  younger  men  were  for  the  most  part 
robust  and  in  good  condition.  At  the  Sooriaghunta  tank  1,600 
people  are  employed,  and  here  the  proportion  of  men  is  very  small, 
being  only  3  to  35  women  and  children.  This  small  proportion  of 
men  on  the  works  is  attributable  to  the  circumstance  that  in  this  part 
of  the  country  agricultural  operations  and  other  means  of  employment 
are  not  suspended  to  the  same  extent  as  in  the  Ceded  districts,  and 
that  the  able-bodied  men  are  for  the  most  part  employed  in  the  occu- 
pations that  engage  them  in  ordinary  seasons ;  but  at  the  present 
prices  of  food  their  earnings  do  not  suffice  to  maintain  their  families, 
and  women  who  in  ordinary  times  would  not  undertake  coolie  labour 
are  on  this  account  induced  to  come  and  earn  additional  means  of  sub- 
sistence on  works  which  are  conveniently  near  their  homes.  The 
gangs  at  the  Sooria  tank  were  first  formed  on  November  24.  From 
February  19  to  March  25  they  were  on  the  reduced  rate,  but  it 


suiiQEox-MxVJORr  lyon's  memorandum.         221) 

has  now  been  again  raised  to  the  same  rate  as  on  the  Palaar  embank- 
ment because  the  people  did  heayier  tasks.  As  a  body,  these  people 
were  in  fair  condition,  and,  so  far  as  I  was  able  to  ascertain,  did  not 
deteriorate  or  show  signs  of  weakness  during  the  &ye  or  six  weeks 
that  they  were  on  the  reduced  rate  of  wages. 

At  the  Yellore  Kelief-house  700  people  who  are  incapable  of  work 
are  fed.  The  proportion  of  men  and  women  is  about  equal.  Each 
adidt  male  I'eceives  daily  1  lb.  of  dry  rice  cooked ;  10  oz.  of  this  is 
given  at  10  o'clock  and  the  remainder  in  the  evening.  To  the  evening 
meal  is  added  half  an  ounce  of  dal  mixed  with  vegetable  and  condi- 
ments in  the  form  of  curry.  In  many  of  these  people  the  effects  of 
famine  are  very  evident,  particularly  among  a  number  of  people  who 
have  come  in  from  the  Kalastri  zemindari,  but  they  are  improving  on 
the  food  now  given  them. 

Taking  the  evidence  that  has  come  before  me  in  the  course  of  my 
tour,  I  can  arrive  at  no  other  conclusion  than  that  the  rate  to  which 
the  wage  of  the  relief-labourers  was  reduced  on  the  recommendation  of 
Sir  Bichard  Temple  is  sufficient  to  support  them  in  fair  condition,  pro- 
vided that  care  is  taken  that  the  individual  recipient  is  the  only 
person  who  is  supported  on  it.  And  I  see  no  reason  why  the  wage 
should  be  raised  unless  an  ecpiivalent  amount  of  work  is  performed. 

Competent  authorities  in  Madras  did  not  scruple 
to  express  their  dissatisfaction  with  Dr.  Townsend's 
report,  which  was  declared  to  be  untrustworthy.  He 
was  urged  not  to  leave  the  Madras  Presidency  without 
seeing  something  of  the  misery  of  the  people  in  the 
camps  and  relief-houses,  but  he  returned  to  Simla 
without  seeing  anything  but  gangs  of  coolies  on  works 
in  various  districts  near  the  railwav,  and  on  this  hurried 
inspection  made  his  report. 

Surgeon- Major  Lyon,  F.C.S.,  chemical  analyser  to 
the  Bombay  Government,  prepared  a  memorandum 
founded  on  observations  of  prisoners  in  the  Bombay 
House  of  Correction.  To  it  were  appended  a  large 
number  of  tables  dealing  with  analyses  of  foods  and 
kindred  subjects.   Two  of  these  tables  were  as  follows : — 


230 


THE    1-LB.    RATION. 


Tabus  IV.^Dailt  NiTROGSir  and  Carbok  op  £ubofean  Dietabibb. 


1.  Standard  diet  (^loleschott)  . 

2.  f,  (Parkes,  Pavy,  Church) 

3.  Mean  for  ordinary  labour  (Letheby)     . 

4.  Hard-working  lalx)urer8  (Playfair) 

5.  Active  labourers  „ 

6.  Active  labourers,  Royal  Engrineers  (Playfair) 

7.  Moderate  exercise  (Playfair) 

8.  English  soldier,  Home  service  (Playfair) 

9.  „  „  (Parkes) 


ff 


9t 


En^ith  Government  Oonoict  EetMithtnenU, 

10.  (a.)  Hard  labour    . 

11.  (6.)  Industrial  employment     . 

12.  (c!)  lij^ht  labour    . 

13.  Mean  of  English,  Scotch,  Welsh^  and  Irish 

farm  labourers  (E.  Smith) 

14.  English  farm  labourers,  lowest  of  the  four 

(E.  Smith)       .        .        .        .        . 
16.  Low-fed  operatives  average  (E.  Smith) 

16.  Bare  sustenance  diet  (E.  Smith) 

17.  ,)  y,  (Letheby)    .        » 

18.  „  „  (Playfair)   . 


1 

i    Nitrogen 
Grains  Daily 

Carbon 

Graioa  Daily 

316-5 

4,862 

300 

4,860 

307 

6,688 

389 

6,086 

373 

4,473 

360 

6,604 

201 

6,094 

293 

5,164 

266 

4,718 

281 

5,140 

266 

4,766 

242 

4,620 

300 

6,478 

228 

5,810 

214 

4,881 

200 

4,300 

181 

3,888 

161 

3,103 

Kote^  io  Table  IV. 

1.  For  a  male  European  adult  of  average  height  and  weight  (5  feet 
6  inches  to  5  feet  10  inches,  and  140  to  160  lbs.),  in  moderate  work. 

2.  Average  weight  (164  lbs.,  Church)  and  moderate  work. 

3.  Mean  calculated  from  researches  of  various  physiologists  for  adult 
males. 

6.  Soldiers  during  war. 

6.  Calculated  from  amount  of  food  consumed  by  496  men  of  the  Royal 
Engineers  at  work  at  Chatham. 

7.  Mean  of  English,  French,  Austrian,  and  Prussian  soldiers  during 
peace. 

16.  Average  representing  vhe  daily  diet  of  an  adult  man  during  periods  of 
idleness. 

17.  Mean  calculated  from  researches  of  various  physiologists,  represent- 
ing the  amount  required  by  an  adult  man  during  idleness. 

18.  Mean  of  diet  of  needle-women  in  London,  certain  prison  dietaries, 
common  dietary  for  convalescents,  Edinburgh  InfinnaTy,  average  diet  during 
cotton  famine  of  1862  in  Lancashire. 

Three  diet  scales  whi'^h  are  given  (Tables  V.  to  IX.)  are  calculated  as 
follows : — 

Diet  Scale  No,  1. — ^This  is  the  Bombay  House  of  Correction  diet  ([a.] 
Tables  I.  and  III.)  raised  and  lowered  in  proportion  to  weight.  The  average 
weight  of  the  prisoners  on  admission  into  the  House  of  Correction  being 


DIET   SCALES.  231 

106  lbs.,  nitrogen  201*6  grains,  carbon  4,011  grains  (the  value  in  nitrogen 
and  carbon  of  the  House  of  Correction  diet)  is  placed  opposite  the  weight, 
105  lbs.  For  every  6  lbs.  in  weight  over  or  under  105  lbs.  /^  of  these 
quantities  of  nitrogen  or  carbon  is  added  or  deducted  as  the  case  may  be. 
It  will  be  ubserved  that  at  weight  150  lbs.,  the  quantities  of  nitrogen  and 
carbon  become  respectively  288  and  5,730  grains.  At  150  lbs.,  therefore, 
the  nitrogen  is  very  slightly  above  the  nitrogen  of  the  English  convict  hard 
labour  diet  (Table  IV.,  10),  viz.,  281  grains ;  the  carbon,  however,  is  con- 
siderably higher  than  the  carbon  of  the  English  convict  hard  labour  diet, 
viz.,  5,730  as  compared  with  5,140  grains,  or  11*47  per  cent,  higher, 
Letheby's  mean  estimate  for  ordinary  labour  (Table  IV.,  3),  viz.,  nitrogen 
307  grains,  carbon,  5,688  grains,  comes  as  regards  carbon  very  near  diet  scale 
No.  1,  at  weight  150  lbs.  The  quantity  of  nitrogen  in  Letiieby's  estimate, 
however,  is  higher,  viz.,  307,  as  compared  with  288  grains. 

Diet  Scale  No.  2. — ^This  is  (diet  scale  No.  1)  lowered  in  the  same  pro- 
portion as  English  convict  light  labour  diet  (Table  IV.,  12)  is  lower  than 
English  convict  hard  labour  diet,  i.e.,  as  281  is  to  242  for  the  nitrogen,  and 
as  5,140  is  to  4,250  for  the  carbon.  Lowered  in  this  proportion,  the  quan- 
tities become — 

At  105  lbs.,  nitrogen  173*6  grains,  carbon  8,528  grains. 
At  150  lbs,,        „      248-0        „        „      5,039      „ 

At  105  lbs.,  therefore,  diet  scale  No.  2  is  very  similar  in  value  to  the 
non-labour  diet  of  the  Common  Jail,  Bombay  (Table  III.  [d,"]),  and  some- 
what better  than  the  Oudh  Jails  non-labour  diet  (Table  m.  [/*.])  at  150  lbs. 
Diet  scale  No.  2  is  better  than  the  average  diet  of  low-fed  English  opera- 
tives, as  estimated  by  Edwin  Smith  (Table  IV.,  15)  ;  it  is,  of  course,  also 
better  than  the  light  labour  diet  in  English  Convict  establishments  in  the 
same  proportion  that  diet  scale  No.  1  is  better  than  the  hard  labour  diet  at 
the  same  establishments. 

Diet  Scale  No.  3. — This  is  calculated  as  follows : — Of  the  three  estimates 
for  bare  sustenance  diet  the  mean  of  the  two  highest  (Edwin  Smith's  and 
Letheby's  Table  IV.,  16  and  17)  is  nitrogen  190*5,  carbon  4,094  grains ;  both 
these  estimates  are  for  average  adult  males.  Playfsdr's  estimate  (Table  IV., 
18),  which  is  considerably  lower  than  the  other  two,  is  excluded,  as  it  doe9 
not  wholly  refer  to  adult  males.  Raismg  this  mean  in  the  same  proportion 
as  diet  scale  No.  1  at  150  lbs.  exceeds  English  convict  hard  labour  diet,  the 
figures  become  nitrogen  195*3  grains,  carbon  4,564  grains.  These  quantities 
placed  opposite  weight  150  lbs.  form  the  foundation  of  diet  scale  No.  3.  For 
the  other  weights  shown  in  the  table,  the  quantities  are  proportionally  re* 
duced.  Comparing  diet  scale  No.  3  with  Flayfair^s  estimate  for  bare  suste- 
nance (Table  i  V.,  18),  it  will  be  seen  that  the  nitrogen  of  the  scale  does  not 
run  below  Play  fair's  estimate  until  after  weight  125  lbs.  is  reached,  and, 
similarly,  it  is  only  when  the  weight  runs  below  105  lbs.  that  the  amount  af 
carbon  becomes  lower  than  that  given  in  Playfair's  estimate. 


232 


THE    1-LB.    RATION. 


Tabl<  V. — Showihg   ths  qvaktitt  of  Nitroosk  akb  Oabbof  bs- 

QiriBSD  BAILT   ON  SACH  OF  THBEB  SCAUBS,  VIZ. : — 

Scale  1. — A  labour  scale,  the  Bombay  House  of  Correction  diet  raised  and 

lowered  in  proportion  to  weifi^ht. 
Sotde  2.  A  light  kbour  scale,  scale  No.  I  reduced  in  the  same  proportion 

that  English  convict  light  labour  diet  bears  to  English  convict 

hard  labour  diet. 
Scale  3.  A  hare  sustenance  scale,  scale  No.  1  reduced  in  same  proportion  that 

a  mean  bare  sustenance  estimate  for  Europeans  (mean  of  16  and 

17,  Table  lY.)  bears  to  English  convict  hard  labour  diet. 


Scale  No 

.  1,  Daily 

Scale  No 

.  2,  Daily 

Scale  No.  8,  Daily 

Weight-lbfc 

Nitrogen 

Carbon 

I9itrogen 

Car1)on 

Nitrogen 

Carbon 

graiDB 

grains 

grains 

grains 

grains. 

grains. 

80 

153-6 

3,065 

132-3 

2,688 

104-2 

2,434 

85 

163-2 

3,247 

140-5 

2,856 

110-7 

2,586 

00 

172-8 

3,438 

148-8 

3,024 

117-2 

2,739 

95 

182-4 

3,629 

157-0 

3,192 

1237 

2,891 

100 

192-0 

3,820 

166-3 

3,360 

130-2 

3,043 

105 

■                 • 

201-6 

4,011 

173-6 

3,528 

136-7 

3,195 

110 

211-2 

.4,202 

181-9 

3,696 

143-2 

3,347 

115 

220-8 

4,393 

190-2 

3,864 

149-7 

3,499 

120 

230-4 

4,584 

198-4 

4,032 

156-3 

3,652 

125 

240-0 

4,775 

206-7 

4,200 

162-8 

3,804 

130 

249-6 

4,966 

2100 

4,368 

169-3 

3,956 

135 

269-2 

5,157 

223-2 

4,5^)6 

175-8 

4,108 

140 

268-8 

5,348 

231-5 

4,704 

182-3 

4,260 

145 

278-4 

5,539 

239-8 

4,872 

188-8 

4,412 

160 

288-0 

5,730 

2480 

5,039 

195-3 

4,564 

Tablb  VI.— SHOwiNe  thb  Total  Qvaktitiss  of   mixed   Cersals 

AHD  PVLSB  WHICH,  PLUS  HALF  AN  OTTKCB  OF  FaT,  ABE  EQUIVA- 
LENT TO  THB  QUANTITIES  OF  NlTBOOElT  AND  CaKBON  SHOWN  IN 
BACH  OF  THE  THBEB  8CALBS  OF  TaBLE  Y. 


Weight-lbs. 

Scale  No.  1, 
ounces  daily 

Scale  No.  2, 
oances  daily 

Scale  Na  3, 
ounces  dailv 

m 

oil        .at* 

16*98 

14-81 

13-32 

85    . 

>        •        • 

18-10 

15-80 

14-21 

90    . 

■      .  •        • 

19-23 

1679 

15-11 

95    . 

20-35 

17-78 

1600 

100    . 

21-48 

18-77 

16-90 

105    . 

22-60 

19-76 

17-79 

110    . 

23-72 

20-74 

18-69 

115    . 

24-85 

21-73 

19-58 

120    . 

25-97 

22-72 

20-48 

125    . 

27-10 

23-70 

21-37 

130    . 

28-22 

24-69 

22-27 

13ri    . 

29-35 

25-68 

2316 

140    . 

30-47 

26-66 

2406 

145    . 

31-59 

27-65 

24-95 

150    . 

32-71 

28-64 

25-85 

DR.  Cornish's  reply  to  mr.  lyon.     233 

Three  tables  which  followed,  viz.,  Tables  VII.,  VIII.,  and  IX.,  show  in 
what  proportions  each  of  the  eiji^ht  cereals — rice,  barley,  jowari,  common 
millet,  bajri,  maize,  oats,  and  wheat — must  respectively  be  mixed  with  pulse 
in  order  to  furnish  the  quantities  of  nitrogen  and  carbon  shown  on  each  of 
the  three  scales  of  Table  V. 

Dr.  Cornish's  reply  to  Mr.  Lyon  was  in  his  best 
vein,  and  cannot  be  passed  over  in  a  summary  of  the 
controversy.  The  Sanitary  Commissioner  craved  the 
permission  of  his  Grace  in  Council  briefly  to  state  that, 
in  his  opinion,  the  data  of  Surgeon- Major  Lyon's  paper 
did  not  justify  the  conclusion  which  Sir  Richard  Temple 
had  formed  on  it,  viz.,  that  *  a  ration  based  on  a  pound 
of  grain  is  sufficient  for  the  sustenance  of  persons  not 
performing  severe  labour.'  He  could  not  find  any 
statement  in  Mr.  Lyon's  paper  in  which  he  expressed 
such  an  opinion  in  w^ords,  although  a  casual  reader 
might  perhaps  draw  some  such  conclusion  from  his 
figures. 

*  In  all  the  scales  of  diet  drawn  by  Surgeon-Major  Lyon '  (Dr. 
Cornish  continues)  '  be  has  proceeded  on  the  assumption  that  *^  thera 
is  no  theoretical  objection  to  the  proposition  that  the  quantity  of  food 
required  "by  adults  is  proportionable  to  their  weight,  provided  of 
coui'se  always  that  the  quantity  of  work  expected  from  them  is  like- 
wise proportioned  to  their  weight."  This  method  of  procedure  is  in 
my  opinion  extremely  fallacious,  and  I  shall  briefly  show  why  any 
scale  of  diet  drawn  up  in  furtherance  of  this  view  must  be  received 
with  the  greatest  caution. 

'  Surgeon- Major  Lyon  argues  that  a  human  being  requires  food  in 
exact  proportion  to  his  weight,  and  he  has  furnished  tables  showing, 
according  to  this  theory,  the  quantity  of  nitrogenous  and  carbonife- 
rous food  necessaiy  for  the  sustenance  of  persons  weighing  from  80  to 
150  lbs.  under  the  different  conditions  of  hard  labour,  light  labour, 
and  complete  rest. 

*  If  there  was  any  relation  between  the  weight  of  an  individual 
and  his  capacity  for  assimilating  food  and  effecting  work  i-equiring 
expenditure  of 'force,  there  might  be  some  show  of  reason  for  laying 
down  a  principle  that  men  require  food  in  proportion  to  their  weight. 
But  we  know  as  a  fact  that  there  is  no  such  correspondence — ^that  in 
a  very  considerable  number  of  persons  the  power  to  work  diminishes 


234  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

as  the  body  increases  in  weighty  notably  in  those  who  with  increasing 
years  tend  to  develop  fat  instead  of  muscle. 

'  The  every-day  ex^)erienoe  of  the  most  superficial  observer  must 
afford  instances  of  persons  of  large  appetite  who  never  get  fat,  and  of 
persons  who  are  not  large  eaters  who  lay  on  an  amount  of  flesh  that 
becomes  a  serious  burden  and  inconvenience  to  them ;  and  with  regard 
to  these  persons  it  is  apparontly  seriously  proposed  by  the  chemical 
analyser  to  the  Grovemment  of  Bombay  that  they  should  be  fed,  the 
thin  and  the  stout  alike,  in  proportion  to  their  weight.  The  mere 
statement  of  the  proposition  in  this  form  is  sufficient  to  show  that, 
without  being  hedged  in  by  important  qualifications,  the  theory 
cannot  be  applied  in  practical  dietetics.^ 

^  The  theory  that  work  can  be  performed  in  proportion  to  weight 
is  still  more  wide  of  the  field  of  practical  observation.  According  to 
this  theory  "  The  Claimant,"  who  weighed  22  stone  on  going  to  jail, 
was  then  more  fit  to  endure  hard  labour  than  he  was  six  months  after, 
when  he  had  lost  one-fourth  of  his  weight ;  and  athletes,  instead  of 
striving  to  keep  their  weight  down,  ought  according  to  this  theory  to 
take  means  to  lay  on  extra  flesh.  There  is  in  fact  no  relation  between 
the  ability  and  capacity  for  labour  and  mere  weight  of  body,  as  Mr. 
Lyon  would  seem  to  suggest. 

'  There  are  so  many  things  more  important  than  weight  of  body 

^  The  phynological  needs  of  men  whose  tendency  it  is  to  clothe  themselves 
with  flesh,  and  of  those  who  remain  thin  and  spare  in  spite  of  all  the  food 
they  consume,  are  essentially  difierent.  llie  two  types  and  their  personal 
characteiistics  have  been  well  defined  by  Shakespeare,  who  makes  Julius 
Caesar  say  to  Mark  Antony : 

CcBs,  Let  me  have  men  about  me  that  are  fat ; 

Sleek-headed  men,  and  such  as  sleep  o^  nights. 

Yond'  Cassias  has  a  lean  and  himgry  look, 

He  thinks  too  much ;  such  men  are  dangerous. 

Ant,  Fear  him  not  Ccesar,  he's  not  dangerous  I 
•  •  •  • 

Cas,  Would  he  were  fatter  1        •        • 
I  do  not  know  the  man  I  should  avoid 
So  soon  as  that  spare  Cassius.    He  reads  much ; 
He  is  a  great  observer,  and  he  looks 
Quite  through  the  deeds  of  men :  he  loves  no  plays 
As  thou  dost,  Antony  I  he  hears  no  munc  t 
Seldom  he  smilep,  and  smiles  in  such  a  sort, 
As  if  he  mocked  himself,  and  scorned  his  spirit 
That  could  be  moved  to  smile  at  anything. 
Such  men  as  he  he  never  at  heart's  ease, 
Whiles  they  behold  a  gi'eater  than  themselves. 
And  therefore  are  they  very  dangerous. 
— W.  R.  C. 


INCORRECT   ISSUES   RAISED.  235 

bearing  on  the  necessitj  for  food  that  it  is  surprising  to  find  a  chemist 
in  these  days  laying  so  much  stress  on  weight  as  the  principal  factor 
in  determining  the  quantities  of  food  necessary  for  health  and  strength. 
One  might  think  that  questions  connected  with  the  idiosyncrasies  of 
the  individual,  his  age,  race,  temperament,  habit  of  body,  slowness  or 
rapidity  of  vital  changes,  were  to  be  set  aside  as  of  no  value  in  com- 
parison with  a  theory  that  the  body  needs  sustenance  in  proportion  to 
its  bulk,  I  suppose  Mr.  Lyon  would  admit  that  a  veiy  different 
amount  of  nutriment  is  needed  for  a  spare  man  of  large  frame  and 
without  fat  and  another  of  equal  weight,  but  whose  size  depended  on 
an  abnormal  deposition  of  fat  in  his  tissues ;  yet  this  weight-theory 
makes  no  distinction  between  the  requirements  of  the  two. 

'  Mr.  Lyon  has  taken  150  lbs.  as  the  average  weight  of  male 
Europeans,  and  105  lbs.  as  the  average  weight  of  natives  of  India. 
According  to  Sir  R.  Christison's  experiments  in  Pei*thBhire,  the 
average  weight  of  Scotchmen  was  140  lbs.,  and  from  some  experi- 
mental measurements  and  weighings  made  of  various  castes  by  Dr. 
John  Shortt  in  Madras  some  years  ago,  he  found  that  the  average 
weight  of  male  adults  of  the  fishermen,  Boyas,  and  other  labouring 
castes,  was  about  120  lbs.,  and  of  certain  other  castes  from  114  to  118 
lbs.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  as  regards  the  classes  of  persons 
suffering  from  famine  in  this  part  of  India,  there  is  not  that  great 
difference  in  weight  and  bulk  of  the  people  as  a  whole  which  would 
justify  a  very  marked  reduction  of  food  in  comparison  with  European 
diets. 

'  The  argument  in  regard  to  food  and  average  weight  and  bulk  of 
the  body  must  not  be  pushed  too  far.  With  certain  limitations  it 
must  be  admitted  as  useful  in  the  construction  of  dietaries,  but  after 
all  the  &cts  of  most  importance  are  (1)  the  habits  of  the  people  them- 
selves in  the  choice  of  food,  its  nature  and  amount ;  and  (2)  the  daily 
waste  which  the  body  suffers  from  vital  changes.  Observations  on 
the  former  head  are  sufficiently  accurate,  but  in  India  we  have  never 
had  any  scientific  determination  of  the  daily  waste  of  the  body  under 
strictly  defined  conditions  of  diet  and  labour.  The  subject  is  so  im- 
portant that  I  hope  some  of  our  scientific  officers  who  have  leisure 
and  means  of  observation  will  take  it  up,  and  let  us  know  if  there  be 
any  truth  in  Sir  Kichard  Temple's  surmise  that  natives  of  India 
excrete  less  nitrogen  iu  proportion  to  weight,  food,  and  exercise  than 
the  European  races  do. 

'I  observe  that  Surgeon-Major  Lyon  bases  his  table  of  diets  on 
the  experience  of  the  Bombay  House  of  Ck)rrection,  where  it  is  stated 
that  the  prisoners  on  hard  labour  gained  in  weight  on  the  average 
1  lb.  10^  oz.  each  while  existing  on  the  scale  of  food  for  labouring 


236  THE    l-LB.    RATION. 

prisoners.  I  admit  that  the  increase  or  decrease  in  weight  of  the 
people  subjected  to  a  dietary  with  certain  reservations  and  limitations 
affords  indications  of  value  regarding  the  sufficiency  of  the  food,  but 
the  weight  record  alone  is  only  a  portion  of  the  evidence  necessary. 
Surgeon-Major  Lyon  says  nothing  about  the  sickness  and  mortality 
of  the  prisoners  in  the  Bombay  House  of  Correction.  It  would  be 
essential  to  know  to  what  extent  they  suffered  from  bowel-disorders, 
aniemiay  scurvy,  and  other  diseases  of  innutrition,  as  well  as  the 
general  rate  of  mortality,  before  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
hard  labour  scale  of  diet  was  actually  sufficient  to  keep  the  people  in 
ordinary  health.  As  r^ards  the  proposed  diets,  for  those  on  light 
labour  and  those  doing  nothing  at  all,  there  appears  to  be  no  practical 
evidence  whatever  to  prove  their  sufficiency  or  insufficiency ;  and  all 
that  can  be  said  of  such  scales  is  that  they  are  based  on  a  theory 
which  in  some  respects  has  been  shown  to  be  fallacious. 

*  As  a  matter  of  fact,  and  excluding  all  theory  whatever,  we  have 
ascertained  in  certain  Madras  jails  that  where  punishment  by  restric- 
tions in  food,  so  as  to  reduce  the  daily  amount  of  nitrogen  to  much 
less  than  200  grains,  has  been  persevered  in  for  any  length  of  time, 
there  has  been  loss  of  strength,  loss  of  health,  and  sacrifice  of  life, 
and  this  knowledge  would  make  me  very  sceptical  as  to  the  sufficiency 
of  a  *'  bare  subsistence"  diet,  containing  only  136 '7  grains  of  nitrogen, 
Ruch  as  Mr.  Lyon  now  proposea  In  his  table  of  ^*  Food  Equivalents,' 
published  a  few  years  ago,  I  observe  that  Mr.  Lyon  was  more  liberal 
in  his  views,  for  he  there  speaks  of  200  grains  of  nitrogen  and  3,070 
grains  of  carbon  as  "almost  a  starvation  diet."  Certainly  without 
the  most  cautious  experimental  tests,  a  dietary  like  the  No.  3  Scale  of 
Mr.  Lyon  would  never  commend  itself  to  those  practically  acquainted 
with  the  subject  of  the  connection  of  food  with  vital  force,  and  based 
as  it  is  on  mere  theory,  I  think  it  is  to  be  i-egretted  that  a  subsistence 
ration,  ranging  in  nitrogen  from  104*2  to  195*3  grains  according  to 
the  weight  of  the  individual  was  ever  seriously  put  forward  as  a  prac- 
tical gui'le  for  those  dealing  with  famine  relief. 

'  There  is  one  other  point  requiring  a  cursory  notice.  Mr.  Lyon 
proposes  to  eke  out  the  deficient  nitrogen  of  various  cereal  grains  by 
the  addition  of  pulse,  so  as  to  make  the  total  nitrogen  of  the  food 
equivalent  to  the  needs  of  the  body,  as  reckoned  by  the  weight  theoiy. 
To  take  for  instance  the  case  of  an  obese  native  merchant,  accustomed 
to  feed  on  rice,  and  sentenced  to  hard  labour.  His  daily  diet  would 
be  made  up  of  21  ounces  of  rice  and  9*55  oz.  of  gram  or  dhall.  In  all 
probability  he  would  be  unused  to  the  latter  food,  and  certainly  under 
no  circumstances  could  he  digest  and  assimilate  the  nutriment  con- 
tained in  9*55  ounces  of  that  grain  in  the  course  of  24  hours.     If  he 


DIETARY    DIFFICULTIES.  237 

failed  to  digest  the  dhall,  the  nitrogenous  principles  of  it  could  in  no 
way  assist  in  the  nutrition  of  the  body.  In  these  proposed  dietaries 
Mr.  Lyon  has  in  fact  omitted  the  veiy  necessary  caution  enjoined  in 
his  former  paper  on  *'Food  Equivalents."  ''Kegard  should  always 
be  paid  to  the  relative  proportions  in  which,  by  custom  or  ha})it,  arti- 
cles of  food  are  consumed  by  a  population.  This  often  indicates  a 
limit  of  digestibility  which  ought  not  to  be  greatly  exceeded." 

'  The  present  period  of  famine  is  presenting  many  opportunities 
for  the  study  of  those  conditions  of  the  body  induced  by  privation 
of  food;  and  the  more  this  subject  is  considered,  the  more  im- 
portant does  it  become  that  we  should  follow  only  sound  and  true 
principles  in  dealing  with  questions  connected  with  the  food  of  a 
community. 

'  A  careful  study  of  the  condition  of  the  people  who  have  been 
subjected  to  slow  starvation  shows  that  there  is  a  point  in  the  down- 
ward progress  of  such  cases  from  which  there  is  no  possible  return  to 
health  and  strength.  Food  of  the  most  nutritious  character,  and  in 
the  greatest  profusion,  is  then  powerless  to  save  life.  Chemical 
theories  as  to  the  composition  of  food  do  not  in  the  least  help  us  to 
explain  why  people  should  die  with  an  abundance  of  nutritious  food 
within  reach ;  but  if  we  carefully  examine  the  bodies  of  those  who 
have  died  of  this  form  of  starvation,  we  shall  find  that  the  delicate 
structures  engaged  in  the  assimilation  of  nutriment  from  food  have 
wasted  (owing  probably  to  insufficient  use)  and  undergone  degenera- 
tive changes,  so  as  to  unfit  them  for  their  jieculiar  ofiice.  It  has  been 
my  painful  duty  to  observe  not  one  or  two  but  many  thousands  of 
such  cases  within  the  last  few  months,  and  I  need  not  say  that  the 
contemplation  of  the  causes  leading  to  these  slow  but  almost  certainly 
fatal  changes  in  the  assimilative  structures  of  the  human  body  lead 
me  to  look  with  very  grave  suspicion  upon  all  proposals  for  *'  bare 
subsistence  '*  dietaries,  and  especially  when  such  proposals  are  known 
to  be  out  of  harmony  with  the  natural  habits  and  customs  of  the 
people  to  whom  they  are  proposed  to  be  applied. 

'  This  is  not  the  time  nor  the  occasion  to  review  the  practical 
effects  of  Sir  Richard  Temple's  experiment  in  reducing  the  famine- 
wages  of  the  people  to  the  basis  of  one  poimd  of  grain ;  but  this  much 
may  be  stated,  that  the  recent  experienee  of  nearly  every  famine 
officer  who  has  observed  the  practical  effects  of  the  reduced  wages  has 
led  him  to  believe  and  pubUcly  record  his  opinion  that  the  subsistence 
scale  of  wages  was  perilously  low;  while  as  regards  our  destitute 
poor  in  relief-camps  we  have  had  too  abundant  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  a  more  liberal  scale  of  food  than  that  purchasable  for  a  famine 
relief  wage  is  inadequate  to  restore  health  or  to  arrest  decay.' 


238  THE   1-LB.   RATION. 

All  the  evidence  summarised  in  the  foregoing  pages^ 
and  much  more  of  a  similar  kind,  was  hefore  the  Madras 
Government.  Pulilic  opinion  had  expressed  itself  very 
strongly  against  a  continuance  of  the  lower  ration ;  the 
Government  of  India  had  decided  to  leave  the  matter 
in  the  hands  of  the  local  authorities,  the  Secretary  of 
State  telegraphed  approval  of  whatever  action  they  might 
take,  and  eventually,  on  May  22,  it  was  decided  to  issue 
the  following  order: — 

'  The  attention  of  Government  having  been  cloeely  given  to  the 
subject  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  scale  of  wages  established  by  G.  O.  oi 
January  31,  1877,  No.  329,  Financial  Department,  and  the  weight  of 
the  direct  evidence  being  decidedly  adverse  to  the  continued  mainte- 
nance of  the  lower  rate  which  evidently  has  only  very  limited  opera- 
tion in  Bombay,  if  any,  and  which  the  Mysore  authorities  have  never 
introduced,  his  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  resolves  to  direct  that 
the  No.  1  rate  of  wage  in  the  above  scale  be  made  of  general  applica- 
tion to  all  f&miDe  works,  the  task  to  be  exacted  being  not  less  than 
50  per  cent,  of  a  full  task  estimated  according  to  the  physical  capacity 
of  the  individual  labourer  in  his  normal  condition,  and  with  reference 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  work,  such  as  nature  and  condition  of  the 
soil,  proximity  of  water  both  for  work  and  drinking  purposes,  accessi- 
bility of  site  from  lodging  place,  &c. 

'  The  Government  consider  that  labourers  who  are  unable  to  per- 
form this  amount  of  task  should  not  be  in  the  labour  gangs  at  all, 
but  should  be  on  specially  light  work  or  in  a  relief-camp  until  strong 
enough  for  effective  labour. 

'  All  nursing  mothers  employed  on  works  will  be  paid  as  adult 
males,  and  all  working  boys  and  girls  above  12  years  of  age  will  be 
classed  as  adults. 

*  All  children  of  labourers  under  7  years  of  age  will  be  excluded 
from  works,  but  allowed  a  quarter  anna  daily  subsistence  allowance. 

*  The  full  rate  of  wage  will  be  paid  for  Sunday,  but  no  task  will 
be  exacted  for  that  day. 

'  Wages  should  be  disbursed  not  less  frequently  than  once  in  three  • 
days. 

'Piecework  at  ordinary  district  rates  and  petty  contract  work, 
when  the  labourers  associate  themselves  in  family  or  village  gangs 
under  proper  and,  as  far  as  possible,  under  professional  supervision, 
should  be  encouraged  as  much  as  possible ;  but  the  system  of  large 
contracts  by  outsiders  for  famine  works  is  disapproved. 


EVIDENCE  FOR  REDUCED  RATION.        289 

'The  Crovemor  in  Council  relies  on  the  oolleciors  to  give  the 
fullest  and  most  speedy  publication  to  these  orders,  so  as  to  allow  of 
their  being  brought  into  operation  with  the  least  possible  delay.  They 
will  be  telegraphed  in  abstract  to  all  collectors/ 

In  August  the  Bombay  Government  had  before  it 
a  mass  of  evidence  directly  contrary  to  that  furnished 
by  the  officials  in  Madras.     It  was  as  follows: — 

Camp  Dhond,  July  7,  1877. 

In  reply  to  your  No.  4,664,  dated  July  6,  I  have  the  honour  to 
report  on  the  working  of  the  civil  agency  rates  in  the  Ahmednagar 
district. 

When  they  came  into  force  last  January,  I  was  co-operating  with 
Mr.  Spry,  and  made  the  first  civil  agency  payment  on  the  Nagar* 
Sheogaon  road.  The  immediate  result  was  great  discontent,  some 
violent  talking,  and  a  very  geneitil  desertion  of  the  work.  There  was 
a  similar  result  in  Bahuri  taluk  ahout  the  heginning  of  Febiniary. 

I  have  since  seen  the  working  of  civil  agency  rates  on  the  railway 
and  in  the  Shrigonda  taluk.  The  civil  agency  gang  on  the  railway, 
which  was  under  me  for  a  long  time,  was  composed  of  those  really 
unable  to  do  hard  work:  they  got  on  very  fairly,  and  I  did  not 
observe  any  deterioration  in  their  condition. 

On  the  Mandavgaon  road  the  coolies  kept  very  well  on  civil 
agency  rates,  but  they  did  very  little  work.  Where  the  better  class 
of  people  engaged  in  work,  such  as  cleaning  out  of  wells,  I  found  civil 
agency  rates  had  the  effect  of  clearing  them  off  very  quickly. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  the  introduction  of  civil  agency  rates  in  con- 
tradistinction to  public  works  rates  has  been  most  beneficial,  and  has 
saved  Grovemment  a  large  sum  of  money,  for  civil  agency  rates  afford 
only  a  bare  subsistence,  while  public  works  rates  allow  a  small  margin ; 
hence  idlers,  who  came  on  the  works  to  make  money,  found  their 
hopes  frustrated  by  the  payment  of  civil  agency  rates. — R.  K  Candy, 
First  Assistant  CoUecfor, 

Ahmednagar,  July  12,  1877. 

In  reply  to  your  No.  4,664,  of  the  6th  instant,  I  have  the  honour 
to  state  that  the  labourers  under  civil  agency  in  the  taluks  under  my 
charge  have  continued  in  good  health  and  condition  on  the  lower  I'ate 
of  wages,  and  that  they  appeared  to  get  sufficient  to  eat. 

I  think  it,  however,  very  probable  that  the  majority  of  them  either 
had  some  small  private  means,  or  received  additional  help  from  their 
CO- villagers.     Women  with  small  children  were  certainly  better  off 


240  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

than  those  who  had  none,  for  the  additional  quarter  anna  per  head 
was  more  than  sufficient  for  the  cost  of  their  food. 

I  think  the  reduction  in  the  rate  of  wages  was  felt  most  by  indi- 
vidual men  and  women  without  families,  though  beyond  doubt  large 
numbers  of  such  individuals  have  managed  to  keep  their  health  and 
perform  a  little  work. — T.  S.  Hamilton,  Second  Assistant  Collector, 

About  the  working  of  the  civil  agency  rates : — During  the  time 
that  the  rates  have  been  in  force,  I  have  had  to  go  from  one  taluk 
to  another  so  often  that  I  could  not  inspect  any  particular  work  at 
frequent  intervals,  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  say  from  personal  obser- 
vation whether  individual  labourers  were  or  were  not  falling  off  in 
condition.  However,  the  people  generally  on  these  works  have  kept 
in  fair  condition,  and  I  may  safely  say  that  those  who  were  thin,  who 
consisted  principally  of  old  people  and  young  children,  did  not  fall  off 
in  condition  after  coming  to  work,  and  that  the  thin  children  improved. 
Extra  pay  was  given  to  emaciated  children  and  others. 

A  considerable  number  of  people  were  able-bodied.  Some  of  these 
were  women,  who  had  no  male  relatives  who  could  take  them  to  the 
railway.  Others  were  admitted  with  aged  or  feeble-bodied  parents, 
under  the  rule  not  to  separate  members  of  a  family.  Some  had  been 
improperly  admitted.  At  my  last  inspection  I  turned  off  two  or  three 
able-bodied  people  from  the  Jamkhed  work,  and  about  twenty-five 
from  the  Karjat  work. 

The  people  on  the  works  were  mostly  from  the  surrounding  villages. 
In  my  last  inspection  I  found  women  and  children  at  work,  who  had 
parents  or  relatives  at  home.  These  were  turned  off,  as  they  evidently 
had  some  means  of  subsistence  at  home.  This  was  especially  the  case 
on  the  Kargat  to  Ghogargaon  road.  On  inspecting  this  work  about  a 
week  ago,  I  found  a  large  number  of  new  people  who  had  joined  from 
neighbouring  villages  since  the  work  came  near  them.  Some  of  these 
had  relatives  at  home  sowing  their  fields.  I  reported  yesterday  the 
number  turned  off. 

There  were  also  of  course  on  both  works  a  number  of  people  who 
had  been  on  the  works  since  they  were  opened.  They  appear  to  be 
the  people  who  are  most  in  want. — A.  F.  Woodburn,  Supernumerary 
Assistcmt  Collector. 

Camp  Kolhar,  July  7,  1877. 

In  reply  to  your  letter  No.  4,664,  of  yesterday's  date,  I  have  the 
honour  of  reporting  as  follows,  on  the  working  of  the  civil  a^ncy 
rates  in  the  taluks  under  my  charge. 

When  these  rates  were  first  introduced,  there  was  a  certain  outciy 
among  the  people  regarding  their  insufficiency.      The  rule  was  to 


UNWILLINGNESS   TO   ACCEPT   REDUCTION.  241 

accept  all  who  applied  for  work  in  the  first  instance,  and  to  reduce 
their  numbers  afterwards,  by  drafting  the  able-bodied  to  works  under 
professional  superyision.  When  this  rule  was  enforced,  it  appeared 
that  the  very  people  who  had  been  vigorously  protesting  against  the 
reduced  wages  were  very  unwilling  to  leave,  and  to  proceed  to  where 
they  would  receive  the  full  rates.  This  unwillingness  was  not  con- 
fined to  any  one  work,  but  was  universal  in  the  taluks  under  my 
charga  It  was  found  that  wherever  these  works  were  opened  the 
great  majority,  in  some  cases  almost  all  the  applicants,  were  inhabi- 
tants of  adjoining  villages.  They  usually  refused  to  go  to  the  larger 
works,  openly  avowing  that  they  preferred  lighter  tasks  near  their 
homes  to  the  greater  labour  and  discomfort  on  the  works  under  pro- 
fessional supervision. 

The  reason  of  this  independence  can,  I  think,  be  demonstrated* 
The  people  received  per  man  from  one  anna  one  pie  to  one  anna  three 
pies  on  the  civil  agency  works.  Eoughly,  the  difference  between  the 
rates  on  the  two  classes  of  work  was  six  pies  per  diem,  or  about  one 
rupee  per  mensem.  Thus,  a  man  with  a  capital,  or  the  power  of 
raising  it,  of  eight  rupees,  could  have  to  spend,  while  on  civil  agency 
works,  as  much  as  his  fellow  on  the  other,  or  enough  to  keep  him  at 
the  higher  rate  from  November  till  Jime.  It  may  be  supposed  that 
a  goodly  number  of  the  people  possessed  property  in  ornaments  or 
utensils  sufficient  to  raise  this  amount  or  more.  It  was  remarked 
that  the  ornaments  worn  by  women  on  the  works  were  of  but  little 
value,  and  for  the  most  part  this  was  true ;  but  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  silver  to  the  value  of  one  rupee  would,  as  above,  raise  a 
labourer's  wages  to  the  higher  rate  for  one  month,  if  sold. 

As  regards  the  sufficiency  of  the  food  which  could  be  bought  with 
the  daily  ration  on  civil  agency  works  to  keep  a  labourer  in  health,  I 
can  only  give  the  result  of  my  own  observations  among  people  who 
were  undoubtedly  badly  off.  My  experience  is  that  there  were  few, 
if  any,  who  could  be  called  unhealthy  from  lack  of  food,  and  there 
were  no  cases  of  severe  distress.  This  was  especially  apparent  among 
women  who  were  deserted  by  their  husbands,  of  whom  the  number 
has  been  large,  and  among  widows.  Both  these  and  the  nursing 
mothers  with  their  infants  have  been  all  along  in  excellent  health. 
Weakness  of  voice,  the  most  certain  sign  of  starvation,  has  not  in  any 
case  been  a  characteristic  of  these  people. 

Altogether,  I  am  of  opinion  that,  whatever  the  cause  may  be, 
whether  that  the  people  all  had  supplementary  resources,  or  that  the 
rates  sufficed,  they  were  enabled  to  keep  up  their  health  and  strength, 
and  to  remain  singularly  free  from  disease  on  the  rate  of  pay  under 
civil  agency. — ^A.  B.  Fforde,  on  Special  Duty, 

VOL.  II.  R 


242  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

Ahmednagar  First  Assistant  Collector's  Office,  July  9,  1877. 

In  reply  to  your  letter  No.  4,664,  dated  the  6th  instant,  I  have 
the  honour  to  report  that  I  have  been  only  in  charge  of  the  first 
assistant  collector's  taluks  for  two  months,  and  am  unable  to  give 
any  decisive  opinion  as  to  how  the  civil  agency  rates  were  working, 
but  from  what  I  saw  lately  of  the  labourers  employed  on  the  works  in 
Nagar  and  Newase  taluks,  I  always  found  them  in  good  condition 
and  health. 

I  don't  mean  to  say  that  the  bare  allowance  (value  of  one  pound 
plus  1  pice  and  2  pies)  would  have  enabled  them  to  preserve  so  good 
a  health  as  they  have  been  enjoying,  but  calculating  this,  together 
with  the  charity  of  3  pies  to  each  child  under  seven  years  of  age,  they 
make  up  their  wages  to  the  standard  of  2  annas  to  the  male  and 
1^  anna  to  the  female,  and  nothing  to  the  children. — Apaji  Kaoji, 
Extra  District  Deputy  Collector, 

Poona^  August  9, 1877. 

I  have  the  honour  to  submit  the  general  report  on  the  working  of 
the  civil  agency  rates  in  the  southern  division,  called  for  in  Govern- 
ment memorandum  No.  1,193  F.,  dated  3rd  ultimo.  Before  doing  so 
I  wished  to  obtain  the  opinions  of  the  collectors  and  their  assistants 
on  the  subject,  and  I  accordingly  addressed  the  collectors  on  the  4th 
idem.  I  have  now  received  all  their  replies,  with  the  exception  of 
that  of  the  collector  of  Eatnagiri,  Mr.  Crawford,  but  I  deem  it  un- 
necessary further  to  await  his  reply. 

Mr.  Percival,  Collector  of  Sholapur,  has  replied  briefly  as  foUows : — 

*  Before  reporting,  I  sent  the  following  questions  to  my  assis- 
tants, as,  although  I  know  their  opinions  generally,  I  wished  to 
obtain  as  definite  answers  as  possible : — 

*  1.  Have  people  who  came  on  civil  agency  works  im- 
proved or  not  ? 

'  2.  Have  people  on  aDy  civil  works  fallen  out  of  con- 
dition to  such  an  extent  that  they  have  been  obliged  to  give 
up  the  work  and  come  on  charitable  relief? 

*  3.  What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  rates  on  the  children  ? 

<  The  answers  to  these  questions  are — 

'  1.  Doubtful,  or  not  improved  much. 
'  2.  No  such  cases  known. 

*  3.  Good  everywhere.* 

Mr.  Percival  observes  that  Mr.  Davidson,  who  has  watched  the  effect 
of  the  civil  rates  most  carefully,  sums  up  thus  : 


CIVIL   RATES   DECLARED   SUFFICIENT.  243 

'  As  a  whole,  I  think  the  civil  rates,  modified  by  grants  of 
extra  allowance  to  nursing  mothers,  and  with  a  lit^e  straining 
the  point  as  to  when  boys  and  girls  should  be  counted  as  men 
and  women,  and  with  payment  as  charity  through  the  village 
officers  to  work-people  temporarily  unfit  for  work  through  illness, 
have  proved  quite  sufficient  to  keep  the  people  alive  and  in  health, 
though  not  to  fully  satisfy  their  appetites,  or  to  keep  their 
strength  up  to  its  normal  point  in  an  ordinary  year/ 

3.  Mr.  Percival  adds : — 

*  Soon  after  I  came  here,  I  noticed  that  growing  boys  particularly 
complained  of  the  low  rates,  and  I  advised  the  taluk  officers  to 
take  a  liberal  view  of  such  cases,  which  has  been,  I  think,  gene- 
rally done  in  this  district.  It  is  difficult  to  Gx  the  exact  age  at 
which  a  boy  is  to  be  considered  to  be  an  adult,  and  on  civil  agency 
works  this  must  be  left  to  the  relief  officers  to  decide,  as  cases 
arise. 

'  With  this  exception,  I  think  that  the  civil  rates  have  proved 
sufficient  for  all  persons  on  light  work,  and  that  the  distLnction 
between  civil  and  public  works  rates  should  be  kept  up  on  relief 
works. 

'  In  order  to  watch  the  work-people  and  give  such  extra  relief 
as  is  indicated  by  Mr.  Davidson,  civil  relief  works  should  not  be 
scattered.  One  or  two  works  in  each  taluk  should,  if  possible, 
be  chosen  of  sufficient  size  to  employ  all  those  needing  relief  who 
are  unfit  for  Public  Works  Department  labour. 

*  Such  minute  supervision  is  necessary  in  receiving  people  in 
low  condition,  sending  them  away  when  fit  for  public  works 
tasks,  arranging  about  fiunilies  and  sick  people,  that  it  does  not 
seem  advisable  to  place  the  incapable  under  the  Public  Works 
Department,  to  whom  they  would  be  a  constant  trouble,  and  with 
the  r^ularity  of  whose  work  they  would  interfere.' 

4.  The  collector  of  Satara,  Mr.  Moore,  states  that  from  the  opinions 
which  his  assistants  have  expressed  on  the  subject,  and  from  his  own 
observation,  it  appears  to  him  that  the  civil  agency  rates  are  sufficient 
to  maintain  persons  employed  on  light  labour,  such  as  is  exacted  on 
civil  agency  works,  in  good  health  and  condition.  The  diet  allowed 
to  prisoners  in  jails,  not  on  hard  labour,  is  given  by  him  as  below  ; 
and  he  observes  it  will  be  found  on  comparison  to  be  almost  equal 
to  the  civil  agency  rates.  Whatever  appears  extra  in  this  scale  as 
compared  with  our  relief  wages  can,  he  states,  be  purchased  with  the 
money  allowance  of  half  an  anna  which  the  prisoners  do  not  receive, 
but  the  civil  agency  labourers  do.  He  adds  that  it  is  a  well-known 
fact  that,  as  a  rule,  prisoneiR  gain  in  weight  during  their  confiinement 

B  2 


244  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

in  the  gaol,  and  this  only  confirms  him  in  the  conclusion  he  has  come 
to  as  to  the  suffidencj  of  the  civil  agency  rates. 

lb.    oz. 

Bajri,  wheat,  jowari,  nagli  flour 13 

Dal — tur^  chunna,  mug,  masur,  math  .        .        .        .03 

Salt Of 

Fresh  yegetahles 0    6 

Curry  stuff— onions,  red-pepper,  turmeric,  coriander    .        .     0    J 
Kokam  or  tamarind    .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .    0    ^ 

Oil,  or  its  equivalent  of  ghee,  in  money  value      .        .        .    0    ^ 
Fuel 10 

5.  Mr.  J  acorn b,  collector  of  Ahmednagar,  in  forwarding  the  re- 
ports of  his  assistants  as  below,  which  I  beg  to  submit  in  original  for 
the  perusal  of  Government,  observes  as  follows : — 

^  In  my  previous  reports  on  the  subject  of  the  civil  agency  rates 
I  recommended  a  slight  increase,  as  I  considered  that  the  rate 
was  sufficient  only  for  a  bare  maintenance ;  but  I  am  inclined  to 
think  now,  from  the  way  in  which  the  labourers  on  civil  agency 
works  have  kept  in  condition,  that  the  addition  of  3  pies  which  I 
once  thought  necessary  as  a  margin  for  accidents  and  off-days, 
was  not,  as  a  rule,  indispensable  for  the  sustenance  of  people  on 
work.  In  many  cases  this  extra  allowance  was  necessary,  and 
has  in  reality  been  provided  under  the  exceptional  treatment 
plan,  and  I  still  think  that  though  no  harm  has  come  of  the 
reduction  of  wages,  the  cost  of  extras,  of  village  inspection,  of 
feeding  weakly  wanderers  at  the  relief-houses,  of  allowances  to 
children  under  seven  years  of  age,  and  of  lower-power  labour, 
will  about  counterbalance  the  saving  that  may  have  been  effected 
under  the  change  of  wages.' 

Mr.  Candy  8  No.  465,  dated  July  7,  1877. 
Mr.  Hamilton's  No.  385,  dated  July  12, 1877. 
Mr.  Woodbum'fl,  dated  July  7, 1877. 
Mr.  Fforde*8  No.  113,  dated  July  7, 1877. 
Mr.  Apaji  Raoji's  No.  504,  dated  July  9, 1877. 

6.  Mr.  Norman,  collector  of  Foona,  after  consulting  his  assistants, 
has  little  to  add  to  the  reports  he  has  already  forwarded  on  this 
subject.     He  observes  that — 

*  It  seems  to  be  the  general  impression,  in  which  he  concurs, 
that  civil  agency  rates  have  proved  sufficient  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  old  and  infirm,  and  such  persons  as  are  incapable  of  per- 
forming a  fair  day's  work. 


BOMBAY   GOVERNMENT   RESOLUTION.  245 

'  On  the  otlier  hand,  it  must  be  remem1>ered  that  the  orders  of 
Government,  under  which  special  allowances  could  be  granted  to 
all  persons  in  need  of  such  assistance,  have  been  freely  made 
use  of. 

'  It  is  also  as  well  to  note  that  task  work  on  civil  agency  works 
has  never  been  rigidly  exacted,  partly  for  want  of  adequate 
establishment,  but  chiefly  because  the  people,  being  in  very  poor 
condition,  could  not  be  turned  off  even  if  imable  to  perform  the 
tasks  allotted.' 

7.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  all  the  officers  in  this 
division,  who  have  now  had  no  inconsiderable  practical  experience,  are 
of  opinion  that  the  civil  agency  rates  are  sufficient  to  maintain  those 
receiving  them  in  fair  condition.  I  concur  fully  in  this  opinion.  It 
must,  however,  be  noticed,  that  all  lay  no  inconsiderable  stress  on  the 
fact  that  much  of  the  success  attending  these  rates  is  due  to  the  ex- 
ceptional treatment  which  has  been  sanctioned  by  Crovemment  in 
certain  cases.  In  Sholapur  they  have  found  it  necessary  to  deal 
liberally  when  deciding  whether  young  lads  should  be  rated  as  boys 
or  as  men.  The  aid  given  to  young  children  and  nursing  mothers 
has  been  also  a  great  boon,  as  the  civil  agency  rates  were  not  calcu- 
lated for  these  exceptional  cases. 

8.  I  desire  to  remark  that  officers  have  been  most  careful  to  keep 
strict  watch  over  the  cases  treated  exceptionally,  and,  to  prove  that 
not  many  irregularities  can  have  occurred,  I  may  notice  the  very 
great  zeal  and  activity  of  the  famine  officers,  who  from  the  returns  sub- 
mitted to  me  have  day  after  day,  and  in  all  weathers,  personally 
examined  works,  and  on  an  average  visited  from  four  to  five  villages 
daily,  personally  examining  the  registers  and  the  people.  The  zeal 
and  devotion  of  the  officers  to  their  duty  is  beyond  all  praise,  and  I 
feel  confident  that  Government  may  rely  on  the  opinions  expressed  by 
them,  and  feel  certain  that  had  they  found  the  rates  insufficient,  they 
would  at  once  have  clearly  and  strongly  represented  such  to  be  the 

case. 

E.  P.  Robertson,  Eeventie  Commissioner,  S,D, 

The  Bombay  Government  passed  the  following 
resolution  on  the  foregoing  order : — *  The  views  ex- 
pressed by  the  officers  of  the  southern  division  in  the 
reports  now  submitted  are  confirmed  by  the  recorded 
opinions  of  the  sanitary  commissioner  to  the  same 
effect,  and  also  by  the  opinions  of  experienced  officers 
in  the  Kanarese  districts,  especially  in  Kaladgi,  the 


246  THE   1-LB.    RATION. 

worst  of  all  the  districts  in  the  famine  area  ;  and 
Government  have  therefore  every  reason  for  feeling 
satisfied  that  the  wages  all  through  the  famine  districts, 
both  on  civil  agency  and  on  Public  Works  Depart- 
ment rates,  when  paid  under  the  adjustment  of  the 
sliding  scale,  and  for  six  days  only,  are  safe  and  suf- 
ficient, provided  there  be  a  proper  and  efficient  organi- 
sation to  pick  up  and  deal  with  special  cases  of  weakly 
persons/ 


247 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    QUESTION   STILL   TO    BE    SETTLED, 

In  spite  of  all  that  has  passed  on  the  subject,  the 
question  of  the  sufficiency  of  one  pound  of  food,  plus 
one  anna  for  condiments,  as  the  ration  of  a  full-grown 
man  engaged  in  moderate  work,  is  not  decided.  Two 
opinions  are  held  upon  it  with  great  tenacity.  Dr. 
Cornish,  with  the  medical  profession  in  Madras — ^from 
the  surgeons-general  to  the  apothecaries, — and  non-pror 
fessional  opinion  in  the  Presidency,  are  unanimous  in 
thinking  the  allowance  too  small.  In  Bombay,  on  the 
other  hand,  Sir  Richard  Temple,  in  his  final  report  on 
the  famine,  says  that  there  are  not  two  opinions  upon 
the  question  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  ration.  The 
question  is  one  that  should  be  settled.  With  the  data 
already  in  existence  the  Famine  Commission  could 
make  further  investigation,  and  put  the  matter  on  a 
definite  footing  once  for  all.  Much  collateral  evidence 
has  been  furnished  by  the  experience  of  the  famine, 
which  it  would  be  useful  to  have  collected  once  for  all, 
and  the  reasonable  deductions  to  be  drawn  therefrom 
formulated  for  future  guidance.  Among  other  isolated 
facts  to  be  found  in  large  quantity  if  search  be  made, 
is  the  following  interesting  account  of  what  has  been 
done  at  Belgaum.  The  Poor  Fund  Committee  at 
Belgaum  provided  during  the  famine,  31,144  meals, 
very  ample  meals,  it  is  said,  which  could  not  in  all 
cases  be  consumed  at  a  sitting — and  the  cost  was  9J 
pies  per  meal,   rather  more   than  three    quarters    of 


248  THB   1-LB.    RATION. 

an  anna.^  Mr.  Shaw,  the  judge,  superintended  the 
distribution  of  the  meals  daily,  and  he  was  aided  by 
native  gentlemen  of  the  locality*  The  sanitary  com- 
missioner of  Bombay,  Dr.  Hewlett,  saw  the  distri- 
bution, and  he  stated  that  the  recipients  appeared 
to  be  quite  satisfied  with  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the 
food  supplied  to  them.  It  is  of  course  a  moot  point 
whether  each  meal  could  be  procured  for  9|  pies,  if  the 
recipient  had  to  purchase  and  cook  the  materials  for 
himself ;  the  Poor  Fund  naturally  made  its  purchases 
wholesale,  and  was  able  to  economise  in  fuel,  &c.  Still, 
if  it  be  the  case  that  substantial  meals  can  be  provided 
in  thousands  at  so  trifling  an  outlay,  there  is  good 
ground  for  believing  that  the  claims  of  hunger  and  of 
economy  are  not  after  all  quite  irreconcileable.*^ 

The  considerations  which  enter  into  the  question 
are  manifold.  The  chief  argument  urged  during  the 
controversy  was  on  economic  grounds,  the  formula 
being,  *  A  good  day's  work  for  a  good  day's  wage,'  and 
it  was  urged  that  works  of  permanent  public  utility 
had  better  be  performed  by  those  who  could  do  good 
work  for  adequate  pay,  than  be  carried  on  by  people 
who  merely  played  with  employment.  Even  if  the 
first  cost  were  greater,  which  it  is  not  certain  it  would 
be,  the  country  would  be  the  gainer  in  the  end.  A 
fiivourite  parallel  with  some  writers  at  the  time,  was 
shifting  the  scene  to  England,  and  asking  what  would 
be  done  under  like  circumstances  there.  One  contri- 
butor to  the  Madras  press  put  the  matter  thus  : — '  Say 
we  are  landed  proprietors  in  England,  and  have  a  bad 
season  on  our  estates.  We  have  people  who  cultivate  the 
land  either  as  small  farmers  or  farm- labourers  ;  we  want 

*  The  drawback  in  tbis  cited  case  is  tbat  weighings  and  mortality- 
rates  are  not  given. 

*  Times  of  India . 


A   PARALLEL  WITH   ENGLAND.  249 

them  to  tide  over  the  bad  season.     We  have  roads  very- 
much  neglected,  which,  in  fact,  we  had  not  time  to 
attend  to  before.     We  must  employ  our  people  ;  we, 
therefore,  mend  these  roads  when  all  other  work  is 
slack.     Then,  are  we,  like  the  Indian  Government,  to 
say,  "We  won't  give  you  ordinary  wages.     No,  not 
even  if  you  do  extra  work.     But  when  screwing  you 
down,  we  don't  intend  that  any  one  is  to  die  of  starva- 
tion.    So  the  bailiff  has  orders  to  visit  all  the  cottages, 
and  see  what  food  you  have  in  each,  and,  according  to 
his  discretion,  dole  out  some  gratuitous  relief.     At  first 
we  intended  that  all  the  non-workers  were  to  go  to  the 
poor-house.     Now,  we  see  that  it  would  be  wrong  to 
separate  the  mother  from  her  young  children,  and  that 
they  can  be  fed  at  home,  and  besides,  there  are  the  old 
people  past  work.     Well,  they  need  not  go  to  the  poor- 
house,  but  here  is  the  money  we  have  cut  from  the 
wages."    Fancy  the  *'  blessings "  which  would  accompany 
this  mode  of  dispensing  relief  in  an  English  county! 
To  slightly  vary  and  to  take  over  the  observations  of  an 
English  labourer,  Hodge  may  be  supposed  to  say, "  Why, 
they  wouldn't  let  me  earn  my  wage,  and  now  they  come 
to  my  house  and  examine  my  wife  and  parents,  and 
leave  their  tuppenny  pieces  here  !     What  I  says  is  this, 
give  I  a  proper  wage,  and  none  of  that  'ere  gammon." 
Kamasawmy,  when  his  wage  is  cut  down,  grumbles 
too ;  he  would  prefer  taking  proper  wages  home,  and 
having  his  family  meal  in  peace,  without  the  intrusion 
of  the  village  monegar,  or  beat  constable.     He  prefers 
to  have  as  little  to  do  with  these  gentry  as  possible  ; 
the  monegar  is  perhaps  no  friend  of  his,  because  he 
would  not  sell  the  cow  that  the  monegar  had  set  his 
heart  upon — or  there  might  be  numerous  other  reasons 
to  cause  unpleasant  feelings  ;  and  the  peasant,  it  is  well 
known,  does  not,  as  a  rule,  like  the  policeman.     What 


250  THE   1-LB.   RATION. 

we  have  alluded  to  is  what  naturally  comes  of  attempt- 
ing too  much.  It  is  true,  that  by  the  simple  mode  of 
paying  the  people  proper  wages  for  their  work,  there 
will  be  adequate  relief,  in  the  mode  most  agreeable  to 
their  feelings ;  but  then,  again,  there  will  not  be  the 
opportunity  for  interminable  *' narratives,"  wearisome 
iterations  (not  to  use  a  stronger  word),  volumes  the  bulk 
of  which  acts  as  a  deterrent  to  perusal,  those  "  exhaus- 
tive" reports  which  now  accompany  administration. 
Work  will  go  on,  as  in  ordinary  times,  only  more  people 
will  get  work,  and  the  result  will  be  that  the  work  will 
be  well  chosen,  and  a  lasting  benefit  to  the  country.  But 
what  kudos  is  to  be  gained  by  simply  recording  that  "  I 
made,  or  repaired,  a  few  hundred  miles  of  roads  at  a 
cheap  rate,  allowing  of  grain  traffic  in  carts  to  every 
village,  I  reduced  the  wear  and  tear  and  expense  of 
cartage  50  per  cent.,  I  cleared  out  silted  channels, 
neglected  or  inefficiently  repaired  for  generations.  The 
people  were  well  off  and  managed  to  pull  through."  ^  ^ 

Another  point  in  favour  of  sufficient  wage  is  the 
necessity  for  keeping  the  people  alive,  an  object  to  be 
urged  from  the  economic  point  of  view.  In  India  a  ryot 
represents  revenue.  A  large  proportion  of  the  revenue  of 
the  country — ^two-fifths — comes  from  the  land.  If  the 
people  die,  the  land  lies  waste,  and  no  kist  is  paid.  In 
the  Madras  Presidency  in  the  latter  half  of  1877  two 
and  a  half  million  acres  less  than  the  average  were  un- 
cultivated. This,  at  a  moderate  estimate,  means  the 
loss  of  nearly  a  million  sterling  in  land-revenue — not 
for  one  year  only,  but  for  a  long  series^  of  years.  Then, 
village  tradespeople,  the  weavers,  the  shoemakers,  the 
watchmen,  who  depend  upon  a  share  in  the  produce 
as  the  reward  of  their  services,  also  do  not  get  what 
they  should  and  therefore  die.     Their  absence,  as  well 

'  Contribution  in  Madras  Times,  Marcli,  1877. 


4SIR  BARTLE   FRBRE   ON  FAMINE   EFFECTS.  251 

as  that  of  the  ryots  and  coolies,  is  felt  by  the  State  in  a 
diminished  salt-tax  return.  Above  all,  and  comprising 
all,  is  the  general  backwardness  into  which  the  country 
is  thrown,  by  one  individual  out  of  every  four,  as  in  many 
Madras  districts  was  the  case,  being  removed  by  death 
in  one  season.  It  seems  reasonable  to  argue  that  whilst 
the  State  in  India  is  virtually  landlord  of  a  large  estate, 
it  must  care  for  the  people  under  its  charge  more 
paternally  than  other  countries,  where  different  rela- 
tions exist,  would  think  of  doing.  If  possible,  arrange- 
ments should  be  preventive  rather  than  palliative.  The 
people  should  be  taken  in  hand  before  they  are  too  far 
reduced  for  recovery.  This  is  a  practical  question  in 
famine  administration,  for  though  there  can  be  no 
question  that  at  some  period,  if  the  British  remain  lords 
of  the  continent,  famine  will  be  as  impossible  in  India 
as  it  is  in  Europe,  that  time  is  far  distant,  and  frequent 
famines  will  meanwhile  have  to  be  faced.  Sir  Bartle 
Frere  said  at  the  Society  of  Arts,  in  1873  :  *  There  is 
one  more  fact  which  you  will  find  noted  in  all  accurate 
descriptions  of  famine,  which  should  be  borne  in  mind 
as  of  importance  to  right  conclusions.  It  is  that  men 
are  death-stricken  by  famine  long  before  they  die.  The 
effects  of  insufficient  food,  long  continued,  may  shorten 
life  after  a  period  of  some  years,  or  it  may  be  of  months, 
or  days.  But  invariably  there  is  a  point  which  is  often 
reached  long  before  death  actually  ensues,  when  not 
even  the  tenderest  care  and  most  scientific  nursing  can 
restore  a  sufficiency  of  vital  energy  to  enable  the  suf- 
ferer to  regain  even  apparent  temporary  health  and 
strength.'  How  to  find  out  when  this  period  is  reached, 
and  how  to  avert  the  consequences,  is  not  the  least  of 
the  problems  which  the  Famine  Commission  should  set 
itself  to  determine.  A  famine  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
be  adequately  controlled  which  leaves  one-fourth  of  the 


252  THE    l-LB.    RATION. 

people  dead.  This  was  the  effect  of  the  Madras  and 
Mysore  famines  of  1876-78  in  the  worst-affected  dis- 
tricts.^ 

'  '  The  Oenfius  recently  taken  in  this  (Salem)  ziUah  shows,  I  hear,  that 
the  population  is  about  onefoyrth  lew  than  in  1871.  Of  course,  there  should 
haye  been  a  natural  increase  since  last  censuB,  and  if  this  properly-expected 
increase  be  added  to  the  returns  of  1871,  and  if  the  present  figures  be  com- 
pared with  what  ought  to  be  the  present  state  of  things,  I  think  I  shall  be 
right  in  concluding  that  Salem  has,  perhaps,  lost  one-third  of  its  population 
by  the  last  famine ;  and  that  the  loss  is  certain  to  be  not  less  than  twenty- 
five  per  cent.  If  the  figures  are  correct,  this  will  give  about  half  a  million 
of  famine  deaths  in  this  one  zillah  alone.  How  many  thousands  of  lives 
were  saved  by  the  untiring  efibrts  of  the  over-worked  ofiicials,  and  by  the 
Mansion  House  Fund,  will  never  be  known.  Most  certainly,  the  very  lowest 
estimate  would  give  a  number  equal  to  that  of  the  deaths ;  and  if  those  who 
have  laboured  night  and  day  beyond  their  strength,  for  more  than  a  year  past, 
can  feel  that  half  a  million  lives  have  been  saved  by  their  labours,  who  will 
grudge  them  the  pleasure  and  satisfaction  of  the  thought  P  And  who  will 
not  give  grateful  thanku  for  the  funds  which  came  in  time  to  save  so  many 
lives  ? ' — Salem  Correspondent  of  the  Madras  Times, 


253 


APPENDIX  A. 

A  CONTRIBUTION  of  value  on  the  point  dealt  with  in  this  section  was 
famished  to  the  discussion  by  an  article  in  the  Times  of  India,  of 
December  13,  1877,  from  which  the  following  passages  are  taken  : — 

When,  then,  the  bare  siibsistenoe  allowance  of  one  pound  of  grain 
was  condemned  by  experts  here  and  at  home  as  miserably  insufficient, 
and  had  to  be  actually  abolished  in  Madras,  the  Bombay  Government 
determined  to  justify  their  own  policy,  which  latterly  has  happily 
been  chiefly  theoretical,  by  making  experiments  on  the  prisoners  in  the 
Presidency  gaols ;  thus  endeavouring  to  show  that  the  prisoners  had 
received  too  much  food,  rather  than  that  the  labourer  on  the  civil 
agency  relief  works  had  ever  received  too  little.  At  the  same  time, 
no  real  effort  was  made  to  test  the  question  thoroughly  by  giving  the 
prisoners  the  exact  quantity  of  food  that  had  been  allotted  to  relief 
labourers.  The  prisoners  now  receive  less  than  they  received  before 
last  July,  that  is  all,  and  the  allowance,  as  we  shall  see,  is  still  some- 
thing very  different  from  the  1  lb.  ration  for  only  six  out  of  seven 
days,  which  proved  the  one  signal  flaw  in  the  otherwise  admirable 
administration  of  the  Bombay  fJEimine. 

Though  the  Bombay  Government  could  not  well  venture  to  put 
the  question  to  a  practical  test  by  adopting  the  1-lb.  ration,  pure 
and  simple,  in  all  the  Presidency  gaols,  and  recording  averages  of 
death,  sickness,  and  questions  as  to  inci-ease  or  falling  off  in  weight, 
working-power,  and  so  foiiii,  they  are  now,  in  the  introduction  of  a 
reduced  dietary  scale,  endeavouring  to  prove  that  the  dietary  scale 
for  prisoners,  which  was  dragged  into  the  famine  controversy,  was 
excessive,  and  that  Dr.  Lyon's  views  are  sounder  than  Dr.  Cornish's 
outspoken  opinions.  In  Dr.  Lyon,  our  Government  undoubtedly  has 
the  ablest  scientific  supporter  in  this  Presidency,  but  in  allowing  his 
delicate  theories  to  be  put  to  a  practical  test,  of  which  the  records  are 
preserved  and  should  be  available,  they  have  supplied  Dr.  Cornish 
and  those  who  think  with  him,  most  valuable  material. 

The  experiment,  as  we  said,  has  only  been  attempted  in  a  modified 
manner,  and  has  lasted  but  six  months ;  yet  the  results  are  simply 
disastrous.  The  prison  yards  now  contain  many  of  the  painful 
features  of  the  very  earliest  relief  camps.  An  important  minority  of 
the  prisoners  have  still  the  strange  famine  look  on  their  faces,  or, 
perhaps,  rather  they  have  never  been  able  to  lose  it,  for  some  of  them 


254  THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

are  fjennme  wallahs  sent  to  prison  for  stealing  grain,  kc.  They  appeal 
throughout  the  day,  after  meals  as  before,  to  any  passing  official  for 
something  to  eat.  They  are  unable  to  execute  their  task  properly  after 
a  few  weeks'  trial  of  the  new  i-ation.  More  than  double  the  average 
number  of  patients  have  to  be  accommodated  in  the  hospitals,  and 
the  death-rate  has  increased  to  something  like  five  times  its  ordinary 
standard.  This  state  of  things  is  openly  acknowledged  by  the  officials, 
who,  indeed — gaolers,  doctors,  and  regulation  visitors  alike — are 
almost  as  loud  in  complaint  as  the  unhappy  prisoners  themselves. 

The  scale  previously  in  force  for  prisoners  sentenced  to  hard  labour 
was  as  follows  : — 

24  oz.  of  their  own  country  grain  daily. 
6  „    of  meat,  includiog  bones,  &c.,  made  into  a  kind  of  broth  on 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays  only. 

5  J,    dhall  5  times  weekly. 
1  „    linseed  oil  daily. 

3  >)    yegetables  such  as  pumpkins,  vegetables,  onions,  and  radishes. 

6  dr.  salt. 

4  „    cuny  stuff. 

This  was  a  very  different  thing  from  the  1-lb.  grain  ration  of  the 
civil  relief  works.  But  even  the  new  scale  inti-oduced  last  July, 
and  still  in  force  as  an  experiment,  can  give  us  nothing  more  than 
an  idea  of  the  insufficiency  of  that  unfortunate  food  standard.  The 
new  scale  for  hard  labour  is  :— 

20  oz.  of  their  own  country  grain  daily. 
4  „    of  meat  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays  only. 
4  „    of  dhall  5  times  weekly. 
\  „    of  linseed  oil  daily. 
6  „    of  vegetables. 
6  dr.  salt. 
4  „    curry  stuff. 

The  scale  has  thus  been  reduced  by  4  oz.  grain,  1  oz.  meat,  1  oz.  dhall, 
I  oz.  linseed  oil,  and  2  oz.  vegetables.  But  the  mutton,  which  is 
weighed  whole  before  it  is  hashed  up  into  a  kind  of  soup,  necessarily 
contains  a  large  quantity  of  bone.  Prisoners  on  hard  labour  for 
three  moifths,  and  all  non-labour  prisoners,  women  and  boys,  receive 
a  still  smaller  allowance  : — 

19  oz.  of  their  own  country  grain. 

3  „    dhalL 

6  „    vegetables. 
6  dr.  salt 

4  „    curry  stuff. 
4  „    cil. 


A    GAOL    EXPERIMENT,  255 

This  last  is  the  dietary  scale  to  which  the  present  state  of  things  is  in 
great  proportion  due.  The  reduced  rations  have  very  different  effects 
upon  the  hard  lahour  and  non- labour  prisoners.  The  women,  a  few 
of  whom  cook  in  every  gaol,  while  the  great  majority  have  nothing 
but  light  work  to  do,  have  been  affected  less  than  any.  The  males 
committed  without  hard  labour  have  not  yet  suffered  very  severely, 
but  when  we  come  to  the  men  undergoing  hard  labour  for  three 
months  on  this  reduced  ration  we  see  the  cruellest  result  of  the  ex* 
periment.  But  sickness,  languor,  and  inability  to  execute  a  due  share 
of  taskwork,  are  to  be  found  in  both  classes  whenever  hard  labour 
is  required.  Experts  in  the  gaols  tell  us  that  the  reduced  rations 
might  perhaps  suffice — though  even  here  they  are  doubtful — ^for  people 
who  had  absolutely  nothing  to  do,  but  that  the  reduction  begins  to 
tell  immediately  they  are  put  to  a  task.  This,  too,  was  the  experience 
of  those  who  managed  the  relief  camps  and  relief  works.  In  the 
gaols,  as  we  said,  the  effect  of  the  change  has  been  disastrous.  During 
the  year  1876  the  rate  of  mortality  in  the  Bombay  House  of  Correc- 
tion was  only  19*5  per  mille.  But  with  the  introduction  of  the  new 
scale  the  rate  of  mortality  in  one  of  the  great  gaols  in  our  Presidency, 
has  recently  been  upwards  of  96  per  mille.  In  the  Bombay  House  of 
Correction  the  daily  average  sick  from  all  diseases  in  1876  was  only 
4*6  per  cent.  The  present  daily  average  sick  in  one  of  the  Presidency 
gaols  is  more  than  9  per  oent.^  with  an  additional  4^  per  cent,  of  con- 
valescents. In  the  hospitals  food  is  given  liberally,  and  even  as  much 
as  4  oz.  of  alcohol  is  daily  administered  if  required.  The  prisoners 
take  their  turn  here  to  be  recruited,  and,  but  for  these  periods  ot 
comparative  luxury,  the  mortality,  large  enough  already,  would  have 
been  feir  greater.  At  the  same  time  they  are  not  admitted  until  in 
some  sort  of  danger,  and  the  cost  of  restoring  them  cannot  have  been 
far  short  of  the  saving  effected  in  their  diet.  The  gaols  are  unusually 
full  now,  the  extra  prisoners  being  due  to  thefts  and  misdemeanours 
connected  with  the  famine.  Many  of  the  famine  prisoners  were  in 
a  very  weak  state  of  health  on  admission,  and  the  time  chosen  to 
change  the  diet  experimentally,  was,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  unfor- 
tunate. In  the  course  of  our  inquiries  we  heard  of  one  wretched 
man  in  the  famine  districts  who  was  driven  by  hunger  to  commit 
suicide.  He  was  discovered  in  time,  and  punished  by  a  term  of  im- 
prisonment on  rations  which  aie  slowly  doing  for  him  what  he  wickedly 
attempted  himself.  We  also  heard  that  the  prisoners  who  grind  the 
grain  have  now  to  be  specially  prevented  from  snatching  and  eating 
it  raw.  In  bringing  the  matter  before  the  public  we  are  anxious  that 
those  who  have  had  practical  experience  of  the  way  the  experiment 
has  failed,  should  be  invited  or  permitted  to  lay  their  opinions  before 


256  -     THE    1-LB.    RATION. 

Goveminent.  The  gaolers,  the  gaol  surgeons,  and  the  official  visitors 
are  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  an  immediate  inquiry. 
Scientific  men  may  tell  us  that  carho-hydrates,  albuminates,  and  fats 
mixed  in  a  proper  proportion  constitute  the  ideal  ration,  and  a  set  of 
tables  may  teach  us  the  chemical  value  of  every  food  under  the 
Indian  sun.  But  when  we  learn  that  half  a  pound  of  pulse  contains 
142  grains  of  the  essential  nitrogen,  half  a  pound  of  bajri  56  grains, 
and  half  a  pound  of  rice  only  40  grains,  we  begin  to  see  that  the 
cooking  of  a  day's  meal,  to  contain  exactly  201*6  grains  of  nitrogen, 
and  400*1  grains  of  carbon,  requires  as  much  scientific  knowledge 
and  care  as  the  concoction  of  a  doctor's  prescription,  or  the  perform* 
anoe  of  a  chemical  experiment.  A  pound  of  grain  food,  nicely 
assorted  from  various  cereals  in  a  chemist's  laboratory,  must  be  a 
very  different  thing  from  a  poimd  of  bajri  or  rice  served  out  to  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  men  in  a  gaol  or  a  relief  camp.  But  the  failure 
of  a  scale  of  diet  which,  at  worst,  was  almost  twice  as  good  as  the 
famous  1-lb.  ration'  should  prevent  any  repetition  of  the  one  mistake 
made  in  the  treatment  of  the  late  famine.  If  all  the  questions  con- 
nected with  the  famine  are,  as  we  hear,  to  be  submitted  to  a  Paxlia- 
mentary  Committee,  the  evidence  as  to  the  working  of  this  new  scale 
of  diet  in  the.  Presidency  gaols  will  be  of  the  greatest  importance. 


APPENDIX  B. 


No.  568.  Office  of  Sanitary  Commissioner, 

Madras,  May  24,  1877. 


From 


To 


The  Sanitary  Commissioner ^  Madras, 


ITie  Additional  Secretary  to  Government. 


Sir, — ^With  reference  to  the  discussion  in  regard  to  the  amount  of 
food  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  health  of  natives  of  India,  I  have 
the  honour  to  state  for  the  information  of  His  Grace  in  Council,  that 
feeling  strongly  the  importance  of  the  subject,  I  forwarded  to  Professor 
Sir  Bobert  Chiistison,  Bart.,  of  Edinburgh,  a  copy  of  Proceedings  of 
Government,  No.  757,  of  March  1,  containing  my  letter.  No.  115,  of 
February  13,  and  requested  Sir  Bobert  Christison  to  be  good  enough 
to  advise  me  whether  my  protest  against  the  reduction  of  the  famine 
relief  wage  to  the  basis  of  one  pound  of  cereal  grain  a  day,  was  or 
was  not  justified  by  scientific  and  practical  observation,  in  regard  to 


SIR  R.   CHRLSTISON'S   OPINION.  257 

dieiAties.    I  have  now  to  submit  for  the  information  of  Government  a 
copy  of  Sir  Bobert  Ohristison's  reply. 

2.  Sir  Robert  ChriBtison  was  not  aware  of  the  special  inquii'y 
made  in  India  in  1863,  regarding  the  nature  and  amount  of  food  con- 
sumed by  the  free  population,  and  by  prisoners  in  gaols.  The  results 
of  this  inquiry  went  to  show  that  in  the  South  of  India,  at  least,  the 
people  were  not  so  entirely  dependent  on  grain  diet  as  superficial 
writers  have  frequently  asserted.  It  was  shown  that  the  so-called 
vegetarian  castes  used  milk,  curds,  and  butter,  to  a  large  extent,  in 
their  food,  while  the  great  bulk  of  the  labouring  poor  used  animal  food 
and  pulses  rich  in  nitrogen  whenever  they  could  get  them,  and  that 
their  staple  food  grains  were  richer  than  rice  in  albimiinous  consti- 
tuents. It  was  a  direct  consequence  of  this  inquiry  that  the  gaol  diets 
in  this  Presidency  were  revised  in  1867,  and  the  effect  of  this  change 
was,  as  already  pointed  out,  a  reduction  of  mortality  from  more  than 
10  per  cent,  to  an  average  for  the  last  nine  years  of  about  2^  per  cent. 

3.  As  this  subject  is  one  of  great  public  interest,  I  would  suggest 
that  Sir  Bobert  Ghristison's  opinion  may  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
the  press. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be.  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  W.  B.  Cornish,  f.r.c.s., 

Scmitary  Commissioner, 

{Enclosure,) 

Edinburgh,  April  18,  1877. 

Dear  Dr.  Cornish, — I  received  your  letter  a  week  ago,  and  the 
folio  print  yesterday. 

1.  Mere  practical  experience  is  a  very  dangerous  guide  to  a  dietary 
for  a  body  of  men.  The  fact  is,  in  this  matter,  what  is  called  practical 
experience  is  nothing  else  than  loose  observation.  I  could  mention 
many  striking  instances  from  practical  men  trusting  to  their  practical 
experience.  But  perhaps  Sir  Bichard  Temple  will  be  satisfied  with 
the  history  of  the  victualling  of  our  troops  for  the  Crimean  war.  The 
authorities  at  the  Horse  Guards  provided  the  men  with  a  dietary 
which  proved  to  contain  less  real  nutriment  than  their  food  in  bar- 
racks or  garrison  at  home,  and  not  above  one  half  of  what  was 
required  for  the  labour  and  hardships  which  they  had  to  undergo. 
Their  hardships  accounted  of  course  in  part  for  the  sad  result.  But  a 
suj£cient  dietary  would  have  enabled  them  to  resist  these  hardships, 
as  had  been  found  before  with  our  Navy  seamen  exposed  to  equal 
labour,  and  quite  as  great  hardships  of  a  diffei-ent  kind. 

Sir  Bichard  Temple  will  find  the  facts  I  mention  in  the  Crimean 

VOL.  II.  S 


258  THE   1-LB,  KATION. 

Beport  of  Sir  John  McNeill  and  Colonel  TuUoch.  But  I  may  add 
that  when  Sir  John  on  his  return  asked  at  the  Horse  Guards  how 
they  had  fallen  into  such  an  error,  he  was  told  that  they  were  not 
aware  that  there  was  any  other  way  of  valuing  a  dietary  except 
practical  ohservation.  Nevertheless  the  analytical  method  was  at 
that  time  well  known  to  scientific  men,  had  been  taught  by  myself  for 
twenty-two  years  to  large  classes,  and  would  have  pointed  out  the 
error  in  five  minutes. 

2.  But  neither  should  scientific  analysis  be  trusted  to  singly.  It 
must  be  tested  by  practical  observation,  and  the  two  methods 
together  will  supply  trustworthy  results. 

3.  Caution  ^ould  be  observed  in  applying  the  results  of  scientific 
inquiry  in  Europe  to  India.  In  all  my  investigations  my  subjects 
have  been  bodies  of  men  of  British  race. 

Now  there  is  something  in  the  constitution  of  the  grain-eating 
Indian  races  which  seems  in  the  course  of  ages  to  have  adapted  it  to 
a  very  different  dietary  fi*om  that  found  most  suitable  here.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  whatever  that  men  of  British  race  do  not  thrive  so 
well,  and  are  incapable  of  much  labour,  unless  their  dietary  contains  a 
fair  proportion  either  of  the  mixed  albuminoid  principles  of  meat  or  of 
albumen  itself,  animal  or  vegetable,  or  lastly  of  caseine,  in  the  shape 
of  milk ;  but  the  long  habit  of  ages  seems  to  have  rendered  the  Indian 
grain-eaters  independent  of  any  of  these  powerful  aliments.  Therefore 
you  will  see  that  a  special  inquiiy  is  required  for  ascertaining  the 
dietary  of  these  people  suitable  for  them  in  the  various  circumstances 
of  life. 

I  am  not  aware  of  any  such  inquiry  in  India  but  one ;  and  that  is 
a  report  by  Dr.  G.  C.  Sutherland  in  1871,  on  the  prisons  of  Oude. 

4.  Dr.  Sutherland,  on  entering  on  duty  as  Inspector-General,  found 
the  health  of  the  prisoners  very  bad,  the  mortality  being  ten  per  cent. 
In  two  years  he  reduced  it  to  two  per  cent.  This  was  brought  about 
by  various  changes,  and  among  these  by  increasing  somewhat  and 
varying  their  food.  I  am  very  sorry  that  I  have  been  unable  to  lay 
my  hands  on  my  notes  on  this  interesting  subject. 

Of  course  they  will  all  be  found  in  Dr.  Sutherland's  report,  I 
now  send,  however,  a  copy  of  his  table  for  prisoners  undergoing  hard 
labour.  I  cannot  at  present  sustain  this  strain  of  computing  the 
nutriment,  but  it  may  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  the  nitrogenous  food 
constitutes  a  large  proportion  of  the  whole.  Of  course  you  know 
nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the  nutriment  in  a  dietary  must 
increase  with  the  amoimt  of  labour. 

5.  In  practically  observing  the  effect  of  any  experimental  dietary 
the  main  test  is  to  weigh  the  men  every  14  days.  If  there  is  a  pro- 
gressive diminution  in  a  large  proportion  of  them  the  dietaiy  is  faulty. 


REPOBT   OF   DR.    G.    C.    SUTHERLAND.  259 

and  will  ere  long  cause  serious  consequences.  Dr.  Sutherland  found 
tliat  under  his  improved  scales  of  diet  the  men  went  out  one  pound 
heavier  than  on  admission. 

6.  In  applying  European  ohservations  to  Tndia,  account  should  be 
taken  of  the  inferior  bulk  of  the  men.  The  average  weight  of  about 
1,500  Oude  prisoners  was  106  pounds,  without  clothes.  The  average 
weight  of  the  adult  prisoners  in  the  General  Prison  at  Perth  is  140 
pounds.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  men  so  different  in  bulk  must 
reqtiire  a  material  difference  of  food. 

7.  The  last  point  which  occurs  to  me  is  that  a  very  meagre  &re 
will  serve  for  prisoners  and  the  destitute  poor  for  short  terms  of  a 
week  or  a  fortnight,  but  that  it  would  be  a  grievous  error  to  suppose 
that  the  same  fare  will  answer  for  long  terms  of  sevenil  months. 

This  fact  has  been  substantiated  by  careful  observations  expressly 
made  here  a  few  years  ago. 

I  am,  yours  truly, 

(Signed)        R  Christisok. 

P.S. — On  the  principles  already  explained,  it  is  my  opinion  that 
the  dietary  proposed  by  Sir  Richard  Temple  is  both  insufficient  in 
quantity,  and  ill  chosen. 

DiBTABY  OF  THE  PbISONEBS  IK  OUDB  ON  HARD  LAB0T7R,  AS  REFORXED  BT 

Dr.  Sxttherlaud,  1871. 

I.  BaUi/:    1,  Wheat   flour  coarsely 

sifted  and  made  into 

cakes.    Taken  with  I.  chtk.^  gn.      oz, 

or  XL       .        ,        .  10      0  =  20-26 

2.  Grain,  parched  (eaten 

dry)  .        .        .    2      0  =«    4*50  Cicer  arietinum. 

3.  Sa'.t         .        .        .    0  100  «    0-2.3 

•  4.  Pepper  or  Ohillies    .    0    36  =■    0*08  Capmcum  armtfum, 

II.  Four  days  weekly :  1.  Dhall       .2      0  -    Ar&d  From  vaiious peas, 

2.     Ghee  boiled    With 
pepper  and   salt  into 
thick  pea-soup  .     0    30  =    008  Clarified  btttfer. 

III.  Three  days  xoeekly:    1.    Fresh 

vegetables         .        .    6      0  «  12-16  Spinach, 
2.  Oil  boiled  with  pepper 
and    salt    into    thick 

soup         .        .        .    0    38  =    003  Mustard  Oil 

usually 

'  1  chittack  =  2  ounces,  a  standard  of  weight  in  the  North- West  Frovinces. 

s  2 


260  THE   1-LB.   RATION. 

Notandum, — '  For  some  months  after  the  autumn  harvest ;  maize  and 
various  sorts  of  miUet,  Penicillaria  spicata,  Sorghum  vulgare  gns.  are  sub- 
stituted for  wheat,  being  cheaper.  Bat  in  consequence  of  their  inferior 
nutritive  value  the  daily  allowance  is  increased  to  24*70  ounces.' 

Feb.  8, 1871.  (Signed)  G.  0.  Suthbrland,  M.D. 

True  copy,  (Signed)  W.  R.  Oorhibh,  F.RO.S., 

Sanitary  CommMoner  for  Madras. 


THE   RAILWAYS 


THE   R AIL W^ AYS, 


In  the  narrative  of  famine  administration  for  Madras, 
particulars  are  given  of  the  extraordinary  activity 
which  was  manifested  by  the  mercantile  community 
in  importing  grain.  The  quantity  imported  by  sea 
with  its  value  will  be  found  in  the  following  table  : — 


Avenge  of  3  previous 
years 

Actuals.    1877. 

Quantity 

Value 

Quantity 

Value 

6  Months.  July  \ 
cembor  1876 
January  1877 
February  , 
March 
April 

June 
July . 
August 
September 
October 
November 
December  . 
January  1878    , 

bo  De- 

Tons    Cwt 

4,301  13 
6,913  14 
6,062    6 
3,881  19 
3,171  14 
6,966  16 
9,202  18 
8,820  13 

8,691    0 
14,609  16 
20,689    3 
30,097    1 

Rs 

» 

2,53,467 
3,63,965 
3,18,016 
2,33,644 
1,81,413 
2,86,672 
4,85,790 
4,71,266 

6,82,967 
16,66,393 
22,83,726 
33,70,160 

Tons    Cwt 

164,740    1 

76,969  16 
69,067  12 
48,397  19 
41,780  15 
37,806    2 
26,891  16 
57,028    8 
76,092    1 

66,270  15 

13,453    9 

9,001     3 

11,647  10 

Rs 

146,00,252 

91,35,738 
72,67,354 
49,16,848 
89,26,697 
39,76,550 
28,74,766 
75,02,374 
97,96,130 

65,02,642 

13,87,576 

9,07,943 

12,60,976 

Under  any  circumstances,  with  an  open  sea-board 
and  with  the  enterprise  which  characterises  the  mercan- 
tile community  of  Madras,  it  was  clear  that  imports 
would  be  large :  the  difficulty  was  to  decide  how  the  grain 
could  be  conveyed  to  the  distressed  districts.  The  rail- 
ways solved  the  question.    Sir  Andrew  Clarke,  from  his 


264  THE   RAILWAYS. 

place  in  the  Legislative  Council  in  Calcutta,  in  December 
1877,  said: — '  The  railways  have  proved  the  saviour  of 
Southern  India.'  To  this  remark  there  can  be  no 
denial.  By  the  Madras  railways  alone,  800,000  tons 
of  grain  were  carried  into  the  interior  and  distributed 
through  the  districts.  As  soon  as  the  difficulty  was 
seen,  efforts  were  made  to  meet  the  increased  traffic. 
Passenger  trains  were  cancelled,  and  the  carriage  of 
grain  was  given  the  preference  over  all  other  descrip- 
tions of  traffic.  The  line  from  Madras  to  Arconum 
was  doubled  to  facilitate  the  conduct  of  traffic.  One 
of  the  chief  objects  to  which  Sir  Richard  Temple 
directed  his  attention  whilst  in  Southern  India  was 
that  of  increasing  the  carrying  power  of  the  railways, 
and  with  Captain  Bisset,  B.E.,  spent  much  time 
in  consideration  of  this  subject ;  he  penned  a  large 
number  of  minutes,  which  had  some  effect  in  relieving' 
great  pressure  at  particular  junctions,  and  in  simplify- 
ing arrangements.  The  capabilities  of  the  railways 
was  a  subject  in  which  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  and 
Chandos,  once  chairman  of  the  London  and  North- 
Western  Railway  in  England,  took  particular  interest, 
and  over  which  his  Grace  spent  much  time.  The 
Governor  was  ably  assisted  by  the  railway  officials— 
particularly  Mr.  R.  B.  Elwin,  the  agent  and  manager, 
and  Mr.  Herbert  Church,  the  traffic  manager.  Arrange- 
ments made  by  his  Grace,  when  it  was  found  that  the 
railway  was  unable  to  carry  off  all  the  grain  imported, 
caused  much  dissatis&ction  among  merchants.  Railway 
trucks  were  registered  in  advance,  not  according  to  the 
largeness  of  the  trade  of  the  importer,  but  according 
to  order  of  application.  The  consequence  was  that  two 
or  three  trucks  on  a  particular  day  would  be  reserved  for 
a  firm  which  had  chartered  three  or  four  steamers,  one 
or  two  of  which  were  at  the  time  unloading,  and  a  whole 


DEFECTS  IN  TRAFFIC  ARRANGEMENTS.     265 

truck  to  Parthasarathy  Chettiar,  who  never  imported  on 
his  own  account,  but  bought  a  few  hundred  bags  of  rice 
for  transit  up  country,  or  it  might  be  who  had  no  grain 
of  his  own  whatever,  and  was  merely  making  a  profit  in 
selling  the  trucks  allotted  to  him  to  others.  Many  repre- 
sentations were  made  to  Government,  but  no  improved 
system  was  introduced.  A  merchant  in  the  south  of 
the  Presidency,  writing  to  the  author,  says: — 

The  Govemment  scheme  for  granting  arailahle  trucks  to  all 
registered  applicants  attracted  some  1,200  to  1,400  men  belonging  to 
Tatioorin  and  the  district,  with  the  certainty  of  drawing  an  occasional 
prize.  Many  of  the  sncceesful  applicants  sold  their  tracks  to  im- 
porters, others  taking  advantage  of  the  stocks  held  by  importers,  and 
their  inability  to  move  them  along  the  line  of  rail  or  to  promise 
carriage  to  customers,  bought  importers'  grain  at  their  own  prices, 
that  is  at  prices  dictated  to  importers  not  by  consumers,  but  by  the 
Qovemor^s  order.  The  cousequence  was  that  petty  dealers  who  would 
have  otherwise  bought  grain  along  the  line,  and  cartmen  who  would 
have  worked  out  rice,  thus  supplementing  the  railway  power,  were 
drawn  to  Tuticorin,  and  in  combination  with  their  friends  in  the 
district,  virtually  held  the  markets  in  the  face  of  the  importers,  who 
had  to  incur  the  long  risk  and  supply  the  capital.  It  may  be  asked 
why,  under  such  circumstances,  did  not  importers  engage  in  the  cart 
trade  alluded  to.  The  reply  is  simple.  Importers  had  no  ftcilities  in 
knowing  the  demand  of  every  isolated  village,  and  would  have  been 
imposed  upon  at  every  turn.  Besides,  the  order  opened  a  very  wide 
door  for  bribing  railway  officials.  Natives  who  recognised  the  order 
as  unjust  applied  the  only  antidote  they  knew  of. 

The  Governor's  order  was  defective  and  actually  injurious,  with- 
out, as  far  as  I  can  discover,  any  redeeming  virtue. 

(1)  Because  it  disturbed  the  action  of  many  petty  dealers  and 
cartmen,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  resorting  tg  Tuticorin  to  purchase 
and  take  away  grain  in  carts. 

(2)  Because  it  discouraged  importers,  who  frequently  lost  in 
their  imports  for  the  sole  benefit  of  truck  dealers. 

(3)  Because  it  increased  the  price  to  consumers  of  the  interior, 
giving  truck  dealers  the  command  of  the  market  here  and  in  the 
interior,  raising  up  middlemen  who  were  pernicious. 

(4)  Because  it  fostered  bribery  amongst  native  railway  employ^. 
In  a  country  stricken  by  famine  I  conceive  the  ruling   power 

should  seek  to  attract  early  imports,  and  strain  every  nerve  to  sustain 


266  THE   RAILWAYS. 

« 

them  at  the  highest  possible  level.  This  can  be  best  done  in  a  steady 
and  effectiye  way  by  letting  importers  pocket  every  available  pie  per 
bag  that  consumers  are  out  of  pocket.  It  becomes  a  struggle  between 
the  two.  The  grand  object  must  be  to  keep  on  terms  with  importers, 
and  secure  to  consumers  the  lowest  possible  rates  that  importers  wiU 
go  on  cU.  Stimulate  the  importer  to  import  his  bags  for  one,  and 
the  true  policy  is  achieved.  Help  the  importer  to  consider  8  as. 
profit  on  two  bags  of  grain  as  equal  to  a  rupee  on  one  bag,  and  though 
truck  dealers  may  object,  the  consumer  will  reap  the  benefit.  Such  a 
policy  would  have  been  an  intelligent  policy,  and  under  such  a  policy 
profits  would  have  been  held  at  a  minimum  for  the  benefit  of  con- 
sumers, instead  of  being  turned  into  a  loss  for  the  benefit  of  truck 
dealers. 

The  Governor  of  Madras  had  it  in  his  power  to  say  to  importers, 
*  The  railway  carriage  is  insufficient  to  supply  the  country  with  the 
food  required,  but  as  you  find  the  capital  and  run  the  risk,  neither  of 
which  the  Government  will  undertake  and  guarantee,  a  fair  distribu- 
tion will  be  made  of  all  available  carriage  on  a  pro  raid  footing,  ac- 
cording to  the  capital  invested  and  the  risk  undertaken.'  On  the  other 
hand  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  say, '  Importers  may  import  as  much 
as  they  like,  but  the  carrying  power  of  the  country  shall  be  given  to 
the  non-importer  in  equal  proportion  with  that  given  to  importers,  and 
as  there  will  be  fifty  non-importers  against  every  importer,  the  im- 
porter shall  be  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  consumer,  and  from  the  mo- 
nopoly of  the  carrying  power  in  the  non-importer's  hands.  Importers 
must  submit  to  their  values  without  reference  to  the  consumer's  price.' 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  the  Governor  chose  the  latter,  and 
persisted  in  it  in  the  fEioe  of  representations  and  expostulations  frx)m 
all  the  commercial  circles  of  the  Presidency.  Though  I  have  seen  fifty 
reasons  against  his  policy,  I  have  never  seen  one  in  its  fiivour  that 
would  bear  investigation. 

My  experience  is  that  my  imports  would  have  gone  into  con- 
sumers' hands  at  least  8  annas  per  bag  cheaper,  and  my  imports  and 
profits  would  have  been  larger,  if  the  Governor  had  adopted  the  first 
line  of  action.  Presuming  this  to  be  the  experience  of  other  importers, 
the  upshot  is,  that  on  the  imports,  say  13,000,000  of  bags,  a  sum  more 
than  equal  to  the  Mansion  House  Belief  Fund  has  been  forced  out  of 
consumers'  pockets  for  the  benefit  of  middlemen,  and  to  the  injury  of 
importers. 

What  was  expected  from  the  Madras  Railway  at  the 
period  of  the  Viceroy's  visit  will  appear  from  the  fol- 
lowing passages  occurring  in  a  despatch  from   Lord 


THE   CAPABILITIES   OF   THE  RAILWAYS.  267 

Lytton  to  the   Marquis  of  Salisbury.     Lord  Lytton 
said : — 

Much  discuflsion  has  taken  place  during  the  past  week  on  the 
working  and  the  requirements  of  the  Madras  Railway.  Seventeen 
additional  engines  and  100  waggons  have,  during  August^  heen 
horrowed  from  other  lines  and  sent  to  Madras :  100  more  waggons 
will  shortly  arrive  from  the  Baroda  line;  the  Madras  Bailway  is 
receiving  from  England  six  to  eight  new  poweiful  engines  per  month ; 
200-metre-gauge  waggons  are  on  their  way  (some  have  actually 
arrived)  from  State  lines  for  work  on  the  South  Indian  Bailway. 
The  douhle  line  frt>m  Madras  to  Aroonum  has  heen  opened  for  traffic. 
The  despatches  of  grain  from  the  Madras  terminus  are  reaching  1,800 
tons  a  day,  while  the  despatches  inland  frt>m  Kegapatam  and  Beypore 
are  keeping  up  to  the  mark.  I  anticipate  that  the  several  Madras 
railways  will,  if  grain  he  consigned  in  sufficient  quantities,  despatch 
inland  the  full  quantity  required  daily,  namely : — 

Tons 
From  Madras  terminus  by  the  Madras  Railway   .        .    1,800 

„    Beypore 400 

„    Raichore 900 

By  the  South  Indian  Railway 800 

I,  canal  and  road  from  Madras 600 

Total 4,600 

Under  these  circumstances  the  Grovemment  of  India  have  for 
the  present  refrained  from  compelling  other  guaranteed  lines,  by 
forced  Government  requisition,  to  lend  more  rolling  stock  than  they 
can  willingly  spare  to  the  Madras  Railway ;  and  we  are  the  more 
anxious  not  to  make  requisitions,  if  it  can  possibly  be  helped,  because 
the  other  railways  have  loyally  obeyed  our  request  for  loans  of  rolling 
stock  as  far  as  they  possibly  could,  and  because  we  do  not  know  what 
urgent  need  may  spi*ing  up  for  grain  transport  in  other  ports  of  the 
Empire  which  are  threatened  with  scarcity. 

Though  the  Madras  railways,  by  working  full  power,  can  thus 
almost  meet  the  necessities  of  the  case,  yet  it  is  by  no  means  certain 
that  they  can  continue  to  do  so,  or  that  they  will  be  prepared  for  new 
demands  which  may  arise  if  the  north-east  monsoon  fails.  Some  of 
their  engine  and  waggon  stock  is  very  old,  and  may  become  unservice- 
able before  the  crisis  is  over ;  the  northern  railways  may,  if  difficulty 
comes  in  Upper  India,  have  to  reclaim  the  engines  they  have  lentw 
In  order  therefore  to  provide  against  possible  difficulties,  we  have 
telegraphed  to  your  Lordship  supporting  the  Madras  Government  in 
their  indent  of  August  17  for  20  more  engines,  600  waggons,  and  40 


268  THE   RAILWAYS, 

brak^vanfl ;  and  we  have  aaked  for  20  more  engineB  in  addition  to  the 
Madras  indent.  You  have  informed  us  by  telegraph  that  500  of  these 
waggons  will  reach  India  within  ten  weeks'  time.  We  hope  that  this 
additional  stock,  together  with  30  new  heavy  engines  now  arriTing, 
will  enable  the  Madras  railways  to  meet  all  emergencies.  We  have 
asked  that  the  40  new  engines  should,  for  reasons  explained  in  my 
colleagues'  railway  letter,  quoted  in  paragraph  10  of  the  present  letter, 
form  part  of  the  State  reserve  of  engines. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  railways  will  cany  the  required 
amount  of  grain,  if  only  it  is  consigned  by  the  trade.  And  upon  the 
question  whether  private  trade  will  send  into  the  famine  country  all 
t^e  grain  that  is  required,  the  safety  of  the  people  depends.  It  can- 
not be  said  that  the  trade  sends  all  the  country  can  take,  for  the  dear 
prices  ruling  in  so  many  districts  would  show  that  more  grain  would 
be  readily  bought,  if  sent.  But  this  much  is  certain ;  private  trade 
is  still  consigning  to  the  famine  coantry  much  more  grain  than  the 
railways  can  carry  into  the  interior.  In  previous  letters  we  have 
reported  that  more  than  100,000  tons  of  grain  are  awaiting  despatch 
at  or  near  the  railway  stations  in  the  Central  Provinces.  The  Bengal 
exportable  sutplus,  if  the  crop  now  in  the  ground  turns  out  well,  will 
not  fall  short  of  350,000  tons.  Already  100,000  tons  of  fineight» 
chiefly  steamer  freight,  has  been  taken  up  for  de«patch  of  grain  from 
Calcutta  to  Madras  ports  during  the  present  month.  The  actual 
despatches  of  rice  from  Bengal  to  Madras  were  53,225  tons,  or  an 
average  of  3,800  tons  daUy,  during  the  fortnight  ending  August  29. 
The  despatches  from  Burmah  to  Madras  were  only  400  tons  during 
the  same  period ;  so  that  there  would  seem  to  be  truth  in  the  opinion, 
generally  expressed  by  merchants,  that  the  Burmah  rice  ports  have  no 
more  grain  to  send  till  next  crop  comes  to  market  in  December. 
From  Saigon  it  was  reported  that  150,000  tons  were  ready  for  export, 
but  that  most  of  this  would  go  to  China,  where  also  there  is  a  large 
famine  demand.  But  a  telegram  from  the  Governor  of  the  Straits 
Settlements,  dated  September  1,  has  told  us  that  the  Siamese  Govern- 
ment has  prohibited  the  export  of  rice  from  Bankok  until  September 
30,  on  account  of  the  threatened  dearth  in  those  territories.  At  the 
same  time  the  Persian  Government  has  prohibited  grain  exportation 
from  Bushire.  It  would  seem  therefore  that,  for  the  present,  India 
cannot  expect  food  supplies  frx)m  fruiher  Asia,  but  must  send  the  sur- 
plus of  the  north  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  the  south.  For  the 
present,  and  so  far  as  we  can  foresee,  any  grain  imported  by  Govern- 
ment would  occupy  raUway  waggons  to  the  exclusion  of  private 
despatches,  and  would  paralyse  trade  to  an  indefinite  extent. 


QUANTITIES   OF   GRAIN  CARRIED. 


269 


The  work  actually  performed  by  the  various  rail- 
ways converging  upon  and  running  through  the  Madras 
Presidency  will  be  found  in  the  following  series  of 
tables,  kindly  prepared  at  the  author's  request  by  the 
Railway  Department : — 

A. 

Stateiceitt  BHownre  the  Quaivtity  of  Grain  forwabdbd  from  the 

ITNDSBMENTIONED  STATIONS   FROli  AueUST   1870  TO   NOVEMBER   1877. 


Periodis 

Madras 

a  I.  Ry. 

Bey  pore 

G.LP.Ry. 

Total 

Earnings 

1876 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Rs.        As  P 

August . 

8,008 

1,673 

113 

4,039 

8,823 

76,822  16  9 

September     . 

6,390 

2,030 

223 

6,163 

13,806 

98,429  12  0 

October 

10,968 

6,124 

1,121 

4,921 

22,124 

206,638    3  0 

November 

13,208 

2,432 

1,962 

7,961 

26,643 

248,096  10  0 

December 
1877 
January 

80,746 

1,337 

6,670 

12,281 

49,933 

392,101  14  0 

27,186 

1,161 

10^76 

7,872 

46,483 

397,133    1  0 

February 

20,118 

481 

8,TO2 

10,666 

40,241 

830,630    1  0 

March    . 

87,405 

1,836 

6,161 

9,138 

64,689 

423,361  10  0 

April     . 

84,272 

1,168 

9,072 

8,617 

63,129 

418,881    6  U 

May       . 

38,696 

2,398 

11,669 

10,699 

68,362 

411,479    9  0 

June 

86,800 

2,619 

.8,418 

11,487 

68,224 

437,204    6  0 

July      . 

A784 

3,467 

9,496 

13,683 

70,429 

483,047    2  0 

August . 

47,866 

8,683 

10,663 

11,766 

73,066 

644,684    4  0 

September     . 

89,070 

3,391 

12,268 

16,142 

70,866 

482,042    4  0 

October 

28,160 

920 

7,216 

4,411 

40,707 

293,060  11  0 

November 

28,089 

1,667 

6,697 

821 

37,174 

294,344    4  0 

Total 

439,838 

86,176 

109,780 

139,646 

724,339 

6,636,947  16  9 



THE   RAILWAYS. 


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WOBK  DOHE   BT  MADRAS  BAILWAY.  271 


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Office  establishment      .    . 

Station  Elafl 

Train  BtaQ 

Overtime  allowance  .    ,    , 
Telegraph  department  .    , 

272  THE   RAILWAYS. 

Railway  extension  forms  an  important  feature  in  the 
famine  policy  of  the  future,  as  described  in  Sir  John 
Strachey's  speech  in  the  Legislative  Council  in  Decem- 
ber 1877.  The  value  of  railways  and  good  roads  con- 
nected with  them,  without  which  their  fiill  usefulness 
cannot  be  developed,  is  very  great  indeed.  Their 
effect  on  prices  also,  uTespective  of  the  actual  carriage 
of  the  grain,  is  an  element  to  be  considered.  The 
knowledge  that  in  a  few  days  at  most,  large  supplies 
can  be  imported,  keeps  down  excessive  prices,  which  an 
increased  demand  is  likely  to  produce.  The  impossi- 
bility of  forming  a  correct  estimate  of  the  quantity 
of  stored  grain — the  knowledge,  if  it  exists,  being  con- 
fined to  the  class  who  deal  in  the  produce — renders 
the  grain  trade  to  outsiders  one  of  great  risk.  Grain 
dealers  naturally  wish  to  make  the  maximum  of  profit, 
and  the  stores  are  withheld  until  competition  is  roused. 
A  famine  or  scarcity  is  the  grain-dealer's  opportunity, 
and  he  cannot,  more  than  any  other  trader,  be  blamed 
for  making  the  most  of  his  opportunity.  While  rail- 
ways afford  the  quickest  mode  of  transit  and  equalise 
supply,  they  are  not  alone  the  saviour  of  the  people. 
Grain  may  be  poured  into  a  district,  but  the  poor  and 
the  destitute  must  be  enabled  to  purchase  it.  Thousands 
may  starve  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  as  can  be  seen  in 
every  metropolis,  even  in  the  greatest  of  the  world.  In 
the  Irish  famine  there  were  ships  and  ports,  and  means 
of  transport,  but  the  people  had  to  be  helped  to  purchase. 


'FEES'    TEADE   IN   FAMINE 

TIMES 


VOL.   II. 


'FREE'   TRADE   IN   FAMINE 

TIMES. 


Elsewhere  the  story  has  been  told  of  the    dispute 
between  the  Governments  of   India  and  Madras  re- 
garding purchase  of  grain ;    the  policy  of  the  former 
has  been  vindicated.     A  few  considerations,  apart  from 
the  actual  circumstances  which  caused  so  much  and 
such  angry  feelings,  may  be  of  interest.     The  expres- 
sion *  free '  as  regards  trade  applies  more  properly  to 
an  unrestricted  or  unburdened  trade  than  to  one  in 
which  Government  is  directly  concerned.    Taking  the 
expression,  however,  in  the  latter  sense,  which  is  now 
meant,  it  may  be  well  to  examine  the  condition  of 
things  in  former  famines,  and  weigh  the  result  of  non- 
intei'vention  and  the  result  of  intervention.     In  the 
Orissa  famine  more  than  a  million  of  people  died  of 
starvation,  the  result  of  non-intervention.      This  was 
justly  considered  a  blot  on  British  administration,  and 
action  likely  to  have  a  similar  result  was  studiously 
avoided  in  the  subsequent  Bengal  famine.     But  if  the 
causes  of  the  Orissa  &mine  be  enquired  into  and  the 
cost  of  the  Government  transport  of  grain  be  calculated, 
it  will  be  found  that  grain  was  not  imported  into  Orissa 
from  causes  which  equally  prevented  Government  aid 
and  also  private  trade  from  taking  adequate  action. 
The  coast  was  shut  by  the  monsoon,  and  there  were 
no  roads.     A  railway  to  Orissa  from  Calcutta  would 
have  prevented  the  loss  of  life,  but  without  such  means 
of  communication  neither  Government  nor  private  trade 
could  help  the  people. 

T  2 


276  ^free'  trade  in  famine  times. 

The  carriage  of  grain  from  a  dear  to  a  cheap  place 
is  evidently  not  an  economical  remedy ;  it  is  a  question 
of  carrying  facilities.  In  the  Bengal  famine,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  were  no  such  conditions  as  existed  in 
Orissa.  There  was  not  a  tempestuous  sea-coast,  nor  an 
isolated  territory.  Roads  existed  ;  they  were  not  cut  to 
pieces  by  the  abnormal  traffic.  Government  and  private 
grain  passing  and  repassing  on  the  same  roads.  Such 
was  the  result,  most  disastrous  to  the  revenue,  of 
Government  interference  in  1874,  and  so  strong  was  the 
impression  it  left  on  the  Government  oflndia,  that  strict 
non-interference  with  private  trade  has  now  become  a 
recognised  policy.  In  a  distressed  district,  where  prices 
are  higher  than  elsewhere,  trade  seeks  that  district  as 
a  matter  of  course.  Government,  however,  have  still 
to  aid  the  distressed.  In  the  Bellary  district  in  the 
Madras  Presidency  in  1866,  when  prices  were  abnormal 
on  account  of  distress,  trade  never  ceased.  The  dis* 
trict  had  prospered  in  former  years  by  good  cotton 
prices.  The  harvests  had  been  scanty,  but  wages  had 
kept  up,  and  grain  poured  into  the  district  for  months 
before  the  crisis  of  distress.  There  was  no  railway 
then,  and  want  of  water  and  fodder  made  trade  very 
difficult ;  nevertheless  traffic  kept  on. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  import  some  tons  of  grain 
for  the  use  of  the  destitute.  The  grain  was  given 
gratis  by  Government  at  Bangalore.  It  was  carried 
half-way  to  Bellary  for  nothing,  but  the  double  cost  of 
carriage  the  other  half-way  to  Bellary  made  the  grain 
as  dear  as  it  was  in  the  worst  time  of  distress.  More- 
over, the  carriage  broke  down,  the  contractors  failed, 
the  bullocks  died  of  femine  and  the  drivers  of  cholera. 
There  was,  therefore,  no  effectual  competition  with 
native  transport  or  prices. 

It  is  not  in  the  least  to  be  supposed  that  there  can 


GOVERNMENT   TRADING   TO   BE   DEPRECATED.      27/ 

be  a  saving  of  money  by  Government  carriage  rather 
than  by  native  carriage.  Government  always  pays 
extra,  and  its  agents  have  not  the  stimulus  of  private 
profit.  Personal  interest  produces  the  greatest  effect 
all  over  the  world,  and  Government  support  is  only 
claimed  by  schemes  not  sufficiently  remunerative.  To 
buy  dear  and  sell  cheap  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence 
in  Government  operations;  but  this,  though  not  affect- 
ing Government,  would  soon  terminate  the  career  of 
a  merchant. 

When  means  of  communication  are  open  to  a  district 
free  trade  enters,  and  all  Government  competition 
with  that  trade  is  only  and  wholly  evil.  Private 
traders  can  make  much  better  bargains  as  regards 
carriage  than  Government.  Their  distribution  is  more 
economical,  and  self-interest  is  admitted  to  be  the 
greatest  factor  in  all  such  transactions.  The  argument, 
therefore,  that  Government  can  intervene  with  advan- 
tage when  private  trade  cannot,  is  unsound  when  the 
subject  is  fully  investigated.  Government  has  a  func- 
tion to  perform,  it  has  to  save  the  lives  of  its  subjects ; 
but  it  does  so  most  effectually  when  it  constructs  roads 
and  thus  facilitates  trade,  and  when  by  giving  wages  to 
the  destitute  it  enables  them  to  buy  food  and  live.  A 
case  occurred  in  the  time  of  the  famine  of  1866,  in  a 
district  next  to  Orissa,  which  was  overflowed  by  the 
destitute  from  that  province.  Grain  was  sent  by  a 
mercantile  firm  from  Madras,  and  had  to  be  sold  for 
less  than  prime  cost ;  it  had  to  compete  with  Govern- 
ment grain  sent  there,  and  yet  the  famine  was  not 
stopped  by  the  comparative  cheapness  of  grain  in  the 
distressed  district.  The  real  relief  would  have  been  to 
have  enabled  the  distressed  to  buy  the  grain;  to  have 
employed  the  poor  at  liberal  wages.  When  wages  are 
good  trade   is   active,  and  the   converse  holds  good. 


278  *  FREE  '    TRADE   IN   FAMINE   TIMES. 

Trade  follows  profit.  It  may,  of  course,  be  argued 
that  it  would  be  cheaper  for  Government  to  pay  wages 
with  grain,  but  there  are  many  difficulties  and  draw- 
backs in  payment  with  so  bulky  a  commodity — ^trans- 
port, storage,  distribution,  the  liability  to  damage  and 
to  peculation.  But  whenever  Government,  with  its 
indifference  to  loss,  deals  in  grain,  it  paralyses  private 
trade,  which  cannot  make  head  against  so  fonnidable 
a  competitor.  In  the  anxiety  to  save  life  conditions  of 
trade  are  overlooked.  Wherever,  on  the  contrary,  there 
are  open  communications,  private  trade  has  been  found 
equal  to  the  emergency,  only  Government  has  its  part 
still  to  play  in  enabling  the  destitute  to  purchase  food. 

The  question  is  wholly  one  of  open  communications. 
As  regards  relief  when  communications  are  open, 
Government  has  a  choice;  it  may  attract  destitute 
persons  from  a  distressed  district  by  offering  work 
and  wages  out  of  the  distressed  locality,  or  it  may 
open  remunerative  public  works,  if  such  are  feasible, 
in  the  locality.  It  is  a  question  of  comparative 
economy  ;  it  may  be  more  economical  to  carry  the 
man  to  the  work  than  to  carry  the  work  to  the  man. 
When  people  starve  in  the  midst  of  cheap  prices,  their 
destitution  must  be  great. 


EELIEF   CAMPS 


RELIEF   CAMPS. 


In    respect    to    administration    each   district,   in   the 
Madras  Presidency  at  least,   was,   during  the  famine 
period,  an  imperium  in  imperio.     The  mode  and  order 
of  relief  adopted  may,  therefore,  be  fairly  understood  if 
the  procedure  of  one  district  is  given.     The  district  of 
Coimbatore  is,  perhaps,  above  the  average  in  careful 
famine  administration,  its  collector  having  had  expe- 
rience in  Bellary  in  a  similar  disaster  in  1866.    It  may, 
however,  be  useful  to  cite  it  for  the  purpose  of  illustra- 
tion.    In  this  district  the  Government  relief  was  origi- 
nally confined  to  public  works  organised  by  the  collector 
and  his  division  officers.  A  forecast  of  the  results  of  the 
failure  of  the  north-east  monsoon  in  1876  had  been  made 
about  the  latter  end  of  November.     In  December  a  plan 
of  works  was  prepared,  tools  procured,  gangs  organised, 
and  work  began  wherever  the  need  arose.     No  stoppage 
or  hitch  of  any  kind  occurred.     The  repair  of  the  neg- 
lected village  road  was  first  taken  in  hand,  and  cart 
tracks,  indeed  fair  roads,  leading  to  villages  substituted 
for  the  narrow,  cactus-overgrown,  stony  ravines,  to  which 
want  of  funds  and  neglect  had  reduced  these  tracks.  The 
storage  of  metal  for  the  trunk  roads,  in  which,  for  want  of 
maintenance  funds,  they  had  always  been  deficient,  was 
carried  on  to  an  enormous  extent.    Stones  were  collected 
and  broken,  and  arranged  in  neatly  measured  piles  along 
the  lines  of  the  main  road.     The  storage  was  effected, 


282  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

never  above,  but  often  below,  the  ordinary  rates.  Ne- 
glected irrigation  channels  were  cleared  of  silt,  a  work 
well  suited  for  the  unskilled  labourer.  The  irrigational 
capacity  of  the  district  could  not  be  increased :  every 
river  had  been  laid  under  contribution,  and  there 
was  more  land  fitted  for  irrigation  than  water,  even  in 
good  seasons,  but  in  a  year  like  that  of  the  famine  the 
rivers  were  very  low,  and  their  supply  failed  to  reach 
the  lower  channels.  Much  sanitary  improvement  of 
villages  was  carried  out.  In  Erode,  Caroor,  and  Dhara- 
puram,  the  glacis  of  the  forts  was  levelled  and  ditches 
tilled  up,  and  obstructions  to  ventilation  removed.  At 
Coimbatore  town  valuable  work  was  carried  out  by  the 
reclamation  of  a  swamp  close  to  the  town  which  was 
caused  by  the  ebb  and  flow  of  an  irrigation  tank.  The 
silt  in  the  bed  was  excavated  and  carried  to  the  shallow 
swampy  part,  which  was  raised  above  high  water  level, 
thereby  adding  thirty  or  forty  acres  of  valuable  land 
which  was  immediately  utilised  as  a  plantation.  The 
water  space  was  contracted  and  deepened,  so  that  there 
was  less  surface  evaporation,  and  the  salubrity  of  the 
town,  which  used  to  suflFer  from  fever  and  cholera, 
greatly  improved.  The  cost  of  this  work  was  about 
600  rs.  an  acre,  and  the  mean  depth  of  silt  removed 
about  4^  feet. 

The  superintendence  of  all  famine  works  fell  on  the 
revenue  oflScers  from  January  till  October,  when  the 
professional  department  relieved  them  of  this  onerous 
task. 

For  the  destitute  and  suffering  private  charity  was 
at  first  organised,  then  supplemented  by  State  funds, 
and,  finally,  wholly  superseded  by  them  when  the 
increasing  distress  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  former 
contributora  to  continue  their  subscriptions.  Room, 
however,  was  again  found  for  relief  funds  when  British 


CLOSED  camps;  their  drawbacks.  283 

munificence  was  made  available,  and  in  no  district  was 
that  charity  better  disbursed. 

The  first  mode  of  relief  adopted  was  the  distribution  of 
cooked  food  to  persons  with  tickets;  the  next  was  large 
camps  with  sleeping  accommodation  for  the  houseless, 
and  daily  task-work.  The  final  arrangement  was  that  of 
closed  camps,  where  the  inmates  were  shut  up  as  a  con- 
dition of  relief.  This  mode  of  relief,  even  though  modified 
to  suit  the  various  castes,  was  abhorrent  to  the  habits  and 
feelings  of  the  people,  and  induced  a  great  reduction  of 
numbers  who  preferred  liberty  and  the  chance  of  alms  to 
confinement.  Ranges  of  leaf  huts,  within  inclosures, 
with  sanitary  appliances,  were  constructed.  The  accom- 
modation was  comfortable  and  the  food  good,  but  still 
the  confinement  was  unpopular,  and  thousands  elected 
to  return  to  their  villages  rather  thaii  remain  in  a  closed 
camp.  The  worst  feature  in  this  was  that  the  parents 
took  away  their  children  with  them,  and  these  were 
those  who  mostly  profited  in  condition  by  the  food 
given  in  camps.  To  each  large  camp  was  attached  an 
hospital — much  needed,  as  famine  diseases  of  dysentery, 
diarrhoea,  and  dropsy  were  frequent.  The  hospitals,  with 
their  wards,  dispensaries,  and  all  needful  accommodation, 
were  also  constructed  of  cocoanut  leaves  ;  raised  plat- 
forms were  constructed  for  the  patients,  and  mats  and 
clothing  provided.  The  great  difliculty,  when  many 
people  are  congregated  in  a  certain  space,  is  sanitation. 
The  Coimbatore  camps  were  inspected  by  the  Viceroy  on 
his  visit  to  Southern  India,  and  his  Excellency  recorded 
his  approval  of  them,  but  thought  the  expenditure  rather 
extravagant.  The  constant  supervision  of  camps,  with- 
out which  great  evil  would  have  resulted,  was  a  severe 
tax  on  the  collector  and  his  assistants.  In  fact,  the  super- 
vision of  work  for  nine  months,  and  camps  for  fifteen. 


284  INDIAN  FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

involving  incessant  travelling,  physical  toil,  and  con* 
tinuous  mental  anxiety,  was  a  strain  on  the  strongest 
constitutions.  This  was  also  all  extra  work.  In  October, 
when  the  famine  began  to  ebb,  additional  officers  were 
sent  from  the  Bengal  Presidency,  but  their  ignorance 
of  the  language  and  their  taking  up  the  time  of  the 
superior  native  officials  who  had  to  attend  on  them  and 
interpret  for  them,  were  considerable  drawbacks  to  their 
usefulness.  In  fact,  it  seems  doubtful  whether  more 
good  would  not  have  resulted  from  employing  a  less 
number  of  local  officers  acquainted  with  the  people 
and  their  language. 

So  far  the  experience  of  one  district  in  its  general 
relief  operations.  Particulars  may  follow  of  the  practice 
adopted  for  relief  of  paupers  generally,  which  was  only 
decided  upon  after  much  consideration  and  accepted  as 
containing  in  it  the  teaching  of  much  experience. 

The  first  principle  of  gratuitous  relief  was  that  the 
aid  should  be  given  in  the  shape  of  cooked  food. 
There  might  be  various  modes  of  fraud  connected  with 
the  purchase  of  grain,  its  issue  and  the  accounting  for 
the  same  ;  but  when  relief  houses  were  well  supervised, 
the  food  reached  the  people,  and  the  children  especially 
showed  its  beneficial  effect.  When  a  man  does  not 
supervise  the  issue  of  grain  to  his  horses,  from  want  of 
time  or  other  cause,  be  has  one  test  in  their  condition ; 
and  when  condition  steadily  improved  among  the 
young,  the  relief  was  shown  to  be  efficacious. 

There  was,  however,  another  theory  started,  viz.,  the 
food  for  man,  woman,  and  children  being  alike  in 
quality  and  only  differing  in  quantity,  it  was  suggested, 
and  the  local  Government  adopted  the  suggestion,  that 
a  dole  of  money  should  be  substituted  for  cooked  food. 
The  mother  it  was  argued  would  purchase  with  the 
money  milk  and  appropriate  diet  for  her  child.     Milk, 


LUXURIES   PKEFERRED   TO   NECESSARIES.  285 

however,  after  the  cows  had  cfied,  was  not  procurable 
to  the  ordinary  purchaser.  Only  the  better  classes  had 
been  able  to  preserve  their  cows  during  the  period 
of  drought,  and  although  they  might,  as  a  favour,  sell 
the  same  to  the  collector  for  use  in  a  famine  camp, 
they  would  not  part  with  it  to  outside  applicants. 

It  was  found,  as  a  knowledge  of  native  character 
might  have  predicted,  that  though  the  mother  had  an 
animal  affection  for  her  child^  yet  in  very  many  cases 
she  loved  tobacco  and  betel  nut  more.  Paupers  were 
found  lying  starved  on  the  it>ads  with  t')bacco  in  their 
possession  and  some  small  coins.  They  had  indulged 
in  these  luxuries  in  preference  to  the  necessaries  of  life. 
Infant  life  could  not  safely  be  left  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  an  ignorant  parent.  In  some  districts  the  cooked 
food  relief  which  was  first  approved  by  Government 
was  never  changed  for  a  more  dubious  charity. 

As  regards  the  recipient  of  State  relief  the  degrada- 
tion of  appearing  at  the  relief  house  was  some  test  in 
preventing  the  better  classes  from  partaking  of  the 
charity  of  Government  until  dire  hunger  compelled 
them  to  do  so.  In  the  towns,  large  sheds  were  built  of 
bamboos  and  cocoanut  leaves,  gigantic  caldrons  allowed 
of  rice  being  cooked  m  bagsfuU,  people  were  made  to  sit 
in  order,  and  the  attendants  carried  round  the  food 
generally  and  gave  the  recipient  the  contents  of  a  tin 
measure  of  rice ;  next  followed  another  attendant,  who 
distributed  a  savoury  mess  of  tamarind  and  pepper  with 
an  ounce  or  so  of  dhall  and  salt  which  gave  a  flavour  to 
the  otherwise  insipid  rice.  In  some  districts  work  of  a 
light  nature  wbls  given  to  those  who  partook  of  the  food, 
but  it  was  optional  to  all  to  stay  during  the  night  in 
sheds  or  obtain  other  shelter.  In  one  district  the 
children  were  for  their  own  good,  and  to  provide  them 
with  occupation,  taught  their  letters. 


286  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF    CAMPS. 

One  argument  in  favour  of  the  district  camp  system 
was  that  it  introduced  order.  The  inmates  were,  by 
the  fence  surounding,  debarred  from  going  away.  In 
spite  of  this,  however,  they  climbed  walls,  squeezed 
through  barricade  hedges  of  prickly  pear,  and  frequently 
would  be  afterwainis  found  dying  on  the  roads.  This 
sort  of  imprisonment  was,  as  has  been  already  said,  most 
oflFensive  to  the  character  of  the  people.  And  it  must 
be  admitted  that  the  large  concourse  of  people  which 
prevented  the  possibility  of  separate  accommodation  for 
each  family  was  repugnant  to  those  who  wished  to 
preserve  self-respect.  They  would  come  early  in  the 
morning,  work  the  whole  day  for  their  meals,  and  go 
home  or  anywhere  at  night,  but  they  would  not  endure 
being  shut  up  at  nights,  as  in  a  gaol,  with  inferior  food 
and  house-accommodation.  Be  the  idea  of  the  natives 
right  or  wrong,  their  repugnance  to  closed  camps  was 
unmistakable. 

The  next  system  adopted  was  the  money  dole,  sup- 
posed to  be  given  on  house-to-house  visitation.  When 
a  famine  is  sore  in  the  land,  and  ten  to  twenty  per  cent, 
of  the  population  have  to  be  relieved,  and  the  number 
of  relieving  officers  is  necessarily  few,  there  is  no  help 
but  to  entrust  to  some  degree  the  head  of  the  village 
with  the  distribution  of  money  dole.  The  immemorial 
practice  of  India,  and  perhaps  other  countries,  is  to  pay 
a  percentage  on  favour  bestowed  by  subordinate  official 
influence.  Those  who  were  convicted  of  the  offence  of 
receiving  part  of  the  money  dole  were  punished,  but  the 
evil  was  universal,  and  even  those  who  were  paid  from 
the  hand  of  an  unimpeachable  distributor  voluntarily 
contributed  a  percentage  to  the  village  official  who  had 
enrolled  their  names  as  proper  objects  of  relief.  House- 
to-house  visitation,  the  preparation  of  correct  lists,  may 
be  feasible  in  a  small  country,  and  with  a  sufficient  staff 


DIFFICULTIES    OF   RELIEF.  287 

of  honest  controllers,  but  where  recipients  counted  by 
thousands,  over  thousands  of  square  miles,  it  is  a 
gigantic  operation,  and  one  not  likely  to  be  properly 
controlled.  There  are  limits  to  human  power.  The  story 
is  told  of  one  collector,  on  the  receipt  of  a  list  of  alleged 
proper  recipients  for  the  money  dole,  which  had  been 
forwarded  by  the  village  officer,  inspected  and  certified 
by  the  inspector,  and  perused  by  the  tahsildar,  who,  not 
being  satisfied  with  the  list,  deputed  a  European  officer  to 
make  enquiry.  This  officer  paraded  the  proposed  reci- 
pients, and  found  not  one  in  real  need  of  relief. 


The  relief  camp  is  intended  to  provide  temporarily 
for  those  who  are  able  to  work,^  and  permanently  (that 
is  as  long  as  they  require  it)  for  those  who  are  sick 
and  unable  to  do  any  considerable  amount  of  work 
through  old  age  and  infirmity.  The  temporary  cases 
are  those  where  applicants  come  for  labour  and  the 
relief  officer  is  not  able  at  the  time  to  provide  them 
with  labour;  he  must  not  turn  them  away,  but  must 
relieve  them  in  the  camp  and  work  them  there  till  he 
can  draft  them  on  to  a  relief  work.  The  relief  camp 
may  also  be  used  as  a  rest  house  for  gangs  on  their 
way  to  a  relief  work  who  come  with  an  order  from 
the  relief  officer  entitling  them  to  food  and  shelter 
for  the  night.  There  is  further  the  case  of  the  emi- 
grants' rest  house  which  will  be  treated  separately. 

The  permanent  cases  are  those  who  are  not  so 
decrepit  and  bedridden  as  to  require  village  relief,  but 
who  are  not  fit  to  be  sent  on  to  a  relief  work,  or  to 
look  after  themselves  and  cook  for  themselves.  They 
are  the  least  efficient  portion  of  those  who  are  not  fit 
to  be  put  into  Class  II.     They  include  those  who  are  in 

^  Tiie  description  ie  fiN)m  Mr.  0.  A.  Elliott  s  Famine  Code. 


288  INDIAN  FAMINE — RELIEF    CAMPS. 

bad  health  but  not  ill  enough  to  be  put  into  hospital, 
and  those  who  are  convalescents  and  have  just  left 
hospital. 

Nothing  but  cooked  food  is  given  at  relief  camps, 
the  ration  being  one  pound  of  rice  or  of  ragi  flour  plus 
three  pies'  worth  of  condiments  for  an  adult,  and  half  the 
quantity  for  a  child  over  seven,  plus  two  pies.  A 
chapter  in  the  Code  on  special  treatment  applies  equally 
to  special  cases  in  relief  camps.  No  raw  rations  are 
permitted.  The  daily  food  is  given  in  two  meals, 
morning  and  evening,  at  about  7  a.m.  and  5  p.m. 

The  two  conditions  on  which  food  is  given  at  a 
relief  camp  are  residence  and  work.  For  this  reason 
the  camp  must  be  enclosed  and  admission  or  exit  only 
be  possible  by  a  gate  at  which  a  guard  is  constantly 
posted.  Suflicient  accommodation  must  be  provided 
inside  for  the  usual  population  of  the  camp,  with  a 
margin  over  for  any  exceptional  influx.  Every  person 
in  the  camp  must  be  put  to  some  work,  however  slight, 
except  those  who  are  actually  sick.  The  feeblest  old 
woman  can  spin  a  little  thread,  and  others  can  carry  a 
light  basket  of  sand  to  throw  on  the  floor,  or  card 
cotton,  or  pick  wool,  and  those  who  are  a  little  stronger 
can  collect  and  break  stones.  For  the  sake  of  their 
health  and  spirits  and  self-respect,  it  is  better  they 
should  do  this  than  that  they  should  sit  idle  all  day. 

The  establishment  should  consist  of  paupers  as  far 
as  possible.  The  only  paid  oflScials  should  be  the 
superintendent,  the  accountant,  and  the  hospital  assist- 
ant; but  one  rupee  per  month  may  be  paid  to  the 
overseers  and  to  the  head  cook  in  addition  to  food. 
Carpenters  and  blacksmiths  if  required  may  be  called 
in  and  paid  in  cash.  But  all  other  servants  of  the 
camp  should  be  paid  in  food,  or  in  raw  grain  if  their 
caste  requii-es  it,  and  should  as  far  as  possible  be  ap- 


WORKING    OF   A    RELIEF   CAMP,  289 

pointed  from  among  the  paupers  themselves,  not  from 
outside. 

The  duty  of  the  superintendent  is  general  super- 
vision. He  is  responsible  for  examining  the  supply 
of  grain  received  from  the  contractor,  testing  its 
quantity  and  quality,  and  entering  it  in  the  stock 
register,  also  for  seeing  that  it  is  securely  kept  in  a  safe 
chamber  under  a  good  lock  or  sufficient  guard.  He  is 
bound  to  be  always  present  at  feeding  time,  to  see 
that  the  food  is  well  cooked  and  the  amount  of  it  correct, 
to  see  that  the  paupers  are  properly  organised  into 
gangs  and  parties,  are  set  to  work  at  labour  suitable  to 
their  capacities  and  do  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  work; 
and  that  all  members  of  the  establishment  do  their  duty 
punctually  and  thoroughly.  He  will  muster  the  estab- 
lishment every  day  and  record  their  attendance  in  a 
register.  He  will  also  receive  daily  from  the  taluk 
relief  officer  all  new  admissions,  will  assort  them  into 
gangs,  and  see  that  their  names  are  entered  by  the 
overseer  on  his  muster  roll. 

The  gangs  are  to  be  organised  according  to  their 
capacity  for  work,  and  also,  where  necessary,  according 
to  their  caste,  provided  they  are  not  thereby  split  up 
into  too  small  numbers.  If  the  numbers  are  small, 
persons  of  good  caste  can  be  allowed  to  sit  a  little  apart 
in  working  and  eating  from  other  members  of  the  gang, 
and  can  have  a  portion  of  the  shed  walled  off  for  them 
while  still  continuing  to  be  numbered  in  the  gang. 
The  number  of  a  gang  should  usually  be  about  40  or 
50 ;  when  the  work  is  sedentary,  like  spinning  or  stone- 
breaking,  it  may  be  more  ;  when  the  labourers  are 
scattered  over  a  large  space,  as  on  stone-collecting,  it 
should  be  less.  The  gangsman  or  head  cooly  should 
ordinarily  be  a  respectable  illiterate  resident  of  the 
taluk  in  distressed  circumstances,  who  is  glad  to  accept 

VOL.  II.  u 


290  INDIAN  FAMINE — ^RELIEF   CAMPS. 

the  post  for  the  wages  of  a  ration  half  as  large  again 
as  the  ordinary  one,  i.e.  \\  lbs.  of  grain,  which  may  be 
given  raw.  The  organisation  of  the  gangs  should  be 
kept  as  uniform  as  possible,  so  that  people  may  know 
their  work  and  their  place  and  each  other;  they  should 
sleep  in  the  same  shed,  eat  meals  in  the  same  place,  and 
after  meals  go  together  to  the  same  work  in  the  same 
place,  as  nearly  as  possible. 

This  establishment,  which  consists  of  cooks,  water- 
carriers,  rice  cleaners  or  grinders,  guards,  and  sweepers, 
should  be  kept  down  to  a  moderate  strength,  and  should 
as  far  as  possible  be  recruited  from  the  paupers  of  the 
kitchen,  or  from  respectable  people  of  the  taluk  who 
are  in  distressed  circumstances.  As  a  rule  they  should 
be  paid  in  grain,  which  may  be  given  raw  if  desired, 
at  the  rate  of  \\  lbs.,  or  for  the  most  onerous 
tasks  2  lbs.  a  day ;  but  where  the  numbers  are  large, 
the  head  cook  may  in  addition  receive  1  r.  per 
mensem.  The  number  of  each  class  of  servants  should 
be  arranged  on  a  sliding  scale  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  paupers  to  be  attended  to.  The  number  of 
cooks  should  probably  be  about  1  per  cent.,  but  more 
may  be  required  where  rice  is  cooked  than  where  ragi, 
and  where  the  resident  population  is  very  feeble,  more 
persons  must  be  entertained  to  carry  and  distribute  the 
cooked  food  than  where  there  are  able-bodied  paupers 
who  can  be  so  employed.  The  number  of  water- 
women  and  of  sweepers  should  be  about  the  same  as 
the  cooks.  But  for  the  sick  in  hospital  probably  one 
sweeper  will  be  required  for  25  patients.  The  occupa- 
tion of  rice-cleaning  or  ragi-grinding  is  one  that  can 
be  suitably  given  to  women  of  respectable  castes  ;  two 
women  in  good  health  should  easily  grind  thirty  seers 
of  ragi  a  day,  or  enough  for  sixty  adults  ;  but  if  they 
are  enfeebled,  then   two  relays   of  two   women    each 


MISMANAGEMENT   OF   CAMPS.  291 

should  be  allowed  for  each  mill.  It  is  not  intended  in 
these  rules  to  tie  officers  down  to  a  too  rigid  uniformity, 
but  every  superintendent  and  taluk  relief  officer  is 
expected  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  combine  efficiency 
with  economy. 

The  orphans  and  children  deserted  by  their  parents 
should  be  formed  into  a  separate  gang,  or  if  necessary 
two  gangs  of  boys  and  girls  separately,  and  clothed 
in  a  distinct  uniform.  As  soon  as  preparations  can  be 
made  to  receive  them,  they  should  all  be  sent  in  to  the 
relief  camp  at  the  district  head-quarters,  and  not  kept 
in  outlying  camps.  The  disposal  of  these  orphans  is 
in  the  hands  of  Government,  and  no  officer  id  entitled 
to  make  any  of  them  over  to  any  society  or  private 
person  without  the  special  sanction  of  the  Famine 
Commissioner. 

For  want  of  sufficient  and  efficient  European  super- 
vision some  of  the  camps  were  grossly  mismanaged, 
and  large  sums  of  money  were  spent  which  ought 
never  to  have  been  expended ;  instead  of  helping  those 
in  need,  the  fiinds  supplied  were  squandered  in  minis- 
tering to  village  officials  and  their  friends.  A  non- 
official  gentleman  w^ho,  at  great  personal  inconveni- 
ence and  solely  with  a  desire  to  benefit  the  people, 
secured  order  where  before  there  was  chaos,  and  who 
manaofed,  at  no  cost  to  the  State,  a  large  camp  for 
several  months,  has  yielded  to  the  request  of  the 
author  of  this  work  and  has  written  a  description  of 
his  experience.  It  is  most  valuable  and  interesting. 
He  says  : — 

*  The  daily  allowance  prescribed  by  Government  for 

relief  camps  was  to    "  ordinary  diet   paupers "   about 

twenty-four  ounces,  and  to  "  special  diet  paupers  "  about 

thirty-five  ounces  of  uncooked  solid  food,  and  there  is 

no   doubt    that   it  was   enough   to   sustain   life  welL 

u2 


292  INDIAN  FAMINE — ^RELIEF   CAMPS. 

Dr.  Dalton,  the  eminent  physiologist,  says  :  "  The 
quantity  of  solid  food  required  during  twenty-four 
hours  by  a  man  in  full  health  and  taking  free  exercise 
in  the  open  air,  is  rather  less  than  2i  lbs. — ^that 
is,  less  than  forty  ounces."  The  daily  allowance  of 
the  United  States  soldier^  during  the  American  Civil 
War  was  thirty -five  ounces  of  solid  food,  though  it 
is  said  that  many  of  the  greatest  marches  of  that  war 
were  executed  when  the  troops  did  not  receive  over 
two-thirds  of  that  amount — sometimes  less  than  that 
proportion.  It  appears,  therefore,  that*  the  rations 
prescribed  for  relief  paupers  were  not  much  inferior  to 
those  of  soldiers  on  active  duty,  and  they  were  certainly 
liberal.  Moreover,  when  it  was  borne  in  mind  that  one 
or  more  relief  camps  existed  as  a  rule  in  each  taluk, 
responsibility  for  the  frightful  mortality  in  many  parts 
can  hardly  be  set  to  the  account  of  district  officials 
commissioned  with  the  execution  of  the  Government 
orders. 

'  Perhaps  a  few  days'  experience  in  a  relief  camp — 
believed  not  to  be  wholly  an  exceptional  one — may  cast 
a  ray  of  light  on  this  subject. 

*  The  camp  was  large  enough  to  permit  the  feeding 
of  several  thousand  people  at  once.  It  was  furnished 
with  kitchen,  store-shed  and  hospital-sheds,  and  was 
in  general  well-arranged.  Twenty  cooks,  a  sufficient 
number  of  scavengers,  peons,  carts,  &c.,  constituted 
the  working  force  of  the  camp  ;  all  being  under  the 
management  of  three  gumastahs  and  a  superintendent. 
The  salaries  of  the  establishment  aggregated  about  two 
hundred  rupees  a  month,  an  expenditure  sufficient  to 
warrant  expectation  of  good  results. 

*  The  writer  of  this  narratiye  of  camp  life  served  with  the  Federal 
troops  in  the  American  war,  and  was  with  Sherman  in  his  march  through 
Georgia,  which  accounts  for  the  source  whence  the  illustration  is  drawn. 


SCENES   IN  A   RELIEF   CAMP.  293 

*  Yet  the  number  of  destitute  persons  to  be  seen 
wandering  in  the  streets  and  around  the  camp,  the  late 
hours  for  issuing  food,  and  especially  the  frequency 
with  which  dead  bodies  were  found  lying  iu  out-of- 
the-way  places,  all  indicated,  to  say  the  least,  a 
want  of  efficient  use  of  means  at  hand  for  relievins: 
distress. 

*  Thinking  that  perhaps  something  could  be  done  to 
render  the  camp  more  efficient,  the  writer  offered  to 
supervise  it  during  the  severest  months  of  1877.  The 
proposition  was  accepted,  and  the  nati^^  officer  at  the 
head  of  the  taluk  gave  over  charge  to  me.  He  at  the 
same  time  informed  me  that  the  camp  was  in  good 
working  condition,  and  that  to  guard  against  the  ad- 
mission of  unworthy  persons,  all  applicants  for  relief 
were  first  examined  at  the  taluk  kachcheri*  Those 
deemed  worthy  were  furnished  with  tickets  stamped  with 
his  own  private  seal,  and  only  such  ticket-holders  were 
allowed  in  the  camp. 

'  On  repairing  to  the  camp  in  the  evening  to  observe 
its  work  preparatory  to  assuming  charge  next  day, 
I  found  a  crowd  said  to  number  fourteen  hundred  in 
the  enclosure.  They  were  all  arranged  in  divisions 
according  to  castes — Sudras,  Mussalmans,  Pariahs,  and 
Chucklers — though  many  of  those  called  Chucklers 
were  in  fact  Christians  and  should  have  been  so 
classed.  Some  eighty  or  more  persons  reported  sick 
and  on  special  diet  were  in  a  shed  by  themselves,  and 
some  twenty  small-pox  patients  were  in  another  shed 
at  a  little  distance  from  the  camp.  There  were, 
probably^  five  hundred  outside  crying  for  admission, 
many  of  whom  were,  to  use  the  medical  officer's  words. 
''  in  the  last  stages  of  destitution/'  while  a  glance  at  the 
ticket- holders  would  have  led  any  intelligent  man  to 
suspect  that  many  of  those  gratuitously  fed  were  well 


294  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

able  to  earn  wages  on  relief  works.  Especially  notice- 
able was  the  number  of  young  women  who  were  either 
not  accompanied  at  all  by  children,  as  was  required,  in 
order  to  entitle  them  to  gratuitous  relief,  or  had  with 
them  children  whose  extremely  emaciated  condition 
was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  physical  appearance 
of  their  alleged  mothers. 

'  There  were  also  many  persons  of  both  sexes  who 
appeared  to  be  well  enough  in  other  respects  but  seemed 
to  be  blind  or  lame,  or  crippled  in  arms,  or  had  swollen 
joints  wrapped  in  enormous  rolls  of  leaves.  These 
matters  were  noted  for  enquiry  at  a  future  time. 

'  One  of  the  first  things  that  attracted  attention  after 
entering  the  camp  was  a  group  of  gumastahs  (overseers) 
seated  on  a  mat  enrolling  new  paupers  ;  one  taking 
names,  another  writing  tickets,  and  a  third  stamping 
the  tickets  with  the  tahsildar's  private  seal — all  this  a 
half-mile  from  the  taluk  kachcheri. 

'When  I  asked  to  have  the  officers  and  servants 
pointed  out  to  me,  it  was  found  that  there  were  a 
numl^er  of  fellows  running  here  and  there,  apparently 
very  busy  guarding  gates,  keeping  order,  &c.,  whose 
names  could  not  be  found  on  the  rolls.  As  they  could 
not  therefore  receive  cash  payment  for  services,  their 
presence  was  a  source  of  some  surprise. 

*  Constables  on  guard  could  be  seen  at  one  minute 
several  paces  outside  of  the  enclosure,  making  most 
energetic  efibrts  to  drive  back  the  crowd,  and  at  the 
next  would  be  as  far  within,  shouting  and  scolding. 
While  thus  engaged  in  faithful  discharge  of  their  duty, 
numbers  of  persons  availed  themselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  to  glide  in  behind  the  guards  and  find 
seats  in  the  crowd  inside. 

'  Supplies  for  the  camp  were  purchased  through  one 
of  the  village  merchants  with  whom  a  regular  account 


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MISMANAGEMENT.  295 

was  kept.  Orders  for  supplies  were  sent  daily,  and  the 
supplies  were  generally  obtained  in  the  bazaar  by  this 
merchant.  No  examination  of  grain  bags  was  made 
to  determine  the  quality  of  their  contents,  nor  were  any 
consignments  tested  to  see  whether  the  quantity  re- 
turned was  equal  to  that  ordered  and  paid  for  by  the 
Government.  Persons  accustomed  to  do  business  in 
an  Indian  bazaar  need  not  be  told  what  possibilities 
of  fraud  there  were  under  such  a  regime^  where  the 
transactions  amounted  sometimes  to  hundreds  of  rupees 
daily. 

'  This  merchant's  bills  were  presented  weekly, 
endorsed  by  the  superintendent,  and  paid  at  the 
taluk  kachcheri,  the  only  possible  check  on  fraud 
being  simply  to  see  that  the  number  of  paupers 
"  reported  '^  justified  the  amount  of  supplies  returned  in 
bills. 

'  One  item  of  these  daily  orders  was  a  sum  of  ready 
cash,  varying  from  ten  to  fifteen  or  more  rupees  for 
sundry  expenses.  The  only  trace  made  of  the  use  of 
this  money  was  found  in  the  indefinite  entries : — "  Paid 
wood,"  *^  Paid  vegetables,"  &c. 

*  Food  was  not  ready  for  distribution  till  nearly  dark, 
and  had  to  be  issued  by  torch-light.  As  the  force  of 
cooks  was  not  sufficient  to  permit  the  organisation  of 
more  than  two  distributing  parties,  work  was  necessarily 
continued  tiU  a  late  hour  in  order  to  properly  feed  all. 
I  learned,  indeed,  that  work  was  regularly  thus  pro- 
longed until  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  and  that  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  lamp  oU,  or  any  one  of  several  occur- 
rences, was  regarded  sufficient  cause  for  closing  the 
camp,  even  though  but  a  part  of  the  people  had  been 
fed. 

'  The  Sudras  were  fed  first,  then  the  Mussulmans, 
and  afterwards  the  Pariahs,  Chucklers,  and  Christians, 


296  INDIAN    FAMINE — ^RELIEF    CAMPS, 

and  lastly  the  sick.  It  happened  this  evening — ^it  was 
said  to  be  a  thing  of  frequent  occurrence — that  the 
supply  of  cooked  food  fell  short,  and  the  last-named 
class  were  dismissed  with  half-rations.  Moreover,  there 
is  good  reason  to  believe  tliat  at  least  part  of  the  sick 
were  not  fed  at  all,  and  as  many  of  them  were  quite 
helpless,  they  were  without  food  or  drink  for  thirty 
hours.  As  the  above  order  was  regularly  followed, 
losses  from  whatever  cause  always  fell  on  these  most 
needy  classes. 

'I  noticed,  too,  that  a  rich  curry  prescribed  by 
Government  for  special  diet  paupers,  was  issued  to  the 
Sudras,  while  the  sick,  for  whom  it  was  intended, 
received  pepper  water  only  on  their  food. 

'  On  assuming  charge  of  the  camp  next  day,  as  a 
beginning  of  better  work,  orders  were  given  that  no 
bill  presented  for  payment  at  the  kachcheri  on  account 
of  the  camp  should  be  paid  unless  it  bore  my  endorse- 
ment, and  arrangements  were  entered  into  to  supply 
the  required  fuel  from  certain  stores  of  Government 
wood  then  offered  for  sale.  With  this  arrangement 
ceased  the  daily  order  for  ready  cash,  and  with  the 
cash  ceased  the  supply  of  buttermilk  with  which  the 
gumastah  and  visiting  friends  were  wont  to  regale  them- 
selves. Separate  lists  of  the  christians  were  made 
out,  and  orders  issued  that  the  sick  should  have  warm 
conjee  two  or  three  times  a  day  in  addition  to  regular 
meals,  and  water  to  drink  when  desired. 

*0n  going  to  the  camp  in  the  evening  at  the  ap- 
pointed time  it  was  found  that  food  would  not  be  ready 
till  five  o'clock,  though  strict  orders  had  been  given  to 
have  everything  ready  by  three  o'clock.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  servants  had  an  understanding  among  themselves 
that  food  should  be  distributed  after  dark. 

*  Seeing  that  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  feed  the 


ALLEGED   VIULATION   OF    CASTE   RULES.  297 

people  within  reasonable  hours,  I  called  up  a  party  of 
mussulmans  and  another  of  christians,  placed  each 
under  a  brahmin  gumastah,  and  prepared  to  distribute 
food  by  four  parties  instead  of  two  as  formerly. 

'  To  guaid  against  violation  of  caste  rules,  the  sudra 
cooks  were  directed  to  bring  out  food  from  the  kitchen 
and  pour  it  into  distributing  vessels.  The  mussulmans 
were  then  sent  to  feed  the  mussulmans  and  christians. 
But  some  one  whispered  that  the  chucklers  had  touched 
the  food;  and  though  this  all  took  place  in  presence  of 
the  camp,  and  was  in  perfect  accordance  with  rules  to 
which  all  classes  were  accustomed,  yet  the  sudras  and 
mussulmans  rose  in. a  body  and  left  the  camp,  refusing 
to  take  the  food.  Five  minutes  later  the  cooks  bolted 
and  confusion  reigned.  Rumours  say  the  superinten- 
dent stationed  men  along  the  roads  and  warned  all 
caste  people  of  the  outrage,  thus  spreading  the  reports. 
The  village  was  soon  in  an  uproar,  which  was  not 
hushed  till  a  late  hour. 

'  Thus  ended  the  first  day:  bad  for  the  caste  people, 
but  the  rest  had  full  rations  for  once ;  the  sick  received 
their  curry,  and  seemed  well  pleased  with  the  change. 

'  Next  morning  the  discontented  paupers  were  at  the 
camp  early,  but  were  evidently  hungiy  and  disposed  to 
be  quiet.  Deeming  the  vessels  defiled,  the  cooks  refused 
to  go  to  work.  Orders  were  therefore  given  to  clear 
out  the  kitchen,  new  vessels  were  bought,  and  a  brah- 
min priest  was  allowed  to  purify  the  ground  according 
to  their  own  rites,  whereupon  the  servants  all  resumed 
duty. 

'  The  acting  tahsildar  was  present,  heard  my  state- 
ment of  caste  troubles  just  as  here  given,  heard  the 
above-mentioned  orders  issued,  and  saw  work  resumed. 
Yet  knowing  all  this,  he  sat  down  an  hour  later  and 
wrote  to  Government  an  account  of  the  difficulties  as 


298  INDIAN  FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS* 

he  had  heard  them  in  the  streets  tlie  night  before, 
without  a  word  of  the  facts,  or  so  much  as  an  intima- 
tion that  the  difficulty  was  at  an  end. 

*  The  same  day  the  telegraph  flashed  the  stoiy  to 
Madras  and  brought  a  message  from  his  Grace  the 
Governor  on  the  subject.  But,  unfortunately,  before  the 
despatch  reached  the  camp  the  plans  of  the  previous 
evening  had  again  been  acted  upon,  with  the  difference 
that  hunger  had  brought  people  to  their  senses.  All 
castes  ate  their  food  quietly,  the  sick  were  cared  for, 
and  the  camp  closed  before  dark.  It  may  be  added 
that  this  plan  was  not  changed  so  long  as  it  was 
necessary  to  use  an  increased  force. 

*  A  little  enquiry  by  competent  authority  resulted 
in  the  superintendent's  sudden  departure  from  the 
camp.  The  acting  tahsUdar  availed  himself  of  a 
short  sick-leave  and  visited  friends  in  a  neighbouring 
taluk. 

'  Some  of  the  special  diet  paupers  were  so  helpless 
that  it  was  necessary  to  lift  them  about,  and  even  to 
put  food  into  their  mouth  or  allow  them  to  die  of 
hunger  in  the  camp.  As  caste  gumastahs  would  not 
do  such  work,  an  intelligent  young  christian  man  was 
appointed  gumastah  and  assigned  to  this  duty.  Many 
persons  of  all  castes  owe  their  lives  to  this  young  man's 
kind  and  fiBiithful  care.  Yet  the  camp  servants  were  so 
angry  at  his  appointment  that  only  after  the  summary 
dismissal  of  one  or  two  of  the  most  insolent  could  they 
be  brought  to  treat  him  with  respect.  Even  then  he 
lived  several  months  in  constant  fear  that  he  would  be 
drawn  into  some  trap  set  for  him  and  brought  to 
trouble. 

*  On  the  third  day  I  determined  to  make  a  careful 
examination  of  the  paupers  to  ascertain  the  cause  of 
certain  matters  noted  on  my  first  visit.     The  better  to 


SHAM  APPLICANTS  FOR  RELIEF.         299 

do  this  the  people  were  admitted  to  camp  one  caste  at 
a  time  and  inspected  as  they  came. 

*  The  strong  young  women  were  there,  indeed,  with 
little  children,  and  passed  in  regularly.  But  a  half-hour 
later  an  inspection  of  the  lines  revealed  the  same  state 
of  affairs  as  at  first  and  solved  the  mystery.  The  babies 
had  been  borrowed  for  the  occasion  and  returned  to 
their  mothers  as  soon  as  the  gates  were  safely  passed. 
Emaciated  mothers  being  admitted  on  their  own 
merits,  loaned  their  poor  little  babies  to  stranger  women 
that  they  too  might  have  an  apparent  excuse  for  resort- 
ing to  the  camp.  A  vigorous  pull  often  straightened 
a  crooked  arm  or  hand ;  a  sudden  pass  with  the  hand 
proved  many  of  the  blind  to  be  cheats.  Many  a  swollen 
knee  or  ankle  when  stripped  of  its  bandages  of  rags 
and  leaves  proved  to  be  of  normal  size,  and  lame  men 
became  as  antelopes  when  startled  by  sudden  fear.  In 
a  word,  it  was  quite  evident  that  more  than  half  of  the 
people  that  were  gratuitously  fed  were  able  to  do  a 
good  day's  labour. 

'  Breaking  up  of  certain  relief  works  about  this  time 
sent  many  persons  wandering  around  the  country,  and 
in  a  few  days  over  three  thousand  were  at  the  camp. 
With  increased  numbers  came  greater  difficulties  and 
confusion. 

*  Lingering  in  the  camp  till  dark  one  evening  I  dis- 
covered a  sudden  increase  in  the  crowd  outside.  This 
was  caused  by  the  village  ryots,  coolies,  and  masons 
flocking  in  after  their  day's  work  was  done.  As  many 
of  them  were  personally  known  to  me  it  is  certain  that 
this  was  the  class  of  people  referred  to.  I  soon  dis- 
covered that  they  were  creeping  through  the  fence  in 
all  directions.  At  my  approach  a  dozen  sprang  from  a 
single  hiding  place  and  ran  away. 

^  Having  gained  access  to  the  camps,  they  would  sit 


300  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

down  in  the  various  lines.  Some  would  crouch  down 
and  cover  their  heads  with  their  cloths,  others  would 
half  hide  themselves  behind  other  persons,  and  in  this 
way  they  would  wait  their  turns  to  receive  food  as  the  ser- 
vants passed  along.  Having  succeeded,  a  quick  move- 
ment into  another  line,  or  a  sudden  leap  over  a  fence 
into  the  next  caste,  would  enable  them  to  secure  a 
second  allowance ;  and  so  they  went  on.  An  active 
man  could  easily  obtain  several  portions.  One  of  the 
village  officials  was  caught  with  a  considerable  quantity 
of  food  in  his  cloth.  In  justification  of  his  conduct  he 
asserted  that  he  had  only  been  drawing  for  his  family, 
and  presented  seven  tickets,  all  duly  stamped,  in  proof 
of  his  statement.  Three  months  in  the  Zillah  gaol 
probably  convinced  him  of  the  irregularity.  I  was 
troubled  to  account  for  the  fact  that  no  grain  or  cooked 
food  was  ever  to  be  found  in  the  morning,  though  there 
was  a  balance  over  on  several  occasions,  and  that  new 
vessels  had  to  be  bought  every  day.  Desiring  to 
ascertain  the  cause,  I  one  evening  left  the  camp  at  an 
earlier  hour  than  usual,  but  rode  back  again  at  about 
eight  o'clock.  Dismounting  and  walking  quietly  into  the 
camp,  I  found  a  number  of  the  cooks  still  at  work,  but 
the  officers  were  gone.  A  crowd  of  at  least  one  hun- 
dred men,  mostly  large  strong  ryots  from  the  village, 
had  gained  access  to  the  camp,  and  was  gathered  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  godown  and  kitchen.  Among  them 
were  the  fellows  I  noticed  the  first  day  acting  as 
volunteer  gate-keepers,  &c.  Presently  two  cooks, 
followed  by  a  column  of  ryots,  entered  the  camp,  all 
carrying  pots  of  water  on  their  heads,  and  marched 
straight  into  the  kitchen.  The  case  was  plain  enough 
now.  These  fellows  intended  to  enter  the  kitchen  by 
this  ruse^  when  each  would  have  set  down  his  water 
pot,  taken  up  a  pot  of  food  or  curry,  and  pass  off  to  his 


LOOT   OF  PROVISIONS   LEFT  OVKR.  301 

house.  Others  would  have  helped  tliemselves  to  vessels, 
filled  them  with  dry  graiu,  and  gone  away.  But  where 
were  the  two  constables  on  duty  at  night  ?  In  the 
farther  corner  of  the  camp,  of  course,  carefully  watching 
the  stones  piled  up  there  when  the  camp  was  cleared, 
lest  some  one  should  steal  them ! 

*  This  night's  rounds  firmly  convinced  me  that  it  was 
a  matter  well  understood  between  the  cooks  and  ryots, 
and  perhaps  with  full  knowledge  of  some  of  the  ofiicers, 
that  work  was  to  be  continued  till  after  dark,  and  that 
lamp-oil  was  purposely  short  every  night,  allowing 
darkness  to  cover  the  premeditated  loot. 

*  It  thus  became  evident  that  nothing  short  of  a  com- 
plete revolution  would  reach  the  centre  of  the  trouble. 
The  distressed  poor  were  starving  in  sight  of  plenty, 
while  a  demoralisation  almost  as  much  to  be  dreaded  as 
famine  was  fast  seizing  the  able-bodied  of  all  castes.  Even 
when  sent  off  in  companies  under  escort  of  constables, 
who  were  ordered  to  conduct  them  straight  to  relief 
works,  they  would  not  go.  An  hour  later  they  would 
be  wandering  in  the  streets,  and  in  the  evening  would 
be  again  crowding  around  the  camp. 

'  The  full  state  of  aflFairs  being  clearly  brought  before 
the  proper  officers,  a  complete  reorganisation  of  the 
camp  was  decided  upon,  and  was  made  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  authorities.  It  could  hardly  be  otherwise 
than  that  some  worthy  of  gratuitous  relief  should  have 
been  sent  ofi^  with  the  crowds  that  were  dismissed  to 
work.  But  by  this  radical  stroke  the  camp  was  put 
into  a  manageable  condition,  and  those  in  charge  bad 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  a  very  large  proportion 
of  the  persons  retained  ultimately  recovered  strength 
and  returned  to  their  villages. 

'  One  more  fact  deserves  mention,  as  it  indicates  that 
there  is  an  important  element  which  should  enter  into 


302  INDIAN   FAMINE — ^RELIEF   CAMPS. 

any  correct  solution  of  the  problem  of  &mine  expense 
and  loss,  but  which  is  likely  to  be  overlooked.  I  one 
day  received  a  note  from  the  acting  tahsildar,  asking 
what  arrangements  had  been  made  for  burial  of  dead 
bodies  from  the  relief  camp,  and  also  stating  that  the 
mortality  was  rapidly  on  the  increase,  for  he  had  the 
day  before  paid  for  burial  of  thirty  corpses  at  half  a 
rupee  each. 

'  This  information  was  somewhat  of  a  surprise  to  me, 
for  on  the  day  referred  to  I  had  been  in  the  camp  all 
day,  and  had  seen  every  dead  body  found  in  or  around 
the  camp.  The  number  was  just  seven^  nearly  all 
deaths  from  cholera  and  small-pox.  Moreover,  these 
seven  bodies  had  been  buried  by  coolies  under  my  direc- 
tion, and  had  been  paid  for  by  me,  the  total  cost  being 
one  and  a  half  rupees.  The  thirty  reported  were 
returned  by  village  officials  as  deaths  in  the  camp, 
when  not  one  had  been  so  buried.  I  cannot  account 
for  the  strange  report  except  in  this  way.  When  I 
assumed  charge  of  the  camp,  village  vetyans  were 
engaged  to  bury  the  dead,  but  I  noticed  that  they  were 
rarely  more  than  half  an  hour  disposing  of  a  body.  As 
the  ground  was  almost  as  hard  as  a  stone,  proper  burial 
was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question  at  such  a  time.  My 
belief  is,  that  they  simply  threw  the  bodies  into  holes 
or  ditches,  or  into  the  prickly  pear,  and  reported  them 
buried.  Another  part)'  of  village  vetyans  would  happen 
to  pass  that  way  by  previous  arrangement,  and  take  the 
corpses  to  the  -village  officials  as  those  of  persons  dead 
by  the  wayside.  The  burial  receipt  being  obtained, 
another  ditch  or  bunch  of  prickly  pear  would  serve  as  a 
place  where  a  third  party  could  find  them,  repeat  the 
rites,  and  so  on  at  will.  But  would  not  the  trick  be 
detected?  No,  not  necessarily.  The  karnum  would 
be  debarred  by  his  caste  from  a  close  inspection,  and  a 


EUROPEAN  OFFICERS  NECESSARY.  303 

handful  of  dust  would  effectually  prevent  recognition 
from  a  distance.  Besides,  two  annas  out  of  each  burial 
fee  would  suffice  to  forestall  any  inspection.  I  do  not 
say  this  plan  was  followed,  but  in  what  other  possible 
way  this  number  could  be  made  out  I  do  not  see.  One 
thing  is  certain,  not  a  single  burial  took  place  from  the 
camp  that  day,  where  thirty  were  reported  and  paid  for, 
and  it  is  exceedingly  improbable  that  so  many  unknown 
and  unclaimed  bodies  would  ever  be  found  in  any  day 
in  a  small  town.' 

Perhaps  it  may  be  thought  that  this  camp  was 
exceptional  in  its  condition.  An  illustration  may  be  in 
point.  A  special  famine  relief  officer  in  charge  of  a 
neighbouring  taluk  told  the  writer  that  the  number 
reported  in  the  camp  where  he  was  on  duty  was  only 
about  half  as  great  on  the  day  of  his  arrival  as  it  had 
been  the  day  before.  On  asking  why  this  diiFerence 
existed,  he  was  told  by  the  officers  that  an  inspection 
of  the  camp  the  previous  day  had  resulted  in  half  of  the 
paupers  being  sent  to  their  villages.  The  fact  probably 
is,  that  Government  had  been  paying  the  cost  of  feeding 
two  hundred  persons  who  were  never  in  the  camp. 

The  source  of  all  this  trouble  appeared  to  be  in  the 
want  of  Iionest  efficient  supervision.  The  few  Euro- 
pean officers  in  each  district  could  not  personally  visit 
the  camp  except  for  a  day  or  two  at  a  time,  and  at  long 
intervals.  A  European  officer  at  the  head  of  each  taluk 
would  have  saved  untold  sums  to  the  Government, 
An  honest  intelligent  corporal  would  probably  make 
sad  work  of  handling  a  well-drilled  battalion.  What 
would  be  expected  if  an  ignorant,  inexperienced,  and 
probably  dishonest  recruit  were  placed  in  command  of 
two  thousand  raw  militiamen  as  ignorant  and  dishonest 
as  he? 


304  INDIAN  FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

The  question  of  the  quantity  of  food  to  be  given  in 
the  camps  was  the  subject  of  much  discussion.     Re- 
garding the  Monegar  Choultry  camp  near  Madras — 
probably  the  best  managed  camp  in  the  Presidency — 
Dr.  Cornish  on  April  9  said,  *  I  have  just  completed  an 
inspection  of  the  Monegar  camp,  and  I  regret  to  state 
that  I  do  not  find  the  condition  of  the  people  to  be  at 
all  satisfactory.     While  a  great  many  of  the  inmates 
have  put  on  flesh  of  some  sort,  they  appear  to  me  to 
be,  as  a  rule,  in  a  very  poor  condition  of  health.     Their 
muscles  are  soft  and  flabby,  and  they  are  decidedly 
anasmic.     I  fear  there  are  very  few  of  those  who  have 
been  fed  some  months  really  fit  to  do  a  day's  work. 
But  the  most  marked  feature  in  the  people  of  this  camp 
is  a  peculiar  condition  of  the  tongue.     In  many  cases 
the  tongue  is  quite  denuded  of  its  usual  coating,  and  is 
pretematurally  clean,  while  the  lining  membrane  of  the 
mouth  is  unusually  red  and  tender.     In  others  there  is 
a  redness  of  the  tongue  at  the  edges,  and  cracks  and 
fissures  on  the  fur  on  it,  denoting  an  irritable  condition 
of  the  mucous   membrane  throughout  the   intestinal 
tract.     I  observe,  too,  that  a  considerable  number  in 
the  camp  have  spongj'^  and  discoloured  gums,  indicative 
of  approaching  scurvy,  and  of  some  deficiency  in  the 
diet.     The  young  children  in  the  nursery  are  nearly  all 
dropsical,  and  most  of  the  old  people  are  in  the  same 
state.     The  mortality  amongst  these  is  still  very  high, 
and  likely  to  continue  high,  so  far  as  I  can  see.     If  an 
epidemic  of  cholera  broke  out  in  the  camp  just  now, 
I  believe  the  mortality  would  be  very  serious  indeed.' 
The  Sanitary  Commissioner  suggested  that  the  opinions 
of  independent  medical  oflBcers  should  be  obtained,  and 
the  Government  appointed  the  surgeons-general  of  the 
British  and  Indian  medical  services — Dr.  George  Smith, 
and  Dr.  C.  A.  Gordon,  C.B. — to  insj)ect  the  paupers  at 


REPORT   OF    DR8.    GORDON   AND   SMITH.  305 

the  Monegar  Choultry  and  Red  Hill  camps,  and  to 
report,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  their  opinion  of 
their  condition  and  whether  the  diet  they  were  then 
receiving  was  sufficient  to  keep  them  in  health. 

A  most  valuable  and  interesting  report  was  prepared 
by  Drs.  Gordon  and  Smith,  of  which  more  cannot  be 
given  here  than  the  conclusions  arrived  at  as  to  whether 
the  diet  the  paupers  were  then  receiving  was  sufficient 
to  maintain  them  in  health.     The  inspectors  said : — 

(a)  We  consider  that  with  respect  to  paupers  admitted  into  the 
relief  camp  during  the  early  part  of  the  existing  famine  the  particular 
ration  of  food  sanctioned  has  so  far  enabled  a  number  of  them  to  hold 
their  own.  Even  with  this  class,  however,  we  doubt  whether  the 
state  of  health  in  which  they  now  are  is  likely  to  continue  much 
longer  under  existing  conditions  of  diet,  &c. 

(b)  In  the  cases  of  persons  presenting  the  deranged  state  of  the 
tongue,  gums,  and  general  health  already  detailed,  we  consider  the 
present  scale  of  diet  altogether  insufficient  j  this  insufficiency  in  our 
opinion  being  partly  in  its  quantity  and  partly  in  the  nature  of  its 
constituents. 

(c)  With  regard  to  paupers  more  recently  admitted,  and  who  have 
been  for  a  considerable  time  previous  exposed  to  the  severity  of  the 
famine,  we  consider  the  pi-esent  ration  to  be  insufficient  to  maintain 
health.  In  the  cases  of  such  persons  the  natural  reserve  of  power 
possessed  in  greater  or  less  degree  by  all  men  had  been  diminished  to 
an  extent  varying  with  the  severity  with  which  the  scarcity  or  want 
had  afiected  them;  a  considerable  number  of  them  have  become 
affected  with  the  chai*acteristic  derangement  of  the  digestive  organs 
indicated  by  the  signs  already  noted,  and  the  functions  of  digestion 
and  assimilation  in  them  are  proportionally  impaired. 

(d)  For  the  women  who  are  now  nursing  infante  at  the  breast, 
the  present  scale  of  diet  is  insufficient  to  maintain  them  in  health. 
In  their  particular  case  it  is  insufficient  even  to  a  greater  degree  than 
in  that  of  men ;  with  the  former  not  only  does  it  become  necessary  to 
support  the  physical  powers  of  the  individual  as  with  the  latter,  but 
over  and  above  this,  material  has  to  be  supplied  for  transformation 
into  food  on  which  growth  and  health  on  the  part  of  the  nursling  in- 
fant are  dependent. 

It  is  an  important  question  in  laying  down  a  diet  scale  what  are 
the  purposes  to  be  filled  by  it  in  respect  to  the  person  partaking  of  it, 

VOL.  II.  X 


306  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF    CAMPS. 

thftt  ifl,  whether  he  shall  be  maintained  only  at  a  point  of  mere 
eziBtenoe  without  a  reserve  of  tissue  and  power  to  enable  him  when 
the  time  comes  to  undertake  ordinary  labour,  or  whether  he  shall  be 
preserved  in  a  condition  sufficient  to  maintain  this  reserve  and 
physique  to  resume  hereafter  his  ordinary  occupations. 

For  the  first-mentioned  purpose  the  scale  now  in  use  seems  to  be 
sufficient  in  respect  to  those  who  have  only  suffered  from  the  efiects 
of  ordinary  poverty  or  scarcity.*  For  such,  however,  as  have  been 
lowered  by  the  pressure  of  want  and  famine,  it  is  deemed  to  be  al- 
together insufficient.  Our  opinion  is  that,  in  order  to  maintain  the 
health  of  all  according  to  the  standard  we  have  indicated,  a  rate  of 
diet  considerably  above  the  present  is  necessary.^ 

In  respect  to  all  classes  now  in  camp,  we  consider  the  scale  laid 
down  for  ordinary  non-labouring  prisoners  to  be  the  most  suitable, 
with  a  few  trivial  modifications  »s  noted  below,  viz.  : — 

lbs.  oz.  drs. 

Rice 180 

Vegetables 0    4    0 

DhoU 020 

Mutton^  excluding  bone,  or  equivalent  in  fish  (three 

times  per  week) 0    3    0 

Salt 0    10 

Tamarind 0    0    8 

Ghee  (clarified  butter)  or  oil 0    0    8 

Ourry  powder 0    0    7 

Onions 008 

Qarlic 004 

Surgeon-General  Smith  recommends  on  non-meat  days  six  ounces  of 
buttermilk. 

The  Madras  Government,  when  these  papers  were 
laid  before  them,  directed  that  the  scale  of  diet  recom- 
mended by  Surgeons-General  Gordon  and  Smith  in  their 
report  on  the  Monegar  Choultry  camp  '  be  adopted  at 
all  relief  camps,  and  that  the  apparent  result  of  the 
alteration  now  ordered  be  reported  every  fortnight.' 

In  March  Sir  Richard  Temple  thought  it  necessary 

^  Note  hy  Surgeaiv-Oeneral  Smith. — Add,  although  the  dietary  is  defec- 
tive as  regaxds  certain  necessary  elementa  of  food. 

'  Note  hy  SurgeonrGenered  Smith. — We  deem  it  also  necessary  that 
the  dietary  indicated  shaU  avoid  sameness,  and  be  constructed  so  that  exist- 
ing pathological  tendencies  in  the  pauper  population  of  the  camp  be,  if 
possible,  checked. 


MAKING   CAMPS   MORE  POPULAR.  307 

for  officers  in  charge  of  relief  camps  to  make  their  camps 
*  somewhat  more  popular  than  they  are  now.'  *  After 
consulting  various  native  gentlemen  of  experience '  he 
says,  ^  I  think  that  some  concession  might  be  made  in 
relief  camps  to  the  caste  feelings  of  the  people.  For 
very  poor  classes,  who  in  this  Presidency  are  often  said 
to  belong  to  no  caste,  the  present  system  of  public  cooks 
in  the  camps  might  suffice.  But  for  those  who  have 
grown  up  with  caste  feeling  some  relaxation  of  the 
present  arrangements  might  be  permitted.  Inmates 
might  be  allowed  to  cook  their  own  food,  either  for 
themselves  or  for  self-arranged  gangs,  and  they  might 
be  allowed  to  eat  their  meals  apart  and  free  from 
observation.  In  most  of  the  camps  there  would  be 
ample  space  for  the  enjoyment  of  such  concessions. 
Then  again,  the  sheds  might  be  set  apart  for  the  prin- 
cipal castes  ;  the  casteless  or  very  low  caste  people 
would  in  such  cases  have  sufficient  shed  accommodation 
for  themselves.  In  most  cases  it  would  be  possible  to 
make  these  not  very  great  (but  still  to  natives  ac- 
ceptable) concessions  without  any  considerable  increase 
of  expenditure.  If  such  concessions  could  be  given, 
the  relief  camps  would  certainly  become  more  efficient 
as  safeguards  against  dangerous  distress.' 

There  is  no  wonder  that  the  camps  were  regarded 
with  suspicion  by  the  people.  The  death-rate  in  them 
was  appalling.  As  this  very  high  death-rate  was  one  of 
the  features  of  the  famine — a  fact  that  attracted  very 
great  attention  in  England,  and  has  been  the  subject  of 
questions  asked  in  the  House  of  Commons — ^it  may  be 
desirable  to  quote  fully  a  report  upon  the  camps  in 
several  districts,  and  likewise  to  give  a  few  tables 
showing  the  terrible  nature  of  the  mortality.  Writing 
on  June  11,  1877,  Dr.  Cornish  said: — 

The    mortality  oocurring  in   the  famine  relief  camps  of  this 

x3 


308  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

Freddency  is  one  of  the  subjects  that  have  been  engaging  my  attention 
for  some  time  past,  and  I  have  now  the  honour  to  submit,  for  the 
information  of  his  Grace  in  CouncU,  the  results  of  my  enquiries  up 
to  the  end  of  May. 

As  it  did  not  seem  at  all  clear  to  me  that  the  deaths  occurring  in 
newly-established  camps  would  be  registered  by  the  village  officials,  I 
addressed  collectors  of  districts  on  the  subject,  and  requested  that  a 
weekly  return  of  strength  and  mortality,  according  to  a  form  circu- 
lated, might  be  sent  to  my  office.  This  request  has  been  very 
generally  responded  to,  and  for  the  month  of  May  the  information 
has  been  received  in  a  tolerably  complete  form.  The  figures  for  the 
period  previous  to  April  28  .are  not  so  complete,  but  will  serve 
to  indicate,  in  some  degree,  the  rate  of  mortality  in  the  camps  for 
the  periods  they  were  severally  in  working.  There  are,  I  imagine, 
many  small  rehef-houses  in  the  several  districts  which  do  not  furnish 
any  returns  to  me,  but  which  are  noticed  in  the  returns  of  the  Board 
of  Revenue. 

I  propose  to  show  the  mortality  in  relief  camps  for  irregular 
periods  prior  to  April  28,  and  distinctly  for  the  month  of 
May.  As  the  camps  had  been  in  operation  for  various  periods  of 
time,  the  annual  ratio  of  deaths  to  average  strength  has  been 
calculated  on  the  number  of  weeks  each  camp  was  in  existence. 

Madras  Camps. — The  relief  camps  under  the  administration  of 
the  commissioner  of  police  only  are  included  in  the  return.  For  the 
period  of  fourteen  weeks  up  to  April  28  the  average  strength  was 
11,815  and  the  total  deaths  2,511,  the  annual  death  ratio  being 
787*6  per  mille.  For  the  four  weeks  ending  May  26  the  strength  was 
16,970  and  the  deaths  615,  or  in  the  ratio  of  471*1  per  milla 

This  shows  an  apparent  improvement  in  the  death-rate  of  the 
Madras  camps  in  May,  but  in  my  opinion  it  is  attributable  mainly 
to  the  reception  and  accumulation  in  these  camps  of  able-bodied 
persons  who  were  taken  in  because  they  were  emigrants,  and  not 
because  they  were  in  that  state  of  physical  destitution  which  required 
immediate  relief.  Great  efforts  have  recently  been  made  to  reduce 
the  numbers  of  those  who  are  in  a  condition  to  work,  and  I  hope  by 
sending  them  back  to  their  villages  and  districts,  or  to  working 
gangs,  it  will  be  possible  to  find  room  for  the  numerous  starving 
people  firom  the  provinces  who  are  now  either  on  out-door  relief,  or 
picking  up  a  precarious  living  by  begging  in  the  streets.  I  am  quite 
certain  that  the  town  of  Madras  has  never  been  fuller  of  really 
destitute  wanderers  than  it  is  at  this  moment. 

Salem  Distriet. — X  have  received  returns  from  eleven  camps  in 
Salem  district.      These  on  the  average  had  been  eleven  weeks  in 


TERBIBLE   MORTALITY   IN    CAMPS.  309 

exifitenoe  on  April  28,  and  in  that  time  the  strength  of  the  inmates 
averaged  5,393,  and  the  actual  deaths  were  1,075,  giving  an  annual 
ratio  of  935*3  per  nulle.  In  the  month  of  May  the  average  strength 
of  the  camp  population  was  7,000,  and  the  total  deaths  in  the  four 
weeks  was  746,  or  in  the  annual  ratio  of  1,388  per  miUe.  The 
heaviest  mortality  of  all  has  occurred  in  the  Dharampury  camp, 
where,  since  January  2  to  May  26,  646  deaths  occurred  out  of  a 
weekly  strength  of  about  1,120.  Some  deaths  from  cholera  occurred 
in  this  camp,  but  the  great  bulk  of  the  casualties  here  and  elsewhere 
in  the  district  were  due  to  famine  diseases.  It  is  worthy  of  notice 
that  the  ratio  of  mortality  to  strength  in  the  camps  of  the  Salem 
district  was  higher  in  May  than  in  the  previous  period,  proving,  I 
think,  the  severity  of  the  famine  and  the  extreme  destitution  of  those 
who  are  now  coming  into  the  camps  for  relief. 

North  Arcot — From  the  North  Arcot  district  I  have  received 
returns  only  from  five  camps.  There  is  a  relief  camp  at  Chittoor 
which,  I  believe,  has  lately  been  opened,  but  no  returns  have  been 
furnished.  Up  to  April  28  the  average  strength  of  the  destitute  in 
camps  for  an  average  period  of  eight  weeks  was  1,870,  and  340  deaths 
were  recorded,  giving  an  annual  ratio  of  1167*9  deaths  to  1,000 
living.  For  the  month  of  May  I  observed  that  the  average  number 
under  camp  relief  was  4,202,  and  the  total  deaths  471,  or  in  the 
proportion  of  1,457  per  mille  of  the  strength.  The  mortality  has 
been  very  high  in  the  Yellore  camp,  and  also  in  Punganoor  and 
Palmanair,  though  in  the  latter  camp  the  numbers  were  but  few.  In 
Pungauoor  the  great  mortality  of  the  camp  inmates  shows  how  much 
destitution  there  has  been  in  that  zemindari.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  also,  with  regard  to  the  North  Arcot  district,  that  many  thou- 
sands of  destitute  and  starved  people  have  wandered  away  to  Madras 
and  other  districts.  Whether  the  centres  of  camp  relief  in  this 
district  are  sufficiently  numerous  may,  I  think,  be  considered  doubt- 
ful. 

Cvddapah, — The  returns  for  this  district  show  some  of  the 
mortality  in  April  up  to  certain  weeks  in  May  included  in  May,  and 
are  otherwise  not  as  accurate  as  I  should  wish.  Up  to  April  28  there 
are  returns  only  for  two  camps,  Yoilpaud  and  Peelair,  in  the  Yoilpaud 
taluk.  These  show  a  weekly  strength  of  681  for  five  weeks,  and  224 
deaths.  The  May  return,  which  for  Cuddapah,  Royachoti,  and 
Madanapalli  includes  deaths  occurring  in  March  and  April,  shows  an 
average  strength  of  6,465  and  925  deaths  in  fourteen  campa  Adding 
the  224  deaths  in  Yoilpaud  taluk  in  April,  the  Cuddapah  camps  have 
bad  altogether  1,149  deaths  since  they  were  formed.  And  in  regard 
to  Boyachoti,   Madanapalli,  ^.,  many  deaths  occurred  while  the 


310  INDIAN   FAMINE — RELIEF   CAMPS. 

people  were  being  fed,  and  before  the  regular  camps  for  their  reception 
were  ready.  Of  these  deaths  no  special  record  was  kept.  Owing  to 
the  way  in  which  the  information  has  been  given,  it  is  not  possible  to 
detennine  the  ratio  of  mortality  to  strength  for  the  month  of  May, 
but  I  am  afraid  it  has  been  so  heavy  as  to  indicate  very  severe  pres- 
sure and  distress  amongst  the  destitute  classes  in  Cuddapah. 

BeUary, — ^Betmms  have  been  received  only  from  nine  relief  camps 
in  the  BeUary  district,  and  these  in  some  cases  do  not  show  the 
dates  on  which  the  camps  were  established.  Up  to  the  end  of  April 
there  appear  to  have  been  five  camps,  with  an  average  strength  of 
4,926,  and  248  deaths.  In  May  nine  camps  return  a  strength  of 
6,419,  with  585  deaths,  but  the  returns  for  the  Madakasira  camp  for 
April  are  brought  into  the  May  account,  and  thus  add  to  the  actual 
mortality  of  the  month.  The  deaths  in  the  Bellary  camp  (147)  in- 
dicate in  May  a  very  high  ratio  of  mortality. 

NeUUyrt, — The  number  of  camps  of  which  I  have  received  returns 
is  eight,  and  these  only  for  the  month  of  May.  Of  a  strength  of 
3,801,  there  are  returned  337  deaths,  but  some  of  these  deaths  appear 
to  have  occurred  in  April  in  Sooloorpett  camp. 

ChingUpui, — There  have  been  only  four  relief  camps  instituted 
in  this  district;  of  these,  two,  one  at  Palaveram  and  another  at 
Poonamallee,  have  been  in  work  ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  year, 
while  the  camps  at  the  Cortelliar  and  Ghingleput  are  of  recent  origin. 
The  strength  of  the  Palaveram  camp,  I  believe,  includes  the  relief 
workers  as  well  as  the  destitute.  All  that  is  necessaiy  to  record  of 
these  camps  at  present  is  that  they  show  331  deaths  up  to  May  26, 
and  that  the  weekly  strength  furnishing  this  mortality  remains  to  be 
adjusted  when  corrected  returns  are  received. 

Kumocl, — The  system  pursued  in  the  Kumool  district  has  been 
mainly  one  of  village  relief,  but  a  camp  was  established  at  Khader- 
bagh  on  April  11,  since  which  time,  out  of  an  average  weekly 
strength  of  835,  there  have  been  205  deaths.  This  indicates  a  very 
high  rate  of  mortality,  and  probably  of  advanced  destitution  in  the 
inmates. 

Betums  have  been  received  of  relief  camps  in  Madura,  Tinnevelly, 
and  South  Aroot,  but  the  comparatively  low  ratio  of  mortality  in  the 
camp  inmates  would  appear  to  show  that  the  privation  and  distress  in 
these  districts  have  been  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  way.  No  returns 
of  relief  camps  have  been  received  from  the  Coimbatore  district. 

To  sum  up  the  results  as  regards  the  eight  fiajnine  districts  :  the 
returns  prior  to  April  28  show  an  average  strength  of  26,980  re- 
ceiving relief  in  camps,  and  4,576  deaths,  while  the  returns  for  May 
how  50,284  on  relief,  and  4,037  deaths. 


RBGISTERED   MORTALITY    IN   CAMPS.  311 

In  the  weekly  reports  sent  to  me  the  causes  of  death  are 
generally  given.  In  two  or  three  camps  there  have  been  a  few  deaths 
put  down  to  cholera  or  small-pox,  but  more  than  nine-tenths  of  the 
whole  are  specified  as  fftmine  diseases — dysentery,  dropsy,  diarrhoea, 
and  debility. 

The  accompanying  abstract  return  will  show  the  registered 
mortality  of  each  camp.  I  trust  to  be  able  to  have  more  complete 
figures  on  this  subject  for  the  following  months. 

From  my  own  observation  of  relief-scamps  in  Bellary,  Guddapah, 
Ghingleput,  and  Madras,  I  do  not  think  that  the  assembly  of  the 
people  in  the  centres  of  relief  has  had  any  bad  effect  on  their  health. 
Our  camps  have  on  the  whole  been  very  free  of  epidemics,  notwith- 
standing the  general  prevalence  of  small-pox  and  cholera  in  the  dis- 
tricts. In  these  camps  the  poor  have  had  shelter,  food,  and  generally 
medical  supervision,  aU  of  which  might  have  failed  to  reach 
them  under  a  system  of  village  reUef  away  from  direct  observation  of 
the  district  officials.  The  great  mortality  I  attribute  to  the  hopeless- 
ness of  the  cases  from  the  time  they  came  under  relief,  and  not  to 
causes  connected  with  the  aggregation  of  sick  and  feeble,  or  insanitary 
conditions  arising  therefrom. 

The  only  peculiar  feature  of  the  mortality  in  relief  camps  is  the 
frequency  of  diseased  conditions  of  the  bowels.  In  slow  starvation, 
from  which  the  great  minority  of  the  people  have  suffered  before  they 
seek  relief,  there  is  a  diseased  condition  of  the  organs  (lacteals)  by 
means  of  which  the  nutriment  of  certain  kinds  of  food  is  conveyed 
into  the  blood,  and  where  this  diseased  condition  exists  to  any  great 
extent  there  is  very  little  prospect  of  recovery.  The  use  of  nutritious 
food  fails  to  restore  such  persons  because  the  organs  which  as- 
similate nutriment  have  lost  their  functions.  But  besides  this 
special  condition  of  the  organs  of  assimilation,  it  frequently  hap- 
pens that  life  is  cut  short  in  the  famine-stricken  by  dysentery, 
or  diarrhoea,  or  secondary  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  Infants  at  the 
breast  and  young  children  up  to  the  seventh  year  and  old  people 
appear  to  succumb  in  the  greatest  numbers  to  the  famine.  Cholera 
and  small-pox  especially  find  their  victims  ready  at  hand  in  those  who 
have  been  impoverished  by  bad  food. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  not  in  one  single  instance  has  there 
been  any  reason  to  suspect  that  the  victims  of  famine  have  died  of 
what  is  called  '  relapsing  *  or  *  famine  *  fever  in  Europe.  This  disease, 
which  is  a  variety  of  typhus  fever,  was  recently  supposed  to  have 
made  its  appearance  in  Bombay,  but  I  believe  that  further  enquiry 
has  elicited  the  fact  that  the  supposed  relapsing  fever  was  nothing 
more  than  the  ordinary  malarious  fever  always  present  in  Bombay. 


312  INDIAN   FAMINE RELIEF    CAMPS. 

Our  famine  people  in  Madras  have  not  shown  symptoms  of  fever  of 
any  kind.  Their  temperature,  in  fact,  in  the  simple  wasting  of 
famine,  is  always  lower  than  normal.  In  looking  back  for  historical 
evidence  of  the  diseases  accompcmying  famine,  I  find  that  in  Guzerat, 
in  1812,  there  was  a  very  virulent  epidemic  of  small-pox  prevailing 
with  fJEimine,  just  as  we  have  now  in  this  Presidency.  It  is  curious 
to  note  that  while  a  variety  of  typhus  is  the  usual  accompanying 
disease  of  famine  in  Europe,  here  in  India  smaU-pox,  another 
contagious  malady,  should  take  the  place  of  relapsing  fever. 

Sufficient  has  been  stated  to  show  that  chronic  starvation  (by 
which  term  I  mean  irregular  and  inadequate  supplies  of  daily  food 
continued  for  weeks  or  months)  is  a  very  deadly  disease.  So  deadly 
is  it,  in  fact,  that  when  degenerative  changes  of  the  assimilative 
oi^gans  have  set  in,  recovery  is  almost  hopeless.  In  acute  starvation, 
such  as  in  the  instance  of  men  immured  in  a  coal-pit  for  five  or  six 
days  without  food,  there  is  not  time  for  the  destructive  changes  to 
occur  in  the  bowel,  and  food  judiciously  administered  will  restore  such 
persons  to  health.  This  is  not  the  case  in  regard  to  persons  who  by 
fk  long  course  of  privation  have  been  forced  to  seek  the  shelter  of 
relief  camps,  and  wherever  these  people  may  be,  in  camps  or  in  their 
own  villages,  the  deaths  must  be  appallingly  high.  In  camps  we 
can  take  cognizeuioe  of  the  mortality,  but  the  village  registration 
will,  I  fear,  show  it  but  imperfectly. 

Terrible  as  was  the  general  experience  of  camps, 
ludicrous  incidents  occurred  now  and  again,  one  of 
which  may  be  given. 

The  superintendent  of  the  famine  relief  camp  at 
Yerrakancherry  reported  to  Colonel  Drever,  the  com- 
missioner of  police,  the  following  incident.  On  January 
19  a  man  named  Vencatagadoo,  aged  about  55  years, 
by  caste  a  Yeanadi,  of  Chittor  taluk,  was  admitted 
into  the  hospital  suffering  from  diarrhoea,  and  after  a 
few  hours  he  was  to  all  appearance  dead.  His  body 
was  ordered  by  the  medical  subordinate  to  be  carried 
away  and  put  into  the  dead-house.  The  vettyan,  or 
grave-digger,  belonging  to  the  camp  was  sent  for  and 
directed  to  remove  the  body  of  the  supposed  dead  man. 
Whilst  the  body  was  being  wrapped  in  a  date  mat,  the 
man  arose  and  wanted  to  know  what  they  were  doing 


A   LUDICROUS  INCIDENT.  313 

with   him.      The   grave-digger  and  his   assistant  ran 

away  from  the  dead-house  in  great  terror  and  repaired 

to  the  quarters  of  the  medical  subordinate,  and  reported 

that  the  man  whom  he  had  a  few  minutes  ago  removed 

from  hospital  as  a  corpse  had  come  to  life.  Vencatagadoo 

was  then  removed  to  the  hospital,  where,  on  arrival,  he 

said  he  felt  hungry  and  wanted  something  to  eat.    Some 

rice  and  mutton  broth  were  then  given  to  him,  but 

he  refused  to  eat  the  food  unless  a  glass  of  liquor  was 

supplied.     Humouring  the  patient's  whim  some  liquor 

was  obtained.     He  then  ate  a  hearty  meal  and  began 

singing  songs.     He  appeared  very  pleasant  and  went 

through  a  number  of  antics,  dancing  in  an  erect  position 

for  some  time.    He  then  sat  down  and  moved  his  hands 

and  legs  in  diflferent  positions,  keeping  time  to  the 

songs  he  continued  to  sing.     This  merriment  continued 

for  a  couple  of  hours,  and  towards  evening  he  again 

wanted  something  to  eat  and  drink.     His  wants  were 

supplied  and  he  slept  soundly  that  night,  and  awoke 

apparently  in  perfect  health.     But  about  9  a.m.  the 

following  day  he  was  really  dead  and  was  removed  to 

the  dead-house,  where  he  was  wrapped  up  in  a  date 

mat  for  the  second  time  and  subsequently  taken  away 

to  the  graveyard  and  buried.     The  body  was  watched 

closely  for  several  hours  after  the  '  second  death '  by 

the  medical  officer,  who  was  quite  satisfied  the  man  was 

really  dead  this  time. 

Similar  cases  to  the  one  above  reported  have  been 
heard  of  by  medical  men  after  a  patient  has  been 
suffering  from  cholera  ;  it  is  simply  a  bright  flicker  for 
a  few  hours  before  the  light  of  life  goes  out  finally. 


INDIAN  FAMINE — BELIEF  CAMPS. 


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VILLAGE  BELIEF  AND 
VILLAGE  AGENCY 


VILLAGE     RELIEF    AND 
VILLAGE   AGENCY. 


Unfortunately,  one  of  the  greatest  difSculties  we  have  to  contend 
with  in  the  present  emergency  is  the  wily  scheming  of  the 
village  authorities,  who,  it  is  feared,  in  many  instances  are 
taking  advantage  of  the  prevailing  distress,  and  of  the 
inadequate  supervision  as  yet  supplied,  to  feather  their  nests 
at  the  expense  alike  of  Crovemment  and  of  their  fellow- 
countrymen  in  distress.' — ^R.  Davidson,  Collector  ofKumool, 

One  of  the  chief  features  in  the  policy  being  carried  out 
in  Madras  when  Lord  Lytton  arrived  there  at  the  end 
of  August  1877,  was  the  system  of  village  relief, 
whereby,  according  to  the  official  returns,  more  than 
one  million  persons  were  being  supported  gratuitously, 
a  proportion  receiving  a  money  dole  at  their  own  homes. 
The  distributors  of  this  relief  were  village  officials, 
whose  position  and  influence  have  been  described  in 
earlier  pages  of  this  work.  It  is  putting  the  matter 
mildly  to  say  that  Indian  village  officials  are  not  above 
suspicion,  and,  in  cases  where  money  is  to  be  distri- 
buted, only  to  be  trusted  where  there  is  close  scrutiny 
and  efficient  European  control.  This  control  was  not 
possible  over  the  vast  area  of  the  Madras  Presidency ; 
European  officers  were  too  few,  and  great  abuses  were 
the  consequence.  Hindus  themselves  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  their  countrymen  made  vast  sums  of  money 
in  an  illegal  way,  whilst  the  testimony  of  special  relief 


320      INDIAN  FAMINE — ^VILLAGE  RELIEF   AND   AGENCY, 

officers,  and  the  experience  of  others  who  endeavoured 
to  prosecute,  and,  in  some  cases  succeeded  in  prose- 
cuting such  criminals,  was  unanimous  in  describing 
defalcations  as  very  numerous,  but  at  the  same  time  as 
exceedingly  hard  to  prove.^ 

^  A  correspondent  of  the  Indian  Daily  News^  a  special  relief  officer 
engaged  in  Madras,  describes  the  frauds  as  follows : — '  The  yaiiety  and  the 
intricacy  of  the  means  employed  to  defraud  the  Government  have  been 
granted.  Both  the  givers  and  the  receivers  of  the  charity  have  been  duped. 
But  it  must  be  said  that  those  for  whom  relief  was  intended  have  given 
proofs  of  the  most  criminal  duplicity. 

'  Suicide  by  violent  means,  when  the  cause  of  it  is  despair,  excited  no 
astonishment.  But  what  can  we  think  of  those  persons  who  have  tamely 
submitted  to  a  slow  process  of  starvation,  through  fear  of  annoyance  here- 
after at  the  hands  of  the  munsif,  should  they  expose  his  misdeeds  and  his 
cruelty  towards  them.  This  has  actually  been  the  case.  When  persons,  who 
were  being  starved  because  the  munsif  chose  to  misappropriate  the  funds 
entrusted  to  him  were  questioned,  they  told  the  most  deliberate  lies  to 
exonerate  their  unscrupulous  headman.  Those  who  received  nothing,  or 
perhaps  a  handful  of  gredn  twice  or  three  times  a  week,  positively  asserted 
that  they  received  relief  regularly,  and  the  full  amount — a  miserable  lie — 
to  which,  among  other  evidences,  their  broken-down  condition  gave  the 
most  emphatic  denial. 

'  Abject  creatures  have  been  paraded  before  European  officers.  They 
have  been  bribed,  threatened,  cowed  into  saying  that  all  was  right,  and  they 
have  said  what  they  were  bid.  They  have  deceived  those  who  came  to 
relieve  their  sufferings,  and  when  any  of  them  had  the  courage  to  speak  out 
before  the  '^  special  relief  officer ,''  it  availed  them  nothpg,  for  that  officer 
was  as  harmless  as  a  lamb.  He  would,  however,  report  I  Imagine  reporting 
that  a  number  of  people  are  on  the  point  of  death,  and  that,  as  you  are 
powerless  to  remove  the  oppressor,  even  for  an  hour,  or  to  check  his  powers 
of  mischief,  you  expect  early  orders,  that  is  early  famine  orders.  The  worst 
of  it  is  that  prosecutions  will  not  stand  in  these  fraud  cases.  On  one  side 
would  be  a  few  wretched  creatures,  whose  very  destitution  and  misery 
would  be  their  safeguard  against  persecution  hereafter  at  the  hands  of  a 
vindictive  village  magistrate,  and  who  would  not  fear  to  face  even  that  dreaded 
official,  and  accuse  him  of  malpractices,  and  perhaps  of  crime.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  would  be  a  host  of  timid  and  demoralised  persons,  whom  trifling 
bribes  or  lengthy  threats  would  induce  to  give  evidence  exonerating  their 
tyrants,  and  this  evidence  would  be  backed  up  by  the  statements  of  respect- 
able inhabitants,  who  perhaps  had  during  a  long  period  received  their  share 
of  the  plunder.  This  sometimes  represents  a  considerable  simi.  Wealthy 
villagers  have  often  obtained  the  munsifs  connivance  and  sanction  to  their 
drawing  from  six  to  ten  rations  daily.  Taking  six  as  the  more  common 
number,  and  valuing  each  ration  or  dole  at  one  anna,  the  amount  would  be 
in  six  months  something  over  sixty -seven  rupees.  Chily  the  more  respectable 
inhabitants  coidd  command  sufficient  interest  to  secure  a  large  number  of 


'abuse'  of  village  rbliep.  321 

In  their  first  order  on  the  subject,  issued  on 
February  1,  1877,  the  Madras  Government  feared 
that  '  abuse '  would  follow  a  system  of  village  relief 
owing  to  the  paucity  of  inspectors.  When  the  in- 
evitable consequences  of  the  practice  were  pointed  out 
the  authorities  admitted  that  the  system  was  open  to  the 
objections  stated,  *  but  the  village  relief  is  a  necessary 
complement  to  the  camp  relief.  The  orders  of  Grovern- 
ment  must  be  carried  out  in  their  entirety,  the  officers 
of  Government  exercising  the  closest  supervision  pos- 
sible.* Sir  Richard  Temple  also  strongly  insisted  upon 
and  urged  house-to-house  inspection  in  villages,  so  that 
those  physically  incapacitated  should  not  be  altogether 
overlooked. 

A  great  many  reports  were  sent  to  Government, 
indicating  fraud  and  the  impossibility  of  checking  it. 
One  or  two  may  be  given.  Mr.  Davidson,  collector  of 
Kmnool,  wrote  : — 

In  paragraphs  5,  6,  and  7  of  my  letter  to  the  Board,  dated  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1877,  No.  4,  Extra,  I  had  the  honour  to  point  out  the 
difficulties  we  should  probably  have  to  contend  with  in  introducing  the 
village  relief  system  owing,  among  other  things,  to  the  wily  schem- 
ing of  the  village  headmen. 

2.  Knowing  the  class  of  men  I  had  to  deal  with,  I  thought  I 
had  adopted  every  precaution  to  give  full  effect  to  the  orders  of  Go- 
vernment, and  at  the  same  time  minimise  the  chances  of  peculation 
and  abuse,  by  circulating  printed  instructions  to  all  heads  of  villages 
and  devising  a  system  of  checks. 

3.  I  enclose  copies  of  the  marginally-noted  papers,*  and  I  shall 


Bhares.  It  would  take  a  vast  amount  of  labour  to  find  out  where  the  evil 
began  and  where  it  ended.  Moral  conviction  baaed  on  proofs  acceptable 
to  conunon  sense  as  conclusive,  are  not  evidence  in  a  legal  sense.' 

»  (1)  Copy  of  this  Office  Circular,  No.  8,  of  1877.  (2)  Copy  of  this 
Office  Circular,  No.  0,  of  1877.  (3)  Printed  Takeeds  to  Reddies.  (4) 
Revenue  Inspector's  Diary.  (6)  Reddies*  Application  for  Funds.  (0) 
Return  of  Persons  fed  in  each  week.  (7)  Translation  of  Cumbiim  Tahsildar's 
Report.  (8)  Nominal  Roll.  (0)  Copy  of  this  Office  Circular,  No.  17,  of 
1877.    (10)  Copy  of  Takeed  to  Tahsildars. 

VOL.  II.  Y 


322      INDIAN  FAMINE — VILLAGE  BELIEF  AND   AGENCY. 

feel  greatly  obliged  if  the  Board  will  do  me  the  kindness  to  suggest 
improvements  or  modifications  in  them,  as  I  find  that  they  have  been 
inoperative  to  prevent  what  would  seem  to  be  an  unnecessarily  lavish 
expenditure  of  State  funds. 

4.  It  would  appear  from  the  relief-returns  for  the  week  ending 
April  14,  that  in  407  out  of  the  787  villages  in  the  district  relief  was 
afforded  by  the  headmen,  and  that  13,794  persons  were  being  fed 
daily  at  an  aggregate  cost  of  7,141  rs.  per  week.  The  weekly  average 
cost  in  each  village  was  thus  over  17  rs.  8  as. 

The  Board  of  Revenue,  on  receiving  the  above,  stated 
that  they  had  anticipated  that  considerable  frauds  would 
result  from  the  village  relief  system,  and  '  the  abuses 
which  appear  to  have  prevailed  in  Kurnool  are  so  great 
that  nothing  short  of  the  stoppage  of  the  relief  and  the 
substitution  of  more  numerous  and  well-managed  camps 
on  the  system  the  trial  of  which  was  authorised  in 
G.  0.  dated  April  21,  1877,  will,  in  the  Board's 
opinion,  suffice.  The  village  relief  should,  if  continued, 
be  confined  to  providing  temporary  rehef  for  persons 
who  are  to  be  sent  to  the  camps,  or  are  willing  to  go 
there,  or  who  are  in  immediate  danger  of  starvation. 
The  collector  might  try  the  system  of  village  relief 
in  force  in  Salem,  viz.,  granting  permanent  tickets, 
entitling  the  holder  to  receive  a  daily  subsistence 
allowance,  to  such  persons  as  by  reason  of  caste,  age, 
or  infirmity  cannot  be  put  into  relief-camps.  Gr.  O. 
March  26,  1877,  will  be  communicated  to  the  collec- 
tor. One  anna  a  day  would  probably  be  sufficient  to 
allow  for  adults.'  The  Government  simply  ordered  the 
collector's  letter  and  the  Board's  remarks  to  be  *  re- 
corded,' which  is  equivalent  to  shunting  a  subject  into  a 
siding,  whence  it  may  never  be  removed. 

Another  case  is  given  by  Mr.  Ross,  acting  head 
assistant  to  the  collector  of  Bellary,  who,  morally 
certain  of  the  guilt  of  the  parties,  could  not  obtain 
proofs  sufficient  for  conviction  in  a  court  of  justice. 
Writing  to  the  collector  on  the  case,  he  says  : — 


DIFFICULTY  OF   PROVING   EXTORTION.  323 

The  recipients  who  at  first  infoHned  me  that  they  usually  got  only  half 
rations  (the  village  officers  appropriating  the  other  half  of  the  grain 
accounted  for),  almost  immediately  retracted  their  statements,  and  I 
could  get  nothing  out  of  persons  whose  only  chance  of  getting  any 
food  at  all  would  have  been  lost  if  they  had  '  peached '  either  on  this 
point  or  on  the  curious  fact  that  himdreds  did  not  appear  for  relief 
just  on  the  day  of  my  inspection.  As,  however,  the  names  and  de- 
scriptions of  the  recipients  were  not  written  down  (this  practice 
having  been  quietly  dropped  after  a  short  time),  I  could  get  no  proof 
positive  of  fictitious  entries,  and  there  was  >then  left  only  the  evidence 
obtained  by  a  check  of  the  accounts  which  showed  daily  so  many  seers 
for  so  many  persons  fed.  Here  I  found,  from  variations  in  the  number 
of  seers  used  on  difierent  days  for  the  same  number  of  persons,  that 
there  had  been  evidently  cooking  of  the  accounts  and  no  attempt  at 
counting  or  recording  the  real  numbers  of  those  fed.  I  judged,  how- 
ever, that  it  would  be  useless  to  put  the  village  officers  on  their  trial 
on  the  evidence  I  was  able  to  obtain,  which  was  clearly  insufficient 
for  conviction  in  a  court  of  law.  I  therefore  punished  them  depart- 
mentally. 

The  acting  collector  of  South  Arcot  (Mr.  F.  R.  H. 
Sharp)  asked  for  instructions  on  certain  points  in  one 
of  the  Government  Orders  relating  to  the  subject,  ancj 
remarked  : — 

With  reference  to  clause  C,  I  take  the  liberty  of  asking  sanction 
for  continuing  the  system  of  village  relief  in  the  form  of  distribution 
of  cooked  food  rather  than  ready  money,  for  the  following  reasons : — 
Where  difficulty  of  supply  of  grain  arises,  it  is  far  more  likely  that  the 
poor  will  suffer  from  this  difficulty  in  making  their  trifling  retail 
purchases  than  the  munsif  who  has  to  buy  comparatively  large 
quantities,  and  has  the  prestige  of  his  position,  and  of  the  fact  that  he 
is  buying  for  charitable  distribution  on  a  large  scale  to  help  him.  The 
having  to  wait  some  time  for  the  food  and  to  eat  it  in  the  appointed 
place  (where  this  salutary  provision  is  enforced)  has  a  good  effect  in 
deterring  those  not  I'eally  in  want  or  who  can  get  a  day's  work  from 
applying.  If  a  money  dole  is  given,  all  the  well-to-do  laboui'ers  of 
the  place,  including  servants  of  ryots,  all  professional  beggars,  and 
others  of  this  class,  will  doubtless  besiege  the  munsif  for  money,  and 
even  amongst  families  requiring  relief  there  is  no  guarantee  that 
the  money  received  will  not  be  spent  in  *  liquor '  or  *  betel '  for  the 
adults,  instead  of  on  food  for  the  children.  Even  maternal  instincts 
cannot  be  trusted  in  this  matter ;  from  personal  observations  I  have 

T  2 


324      INDIAN  FAMINE — VILLAGE  RELIEF  AND   AGENCY. 

reason  to  believe  that  mothers  recognise  in  a  half -starved  in&nt  a  potent 
pass  for  relief,  and  are  glad  to  have  their  babies'  skeletons  to  secure 
their  own  interests.  The  munsif  is  much  more  Ukely  to  cheat  in 
the  matter  of  distribution  of  money  than  in  that  of  food ;  and,  if 
called  on.  to  account  for  the  extreme  emaciation,  or  perhaps  death  bj 
starvation,  of  any  of  the  people  (especiallj  the  very  young  or  very 
old)  of  his  village,  he  can  easily  reply — *  What  can  I  do,  Sir )  I  have 
given  the  Little  (deceased)  girl's  father  or  the  blind  old  (deceased) 
man's  son  the  prescribed  money-payment  for  the  past  three  weeks, 
but  I  could  not  compel  the  father  (or  son)  to  spend  the  money  pro- 
perly.' Belief  by  means  of  distribution  of  cooked  food  must  be  a 
longer  process,  and  there  is  a  far  better  opportunity  for  inspecting 
officers  suddenly  visiting  a  village  to  inspect  this  process,  than  that  of 
giving  the  money-dole.  Of  course  the  system  of  money  dole  would 
be  stUl  reserved  for  gosha  females  and  other  exceptional  classes. 

The  reply  to  this  was :  *  Government  do  not 
recognise  the  force  of  the  collector's  objections  to  the 
money  dole-  With  careful  scrutiny  of  the  village 
registers  by  the  relief  inspectors  and  weeding  of 
persons  who  should  not  be  on  them,  there  should  not  be 
much  room  for  fraud  by  village  heads.'  To  the  opinion 
in  fisivour  of  money  doles  the  Madras  Government 
tenaciously  adhered.  Towards  the  end  of  August, 
when  H.  E.  the*  Viceroy  was  on  his  way  to  Madras 
from  Simla,  it  was  stated: — 'This  (Madras)  Govern- 
ment decided  on  the  adoption  of  the  "  money  dole  " 
system  for  the  relief  of  necessitous  residents  in  vil- 
lages as  being  on  the  whole  less  open  to  abuse,  more 
advantageous  to  recipients  than  relief  in  the  form  of 
cooked  food,  and  not  more  costly  to  the  State.  It  was 
adopted  after  long  and  careful  consideration  of  the 
results  of  other  systems,  and  as  likely,  by  enabling  the 
poor  to  remain  in  their  villages,  to  have  a  material 
effect  in  checking  that  tendency  to  wandering  which 
has  been,  and  is,  one  of  the  causes  chiefly  conducing  to 
the  great  mortality  which  is  prevalent,  and  which  it  is 
most  important  but  very  difficult  to  arrest.  Nor  is  the 
advantage  arising  from  the  circulation  of  money  which 


THE  MONET  DOLE   IN  VILLAGES.  325 

results  from  the  system  to  be  overlooked  ;  for  in  the 
several  villages  that  circulation  will  act  as  a  stimulus 
to  trade  which  is  much  needed,  and  which,  indeed,  it 
is  necessary  to  keep  alive.'  After  further  explanations 
the  letter  concluded  as  follows  : — *  On  reconsideration 
of  the  question,  his  Grace  in  Council  sees  no  reason  to 
modify  his  views  as  to  the  advisability  of  maintaining 
the  money  dole  system/ 

This  letter  reached  the  Viceroy  whilst  his  Excel- 
lency was  at  Poona,  and  the  consequence  was  close 
examination  of  the  subject  with  a  view  to  its  discussion 
at  Madras  in  conference  with  the  local  authorities*  It 
was  found  that  the  first  mention  of  this  form  of  village 
relief  was  in  the '  Proceedings'  of  the  Madras  Government, 
No.  1830,  of  May  28,  1877.  It  was  therein  laid  down 
that,  inasmuch  as  people  dislike  removal  to  relief  camps, 
and  inasmuch  as  the  unsatisfactory  organisation  of  relief 
camps  induces  wandering  and  unhomely  habits  among 
the  people,  and  inasmuch  as  his  Grace  was  not  prepared 
to  concentrate  people  on  large  public  works,  the  col- 
lectors were  authorised  to  relieve  in  their  respective 
villages  any  distressed  persons  who  might  be  fit  objects 
for  transmission  to  relief  camps,  but  who  were  reluctant 
to  leave  their  homes.  The  relief  was  to  be  given  in  the 
shape  of  a  daily  dole  of  money,  to  be  fixed  in  the  first 
instance  at  1  anna  2  pies  for  each  adult  and  6  pies  or 
^  anna  for  each  cHild.  The  amount  was  to  be  paid 
daUy  by  the  village  headman  on  the  authority  of  a  certi- 
ficate given  by  the  village  inspector,  who  was  to  examine 
the  register  and  check  abuses.  The  village  inspector,  if 
the  circumstances  of  Bellary  may  be  taken  as  a  general 
guide,  was  an  oificer  paid  about  20  rs.  a  month,  and  he 
was  subordinate  first  to  the  famine  inspector  and  then 
to  the  tahsildar,  or  taluk  officer ;  his  jurisdiction  was 
something  like  twenty  villages  on  an  average. 


826      INDIAN  FAMINE — ^VILLAGE  BELIEIT  AND  AGENCY, 

The  returns  issued  in  July  showed  that  in  each 
village  in  which  such  relief  was  given,  the  average 
number  of  recipients  was  only  twenty-four  persons  ;  but 
doubtless,  as  the  system  was  then  in  its  infancy,  and 
had  not  been  fully  developed  by  drafting  to  village 
relief  the  surplus  numbers  from  relief  camps  and 
kitchens,  the  numbers  greatly  increased. 

The  numbers  receiving  the  money  dole  in  the 
villages  were  not  more  than  the  village  inspector,  if 
honest  and  kept  under  due  control,  could  properly 
supervise  ;  but  it  may  be  observed  that  in  the  same 
despatch  which  gives  the  average  number  relieved  in 
each  village  to  which  the  system  had  then  extended  as 
only  twenty-four,  the  Madras  Government  once  more 
throw  doubts  on  the  honesty  of  these  men.  They  say 
the  mortality  of  people  receiving  village  relief  was  un- 
doubtedly understated,  because  it  was  the  direct  interest 
of  the  village  headmen  not  to  report  deaths  among 
those  on  whose  account  rations  could  be  drawn,^  and  in 

^  The  correspondent  of  the  Indian  Daily  NevoHf  who  has  been  already 
quoted  in  this  chapter,  says : — The  following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  means 
employed  by  dishonest  Tillage  magistrates  to  defraud  the  Government  and 
to  better  their  friends*  and  relatives*  condition,  as  well  as  their  own : — 

1.  The  names  of  the  friends  and  relatives  of  the  munsif  and  other 
influential  residents  were  entered  as  paupers. 

2.  Distinct  from  the  above  was  the  reckless  distribution  of  money  to 
well-to-do  brahmins. 

8.  Names  of  deceased  persons  were  entered  in  the  books ;  and 
4.  When  people  died,  their  names  were  not  struck  off. 
6.  Deserters'  names  were  also  entered. 

6.  People  residing  in  other  villagea ;  and 

7.  Fictitious  persons  were  shown  as  receiving  relief. 

8.  Several  sets  of  accounts  were  kept,  and  a  false  account  was  shown  to 
the  inspecting  officer,  in  which  the  numbers  given  were  smaU  as  compared 
with  the  accounts  submitted  at  treasuries. 

9.  The  fragmentary  state  of  accounts  \  and  sometimes 

10.  Their  total  absence,  proved  the  most  thorough  and  complete  check, 
where  village  magistrates  had  sufficient  resolution  to  adopt  this  method  of 
open  and  defiant  opposition. 

11.  The  same  persons'  names  were  entered  several  times. 

12.  When  grain  was  given  instead  of  money,  the  people  were  of  course 
easily  defrauded  j  and  when  money  was  given, 


SWINDLING   THE   GOVERNMENT.  327 

fact,  unless  human  nature  in  Madras  was  very  different 
from  what  it  was  elsewhere,  it  was  obvious  that  the 
class  of  men  from  whom  village  inspectors  are  drawn 
would  find  it  to  their  interest  to  support  the  headmen 
in  swindling  the  Government  and  in  keeping  up 
fictitious  registers,  rather  than  in  reducing  the  numbers 
on  the  register,  and  th^  amount  of  money  dole,  down 
to  the  lowest  possible  figure.  Nor  could  such  men  be 
expected  to  realise  the  necessity  for  drafting  from 
village  relief  on  to  public  works  all  those  who  might 
be  fit  to  give  to  Government,  in  the  shape  of  work, 
some  return  for  their  subsistence.  It  is  clear  that  in 
such  an  organisation  local  and  personal  prejudices 
would  come  into  play,  and  it  will  be  gathered  from  the 
instances  already  cited  that  the  superior  officers  were, 
as  a  rule,  not  sufficiently  numerous  fully  to  control 
and  check  their  subordinates.  The  direction  in  which 
the  Viceroy  looked  for  a  remedy  was  in  strengthening 
the  supervising  agency  from  outside.  In  the  Bengal 
famine,  where  at  first  the  authorities  had  precisely  the 
same  difficulty  to  cope  with  (though,  owing  to  the 
absence  of  any  indigenous  village  agency,  it  took  in 
Bengal  an  exaggerated  form),  the  remedy  applied  was 
the  introduction  of  outsiders  as  circle  officers.     These 


13.  A  heavy  percentage  was  deducted.  Any  opposition  or  vemonstrance 
was  met  occasionally  with  the  complete  stoppage  of  relief,  and  the  sum 
payable  to  the  offender  was  drawn  by  the  munsif,  who  of  course^ 

14.  Bid  not  remove  the  name  from  the  list 

15.  Payments  were  made  from  four  times  to  once  a  week,  but  this  kind 
of  brutality  was  not  extensively  practised — ^the  usual  thing  being  to  retain 
one  day*s  ration  in  the  week. 

16.  Occasionally  a  lump  sum,  say  a  rupee,  was  given  to  a  pauper  with 
instructions  to  give  no  trouble,  and  not  to  come  agahi  for  assistance.  The 
name,  however,  being  kept  on  the  list  for  months,  the  rupee  thus  invested 
^ave  handsome  returns.  The  misappropriation  of  money  is  in  itself  bad 
enough  when  carried  out  by  trusted  and  responsible  servants  of  Gk)vemment; 
but  when  it  is  necessary  to  starve  human  beings  to  accomplish  an  iniquitous 
object,  the  crime  becomes  serious  beyond  words.    Yet  this  has  been  done. 


328      INDIAN  FAMINE — VILLAGE   RELIEF  AND  AGENCY. 

were  to  some  extent  Europeans,  but  the  supply  was 
mainly  sought  for  among  the  tahsildars  and  sub- 
tahsildars  of  the  North- West  Provinces.  There  was 
some  friction  in  introducing  them.  The  Bengal  officers 
prophesied  that,  from  their  ignorance  of  the  language 
and  the  revenue  system,  and  from  their  contempt  for 
Bengalis  generally,  they  would  prove  a  failure  ;  but  the 
result,  it  is  said,  was  very  different.  They  worked 
admirably  for  Government ;  the  absence  of  local  sym- 
pathies prevented  their  hiding  or  conniving  at  malver- 
sation, and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  people  had  no 
hesitation  in  complaining  against  them. 

In  regard  to  the  money  dole  system  itself,  there 
was  no  objection  to  it,  provided  (1)  that  it  were 
rigorously  confined  to  the  aged,  infirm,  and  people  who 
could  not  do  any  work,  and  who  would  otherwise  in- 
evitably perish  ;  and  (2)  that  there  was  a  sufficiently 
brisk  private  trade  to  keep  the  villages  in  which  it  was 
in  force  well  supplied  with  grain.  The  first  c<mdition 
is  based  on  the  obvious  consideration  which  stands  good 
for  all  famine  crises,  viz.,  that  Government  is  bound  not 
to  spend  more  money  than  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
keep  people  alive ;  but  as  long  as  there  is  Government 
money  available,  the  distribution  of  which  is  left  to 
village  officers,  it  will  be  almost  impossible  strictly  to 
enforce  this  condition,  and  people  who  might  support 
themselves,  or  be  supported  by  their  relations,  will 
infallibly,  from  caste  and  local  iieelings,  be  allowed  im- 
properly to  draw  the  Government  dole,  involving  not 
only  an  unnecessary  burthen  on  taxpayers  generally, 
but  also  a  real  and  wide-spread  demoralisation  from 
which  it  will  take  much  time  and  labour  to  recover  the 
people  themselves. 

The  second  condition  is  one  which  was  put  forward 
at  the  time,  but  which  scarcely  needs  explanation.  It  was 


PRINCIPLES   OF   VILLAGE   RELIEF.  329 

argued  that  if  Government  has  to  bring  grain  to  the 
villages  and  store  it  there,  because  private  trade  has 
ceased  to  do  so,  it  is  manifestly  foolish  to  give  people 
money  with  the  right  hand,  in  order  that  the  same 
person  may  give  grain  in  exchange  for  it  with  the  left. 
If  village  doles  are  to  be  given  at  all,  experienced 
administrators  would  prefer  to  have  them  given  in 
grain  and  not  in  cash  ;  but  obviously  a  money  dole 
is  incompatible  with  the  local  storing  and  distribution 
of  grain  by  Government  officers,  and  the  two  systems 
should  not  go  on  side  by  side. 

Under  the  system  inaugurated  by  the  order  of 
September  24  the  money-dole  was  modified  and  strictly 
confined  to  the  bedridden  and  the  helpless,  and  a  more 
rigorous  carrying  out  of  the  relegation  to  works  was 
adopted.  Meanwhile  great  mischief  had  been  done, 
and  not  a  little  demoralisation  caused,  by  the  money 
dole  system  in  villages. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


(1)  Emigration. 

When  the  distress  in  Madras  had  fully  manifested 
itself  in  1877,  one  of  the  first  thoughts  which  pre- 
sented itself  to  interested  onlookers  in  Great  Britain  and 
in  India  was  that  something  akin  to  blood-letting  in 
plethoric  patients  might  be  done  to  give  ease  to  the 
country.  *  Cannot  you  cause  your  surplus  population 
to  emigrate  to  neighbouring  lands  or  to  parts  of 
India  where  famine  is  not  present  ? '  This  question  was 
asked  many  times  and  was  answered  according  to  the 
ideas  or  idiosyncrasies  of  the  person  addressed — by  no 
means  according  to  special  knowledge.  Among  other 
suggestions  made  in  England  was  one  by  Sir  Julius 
Vogel,K.C.M.G.,  who,  in  a  letter  to  the  Times ^  pointed 
out  the  field  which  existed  for  tropical  labour  on  public 
works  in  Northern  Australia.  The  Marquis  of  Salisbury, 
then  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  speaking  at  Bradford 
in  the  autumn  of  1877,  seemed  to  think  Indian  emi^ra- 
tion  was  a  famine  panacea,  but  wisely  refrained  fi:om 
giving  reasons  for  his  opinions.  In  India  itself  much 
faith  was  not  put  in  emigration.  The  immobility  of 
the  people,  the  vast  numbers  affected,^  the  absolutely 

*  The  Pioneer f  writiiigr  in  A^pril,  1878,  said : — '  The  recent  diacuasion 
between  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the  Government  of  India  about  the  en- 
couragement of  emigration  from  India  to  the  British  colonies,  has  shown  the 
unimportance  of  the  question  as  regards  the  general  well-being  of  India.  The 
colonies  at  the  most  do  not  need  more  than  20,000  emigrants  annually,  and 
this  would  have  absolutely  no  effect  on  the  increase  of  a  population  of  200 
millions,  adding  to  itself  Between  two  and  three  millions  a  year.' 


334  MISCELLANEOUS. 

ineffectual  relief  such  a  movement  would  afford,  all 
conspired  to  prevent  attention  needed  for  remedial 
measures  on  the  spot  being  turned  to  what  after  all 
was  but  speculative  and  Utopian.  Not  that  the  sub- 
ject altogether  escaped  the  attention  of  the  Madras 
authorities.  Moreover,  as  population  in  India  repre- 
sents revenue,  and  proof  of  the  land  being  over- 
crowded not  being  forthcoming,  Indian  governments 
were  not  over-anxious  to  lose  their  people. 

British  Burma  is  a  land  not  unsuited  to  the 
Madras  agriculturist,  and  thitherwards  the  eyes  of 
some  administrators  were  turned  early  in  1877. 
On  March  3,  Mr.  Rivers  Thompson,  chief  commissioner 
of  British  Burma,  addressed  the  Revenue  Secretary  of 
the  Government  of  India  upon  the  subject,  and  on  the 
21st  of  the  same  month  received  a  reply.  In  con- 
sequence of  that  he  telegraphed,  on  April  3,  to 
the  Chief  Secretary  to  the  Madras  Government  aa 
follows : — *  Please  say  whether  you  are  in  a  position  to 
promote  emigration  from  the  famine-stricken  districts 
of  your  Presidency  to  Rangoon;  if  so,  how  many  emi- 
grants can  you  send,  and  when  would  the  emigration 
commence  ?  It  would  be  desirable  to  send  healthy  men 
with  their  families,  and  as  early  as  possible.  Detailed 
particulars  will  be  sent  by  letter,  but  information  is 
required  generally  on  these  points  by  telegraph,  to  en- 
able this  Administration  to  decide  upon  the  necessary 
preliminary  arrangements  to  be  made  here.'  To  this 
the  Government  of  Madras  replied  that  they  were 
ready  to  promote  emigration  by  giving  every  publicity 
through  distressed  districts  to  Mr.  Rivers  Thompson's 
proposals.  At  the  same  time  they  said  they  were  not 
aware  of  any  number  of  emigrants  being  available 
at  present.  The  telegrams  were  communicated  to  the 
Collectors  of    Bellary,    Kurnool,    Cuddapah,    Nellore, 


IMMIGKATIOX   PROPOSALS   FROM   BURMA.  335 

North  Arcot,  Salem,  and  Chingleput,  who  were  in- 
structed to  report  how  far,  in  their  opinion,  the 
measures  contemplated  by  the  chief  commissioner  of 
British  Burma  were  likely  to  produce  any  effect. 

The  telegram  from  Rangoon  was  followed  by  a  letter 
from  Major  W.  C.  Street,  secretary  to  the  chief  com- 
missioner, to  the  Madras  Government,  dated  April  7, 
in  which  the  advantages  of  emigration  were  set  forth 
in  detail.     It  was  as  follows:— 

I  am  directed  by  the  chief  commissioner  to  invite  the  attention 
of  his  Grace  in  Council  to  the  proposals  submitted  by  this  administra- 
tion for  the  encouragement  of  emigration  from  the  fistmine  districts  of 
the  Madras  Presidency  to  British  Burma.  These  proposals  have  met 
with  the  approval  of  the  Government  of  India,  and  sanction  has  been 
given  for  a  liberal  expenditure  for  carrying  them  into  effect.  It  is 
understood  that  a  copy  of  the  correspondence  on  the  subject  has 
already  been  forwarded  to  the  Government  of  Madras,  but,  for  ready 
reference,  a  second  copy  is  enclosed.  It  remains  to  consider  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  commencing  the  emigration  as  soon  as  possible, 
and,  with  this  view,  the  chief  commissioner  has  been  authorised  to 
communicate  directly  with  the  Government  of  Madras. 

The  great  need  of  population  in  Burma,  and  the  facilities  which 
exist  for  settling  immigrants,  with  their  families,  throughout  this 
pi*ovince,  lead  the  chief  commissioner  to  hope  that,  in  the  present 
severe  pressure  in  Madras,  large  bodies  of  the  labouring  classes  from 
the  famine  districts  may,  with  very  little  inducement,  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunities  which  now  offer ;  and  he  trusts  to  the  good  offices 
of  the  Madras  Government  for  the  promotion  of  the  measure. 

As  regards  the  arrangements  for  the  reception  of  emigrants  on 
arrival  here,  I  am  to  observe  that  there  is  a  depdt  in  Bangoon  capable 
of  holding  1,000  persons,  and  available  for  immediate  occupation.  It 
is  under  the  charge  of  the  superintendent  of  immigration,  assisted  by 
an  efficient  establishment,  already  accustomed  to  deal  with  emigrants. 
Further  arrangements  are  under  consideration  for  providing  shelter, 
at  places  to  be  selected,  piincipally  alorg  the  line  of  railway  from 
Bangoon  to  Prome,  where  opportunities  of  employment  at  good  wages 
will  be  afforded,  and  where  waste  land  is  available,  near  the  line,  for 
those  wishing  to  cultivate. 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  as  far  as  this  administration  is  con- 
cerned everything  is  either  ready  or  in  course  of  prepai-ation  for  the 


336  MISCELLANEOUS. 

reception  of  intending  immigrants ;  but  it  will  be  necessary  to  decide 
at  once  on  the  rules  under  which  the  details  of  the  scheme  are  to  be 
carried  out.    The  law  which  at  present  regulates  the  transportation  of 
native  labourers  to  British  Burma,  and  their  employment  therein,  is 
contained  in  the  Enactment  No.  III.  of  1876.     It  provides  for  the 
establishment  of  dep6t8  at  ports  of  embarkation,  the  appointment  of 
agents  and  medical  inspectors,  and  the  method  under  which  recruiting 
shall  be  licensed  and  carried  on.     It  permits,  further,  the  engagement 
by  written  contracts  for  service  in  British  Burma,   with  specific 
obligations  as  regards  work  and  wages.     It  seems  to  the  chief  com- 
missioner that,  while  in  the  present  pressure  the  strict  enforcement  of 
all  these  details  will  involve  very  undesirable  delay,  the  necessity  for 
their  enforcement  is  to  a  great  extent  obviated  by  the  emergency 
which  has  given  rise  to  the  proposals  under  consideration,  and  by  the 
nature  of  these  proposals  themselves.     The  measure  is  undertaken  for 
the  relief  of  those  suffering  from  fenune,  and  also  with  the  object  of 
inducing  persons  to  settle  in  British  Burma.    Under  it  advances  will 
be  made  to  all  emigrants,  to  be  repaid  by  small  instalments ;  grants 
of  land,  for  purpose  of  lice  or  garden  cultivation,  will  be  given  to  those 
desiring  them,  and  which  will  be  exempted  from  payment  of  revenue  for 
periods  varying  from  one  to  twelve  years ;  whilst  labour  on  public  works 
at  high  itLtes  of  wages  will  be  available  for  those  who  do  not  wish  to 
dear  and  cultivate  land.     None  of  these  matters  are  provided  for  in 
the  Act,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  the  chief  commissioner  would 
venture  to  suggest  that  the  provisions  of  the  Act  might,  in  a  measure, 
be  dispensed  with,  and  that  with  a  few  simple  rules  for  the  guidance 
of  medical  officers,  dep6t  agents,  and  district  officers,  all  that  is  neces- 
sary in  the  matter  of  forwarding  intending  emigrants  to  the  ports  of 
embarkation,  and  of  despatching  them  to  Burma,  might  be  secured. 
In  this  view  the  intermediate  agency  of  recruiters  could  be  abandoned, 
and  the  negotiation  of  contracts  (which  is  entirely  permissive)  avoided ; 
while  district  officers  might  be  placed  in  direct  communication  .with 
the  agents  appointed  at  such  dep6tB  on  the  coasts  (in  addition  to 
Cocanada,  already  established)  as  his  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council 
might  consider  favourably  situated  for  the  promotion  of  emigration. 

I  am  to  point  out  the  urgent  necessity  of  a  careful  medical  exami- 
nation of  all  those  wishing  to  avail  themselves  of  this  scheme.  The 
season  at  which  they  would  arrive,  the  commencement  of  the  rains,  is 
not  always  a  healthy  one,  whilst  the  voyage,  the  change  of  climate 
and  of  mode  of  living,  will  be  trying  to  all  who  are  not  in  a 
thoroughly  healthy  condition.  Any  great  mortality  would  seriously 
affect  the  success  not  only  of  the  present  arrangements,  but  of  any 
emigration  from  the  Madras  side  for  the  future.  The  chief  commis- 
sioner would  also  ask  that  every  endeavour  may  be  made  to  induce  as 


KIND    OF   EMIGRANTS   WANTED.  337 

m&ny  married  men  as  possible  to  emigrate,  acoompaoied  by  their 
fieimilies.  Single  men  would  probably  return  to  their  villages  after 
making  a  little  money,  as  experience  shows  to  be  the  practice  with 
the  great  majority  of  labourers  who  come  over  yearly  from  the 
Madras  coast,  and  the  main  object  aimed  at  in  the  present  under- 
taking is  the  permanent  settlement  of  extensive  tracts  of  fertile 
country,  where  population  is  much  needed. 

In  conclusion,  I  am  to  ask  that  when  matters  have  so  far  pro- 
gressed that  some  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  number  and  class  of 
persons  likely  to  arail  themselves  of  the  terms  offered,  early  informa- 
tion may  be  given,  so  as  to  enable  this  administration  to  complete  the 
arrangements  which  are  now  in  progress. 

Enclosure  No,  1. 

From  Major  C.  W.  Street,  M.S.C,  Secretary  to  the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner of  British  Burma  (Immigration),  to  the  Secretary  to  the 
Government  of  India,  Department  of  Kevenue,  Agriculture,  and 
Commerce,  dated  Eangoon,  March  3,  1877. 

I  am  directed  by  the  chief  commissioner  to  submit,  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Government  of  India,  whether,  in  view  of  the 
prevalence  of  very  widespread  famine  in  the  Presidency  of  Madras, 
an  impulse  could  not  be  given,  by  special  arrangements,  for  a  more 
extended  emigration  of  labourers  from  the  distressed  tracts  to  British 
Burma,  pai*tly  as  a  measure  of  relief  from  the  famine,  and  partly  in 
promotion  of  the  settlement  of  population  in  this  province. 

The  British  Burma  Labour  Law,  for  r^ulating  the  transport  of 
native  labourers  to  this  country^  was  passed  in  1876,  and  came  into 
force  in  January  of  that  year.  Many  preliminaries,  however,  had  to 
be  arranged  before  the  law  could  come  into  operation;  and  the 
following  details  have  now  been  settled.  The  chief  commissioner, 
after  reference  to  the  Local  Government  (Madras),  and  the  Government 
of  India,  has,  under  section  4,  appointed  an  emigration  agent  at  the 
Fort  of  Cocanada,  the  most  favourable,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
as  a  port  of  embarkation.  Similarly,  a  medical  inspector  of  emigrants 
has  been  appointed  at  the  same  place ;  and  the  detailed  rules  required 
to  be  prepared  by  the  chief  commissioner,  under  section  87  of  the  Act, 
for  the  general  security,  protection,  and  well-being  of  immigrants  after 
their  arrival  in  this  province,  have  been  published.  It  is  necessary  to 
await  the  action  of  the  Madras  Government,  as  regards  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  rules  required  by  section  86 ;  and  the  attention  of  his 
Grace  in  Council  has  been  called  to  the  urgency  of  the  matter.    As 

VOL.  II.  Z 


338  MISCELLANEOUS. 

Boon  as  these  roles  are  notified,  the  measures  necessary  to  give  effect 
to  the  law  will  be  completed. 

It  is  impossible  to  say,  beforehand,  to  what  extent  the  Act  will 
succeed  in  promotiag  emigration  to  Burma.  Possibly,  the  special 
condition  of  the  Madras  Presidency  may,  of  itself,  stimulate  emigra- 
tion  from  the  distressed  districts  during  this  year ;  but  ordinarily  it 
may  be  noticed,  there  is  a  large  number  of  labourers  who  come  over 
from  Madras  to  British  Burma  during  the  busy  season  of  the  rice 
operations;  and  lately,  eveiy  vessel  which  has  arrived  from  the 
Madras  ports  has  brought  from  600  to  900  Madras  coolies,  eager  to 
obtain  employment  in  the  mills.  This  is  without  any  intervention  of 
Act  III.  of  1876.  The  emigrants  are  volunteers  who  make  their 
own  arrangements  with  contractors  for  the  labour  market  here ;  and 
experience  shows  that  the  great  mass  of  such  labourers  who  annually 
visit  Burma  return  to  their  homes  enriched  with  the  gains  of  high 
labour  rates  prevalent  in  Rangoon,  as  soon  as  the  season  in  which  the 
mills  are  at  work  is  passed*  The  object  of  legislation  on  the  subject 
was,  primarily,  to  regulate  this  system  of  emigration.  In  the  hands 
of  the  contractors,  it  was  thought  to  be  open  to  many  abuses,  and  the 
coolies,  probably,  in  all  cases  did  not  come  by  their  full  rights.  It 
was  also,  perhaps,  anticipated  that  under  formal  contracts  and  a  well- 
organised  system  for  r^;ular  employment  at  high  wages,  the  people 
would  be  induced  to  settle  in  the  oountiy,  and,  by  taking  up  lands, 
promote  the  cultivation  of  wastes,  and  thus  benefit  the  province. 
The  result  of  this  has  yet  to  be  seen.  As  long  as  there  is  no  legal 
prohibition  against  the  contractor  S}rstem,  it  will  not  cease  to  compete 
with  the  Government  arrangements  under  the  Act  of  1876;  and,  as 
hitherto  there  have  been  large  employers  of  labour  in  Burma,  beyond 
those  who  need  workmen  for  the  limited  season  of  the  rice  operations, 
the  chief  commissioner  has  doubts  whether  much  will  be  gained  by 
the  Act  as  regards  the  settlement  of  emigrants  in  this  province,  in 
the  absence  of  special  measures  to  promote  that  object.  The  coolies 
from  Madras  will  still  come  for  the  high  wages  which  they  receive  as 
null  hands;  but  they  will  probably  return  to  Madras  when  that  work 


It  seems  to  the  chief  commissioner  that  the  present  opportunity 
is  a  £Etvourable  one  for  considering  the  practicability  of  giving  a  more 
permanent  character  to  the  emigration  which  the  Act  gives  us  the 
power  of  carrying  out  in  detail.  We  need  population  here  in  every 
district  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  in  every  branch  of  the  Public 
Works  Department.  If  the  large  railway  works  are  to  be  continued, 
either  by  tiie  extension  of  the  Prome  line  to  the  frontier  (for  which 
application  has  been  sent  in),  or  for  the  construction  of  the  new  line 


I^IFFICULTIES   IN   WAY   OF   EMIGRATION.  359 

to  Toungoo  (for  which  the  estimates  will  shortly  be  submitted),  a 
large  number  of  labourers  might  be  engaged  at  once,  under  contract 
for  the  full  period  of  the  three  years  which  the  law  allows.  Similar 
dispositions  would  be  of  advantage  for  the  completion  of  the  embank* 
ments  which  are  still  in  progress,  while,  for  people  wishing  to  settle 
as  agriculturists,  lands  are  widely  available  behind  the  embankments 
in  the  Henzada,  Bassein,  and  Thonkwa  Districts,  and  culturable 
wastes  ready  to  be  occupied  and  cleared  in  most  districts  of  the  pro- 
vince under  liberal  rules  of  five  years'  exemption  fix)m  payment  of 
any  rent. 

It  would  appear  from  the  papers  that  there  are  now  a  million  of 
people  suffering  from  the  £unine,  receiving  relief  at  the  Grovemment 
expense  in  the  Madras  Presidency.  It  is  estimated  that  the  relief 
measures  in  Madras  and  Bombay  will  involve  an  outlay  of  six  and 
a-half  millions  sterling.  It  can  be  in  a  very  small  way  at  best  that 
British  Burma  can  help  to  alleviate  distress  of  such  wide  proportions 
by  offering  work  and  lands  in  this  province ;  and  even  the  measure  of 
its  aid  in  these  respects  would  depend  upon  the  extent  to  which  the 
Government  of  India  would  favour  the  scheme,  and  promote  it  by  a 
special  allotment  for  the  purpose.  Assuming,  however,  that  in  their 
present  calamity  the  Madras  labouring  population  would  show  a 
greater  willingness  to  emigrate,  and  that  the  €k)vermnent  of  India 
would  divert  a  portion  of  the  large  unavoidable  expenditure  imposed 
on  it  by  the  famine  in  furtherance  cf  this  project,  the  chief  commis- 
sioner would  be  prepared  to  receive  20,000  persons  within  the  next 
three  months,  and  find  them  occupation,  or  lands  upon  which  they 
could  settle.  If  either  of  the  large  railway  works  before  referred  to 
receive  early  sanction,  it  would  feudlitate  the  immediate  employment 
of  the  emigrants  and  reduce  the  expenditure  which  wovdd  be  necessary 
to  maintain  them  on  their  first  arrival. 

Mr.  Kivers  Thompson  is  aware  that,  in  the  famine  in  Bengal  in 
1874,  a  scheme  of  a  similar  nature  was  approved  and  carried  out 
with  only  partial  success,  under  a  system  of  State  emigration.  He  is 
of  opinion,  however,  that  in  £ace  of  special  difficulties  and  drawbacks, 
the  general  outcome  of  those  arrangements  was  of  benefit  to  British 
Burma,  with  a  corresponding  relief,  probably,  to  the  famin&«tricken 
districts  from  which  the  emigrants  came ;  and  that,  if  any  similar 
scheme  was  favourably  entertained  now,  we  should  commence  opera- 
tions under  better  securities  for  success.  In  the  first  place,  the  Ben- 
galee has  never  amalgamated  with  the  people  here  in  the  same  way  as 
the  Madrassee.  The  latter  is  always  in  much  greater  demand  as  a 
labourer,  and  the  people  from  Madras  in  this  province  are  already  so 
numerous  as  to  impart  to  every  new  comer  a  stronger  home  feeling, 

z  2 


340  MISCELLANEOUS. 

end  a  greater  readiness  to  remain  than  the  Bengalee  emigrant  ever 
experienced,  coming  among  a  people  alien  in  habits,  language,  and 
religion.  Again,  in  giving  effect  to  the  measure  of  1874,  the  chief 
commissioner  had  not  the  aid  of  a  law  to  regulate  emigration  from  the 
continent  of  India.  The  provisions  in  this  respect  are  now  ready  at 
hand,  and  can  be  put  in  operation  at  any  port  in  the  Madras  Presi- 
dency, from  which  labourers  could  be  most  easily  embarked.  So,  on 
debarkation,  the  dep6t  arrangements  in  Bangoon  are  complete  and 
ready  for  immediate  use,  while  the  opening  of  the  railway  to  Prome 
will  fietcilitate  most  advantageously  the  transport  of  immigrant3  with 
their  families  to  many  districts  in  the  interior. 

It  will  be,  of  course,  in  the  cost  of  carrying  out  the  project  that 
the  greatest  difficulties  will  present  themselves.  The  emigrants, 
coming  from  a  part  of  the  country  in  which  severe  famine  prevails, 
to  establish  homes  in  a  new  country,  will  not  be  in  a  position  to  settle 
or  maintrfiin  themselves  for  one  year  at  least  after  their  arrival :  and 
some  system  of  advances  would  have  to  be  devised  and  sanctioned 
before  the  measure  could  be  attempted.  In  the  inquiries  upon  this 
subject  which  were  made  in  1874,  it  was  ascertained  and  generally 
accepted  that  an  advance  of  150  rs.  would  be  required  for  each  family 
— man,  wife,  and  say,  two  young  children — to  start  them  in  this 
province.     The  calculation  was  made  out  as  follows  : — 

Rs. 

The  construction  of  a  house 20 

One  pair  of  bullocks 80 

Thirty  baskets  of  paddy  for  consumption  and  seed      .        .    30 

Salt  and  condiments 6 

Ploughs  and  other  agricultural  implements  .        .  .15 

Total 150 

The  cost  of  rice  would  be  cheaper  now  than  then,  and  in  some 
other  details  a  reduction  might  be  feasible ;  but,  probably,  it  would 
involve  an  outlay  of  not  less  than  140  rs.  for  each  family,  as  above 
constituted,  to  give  effect  to  the  measure.  It  would  be  of  immense 
advantage^  aa  tending  directly  to  the  permanency  of  settlement,  if  the 
men  could  be  sent  over  with  their  families ;  but,  perhaps,  taking  the 
figure  of  20,000  as  the  total  number  who  would  be  induced  to  emi- 
grate, not  more  than  one-fourth  of  these  would  be  accompanied  by 
their  families,  and  ia  the  case  of  single  men  the  preliminary  expenses 
would  be  considerably  less,  perhaps  not  exceeding  80  rs.  per  head. 
Upon  these  calculations,  the  expenses  to  be  incurred  in  the  way  of 
advances  would  amount  to  a  sum  of  nineteen  lakhs  of  rupees,  viz,, 
5,000  X  140  =  7,00,000,  and  15,000  x  80  =  1,200,000  rs. 

As  on  the  previous  occasion,  an  emigration  account  would  have 


WANT   OF   LABOUR   IN   BURMA.  341 

to  be  established,  supervised  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  depart- 
ment at  the  head-quarters  dep6t,  in  which  a  separate  entry  would  be 
kept  of  each  family  or  individual  emigrant  received  in  the  province. 
As  these  get  settled  in  different  districts,  the  deputy  commissioner  of 
each  district  would  maintain  a  corresponding  register  of  the  settlers 
in  his  district,  the  lands  assigned  to  them,  the  moneys  advanced  to 
them,  and  the  re-payments  on  account  of  such  advances  as  gradually 
adjusted.  The  rate  of  re-payment,  which  could  not  be  enforced  till 
the  end  of  the  first  year,  would  be  fixed  at  3  rs.  per  month  in  liquida- 
tion of  the  debt  to  Government. 

The  almost  daily  representations  which  are  made  to  the  chief 
commissioner  on  the  difficulties  which  embarrass  every  branch  of 
industry  in  this  province  from  the  want  of  labour,  and  the  pressure 
from  similar  causes  felt  in  departments  of  the  public  service,  must  be 
his  excuse  for  bringing  the  subject  thus  prominently  to  the  notice  of 
his  Excellency  in  Counci],  and  expressing  a  hope  of  its  favourable 
reception.     An  investment,  if  so  it  may  be  termed,  of  nineteen  lakhs 
of  rupees  in  an  undertaking  of  the  nature  proposed,  would  not,  in  the 
chief  commissioner's  opinion,  end  in  failure,  even  financially ;  and  if 
the  Imperial  Government  is  involved  in  an  expenditure  which  is 
counted  by  millions  for  the  alleviation  of  famine,  the  assignment  of 
190,000/.   as  a  relief  measure  to  Madras,  when  it  woidd  benefit 
Burma  so  incalculably  at  the  same  time,  does  not  seem  extravagant. 
Already,  with  the  prospect  of  the  opening  of  the  railway,  an  impulse 
has  been  given  to  arrangements,  for  some  time  in  contemplation,  for 
working  earth-oil  mines,  establishing  sugar  I'efineries,  and  extending 
the  cultivation  of  jute  and  tea  in  various  parts  of  the  Pegu  Division ; 
and  any  project  for  the  importation  of  labour  into  the  country  would 
be  hailed  by  the  gentlemen  who  would  introduce  these  industries 
with  great  satisfaction.     The  scarcity  of  population  is  practically  the 
one  want  which  has  hindered  hitherto  the  application  of  capital  to  all 
enterprises  of  this  nature,  and  if  it  can  be  overcome  in  any  measure, 
even  the  large  initiative  outlay  which  the  proposal  under  considera^ 
tion  involves  would  be  soon  repaid  by  the  rapid  development  of  the 
resources,  and,  through  them,  of  the  revenues  of  British  Burma. 

JEndosure  N'o,  2. 

From  the  Officiating  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  India,  Depart- 
ment of  Kevenue,  Agriculture,  and  Commerce,  to  the  Chief 
Commissioner  of  British  Burma,  dated  March  21,  1877. 

I  am  directed  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  secretary's  letter, 
No.  368-1,  dated  the  3rd  instant,  in  which  it  is  proposed  that  in  view 


342  MISCELLANEOUS. 

to  benefiting  Britisb  Burma,  and  at  the  same  time  affording  reUef  to 
the  famine-stricken  districts  of  the  Madras  Presidency,  immediate 
encouragement  should  be  given  to  the  emigration  of  labourers  from 
those  districts  to  British  Burma,  by  introducing  a  system  of  advances. 

In  reply  I  am  to  say  that  the  Governor-General  in  Council 
approves  of  the  proposal,  and,  subject  to  the  condition  that  the  emi- 
grants are  to  be  exclusively  selected  from  the  fEunine-stricken  di&- 
tricts,  has  sanctioned  the  allotment  of  nineteen  lakhs  of  rupees  to 
meet  the  expenses  to  be  incurred  in  making  advances  to  the  emigrants 
in  question. 

A  copy  of  this  correspondence  has  been  forwarded  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  Madras,  with  whom  you  are  authorised  to  enter  into  direct 
communication  with  a  view  to  arrangements  being  made  for  com- 
mencing the  emigration  without  delay. 

From  the  foregoing  correspondence  the  project 
seemed  a  most  hopeful  and  tempting  scheme.  On  one 
shore  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal  great  enterprises  were 
languishing  for  want  of  labourers;  on  the  other  millions 
of  people  were  being  supported  gratuitously  and  em- 
ployed on  public  works,  many  of  the  works  being 
merely  put  in  hand  to  find  occupation  for  the  distressed. 
Closer  examination  of  the  subject,  however,  revealed 
difficulties  which  proved  insuperable.  The  Madras 
Government,  from  the  first,  feared  this  would  be  the 
case.  On  May  9,  Major  Street  was  informed  that  his 
Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  had  considered  the  chief 
commissioner's  proposals,  and  had  referred  them  to  the 
collectors  of  the  famine  districts  for  an  expression  of 
their  opinions  as  to  the  probability  of  their  having  any 
efffect  in  inducing  persons  to  emigrate  to  British  Burma. 
The  replies  of  all  had  not  been  received,  but  the  collectors 
of  two  of  the  most  distressed  districts  gave  very  decided 
opinions  that  the  scheme  as  propounded  would  have  no 
effect.  His  Grace  in  Council  desired,  however,  to  do 
all  that  lay  in  his  power  to  make  the  chief  commissioner's 
proposals  fully  known,  but  thought  it  essential  that  they 
be  set  forth  more  definitely. 


ENQUIRIES   FROM   MADRAS.  343 

The  points  on  which  further  information  was  re- 
quired were: — 

1.  Will  any  advance  be  made  to  the  emigrants  before  they 
embark? 

2.  What  extent  of  land  is  to  constitute  a  grant ) 

3.  What  are  the  conditions  of  the  land  grant ) 

4.  What  assessment  will  the  lands  bear  which  are  to  be  exempted 
from  land-tax  for  periods  varying  from  one  to  twelve  years^  when 
they  are  assessed  ? 

5.  How  are  the  expenses  of  recmitingy  examining  by  medical 
officers,  feeding,  transporting  to  dep6ts,  &c.,  to  be  met  ? 

6.  What  are  the  rates  of  labour  and  prices  of  food-grain  in 
British  Burma  ? 

7.  What  public  works  are  in  progress  of  such  a  permanent 
character  as  to  induce  a  man  to  go  with  his  family  to  Burma  to  live 
by  the  wages  he  could  earn. 

His  Grace  in  Council  further  observed  that,  while 
the  chief  commissioner  laid  some  stress  on  the  emigra- 
tion being  undertaken  for  the  relief  of  those  suffering 
from  famine,  he  was  evidently  anxious  that  none  but 
thoroughly  healthy  and  able-bodied  emigrants  should 
be  sent  to  him — a  class  of  people  not  likely  to  be  found 
among  famine-relief  labourers  in  any  numbers.  They 
would  consequently  require  to  be  recruited,  and  to  that 
end  recruiters  would  be  necessary,  as  it  was  out  of  the 
question  that  the  district  officers,  who  were  overburdened 
with  work,  could  find  time  either  to  look  for  emigrants 
or  to  act  as  emigration  agents  in  their  respective 
districts,  and  pass  on  such  as  might  offer  to  emigrate. 

Meanwhile  the  following  telegram  had  been  sent 
to  Rangoon : — *  Of  what  size  are  the  grants  of  land 
to  be  given  to  intending  emigrants?'  The  reply  was: — 
*  Ordinary  grants  vary  fi-om  five  to  twenty  acres.  No 
particular  limit  to  area  of  grants.  Depends  chiefly  on 
amount  of  land  available  and  means  of  applicant  to 
reclaim  land.' 


344  MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  seven  questions  asked  in  the  letter  from  the 
Government  of  Madras  were  replied  to  on  June  14. 
It  was  said : — 

1.  Necessity  of  making  advances  to  emigrants  before  embarking 
was  not  contemplated  in  the  scheme  submitted  to  the  Government  of 
India,  but  I  am  to  observe  that  if  such  advances  are  absolutely  ne- 
cessary the  cost  can  be  met  from  the  allotment  sanctioned  by  the 
Government  of  India  for  that  purpose. 

2.  There  is  no  special  limit  to  the  extent  of  land  which  consti- 
tutes a  grant.  Under  the  rules  in  force  a  deputy  commissioner  of  a 
district  has  power  to  make  grants  of  land  for  the  purposes  of  cultiva- 
tion to  an  extent  not  exceeding  100  acres.  The  larger  number  of 
grants,  however,  are  made  by  Thoogyees  or  heads  of  circles,  and  do 
not  exceed  five  acres  for  rice  cultivation ;  in  the  case  of  garden  land 
they  are,  as  a  rule,  somewhat  smaller,  varying  from  one  to  three  acres. 
The  sizes  of  grants  vary  very  much  according  to  the  kind  of  jungle 
to  be  cleared,  and  the  means  of  the  applicant  to  bring  it  into  cultiva- 
tion.    The  case  of  immigrant  settlers  would  be  favourably  considered. 

3.  There  are  no  special  conditions  attached  to  grants  further  than 
those  under  which  exemption  from  payment  of  revenue  for  a  term  of 
years  is  permitted.  All  immigrants  are  exempted  from  the  capitation 
tax  for  five  years.  I  am  to  forward,  however,  a  copy  of  the  revenue 
rules  at  present  in  force  in  the  province,  and  of  those  formed  under 
the  Burpia  Land  and  Kevenue  Act  of  1876.  These  have  not  yet 
received  the  sanction  of  the  Government  of  India.  They  contain  all 
the  information  that  you  may  require  in  regard  to  the  terms  on  which 
land  is  held  in  this  province. 

4.  The  assessment  varies  according  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil, 
the  situation  of  the  land,  and  fleudlity  for  intercourse  with  markets. 
On  rice  lands  the  rate  varies  from  8  annas  to  2-8  rs.  per  acre,  and  in 
the  case  of  garden  land  from  1  r.  to  3  rs.  per  acre. 

5.  The  necessary  expenses  for  the  objects  referred  to  in  your  fifth 
question  can  be  met  either  from  the  allotment  specially  sanctioned  by 
the  Government  of  India  or  from  the  provision  made  for  the  expenses 
likely  to  be  incurred  on  account  of  general  emigration  under  the 
JBurma  Labour  Law. 

6.  The  rates  of  labour  and  prices  of  food-grains  will  be  found  in 
the  list  attached.  The  price  of  rice  will  gradually  rise  during  the 
rainy  season,  and  fall  again  when  the  new  crops  commence  to  come  in 
about  the  close  of  December. 

7.  The   more   important  public   works  in   progress  in  British 


FAILURE  OF  THE  BURMA  SCHEME.        345 

Burma  are  the  Frome  Eailway,  which,  though  open  for  traffic,  still 
provides  for  employment  to  a  large  number  of  labourers.  The  pros- 
pect of  an  early  sanction  to  an  extension  of  this  line  to  the  frontier, 
a  distance  of  40  miles,  will  give  I'egular  employment  to  immigrants 
settled  along  the  line  for  at  least  two  years.  The  construction  of  a 
large  canal  connecting  the  Pegu  and  Sittang  rivers  requires  a  constant 
supply  of  labour,  and  in  this  direction  there  are  wide  areas  capable  of 
cultivation,  and  in  need  of  population.  In  addition  to  these  there  are 
works  of  various  kinds  being  carried  on  in  nearly  eveiy  district  in 
the  province,  such  as  roads,  bunds,  tanks,  kc,,  for  which  labour  is 
much  required.  The  improvement,  too,  of  the  larger  towns  under 
municipalities  will  give  ample  employment  to  a  large  number  of 
labourers.  During  the  harvest  season  in  every  district  extraneous 
aid  has  to  be  sought  to  reap  the  crops. 

This  communication  reached  Government  at  an 
impropitious  time.  The  south-west  monsoon  was  seen 
to  have  failed,  and  all  energies  were  turned  to  meet 
the  new  and  aggravated  crisis.  Nevertheless,  the  chief 
commissioner's  letter,  together  with  the  list  of  prices 
current  of  food-grains  in  Burma  which  accompanied 
it,  was  communicated  to  the  collectors  of  the  Bellary, 
Kumool,  Cuddapah,  Nellore,  North  Arcot,  Salem,  and 
Chingleput  districts,  and  as  soon  as  the  draft  rules 
under  the  Burma  Land  and  Revenue  Act  of  1876 
had  been  approved  by  the  Governor-General  in  Council, 
they  were  to  be  communicated  to  the  collectors  above 
named,  in  view  to  their  being  translated  into  the  ver- 
naculars of  their  respective  districts  and  widely  promul- 
gated throughout  them. 

With  this  intimation  ends  the  episode  of  emigration 
to  British  Burma. 


As  will  have  been  noticed  in  the  narrative  of  the 
Madras  famine,  emigration  in  one  direction  had  served 
to  greatly  lessen  the  distress.  Sir  Richard  Temple 
observed  again  and  again  that  emigration  to  Ceylon 


346  MISCELLANEOUS. 

had  been  no  small  boon  to  the  Madura  and  contiguous 
districts.  Ceylon  is  to  the  labourer  of  certain  districts 
in  Southern  India  what  England  during  harvest-time 
in  pre-reaping  machine  days  used  to  be  to  Irish 
labourers — and  more.  The  coffee  plantations  on  the 
hills  in  the  interior  of  Ceylon  depend  entirely  on  im- 
ported labour,  and  about  300,000  persons  are  regularly 
employed  upon  them.  A  perfectly  free  system  of  emi- 
gration, fostered  by  the  Government  in  the  provision 
of  hospitals,  &c.,  en  route^  is  in  existence,  and  suffices 
for  all  needs.  It  has  never  failed  the  planters  when 
left  to  itself,  but  has  occasionally  hampered  them  when 
the  island  Government  has  injudiciously  interfered  to 
*  protect '  it.  A  bad  season  in  Southern  India  means  a 
plethora  of  labour  for  Ceylon,  and  when,  towards  the 
end  of  1876,  the  harvest  had  proved  a  failure,  immense 
numbers  of  people  flocked  to  the  narrow  straits  between 
peninsula  and  island,  over  which  they  were  conveyed 
in  vessels  maintained  by  the  Ceylon  Government.  It 
is  reported  that  the  number  of  persons  who  left  for 
Ceylon  at  Paumben  between  November  1  and  23, 1876, 
alone  was  nearly  10,000,  or  four  times  the  usual  number, 
and  it  is  known  that  large  numbers  had  gone  to  Tuti- 
corin  and  there  embarked.  The  emigrants  were  the 
able-bodied;  and  their  weakly  ones,  both  young  and 
old,  were  as  a  rule  left  behind  them.  Those  who  found 
work  sent  money-order  remittances  to  the  connections 
they  had  left  behind  them,  but  where  that  was  not 
the  case  the  relief  camp  was  the  only  resource  for 
those  who  stayed  at  home.  In  March  1877,  1,101 
villages,  with  an  approximate  population  of  150,000, 
were  inspected  by  the  collector  of  Madura.  From  these 
villages  about  23,600,  or  17  per  cent.,  had  emigrated 
to  Ceylon.  The  stream  of  emigration  continued  in 
force  for   many   months,   and  the   feeble  and   sickly 


EMIGRATION  TO    CEYLON.  347 

followed  the  example  of  the  robust.  Cholera  broke 
out  among  them,  and  many  died  long  before  they  could 
reach  the  plantations.  In  Ceylon  the  planters,  mindful 
of  their  great  dependence  upon  the  Tamil  people  for 
labour,  did  their  utmost  to  support  the  people  who  came 
to  them,  and  in  the  town  of  Kandy  a  relief  house  was 
opened  to  supply  those  who  could  not  find  work  with 
food.  The  Ceylon  Government  also  provided  public 
works  for  employment,  but  would  not  take  up  railway 
earth-works,  which  they  were  urgently  requested  to  do. 
Mr.  J.  Lee- Warner,  special  assistant-collector,  llam- 
nad,  writing  in  August  1877,  on  the  subject  of  coolies 
proceeding  to  Ceylon,  said : — 

I  inspected  a  large  number  of  coolies  waiting  for  passage  to  Cey- 
lon, and  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  report  that  the  average  physique  of 
these  persons  was  far  below  what  I  have  noticed  on  the  two  previous 
occasions  that  I  have  visited  this  port.  I  observed  among  the  crowd 
several  young  men  and  women  whose  personal  appeaiunce  would  have 
justified  their  admission  into  any  relief  camp  were  they  willing  to 
apply.  Altogether  there  were  about  4,000  persons  then  waiting  for 
their  passage,  and  I  am  informed  that  several  hundreds  more  may  be 
expected  to  arrive  each  day.  From  the  registers  I  saw  that  they 
came  mainly  from  Pulni,  Dindigul,  Tiroopoovanam,  Puduoottah,  the 
northern  taluks  of  Eamnad,  and  a  certain  number  from  Trichinopoly. 
The  arrivals  from  Salem  are  diminishing ;  whether  they  embark  from 
other  parts  or  that  emigration  thence  is  satisfied,  Mr.  Beidy  is  very 
anxious  about  the  fette  of  these  poor  peopla  From  his  knowledge  of 
the  island  he  has  satisfied  himself  that  he  hafi  already  imported  at 
least  40,000  more  than  are  needed  or  than  the  planters  can  find  em- 
ployment for.  It  is  no  use  telling  the  people  this,  as  the  Kanganies 
are  interested  in  getting  them  across.  Once  there,  they  have  little 
care  what  becomes  of  them,  as  they  have  pocketed  their  commission 
and  can  prepare  to  return  for  another  batch.  It  seems  from  some 
correspondence  that  I  have  seen  in  the  Ceylon  papers,  as  well  as  other 
information  received,  that  the  planters  have  determined  to  dispute 
the  right  of  their  Government  to  limit  or  check  the  influx  of  coolies. 
The  Government  on  the  other  hand  h  perfectly  aware  that  the  stock 
of  grain  in  Ceylon  is  desperately  low,  and  that  the  planters,  in  their 
anxiety  to  cheapen  the  labour  market,  are  threatening  to  swamp  the 


348  MISCELLANEOUS. 

island  with  paupers,  the  burden  of  whose  support  will  eventually  fall 
upon  the  Government,  who  shun  having  any  conflict  with  the  planters. 
It  is  difficult  on  this  account  to  predict  what  will  be  done.  At  pre- 
sent the  only  orders  given  to  the  superintendent  of  immigration  at 
Devipatam  has  been  to  do  all  he  can  to  get  the  Madras  officials  to 
stop  coolies  engaging  themselves  to  Kanganies.  This  agrees  with 
Mr.  Elliott's  recent  and  very  abortive  mission,  and  makes  me  think 
that  the  Cfovemment  of  Ceylon  is  afraid  of  the  planters,  and  would 
prefer  that  any  action  involving  a  direct  check  upon  the  present  ex- 
cessive immigration  should  originate  with  this  Government  or  their 
own  superintendent,  Mr.  Eeidy,  whose  conduct  the  planters  are  now 
attacking,  as  it  seems  to  me,  most  unfieiirly.  I  have  always  supposed 
that  Mr.  Beidy  knows  what  he  is  talking  about  when  he  insists  that 
the  continued  supply  of  coolies  exceeds  the  demand,  and  his  anxiety 
in  the  matter  is  directed  distinctly  by  humane  motives.  A  crisis  is 
evidently  at  hand  when  the  Ceylon  Government  must  declare  its 
intentions,  and  two  of  the  ferry-boats  seriously  want  repair,  which 
will  diminish  their  carrying  power  by  one-half.  In  these  circumstances 
I  request  early  information  how  to  act  in  case  of  the  Ceylon  Govern- 
ment telegraphing  to  Mr.  Keidy  to  stop  further  immigration  by  his 
ships.  There  will  be  from  three  to  six  thousand  persons  suddenly 
told  that  they  must  return  to  their  villages.  Many  of  them  are 
entirely  destitute ;  nearly  all  have  to  travel  a  long  distance  to  their 
homes.  I  propose  that  I  should  be  allowed  to  pick  out  the  poor  and 
half-starved  and  put  into  their  hands  a  small  advance  of  grain  or 
money  on  the  condition  of  their  starting  the  same  evening  to  return 
to  their  villages,  and  not  waiting  about  Devipatam,  which  is  already 
a  seed-bed  of  cholera.  I  need  hardly  add  that  I  will  do  all  in  my 
power  to  distinguish  the  right  cases  for  this  assistance ;  but,  if  immi- 
gration is  going  to  be  stopped,  help  should  be  given  in  all  parts  of  the 
district  by  public  notification  what  the  intentions  of  the  Ceylon 
Government  really  are,  and  this  information  can  only  be  obtained 
from  the  fountain-head.  Mr.  Beidy  writes  that  he  may  require  large 
assistance  by  the  18th,  and  there  is  not  much  time  to  be  lost. 

The  Ceylon  Government  subsequently  made  formal 
application  for  emigration  to  be  stopped.  They  said  it 
was  of  great  importance  that  some  check  should,  if 
possible,  be  given  by  the  Madras  Government  to  the 
enormous  influx  of  famine -stricken  coolies  vid  Devipa- 
tam.   If  the  emigration  was  allowed  to  continue  at  the 


349 


^ 

^ 
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350  MISCELLANEOUS. 

rate  then  noted,  there  was  great  danger  of  the  supply  of 
water  along  the  roads  falling  short,  which,  in  addition  to 
the  destitution  prevalent  amongst  the  immigrants,  would 
lead  to  much  suffering  and  hardship.  Certain  corres- 
pondence, relative  to  .assertions  that  people  had  died  of 
starvation,  was  also  enclosed.  The  Madras  Govern- 
ment, in  reply,  said  they  were  taking  all  the  measures 
in  their  power  to  relieve  those  in  need  in  their  several 
districts,  but  had  no  legal  authority  to  prohibit  emigra- 
tion to  Ceylon,  the  management  of  which  was  princi- 
pally under  the  control  of  the  Ceylon  Government  and 
influenced  by  the  action  of  recruiters  sent  by  planters 
in  the  island  to  the  mainland.  It  is  a  good  thing  for 
the  labour  supply  of  the  island  that  the  injudicious 
suggestion  of  the  Ceylon  Government  was  not  heeded 
by  the  Presidency  authorities.  With  this  the  corre- 
spondence ceased.     (See  table  p.  349.) 

No  other  proposals  for  emigration  were  laid  before 
the  Madras  Government,  and,  save  that  the  regular 
recruiting  for  Mauritius  and  Natal  was  brisker  than 
usual,  the  distressed  districts  received  no  other  allevia- 
tion by  this  so-called  panacea  for  famine. 


(2)  Weavers. 

A  famine  in  India  means  total  ruin  to  ryots,  who 
depend  upon  agriculture  for  their  means  of  existence ; 
but  these  are  not  the  only  classes  who  suffer  by  the 
calamity.  All  who  are  in  petty  trade  and  depend  upon 
agriculturists  for  employment,  feel  the  visitation  even 
more  severely  than  the  ryots.  Such  workmen  as 
weavers  and  chucklers  (shoemakers,  &c.)  are  the  first 
to  suffer  and  the  last  to  recover.     In  the  Madras  Presi- 


AID  TO   WEAVERS.  351 

dency,  according  to  the  last  cepsus,  there  were  nearly 
600,000  weavers  exclusive  of  families.  Their  condition 
speedily  became  very  bad ;  all  custom  was  gone  and 
there  were  literally  no  means  before  them  of  obtaining 
a  livelihood.  In  December,  1876,  the  matter  was 
brought  before  the  Madras  Government,  but  no  decisive 
action  was  taken.  In  March  1877,  his  Grace  the 
Governor  in  Council  again  had  the  condition  of  weavers 
in  distressed  districts  under  his  consideration,  and,  being 
satisfied  that  their  case  was  different  from  that  of  other 
handicraftsmen,  resolved  to  authorise  the  collectors  of 
all  distressed  districts  to  make  advances  of  materials  to 
them  for  the  prosecution  of  their  trade,  paying  them 
in  addition,  in  the  first  instance,  a  sufficient  allowance 
to  maintain  their  families  until  the  materials  advanced 
were  worked  up,  when  the  manufactured  articles  were 
to  be  bought  at  their  usual  market  price,  on  account 
of  Government,  and  their  value  adjusted  against  the 
advances  made.  The  balance  in  favour  of  the  weavers 
it  was  thought  would  then  probably  enable  them  to 
keep  their  looms  at  work  so  long  as  they  were  sure  of 
the  Government  purchasing  their  manufactures.  At 
Adoni,  where  weavers  are  numerous,  the  task  of 
starting  the  system  was  entrusted  to  an  experienced 
officer. 

Under  this  order  the  following  advances  were  made 
from  time  to  time  : — 

Bfl. 
NeUore U^Q3 

Gaddapah 40,038 

Bellary 2,01,406 

Chingleput 8,908 

North  Arcot 4,660 

South  Arcot 8,681 

Madura 48,649 

Ooimhatore 94,744 

Salem 6,96,969 

Total  .        .        .        .    Rs,  11,32,208 


352  MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  relief  of  weavers  was,  from  time  to  time, 
pressed  on  the  attention  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
Famine  Relief  Fund  ;  but  several  circumstances  com- 
bined to  render  the  task  an  undesirable  one  to  under- 
take with  the  contributions  of  the  charitable  people  of 
Great  and  Greater  Britain.  The  most  complete  scheme 
laid  before  the  committee  was  one  by  Mr.  Seshiah  Sastri, 
C.S.I.,  which  was  in  the  following  terms: — 

Trichinopolj :  December  20»  1877. 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  at  a  special  meeting  held 
yesterday  it  was  resolyed  unanimously  to  address  the  Executive 
Committee,  Madras,  for  an  allotment  to  our  Committee  of  a  lakh  of 
rupees  for  the  special  relief  of  distressed  weavers  in  this  district. 

Observing  from  the  published  proceedings  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, Madras,  that  advances  out  of  the  relief  fund  for  setting  up 
wea/versin  their  trade  were  generally  discountenanced,  probably  for  the 
reasons  (1)  that  it  would  interfere  with  the  natural  course  of  industry, 
(2)  and  that  the  object  in  view  was  itself  subordinate  to  the  primary 
one  for  which  the  fund  was  intended,  viz.,  the  support  of  life,  we  had 
made  it  our  rule  to  appropriate  no  portion  of  the  money  entrusted  to 
us  for  such  a  purpose  as  yet.  Of  course  the  distressed  weavers  re- 
ceived, and  continue  to  receive,  relief  like  distressed  people  of  any  other 
profession. 

But  the  distress  among  them  is  of  a  kind  and  character  that 
threatens  to  be  of  longer  duration  and  of  greater  severity  than  may 
be  experienced  by  other  classes  of  the  population. 

The  information  which  we  gathered  at  our  yesterday's  meeting — 
information  furnished  by  members  (some  of  them  Tahsildars)  who  are 
engaged  in  the  distribution  of  relief  as  the  Committee's  agents — went 
to  prove  clearly  that  many  weavers  who  left  their  homes  are  unable 
to  return  to  them,  and  that  many  still  clinging  to  their  villages  are  in 
utter  destitution  and  distress,  and  that,  guessing  most  £li,vourably, 
scarcely  half  of  them  have  looms  at  work,  the  remainder  of  the  looms 
being  either  out  of  work,  or  mortgaged  for  a  few  rupees  for  subsistence, 
or  sold  outright  for  trifling  sums,  not  exceediog  10  rs.,  the  full  price 
of  a  loom. 

There  is  yet  three  months  more  before  the  harvest  will  be  in, 
when  it  is  hoped  prices  will  fall,  and  place  food  more  within  the  reach 
of  the  poor  than  it  now  is.  The  reaping  of  the  harvest  will  no  doubt 
give  employment  to  a  large  number  of  the  poor  of  the  strictly  agri- 
cultural population,  who  are  from  childhood  accustomed  to  reap,  bind 
(sheaves),  thresh,  and  stack  i  and  the  entrance  of  the  harvested  grain 


AID   TO   WEAVERS.  363 

itself  into  the  market  might  reduce  the  prioes,  to  what  extent  (if  any 
at  all)  cannot  now  be  safely  calculated  on.  But  what  are  the  weavers 
to  do  meanwhile  ?  and  what  help  will  the  coming  harvest  bring  to 
themi  They  cannot  get  work  from  it,  and  few  landlords  would 
engage  their  services  for  work  which  they  do  not  know.  Even  if 
agricultural  prosperity  returned  so  soon,  the  looms  are  not  likely  to 
find  immediate  employment,  while  the  weavers  are  still  beggars,  with- 
out  capital,  and  utterly  prostrated. 

It  occurred  to  us  that  to  a  class  so  situated  nothing  could  bring 
sub8tam;tial  relief  which  did  not  enable  them  to  start  their  looms  once 
more  and  to  live,  till  the  produce  of  the  looms  could  be  brought  to 
market  and  made  to  yield  a  svhaistencey  to  say  nothing  of  a  profit.  It 
is  impossible  to  hope  that  the  richer  class  of  weavers  would  come  to 
their  relief,  they  themselves  having  suffered  in  their  degree  from  the 
feunine  and  been  able,  perhaps,  just  to  keep  their  heads  above  water, 
nor  is  it  at  all  likely  that  capitalists,  who  deal  in  cloth,  would  venture 
to  make  adva/nces  to  vmdc/ubted  paupers  who  have  not  even  their 
looms  in  many  cases  to  weave  with. 

The  only  chance  then  for  the  poor  weavers  is,  if  they  could  get 
sums  of  money  from  the  Relief  Fund  to  live  with,  and  small  qiuintities 
of  cotton  twist,  purchased  and  supplied  from  the  same  source,  to  set 
their  looms  going.  Their  after-chances  we  need  not  concern  oiu*selve8 
much  about.  We  shall  have  done  much  if  we  succeed  in  bringing 
them  back  to  their  looms  and  setting  the  looms  going. 

We  calculated  at  the  meeting,  from  the  census  returns,  that  the 
weaver  population  of  all  castes  was  about  18,000,  comprised  in  about 
4,500  &milies,  scattered  over  50  villages  in  all  the  taluks  of  the 
district.  That  1,500  families  (one-third)  might  be  assumed  to  be  well 
ofil  That  3,500  might  safely  be  considered  as  already  utterly  pau- 
perised or  on  the  very  verge  of  pauperism.  That  to  give  these  sub- 
sistence and  twist,  for  four  or  five  weeks'  work,  would  require,  at 
20  rs.  per  family,  70,000  rs.  That  another  sum  of  25,000  rs.  may  be 
required  for  the  poorest  of  the  silk-weavers  chiefiy  in  the  town  of 
Trichinopoly,  and  that  1,00,000  rs.  might  thus  be  found  sufficient  to 
ameliorate  in  a  substantial  manner  3,500  families,  consisting  of  14,000 
souls,  who  must  othei'wise  wander  abroad  beggars  /or  years  or  fall 
victims  to  starvation  and  disease. 

If  the  Executive  Committee,  on  a  consideration  of  these  £icts,  are 
of  opinion  that  relief  of  the  kind  is  desirable,  and  have  the  funds  in 
their  power  at  this  late  hour  of  our  application,  our  committee  will 
feel  thankful  for  a  special  grant  of  the  sum  named,  viz.,  a  lakh,  and 
will  take  every  precaution  for  our  plan  being  carried  out  in  a  faithful 
and  successful  manner. 

VOL.  II.  A  A 


354  MISCELLANEOUS. 

One  of  the  agencies  employed  in  the  distribution  of 
relief  funds  largely  employed  this — ^the  best,  where  pi'ac- 
ticable — means  of  dispensing  charity.  The  Rev.  A.  D. 
Rowe,  of  the  Krishna  district,  thus  describes  his  work :  — 

In  addition  to  the  work  for  weavers  and  shoemakers,  sinoe  mj 
last  report  work  has  been  given  to  a  great  number  of  poor  women — 
including  Mahomedans  and  Sudras,  as  well  as  the  lower  castes  ;  the 
employment  furnished  is  spinning.  There  being  no  cotton  found  here, 
I  had  a  bandy  load  brought  from  Guntur,  had  it  weighed  out  into 
1^  lb.  bundles  and  distributed,  giving  2  annas  cooly  in  advance,  2 
annas  more  as  the  work  advances,  and  4  annas  more  when  the  thread 
is  done.  Though  spinning  in  the  country  is  at  all  times  very  poorly 
paying  work,  the  cotton  is  being  taken  most  eagerly  and  joyfully  by 
these  people  at  present.  It  gives  employment  to  those  members  of 
the  family  who  have  for  a  long  time  not  been  able  to  get  any  work. 

About  Inkole  (22  miles  north  of  Ongole)  the  condition  of  the 
people  is  still  very  pitiable.  In  most  of  the  palema  about  one  half  <^ 
the  houses  are  in  ruins,  i.e.,  the  timbers  and  roof  have  been  sold,  the 
owners  have  deserted  them,  and  the  walls  are  crumbling  down.  One 
good  effect  of  our  relief  is  to  attiuct  the  people  to  their  homes  and 
villages  again,  and  to  inspire  confidence.  I  have  never  seen  such  utter 
despair  as  is  manifested  by  the  poorer  people  here. 

As  I  should  not  be  able  to  control  the  giving  of  gratuitous 
relief  properly,  I  have  hithei'to  not  given  any  except  in  a  few  cases  of 
great  want  among  old  and  helpless  people.  To  those  who  are  at  all 
a^le  to  work,  our  present  plan  commends  itself,  and  it  is  my  opinion 
that  it  does  them  more  real  and  lasting  good  than  the  same  amount 
given  gratuitously  would  do.  Many  of  those  who  are  taking  the  work 
have  expressed  the  same  opinion. 

I  shall,  however,  have  made  out,  or  rather  make  out  myself,  a 
list  of  very  needy  persons  whose  houses  have  been  consumed  by  the 
famine,  and  present  it  to  you  by  and  by. 

If  any  of  the  gentlemen  who  ara  on  deputation  for  the  committee 
should  happen  to  come  as  far  north  as  Ongole  and  should  have 
another  day  to  spare,  I  should  be  very  happy  indeed  to  meet  one  of 
them  at  the  Inkole  Bungalow.  With  the  exception  of  such  local 
help  as  I  can  get  from  police  officers  and  village  officials,  I  am  work- 
ing alone  on  this  '  committee,'  not  from  choice  but  necessity. 

A.  Laksmidas  Garu,  municipal  manager  of  Guntur,  who  is  weU 
acquainted  in  this  section,  has  promised  to  accompany  me  during  the 
Christmas  holidays.  But  whether  working  alone  or  otherwise,  I  shall 
do  the  best  I  possibly  can  for  the  relief  of  these  people  with  the 
money  you  have  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal. 


WISE    CHARITABLE   RELIEF.  355 

Inkole  (22  miles  north  of  Ongole),  December  28,  1877. 

I  beg  to  state  that  the  work  of  giving  relief  which  your  com- 
mittee have  kindly  entrusted  to  me  has  enlarged  greatly  beyond  what 
I  bad  expected.  There  is  still  no  work  in  the  fields,  and  prices  of 
grain  are  higher  than  they  were  a  month  ago.  Though  T  give  only 
the  ordinary  rates  for  work,  Le,,  8  pies  a  yard  for  weaving,  and  from 
8  annas  to  14  annas  for  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  &  rupee  a  viss  for  spinning 
cotton,  the  poor  people  are  most  eager  to  get  the  work.  In  ordinary 
times  neither  spinning  nor  weaving  at  these  rates  is  considered  pay- 
ing work.  This  in  itself  is  an  indication  of  the  great  want  still  exist- 
ing here.  People  come  from  villages  as  far  as  sixteen  miles  to  the 
west,  i.e,,  from  the  southeastern  comer  of  Narasapet  taluk. 

Up  to  this  time  we  have  given  work  to  about  fifty  villages  (list 
enclosed),  but  in  scarcely  any  case  do  we  give  all  asked  for,  thinking 
that  if  we  get  this  work  the  remaining  portion  will  be  able  to  get 
along  by  doing  what  work  may  be  found  about  the  village. 

The  employment  which  seems  to  reach  the  most  helpless  ciasa  of  all 
is  ihespinning.  The  cotton  is  bought  in  Guntlir,  brought  here  and  given 
out  in  bunches  of  l^lbs. ;  4  annas  cooly  is  given  in  advance,  and  4  annas 
more  when  the  thread  is  returned.  Until  the  varega  crop  is  har- 
vested, in  about  a  month,  there  will  be  no  other  work  for  these  people. 

To  continue  the  work  of  i-elief  as  begun  for  a  month  longer  I 
shall  need  (above  the  receipts  for  the  goods  sold)  about  1,000  rs.  As 
our  cloths  sell  readily  at  60  per  cent,  of  cost,  and  the  shoes  at  50  per 
cent.,  we  received  a  considerable  income  now  which  will  appear  in  my 
next  financial  statement.  (N.B. — We  do  not  sell  to  merchants,  but 
only  to  poor  people,  else  we  could  sell  for  a  little  more.) 

In  a  former  letter  I  stated  that  I  should  apply  for  some  money 
to  aid  people  about  Inkole  to  repair  their  houses,  such  as  were  actually 
consumed  by  the  famine.  Last  week  in  a  village  five  miles  from  here, 
sixteen  houses  were  consumed  by  fire.  They  were  thatched  houses  of 
poor  people,  and  they  lost  their  spinning  wheels,  looms,  and  in  some 
cases  their  clothing.  They  applied  to  me  for  some  help  to  re-build ; 
they  are  very  badly  off  indeed,  and  I  shall  ask  you  for  a  small  grant 
for  them.  After  a  somewhat  careful  calculation  of  what  will  be  needed 
I  respectfully  ask  for  the  following  : — 

To  continue  the  work  among  the  weavers  and  shoemakers, 
and  to  give  spinning  to  poor  women  of  all  classes  who       Rs. 
may  apply  up  to  January  31 1,000 

For  the  r**pair  of  150  houses  consumed  by  the  famine, 

giving  6  rs.  each 760 

For  the  repairof  16  houses  consumed  by  fire  in  Idipallipadu 

on  December  16,  giving  to  each  6  rs.         .         .         .80 

Total 1,830 

A  a2 


356  MISCELLANEOUS. 

If  your  committee  have  granted  the  1,000  rs.  applied  for  for  the 
eastern  section  of  Bapatla  taluk  it  will  not  affect  this  calculation.  I 
have  not  heard  anything  about  it  yet. 

I  again  ask  that  you  will  kindly  send  a  telegram  for  me  to 
Guntur  as  soon  as  this  action  is  taken.  Thanking  you  for  your  kind 
attention  to  my  former  letter  and  re[)ortB. 


ViUajes  in  whicfi  employment  is  given  at  present, 

Palaparru,  Anavarum,  Torlepoder,  Rozapalem,  Timapurum,  Jagga- 
purum,  Yedlapudi,  Gintunapalum,  Uppurlapadadu,  Yelluru,  Kopperti, 
Sudepudi,  Parchoor,  Nagulapallem,  Timaragapalem,  Gottipadu,  Jaga- 
lamudi,  Uppurturu,  Vernapalem,  Jujanipilly,  Kunkalanurti,  Tonamu- 
dunapalen,  Peddavemapalem,  Yonkayzelapalem,  Pusapodu,  Idipalli- 
padu,  Nutalapodu,  Dogupodu,  Kondrupodu,  Yenamadalu,  Nima- 
gudipalen,  Yiragani,  Naudipadu,  Yurjala,  Ganapura,  Yidavorapadu, 
Tanivuderapalem,  Posapodu,  Adipudl,  Bordada,  Abiniguntapalem, 
Tikkiredipalem,  Yinagalu,  Sirimanundla,  Tumulupadi,  Cousara, 
Goddipadu,  Inkole. 

As  I  write  new  applicants  are  coming  for  work  from  villages  in 
the  Ongole  taluk  of  Nellore  distiict. 

Assisting  weavers  by  advances  was  one  of  the  modes 
of  relief  which  Sir  Richard  Temple  strongly  pressed 
upon  the  Madras  Government.  Writing  on  March  12 
the  delegate  said: — 

I  desire  to  invite  attention  to  the  advisability  of  establishing 
some  light  labour  test  for  the  many  thousands  of  weavers  and  spinners 
who  are  now  coming  upon  the  hands  of  Government  in  several  of  the 
famine  districts  of  the  Madras  Presidency.  It  was  proposed,  as  I 
understand  some  months  ago,  by  some  of  the  Madras  authorities,  that 
Crovemment  should  advance  money  to  enable  destitute  weavers  to  buy 
material  and  carry  on  their  trade.  For  several  reasons  it  was  then 
thought  the  plan  might  be  deferred.  But  I  submit  that  the  time  has 
come  when  this  proposal  might,  with  such  modification  as  may 
be  required  by  local  circumstances,  be  resuscitated  and  carried  into 
effect. 

Near  Bangalore,  on  a  tank,  I  saw  a  special  gang  of  poor  weavers, 
who  were  allowed  a  higher  rate  for  their  piece-work  than  ordinary  relief 
labourers,  because  their  habits  and  the  condition  of  their  hands  and 
fingers  prevented  their  doing  a  full  day's  work.    Some  similar  arrange- 


SEED-GRAIN  TO   CULTIVATORS.  357 

ments  are,  I  believe,  carried  out  in  several  places  in  the  Madras  Presi- 
dency also.  And  such  arrangements  may  suffice  for  those  weavers 
who  make  the  coarser  fabrics  at  Adoni,  at  Bellary.  and  other  places. 

But  there  are  many  weavers  who  work  in  silk,  or  who  do  the 
finer  kinds  of  cotton  weaving ;  and  such  people  might,  if  put  upon 
tank  or  road  work,  become  physically  unfitted,  for  a  time  at  any  rate, 
to  return  to  their  usual  employment  after  the  end  of  the  famine.  Yet 
many  of  these  poor  people  are  undoubtedly  in  great  btraits ;  they  can 
get  no  market  for  their  products,  and  they  can  get  no  credit  wherewith 
to  buy  materials.  Yet  there  are  many  of  them  quite  ready  to  work 
to  the  best  of  their  power,  in  return  for  such  relief  as  the  State  may 
give  them.  At  Salem,  for  instance,  I  learnt  that  the  silk  weavers 
had  reduced  themselves  to  some  extremity  sooner  than  go  on  relief 
works,  and  at  present  they  are  subsisting  on  an  organised  private 
charity.  Similar  instances  will  ere  long  occur  in  Nellore,  even  if  they 
are  not  already  occurring. 

In  parts  of  Bengal  (Burdwan  and  other  places),  during  the 
famine  of  1874,  advances  were  made  to  weavers,  and  their  manufac- 
tures were  taken  over  by  Government  officers  in  return  for  the 
advances  and  for  their  support.  At  some  of  the  relief  houses,  also, 
weavers  were  employed  in  making  cotton  and  silk  fabrics. 


(3)  Seed-Grain. 

The  papers  quoted  below  will  show  the  spirit  in 
which  the  Government  were  disposed  to  help  the  people 
by  granting  them  advances  of  seed-grain  when  the 
growing  season  came  round : — 

In  their  official  memorandum  above  quoted  the  Board  of  Bevenue 
called  upon  all  collectors  of  distressed  districts  to  submit  with  the  least 
possible  delay  a  statement  of  the  cultivation  in  June  talukwar  as  com- 
pared with  the  average  of  the  last  three  years,  together  with  such 
general  information  regarding  the  progress  and  prospects  of  cultivation 
as  they  might  be  in  a  position  to  afibrd  to  enable  the  Board  to  judge 
how  far  it  might  be  necessary  to  inauguiate  a  system  of  money 
advances  for  the  purchase  of  seed-gi-ain,  with  reference  to  the  con- 
siderations set  forth  in  their  proceedings  recorded  in  G.  O.,  dated 
June  12   1877. 


358 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


2.  Only  five  replies  have  been  received  as  yet,  but  the  Board  do 
not  consider  it  necessary  to  await  the  i-emainder,  as  each  district  must 
be  treated  separately  with  reference  to  its  condition  and  prospects. 
The  marginally  noted  figures  extracted  from  the  returns  show  that  in 


Cultivation  in  June, 
1877 


Dry 


Gaddapah  . 

Cbingleput 

Trichinopoly 

Madura 

Salem 


acres 
29,586 


Wet 


51,204 
15,431 


5,763» 


acres 
7,138 


72,443* 


10,772 
21,429 


Averaf^e  of  the 
Cultivation 


In  June 


Dn' 


acres 
22,800 


In  past  3 
years 


Wet 


acres 
2,931 


5,157 
17,566       3,749 
8,082       9,058 
156,380 


•  Dry  and  wet  not  distinguished. 

Madura,  Trichinopoly,  and  Cuddapah,  there  has  been  a  very  consider- 
able increase  in  the  area  brought  under  cultivation,  as  compared  with 
the  corresponding  month  in  previous  years  in  Chingleput.  There  is  a 
slight  increase  in  the  month  of  June  itself,  but  a  decrease  in  the  extent 
of  cultivation  up  to  the  end  of  the  month,  whilst  in  Salem  the  total  is 
less  than  the  avei-age  by  more  than  a  half,  and  in  one  taluk,  Uttengeri, 
the  cultivation  was  nil.  This  state  of  things  is  ascribed  to  the  exti*eme 
poverty  of  the  ryots  and  loss  of  their  cattle.  The  matter  of  seed-grain 
is  not  noticed  by  any  of  the  collectors,  except  Mr.  MacQuhae,  who 
states  that '  there  is  nothing  that  the  Government  can  do  at  present ; 
the  lyots  are  ready  with  their  seed  and  cattle,  and  nothing  is  wanted 
but  a  favourable  season.'  In  some  villages  in  Fulni  and  in  Bamnad, 
however,  he  apprehends  a  difficulty  about  seed.  The  Board  observes 
that  provision  for  advances  to  the  extent  of  5,000  rs.  has  been  made 
in  the  Bamnad  estate  budget  for  the  cuiTent  fasli 

3.  The  Board  consider  that  the  returns  for  the  first  four  districts 
show  that  any  general  aid  for  the  purchase  of  seed  grain  was  quite 
unnecessary,  and  as  regards  Salom  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  assist- 
ance in  this  direction  would  have  had  much  effect.  It  may  perhaps 
be  necessary  to  afford  assistance  in  some  districts  at  a  later  date,  but 
it  is  much  to  be  feared  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  early-sown  dry 
crops  will  perish,  and  that  seed  and  labour  will  have  been  lost.  In 
order,  however,  that  the  ryots  may  be  enabled  to  take  immediate 
advantage  of  any  favourable  change  in  the  seasons,  the  Board  think 
that  collectors  should  be  authorised  to  make  advances  for  the  puiichase 


SEED-GRAIN   TO   CULTIVATORS.  359 

of  seed-gram  within  reasonable  limits,  say  10,000  rs.,  without  previous 
sanction,  when  such  a  course  is  rendered  absolutely  necessary  by  the 
poverty  of  the  ryots.  If  assistance  of  this  nature  is  to  be  of  any  ser- 
vice, it  must  be  afforded  directly  the  necessity  arises,  and  it  is  desira- 
ble to  obviate  the  delay  entailed  by  a  reference  to  the  Board  ;  further, 
such  advances  being  recoverable  as  arrears  of  revenue,  the  risk  is 
materially  reduced.  The  Board  will  always  be  able  to  negative  ex- 
travagant proposals,  and  they  think  that  within  a  certain  limit 
collectors  should  be  empowered  to  take  action  directly  the  necessity 
manifests  itself,  bearing  in  mind  that  lavish  expenditure  is  not 
contemplated. 

(True  copies  and  extract.) 

(Signed)  C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary. 

Proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Revenue,  dated  Aug.  1, 1877. 
Bead  the  following  letter  from  R.  W.  Barlow,  Esq.,  Collector  of 
the  Ohingleput  District,  to  C.  A.  Galton,  Esq.,  Acting  Sec- 
retary to  the  Board  of  Revenue,  dated  Madurantakam,  July 

27,  1877  :— 

Adverting  to  G.  0.,  No.  2,260-A,  of  the  9th  instant,  and  Board's 
proceedings  thereon,  No.  3,249,  dated  the  11th  idem,  I  have  the 
honour  to  report  that  I  fear  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  in  this 
district  to  give  advances  of  seed-grain  for  wet  crops  if  the  ryots  are 
ever  to  cultivate  again.  That  the  bulk  of  ryots  here  are  exceptionally 
poor  is  well  known  to  the  Board,  and  just  now  their  condition,  in 
addition  to  want,  is  almost  one  of  despair. 

2.  All  the  tahsildars,  before  being  consulted,  have  expressed  their 
opinion  that  such  advances  are  necessary,  and  a  circular  has  been 
issued  asking  them  what  amounts  they  require,  and  the  figures  will 
duly  be  submitted  to  the  Board  for  approval. 

3.  Seed-grain,  however,  will  not  be  procurable  in  the  district.  The 
wealthy  ryots  of  this  district  are  not  numerous,  and  a  good  number  of 
them  live  in  Madras,  and  the  remainder  certainly  cannot  provide  the 
wants  of  the  needy  as  they  might  in  other  districts,^  and  I  wish  to 
know  whether  the  Board  will  be  able  to  procure  it  for  me.  Of  course 
I  should  not  desire  to  distribute  any  seed  until  good  rain  falls,  and 
this,  I  fear,  will  not  now  be  till  October.  The  time  for  utilising  seed- 
grain  for  dry  crops  affected  by  the  south-west  monsoon  has  passed 
except  for  varagu. 

*  Vide  paragraphs  2  and  3,  Board's  Proceediugs,  dated  Juce  C,  1877,  No 
2,G36,  in  G.O.,  June  12, 1877,  No.  1,072-A. 


360  MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  collector  is  authorised  to  make  advances  for  the  purchase  of 
seed-grain  to  all  who  may  really  need  it. 

4.  The  Board  are  of  opinion  that  the  advances  should  be  made  in 
money,  as  the  purchase  of  grain  by  Grovemment  officers  is  likely  to 
cause  confusion.  There  are  many  different  kinds  of  seed,  and  ryots 
are  the  best  judges  of  what  will  suit  them. 

(True  copy  and  extract.) 

(Signed)  C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary, 


Proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Bevenue,  dated  Aug.  14, 1877. 
Bead  G.  O.,  dated  July  28,  1877. 

The  Government  enquire  what  the  Board  are  doing,  and  what  they 
propose  to  do,  in  the  matter  of  advances  for  seed-grain.  As  regards 
the  first  point  the  Board  beg  to  refer  to  the  correspondence  marginally 
noted.  ^  A  confidential  circular  was  addressed  to  collectors  by  Govern- 
ment in  February  last,  the  replies  to  which  showed  that  district 
officers  were  almost  unanimously  of  opinion  that  there  was  a  sufficient 
stock  in  the  hands  of  the  richer  lyots,  who  would  supply  their  poorer 
brethren,  and  that  Government  interference  was  not  called  for.  The 
commissioner  of  the  Nilgiris  having,  however,  applied  for  sanction  to 
advance  a  small  sum  for  this  purpose,  the  Board  were  vested  with 
authority  to  deal  with  such  applications  and  to  direct  the  neoessaiy 
disbursements.  A  grant  of  3,000  rs.  was  accordingly  placed  at  his 
disposal  as  requested.  Subsequently  the  collector  of  Bellary  applied 
for  a  grant  of  5  lakhs,  and  suggested  that  divisional  officers  should  be 
authorised  to  make  advances  for  the  purchase  of  cattle,  as  well  as  for 

>  G.O.,  April  6, 1877,  No.  1,836. 

„      June  12,     „       „    1,972-A. 

„      July    3,     „       „    2,202. 

„        „       9,     „       „    2,260-A. 

„      June  21,     „       „    2,071-A. 
Board's  Proceedings,  dated  July  11,  1877,  No.  8,249. 

»  „  „  „     80,     „        „     8,541. 

»  »  w  w       1>     w        »     o,Oo4. 

Circular  Official  Memorandum,  July  3, 187'7,  No.  1,131. 
Board's  Proceedings,  dated  July  31, 1877,  No.  3,561. 
Circular  Telegram,  Miscellaneous  No.  1 0,945. 

Beplies  to  do. 
Telegram  to  Collector  of  Bellary,  dated  July  30,  1877,  Miscellaneous 
No.  10,56.3. 


GRANTS   OF   SEED-GRAIN.  361 

the  purchase  of  seed,  at  their  discretion.  The  Board  thereupon  laid 
their  views  on  the  whole  question  fully  before  Government,*  stating 
the  reasons  which  led  them  to  the  conclusion  that  advances  for  the 
purchase  of  seed  and  cattle  were  of  doubtful  necessity  and  expediency, 
and  that  at  any  rate  the  time  for  any  action  in  that  direction  had  not 
then  arrived.  The  Grovernment  concurred  in  these  views,  but  desired 
that  this  important  matter  should  be  borne  in  mind. 

2.  This  expression  of  the  wishes  of  Government  was  communicated 
to  all  collectors  of  distressed  districts  (Proceedings,  dated  July  11, 
No.  3,249),  and  the  Board  signified  their  readiness  to  grant  such 
assistance  as  might  be  required,  but  up  to  date  only  two  applications 
have  been  received,  namely,  that  disposed  of  in  Board's  proceedings 
dated  August  1,  Ko.  3,584,  wherein  the  collector  of  Chingleput  was 
authorised  to  make  advances  for  the  purchase  of  seed-grain  to  all  who 
may  need  it,  and  one  from  the  collector  of  North  ALrcot,  just  received, 
which  will  be  dealt  with  in  a  similar  manner.  Similar  instructions 
were  issued  to  the  collector  of  Bellary  by  telegram,  reports  of  a 
deficiency  of  seed-grain  in  the  western  taluks  having  reached  the 
Board,  and  the  collector  of  Kumool  was  directed  in  Board's  proceed- 
ings, dated  July  26,  1877,  No.  3,511,  to  watch  the  condition  of  the 
head  assistant  collector's  division  in  this  respect.  The  Board  also 
called  for  a  return  of  the  area  under  crops  in  June  as  compared  with 
tlie  average  of  the  three  preceding  years,  with  the  view  of  ascertaining 
whether  the  cultivation  returns  afforded  any  indication  of  inability  on 
the  part  of  the  ryots  to  till  their  lands.  A  few  replies  only  have  been 
received,  and  these  show  with  one  exception  a  considerable  excess  over 
the  average  of  past  years ;  the  Board,  however,  deemed  it  advisable 
without  waiting  for  complete  information  from  all  districts  to  recom- 
mend that  collectors  should  be  vested  with  authority  to  grant  advances 
for  purchase  of  seed-grain  within  a  certain  limit,  as  they  must  be  the 
best  judges  of  the  necessity  for  the  measure ;  the  Board  can  only  act  on 
the  recommendations  made  by  district  officers,  and  a  reference  entails 
delay.     No  orders  have  as  yet  reached  the  Board. 

3.  The  accompanying  statement  of  cultivation  up  to  June  (A),  as 
compared  with  the  average  of  the  previous  five  years  in  the  nine  most 
distressed  districts,  shows  that  in  all  except  Bellary,  Coimbatore,  and 
Salem  the  breadth  of  cultivation  under  both  heads  *  dry  *  and  *  wet  * 
has  considerably  exceeded  the  average,  so  that  cultivation  has  not  so 
far  been  retarded  by  a  want  of  seed-grain  as  far  as  two-thirds  of  them 
are  concerned  :  whether  this  had  anything  to  do  with  the  falling  off 
in  the  other  three  there  is  nothing  to  show,  but  from  the  collector's 

»  Proceedings,  June  6, 1877,  No.  2,636. 


362  MISCELLANEOUS. 

telegram  it  appears  that  in  Salem,  at  any  rate,  the  local  supply  is  be- 
Keved  to  be  sufficient.  The  collectors  concerned  were  again  addressed 
by  telegram  on  the  7th  instant,  and  requested  to  state  whether  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  seed-gi-ain  is  procurable  locally,  and  if  not  to 
specify  their  requirements,  in  order  that  the  Board  might  arrange  for 
a  supply.  Replies  have  been  received  from  the  districts  marginally 
noted.  ^  Mr.  Grose  believes  that  if  money  be  advanced  grain  will  be 
forthcoming,  though  at  exorbitant  itites ;  Mr.  Price  considers  that 
local  stocks  will  suffice,  and  strongly  deprecates  State  interference ;  in 
the  other  districts  also  no  difficulty  is  anticipated. 

4.  As  to  what  the  Board  propose  they  are  of  opinion  that,  as  a 
general  principle  when  aid  is  considered  necessary,  as  it  certainly  often 
will  be  for  the  purchase  of  grain,  it  should  be  aiForded  in  the  shape  of 
a  money  advance,  the  intervention  of  Government  for  the  purchase 
and  distribution  of  seed-grain  being  neither  generally  expedient  nor  in 
fact  feasible.  But  collectors  will  be  invited,  if  they  consider  seed  sup- 
plies indispensable  from  any  particular  causes,  to  make  their  recom- 
mendations to  the  Board,  whereupon  the  Board  will  be  prepared  to 
do  their  utmost  to  arrange  for  supplies  being  obtained.  The  necessity 
may  occur,  but  it  is  earnestly  to  be  hoped  it  will  not,  for  undoubtedly 
the  practical  difficulties  in  meeting  it  efficiently  will  be  enormous,  and 
apart  from  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  transportation,  stoittge,  and 
distiibution  of  several  hundreds  of  tons  of  grain,  the  ryots  have  their 
predilections  and  would  probably  object  to  make  experiments  with 
seed  to  which  they  are  unaccustomed.  As  already  pix)posed  in  the 
proceedings  now  before  Government  it  should  be  left  to  the  discretion 
of  collectors,  who  are  in  a  position  to  obtain  the  most  trustworthy 
information  as  to  existing  stocks  and  can  best  judge  when  and  where 
State  help  is  needed,  to  decide  whether  advances  should  be  given,  and 
to  make  disbursements  within  a  certain  liberal  limit,  for  exceeding 
which  sanction  should  be  obtained.  The  Board  concur  with  the 
collector  of  NeUore  in  thinking  that  if  money  is  furnished  grain  will 
be  forthcoming  and  that  deficient  stocks  will  be  supplemented  by  im- 
portation :  the  state  of  the  stocks  must  be  far  better  known  to  the 
leading  ryots  and  native  merchants  in  each  district  than  to  Govern- 
ment and  their  officers,  and  private  trade  may  be  relied  upon  to 
supply  what  is  needfuL 

5.  The  Board  would  not  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast  rules  as  to 
the  amounts  to  be  advanced,  the  period  of  recovery,  &c.  Such  ad- 
vances are  recoverable  as  arrears  of  revenue,  and  fcuch  conditions  with 
r^ard  to  security  as  are  provided  in  the  Mysore  rules  appear  unneces- 

'  NeUore,  Guddapah,  Euniool,  Tanjore,  Trichiuupoly,  Salem,  Madura. 


GRANTS    OF   SEED-GRAIN.  363 

sary ;  the  fewer  formalities  the  better ;  the  solvency  and  capacity  to 
cultivate  of  the  applicant  should  be  ascei-tained  by  inquiry  through 
the  village  officers ;  the  registered  holder  only  should  be  eligible  to 
receive  an  advance ;  the  amount  should  be  proportioned  to  the  means 
and  extent  of  land  owned  by  the  applicant,  and  a  simple  receipt  for 
the  money  is  all  that  need  be  required.  There  must  in  any  case  be 
considerable  risk  in  any  system  of  advances  to  impoverished  ryots 
which  is  not  likely  to  be  materially  diminished  by  i-equiring  personal 
sureties.  The  principle  of  the  4th  rule  is,  in  the  Board's  opinion, 
erroneous ;  the  class  most  needing  assistance  is  to  be  found  amongst 
ryots  paying  more  than  20  rs.  annually  in  assessment,  and  efforts 
should  be  directed  towards  enabling  them  to  tide  over  the  crisis ;  the 
smaller  ryots  must  in  many  cases  sink  for  the  present  to  the  grade  of 
agricultural  labourers,  and  it  will  serve  no  good  purpose  to  try  to 
avert  this  fate.  The  Mysore  rules  may  work  in  a  small  province  but 
are  not  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  this  Presidency,  nor  shoiild 
advances  be  allowed  for  the  purchase  of  ploughing  cattle ;  the  argu- 
ments advanced  by  the  Board  at  paragraph  5  of  their  Proceedings  of 
June  6  last  are,  it  is  submitted,  conclusive  as  to  the  inutility  of  any 
such  scheme. 

6.  At  the  suggestion  of  Sir  William  Bobinson,  K.C.S.I.,  some 
statistics  are  furnished  which  may  serve  as  a  rough  guide  to  the  ex- 
penditure which  the  Grovemment  must  be  prepared  to  incur  in  the 
event  of  their  determining  upon  any  measures  for  the  provision  of 
seed-grain  or  fiinds  for  the  purchase  of  it.  The  average  area  culti- 
vated under  the  north-east  monsoon  (October  to  March)  during  the 
five  years  ending  1875-76  is  4,481,618  acres  in  the  nine  districts 
principally  affected  by  the  famine ;  the  proportions  of  cholum  and  ragi 
required  may  be  estimated  with  reference  to  the  areas  sown  with  those 
crops,  the  two  principal  dry  food-grains,  as  shown  in  the  crop  state- 
ment for  Fasli  1284,*  a  favourable  season,  on  the  assumption  that  one 
ton  of  seed-grain  will  suffice  for  80  acres  of  punjah  and  30  acres  of 
nunjah  land ;  valuing  the  grain  at  the  prices  ruling  in  Madras  on  July 
31,  according  to  the  collectors'  retm-ns  the  i-esult  is  that  it  will  cost 
approximately  nine  lakhs  of  rupees  to  furnish  seed-grain  for  one-tenth 
of  the  area  likely  to  be  brought  under  cultivation.  From  these  data 
the  sum  involved  in  providing  seed-grain  or  the  means  of  purchasing 
it  for  any  given  proportions  of  the  cultivated  ai-ea  can  be  readily 
ascertained ;  but  any  attempt  to  extend  aid  of  this  nature  to  all  those 

*  Paddy,  10*08  seers  of  80  tolahs  per  lupee. 
Cholum,  8*06  „  „ 

Bagi,  7-9. 


364 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


who  may  from  a  confflderation  of  the  amount  of  the  assessment  paid 
by  them  be  presumed  to  stand  in  need  of  assistance  must  entail  a  vast 
outlay  as  the  last  quinquennial  returns  show  that  nearly  half  the  land 
assessment  is  paid  by  ryots  holding  puttahs  for  less  than  50  rs. — Vide 
the  marginal  extract  from  paragraph  33,  Board's  Proceedings,  em* 
bodied  in  G.O.,  dated  February  11,  1874,  No.  184 :— 


Number 

Amount 

Ryots  paying  less  than  10  rupees 
„            10  to  30  rupees     . 
„            30  to  60      „         .        .        . 

Above  50  rupees        ..... 

1,262,000 
455,000 
122,000 

45,63,000 
77,26,000 
45,20,000 

1,829,000 
118,000 

1,68,09,000 
1,32,12,000 

1,047,000 

3,00,31,000 

(Signed) 


C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary. 


Enclosure  No.  1. 

A. — Statement  ehoumg  the  Area  under  Cultivation  in  1877-8  up  to  June, 
compared  with  the  Average  of  Jive  years  ending  1875-6  during  the  same 
period. 


1877-78 

Average 

x/u9bncbo 

Dry 

Wet 

Total 

Dry 

Wet 

Total 

1.  Nellore 

15,549 

15,445 

30,994 

3,626 

2,797 

6,423 

2.  Cuddapah  . 

37,680 

11,237 

48,917 

21,691 

4,221 

26,912 

3.  Bellary       . 

31,470 

6,727 

38,197 

70,712 

11,165 

81,877 

4.  Kumool     . 

2,528 

381 

2,909 

— 

6 

6 

5.  Gbiugleput 

13,772 

8,616 

22,387 

4,350 

6,790 

11,140 

6.  NortiiArcot 

92,099 

26,463 

118,552 

50,243 

14,246 

64,489 

7.  Madura 

18,018 

29,866 

47,884 

13,218 

17,581 

30,799 

8.  Ooimbatore 

150,391 

4,065 

154,456    272,971 

5,020 

277,991 

9.  Salem 

Total     . 

100,601 

10,153 

116,664 

180,871 

22,947 

203,818 

462,008 

118,942 

580,950    617,682 

1 

84,773 

702,465 

(Signed) 


C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary, 


GRANTS   OF   SEED-GRAIN. 


365 


Enclosube  No.  2. 

B. — Average  CuUivatum  during  the  Jive  years  ending  1875- 6,  under  the 
NoHh-east  Monsoon  {October  to  March)  and  Estimate^  of  quantity  of 
Seed  required  for  10  per  cent,  thereof. 


Acres  Cultivated 

Seed  required  for  one-tenth  area 

Y\ia^ri  t*^u 

! 

X/lBbnCiiS 

Dry 

Wet 

Total 

Jonna 

Raggy 
Tons 

Paddy 

Acres 

Acres 

Acres 

Tons 

Tons 

1.  Ouddapah  . 

402,131 

40,408 

442,539,      392-6 

110-0 

134-6 

2.  Bellary       . 

848,821 

36,954 

884,775     981-4 

79-6 

119-8 

3.  Kurnool     . 

374,712      6,877 

381,589'      459-8 

8-5 

22-9 

4.  Nellore 

405,227,   93,770 

498,997!     463-2 

43-2 

312-6 

5.  Ohingleput 

109,a30  166,819 

275,649        19-8 

117-4 

552-7 

6.  North  Arcot 

125,245    79,470 

204,715        29-1 

127-4 

204-9 

7.  Madura      .  ; 

340,783    86,513 

427,296      266-7 

159-3 

288-4 

8.  Coimbatore 

1,011,002    35,109 

1,046,1 1 1      945-6 

818-2 

117-0 

9.  Salem 

Total     .' 

1 

294,490'    25,457 

319,947 

59-8 

308-3 

84-8 

3,912,241  669,377 

4,481,618  3,618-0 

1 

1,271-9 

1,897-7 

Price 

Rs. 

Ra. 

Rs. 

5,03,000 

1,78,000 

2,11,000 

or  nil 

le  lakhs  nearly. 

• 

^  Note. — Seed  required  for  '  Dry '  has  been  assumed  at  1  ton  for  80  acres, 
and  for  '  Wet '  at  1  ton  for  30  acres.        (Signed)        G.  A.  Galton. 

Acting  Secretary. 

Appendix  to  Statement  B. 

Statement  showing  Proportion  of  CTiolum,  Raggy  and  other  Dry  Crope  cultivated 

according  to  Crop  Returns  for  Fadi  1284 


Districts 

Choi  am 

Raggy 

Other 
Dry 
Crops 

Total 

Dry 

Crops 

Percentage  of 

Cholam 

to  Total 

Dry 

Rag^ry 

to  ToUl 

Dry 

4-7 

9-7 

3-6 

1-0 

32-5 

25-8 

160 

10-7 

30-9 

Other 

Drv  to 

Total 

Dry 

450 
55-7 
520 
45-2 
62-0 
68-3 
57-2 
57-5 
631 

Total 

Nellore 
Cuddapah   . 
Bellary 
Kurnool 
Ohingleput . 
North  Arcot 
*  Madura 
Coimbatore 
Salem. 

Acres 
362,000 
468,000 
1,240,000 
905,000 
7,000 

20,000 
191,000 
652,000 

71,000 

AcrcA 

34,000 

132,000 

102,000 

18,000 

42,000 

87,000 

114,000 

219,000 

369,000 

Acres 
323,000 
754,000 

1,452,000 

760,000 

80,000 

231,000 

408,000 

1,180,000 
751,000 

• 

Acres 

719,000 

1,354,000 

2,794,000 

1,683,000 

129,000 

338,000 

713,000 

2,051,000 

1,191,000 

50-3 

34-6 

44-4 

53-8 

5-5 

5-9 

26-8 

31-8 

60 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

(Signed) 


C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary. 


366  MISCKLLANEOUS. 

Enclosure  No.  3. 

Miscellaneous  No.  10,553. 
Telegram  to  Collector  of  Bellary,  dated  July  30,  1877. 
'  Give  advances  for  seed-grain  wherever  necessary ;  said  to  be 
wanted  in  western  taluks.' 

Miscellaneous  No.  10,945. 
Telegram  to  Collectors  of  distressed  Districts,  dated  August  7,  1877. 

*  Is  sufficient  seed-grain  procurable  locally  1  if  not,  state  whether 
Board  should  arrange  for  supply,  specifying  description  and  quantity?' 

(True  Copies.) 

(Signed)        C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary. 

Enclosure  No.  4. 
Telegram  from  the  Collector  of  Nellore,  dated  August  8,  1877. 

*  Cannot  ascertain  stocks  seed-grain.  Believe  ryots  having  money 
can  get,  but  price  exorbitant.  Supply  by  Board  unadvisable.  Best 
to  encourage  importation  by  letting  people  know  taocavy  may  be 
granted  {vide  my  letter  on  subject,  paragraph  14).' 

Telegram  from  the  Collector  of  Kumool,  dated  August  8,  1877. 
'  It  is  generally  believed  that  sufficient  seed-grain  of  sorts  is  pro- 
curable in  the  canal  taluks.     Further  inquiries  are  being  made.' 

Telegram  from  the  Collector  of  Tanjore,  dated  August  8,  1877. 

*  Sufficient  seed-grain  procurable  locally.' 

Letter  from  the  Acting  Collector  of  Cuddapah,  dated  August  9,  1877, 

No.  416. 

In  reference  to  your  telegram  of  the  2nd  instant,  I  have  the 
honour  to  state  that,  as  far  as  I  can  learn  from  personal  observation 
and  inquiry,  made  from  time  to  time,  seed-grain  is  procurable 
locally. 

2.  I  do  not  think  that  for  the  present  any  supply  is  needed.  I 
would  most  strongly  advocate  leaving  the  matter  of  seed  and  cattle 
alone,  as,  if  a  beginning  as  regards  either  is  made,  there  is  no  know- 
ing where  it  will  end  and  to  what  cost  it  will  not  put  the  State. 

3.  Some  ryots,  I  dare  say,  are  without  seed,  but  they  are  men  of 
the  poorest  class ;  they  have  no  cattle,  and  would  only  eat  the  grain 
if  given  to  them. 

Telegram  from  the  Collector  of  Trichinopoly,  dated  August  9,  1877. 

*  No  difficulty  in  seed-grain  now.' 


GRANTS   OF   SEED-GRAIN.  867 

Letter  from  tJie  Collector  of  Madura^  dated  Attgust  9,  1877,  iTo.  522. 

In  reply  to  the  Board's  telegram  of  the  7th  instant,  I  have  the 
honour  to  point  out  that  it  is  useless  to  answer  the  question  asked 
now  as  the  drought  is  such  that  no  cultivation  can  be  commenced  in 
any  of  the  Government  taluks  or  in  Ramnad.  A  considerable  area 
of  punjah  land  was  sown  in  some  of  the  taluks  when  rain  fell  in  May 
and  the  beginning  of  June,  and  before  this  second  period  of  drought 
set  in.  Some  of  this  crop  is  dead,  and  the  question  now  is  whether 
showera  will  come  in  time  to  save  the  rest.  If  a  change  of  season 
occurs  within  a  reasonable  time  I  would  not  recommend  the  Board  to 
interfere  in  any  way  for  the  supply  of  seed,  but  supposing  this  drought 
to  last  till  the  end  of  October,  as  it  probably  may,  I  think  there  will 
be  great  difficulty  about  seed,  and,  if  the  north-east  monsoon  rain  fails 
also,  I  cannot  see  how  Government  is  to  prevent  large  tracts  of  country 
from  being  temporarily  depopulated.  South  Eamnad  has  now  been 
depopulated  for  more  than  seven  months,  but  I  have  no  doubt  the 
people  will  come  back  and  the  country  will  recover  if  a  favourable 
change  occurs  within  a  reasonable  time.  At  present  I  can  only  say 
that  I  am  assured  by  leading  merchants  that  they  and  many  others 
have  sufficient  seed  in  store ;  that  some  of  it  has  been  in  store  for  more 
than  a  year ;  and  that  they  are  ready  to  give  it  to  the  ryots  as  soon  as 
rain  falls.  I  trust  that  rain  will  fall  before  this  seed  is  spoilt,  for  it 
will  not  be  good  for  more  than  eighteen  months. 

Telegram  from  the  Collector  of  Salem,  dated  August  11,  1877. 
*  Your  telegram  eighth.     Supply  of  seed-grain  sufficient  locally.' 

(True  copy.) 
(Signed)  C.  A.  Galton, 

Acting  Secretary. 

No.  294-D.       Order  thereon,  August  21,  1877,  No.  2,547-A. 

1.  The  Government  concur  with  the  Board  as  to  the  necessity  of 
authorising  collectors  to  make  advances  of  money  for  the  purchase  of 
seed-grain  only,  and  Empower  the  Board  to  authorise  them  accordingly 
within  such  limits  as  the  Board  may  deem  it  expedient  to  fix  in 
each  case. 

2.  The  Board  will  keep  the  Government  continuously  informed  of 
their  action  in  this  matter  and  of  the  necessity,  should  such  arise,  for 
further  measures. 

(True  extiuct.) 

(Signed)  J.  H.  Garstin, 

Additional  Secretary  to  Government. 


368  MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  total  amounts  granted  by  the  Board  of  Revenue 
under  this  head  to  March  30,  1878,  will  be  gathered 
from  the  following  table : — 

Rs. 
NeUoro 29,628 

Bellary 97,806 

Kumool 2,862 

Ohingleput 22,714 

North  Arcot  .        .        .        .        .        .  23,219 

South  Arcot 23,779 

Madura 30,000 

Tinnevelly 13,894 

Ooimbatore 73,380 

Salem 71,478 

Total     .        .        3,89,219 

A  large  proportion  of  the  sum  subscribed  by  the 
people  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies  was  disbursed 
for  the  purchase  of  seed-grain  and  plough  bullocks;  but 
aid  in  this  direction  was  only  given  to  cultivators  too 
far  reduced  to  afford  any  security  which  would  enable 
them  to  receive  advances  from  Government. 


(4)  Prickly-pear  as  Food  for  Cattle. 

When  fodder  failed  in  the  famine  districts  for  want 
of  rain,  great  anxiety  was  experienced  as  to  means 
whereby  the  cattle  might  be  kept  alive.  In  Bombay 
and  some  districts  of  the  Madras  Presidency  the  only 
plan  adopted  was  to  drive  the  cattle  to  grazing  lands 
on  the  higher  hills,  which  was  generally  Government 
reserve.  In  Madras,  thanks  to  an  enterprising  firm 
at  Bellary — Messrs.  Harvey  &  Sabaputhy — something 
more  was  done.  At  the  very  beginning  of  the  distress 
these  gentlemen  wrote  to  Mr.  ThomhiU,  C.S.I.,  who 
was  on  special  duty  in  the  Bellary  district,  a  letter,  in 
which  the  following  passages  appear: — 


PRICKLY-PEAR  AS  CATTLE  FOOD.  369 

'Owing  to  the  fiuuine  preyailing  throughout  the  Presideiieyy 
eBpecially  in  the  Bellarj  district,  large  numbers  of  cattle,  on  which 
the  lyots  depend  principally^  are  reported  to  be  dying  through  starva 
tion,  and  are  also  being  sold  for  nominal  prices,  les^  even  than  the 
value  of  their  hides,  to  butchers.  To  relicTC  this  distress  as  much  as 
is  in  our  power,  and  to  impress  upon  the  lyots  the  necessity  of  follow- 
ing our  example,  we  have  adopted  the  system  of  feeding  our  own  cattle, 
twenty-five  in  number,  with  the  leaves  of  the  "prickly-pear ;"  although 
the  feeding  of  cattle  in  this  way  has  been  made  known  both  through 
official  and  private  sources,  the  lyots  did  not  adopt  it  on  account  of  the 
great  trouble  and  inconvenience  connected  therewith,  in  the  absence  of 
proper  instruments  to  enable  them  to  do  so  with  ease.  This  difficulty 
we  have  surmounted  by  means  of  three  instruments,  samples  of  which 
we  send  herewith  for  your  inspection,  viz.,  a  pair  of  tongs  to  catch  the 
leaf,  a  pair  of  pincers  to  remove  the  prickles,  and  a  knife  to  cut  away 
the  leaf.  After  gathering  the  leaves  as  described  above,  it  is  necessary 
to  wash  each  one  in  water,  with  a  brush,  a  piece  of  '^  gunny,"  or  the 
root  of  the  cholum  stalk,  to  prevent  injury  to  the  fingers,  and  to  take 
away  all  the  stray  and  loose  thorns  adhering  to  the  gummy  matter. 
Of  course  the  cattle  require  to  be  taught  to  eat  this  fodder  for  the  first 
three  or  four  days  by  putting  the  leaf  folded  or  in  pieces  into  their 
mouths,  and  afterwards  they  will  eat  it  as  greedily  as  boiled  grain. 
By  this  simple  process  wo  are  now  keeping  all  our  cattle  in  good  con- 
dition. Our  experience  has  taught  us  that  this  fodder  is  as  good  and 
as  nourishiDg  as  green  choliun  stalks  both  for  bullocks,  mUch  cows, 
and  buffisJoes. 

'  The  ryots  are  so  conservative  that  we  had  great  difficulty  in  im- 
pressing upon  them  the  advantages  of  this  system  until  we  sent  a  couple 
of  our  bullocks  with  a  basket  of  this  fodder  into  the  market^  where 
more  than  200  bullocks  were  being  exposed  for  sale  last  Friday,  and 
there  set  them  to  eat,  and  at  the  same  tune  showing  the  owners  the 
method  and  instruments  necessary,  and  ofiering  to  sell  them  at  a 
nominal  price  of  two  annas.  This  had  such  a  wonderful  effect  that 
many  took  home  their  cattle  resolved  to  adopt  the  system.  So  far  as 
the  town  of  Bellary  is  concerned,  many  of  the  ryots  and  others  have 
taken  our  example,  and  purchased  instruments  from  us. 

'  We  need  hardly  mention  that  bullocks  are  the  main  support  o£ 
the  ryots  and  also  tito  means  by  which  the  whole  traffic  of  the  country 
i8  carried  on  where  railways  have  not  yet  penetrated,  but  they  also 
form  the  means  by  which  they  earn  not  only  their  livelihood,  but  the 
revenues  payable  to  GJovemment.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  would 
be  very  impolitic  on  the  part  of  the  Qovemment  at  any  cost  not  to 
take  immediate  steps  to  preserve  these  useful  animals  from  starvation 

VOL.  IT.  B  B 


370  MISCELLANEOUS. 

and  deftth,  as  the  eventual  loss  to  Govemment,  the  owners,  tradersy 
in  fact  to  all,  would  be  inestimable. 

'We  therefore  propose  that  at  all  places  where  tahsildars  and 
deputy  tahsildars  are  located,  sheds  be  erected,  or  shady  places  be 
selected,  where  the  cattle  of  all  who  are  unable  to  support  them  be 
collected,  and  a  gang  of  coolies  out  of  those  at  present  employed  on 
the  relief  works  comparatively  of  little  use  be  set  apart  to  collect 
prickly-pear,  and  therewith  to  feed  all  the  cattle  presented.  Oar  ex- 
perience has  been  that  one  only  can  gather  enough  to  support  a  couple 
of  bullocks.  By  this  means  we  feel  sure  that  all  the  cattle  which 
would  otherwise  perish  would  be  saved  to  the  advantage  of  all  con- 
cerned. 

*  Notices  might  be  sent  to  all  the  villages  to  the  effect  that  the 
bullocks  of  all  who  are  unable  to  feed  them  would  be  received  at  these 
sheds  and  taken  care  of  in  the  above  manner  until  such  time  as  rain 
falls,  and  they  are  able  themaelves  to  procure  fodder.  By  these  simple 
and  inexpensive  means  (as  the  coolies  in  any  case  have  to  be  employed 
and  paid)  the  property  of  the  lyot,  who  is  the  principal  pecuniary 
support  to  Government,  may  be  preserved. 

'  If  it  is  considered  that  this  system  is  in  any  way  impracticable, 
we  are  prepared  to  undertake  to  carry  out  the  business  in  Bellary, 
Adone,  and  Tadputri  where  our  works  and  agencies  are  established, 
provided  that  Government  grants  us  a  sufficient  number  of  coolies,  say 
at  the  rate  of  one  for  each  couple  of  bullocks,  if  desired,  oi  course 
under  supervision  of  the  Government  officials.  In  the  event  of  the 
bullocks  being  lost  to  the  ryot,  it  will  take  many  years  for  him  to 
regain  his  former  position.  We  trust  that  you  will  be  good  enough 
to  give  this  suggestion  your  early  attention,  as  even  a  day  is  of  great 
importance.' 

A  copy  of  this  letter  was  forwarded  to  the  Board 
of  Revenue  with  samples  of  the  instruments.  The 
Board  remarked : — *  A  similar  proposal  was  made  by- 
Mr.  Thomas,  the  present  Collector  of  Tanjore,  in  1866, 
and  to  a  limited  extent  the  plant  was  used  as  fodder  in 
that  year.  The  Board  observe  that  the  instruments 
sent  are  somewhat  similar  to  those  designed  by  Mr. 
Thomas,  but  of  far  cheaper  construction.  The  sugges- 
tion appears  to  the  Board  to  be  worthy  of  further  trial 
in  the  present  necessity,  and  the  letter  will  be  commu- 
nicated to  collectors  of  distressed  districts.' 


PRICKLY-PEAR  AS   CATTLE   FOOD.  371 

In  February,  Mr.  Harvey  furnished  the  Madras 
Government  with  two  reports  by  Veterinary  Surgeon 
Cox,  of  Bellary,  on  cattle  fed  on  prickly-pear,  and 
trusted  that  Government  officers  would  take  the  trouble 
to  make  them  public  amongst  the  ryots.  The  healthy 
animal  was  slaughtered  for  post-mortem  examination  at 
the  instance  of  the  Aide-de-camp  to  Sir  Richard 
Temple,  who  strongly  recommended  the  support  of  cattle 
in  the  Bellary  district  on  that  useful  though  despised 
plant. 

The  reports  were  in  the  following  terms  : — 

Enclosure  No.  1. 

At  your  request  the  cow  fed  on  prickly-pear  was  destroyed  on 
February  13  (Tuesday). 

Fost-morteni  examination  revealed  the  whole  of  the  internal 
viscera  healthy ;  the  stomach  and  intestines  contained  large  masses 
of  prickly-pear  in  various  stages  of  digestion  and  assimilation ;  the 
function  of  the  different  organs  seemed  to  be  properly  performed,  and 
reparation  of  tissues  generally  carried  on  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

Enclosuee  No.  2. 

In  answer  to  your  letter,  I  beg  to  state  that  I  examined  the  cattle 
at  your  establishment  fed  on  prickly-pear ;  they  seemed  to  be  in  good 
health,  although  in  poor  condition. 

At  my  request  prickly-pear  was  given  them  with  a  little  meal 
scattered  over  it ;  they  ate  ravenously,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  From 
information  received,  it  appears  that  each  animal  gets  a  daily  allow- 
ance of  40  lbs.  with  1  lb.  of  rice  straw. 

So  far  I  see  no  reason  why  cattle  should  not  be  able  to  subsist  on 
prickly-pear,  if  it  is  properly  prepared  and  administered  whilst  they 
are  in  a  condition  to  stand  the  change.  If  they  are  allowed  to  be- 
come very  much  emaciated  an  addition  of  a  small  quantity  of  grass 
or  grain  might  be  necessary.  Their  not  liking  it  at  first  is  due, 
probably,  to  its  peculiar  taste;  this  may  be  easily  overcome  by  a 
little  patience  and  judicious  management. 

As  you  have  so  kindly  placed  one  or  two  animals  at  my  disposal 
for  experiment,  I  purpose  visiting  your  establishment  again  for  fur- 
ther inquiries. 

B  B  2 


372  MISCELLANEOUS. 

This  report  was  communicated  to  collectors  of  all 
distressed  districts ;  and  it  was  impressed  upon  officers 
that  every  endeavour  should  be  made  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  the  utility  of  the  plant  as  fodder. 

A.  large  number  of  most  interesting  reports  were, 
in  August  1877,  sent  to  the  Board  of  Revenue,  and 
were  summarised  for  the  Government  of  India.  After 
describing  the  circumstances  under  which  Messrs. 
Harvey  and  Sabaputhy  initiated  the  effort,  the  Addi- 
tional Secretary  to  Government  goes  on  to  say: — '  On 
the  18th  of  January,  the  collector  of  Cuddapah  informed 
the  Board  of  Revenue  that  he  saw  no  way  of  keeping 
the  cattle  alive,  except  by  making  the  feeding  of  them 
with  prickly-pear  a  famine  work ;  and  he  asked  that  he 
should  be  allowed  to  form  dep6ts  for  feeding  the  cattle, 
and  to  supply  tho  labour  and  instruments,  which  cost 
only  a  couple  of  annas,  gratis.  In  their  proceedings  of 
the  24th  Januarj-,  the  Board  approved  of  the  experi- 
ment to  the  extent  of  an  outlay  of  500  rupees,  the 
result  to  be  reported  after  a  month.  This  Government 
being  disposed  to  give  the  experiment  a  more  extended 
trial,  authorised  the  Board  to  instruct  all  collectors  of 
districts,  where  fodder  for  cattle  was  not  procurable,  to 
try  the  experiment  within  the  limit  laid  down  by  the 
Board  for  Cuddapah.  In  the  case  of  Madura  only  was 
the  purchase  of  animals  on  which  to  try  the  experiment 
sanctioned.  Some,  however,  were  also  purchased  in 
Coimbatore. 

*  With  their  proceedings  of  the  24th  May,  the  Board 
submit  the  reports  called  for  from  the  collectors.  Re- 
ports have  been  received  from  the  districts  as  shown  in 
the  marffin.^  Of  these  fourteen  districts  the  collectors 
of  Trichinopoly,  Tanjore,  and  Kistna  report  that,  as 

'  1.  Kistna.  2.  NpUore.  3.  Cuddapah.  4.  Kurnool.  6.  North  Arcot. 
G.  Tanjore.  7.  Trichinopoly.  8.  Madura.  9.  TinnevoUy,  10.  Saleu. 
11.  Malabar.     12.  Bellaiy.     13.  Chingleput.     14.  Coimbatore. 


PRICKLY-PEAR   AS    CATTLE    FOOD. 


373 


other  fodder  was  available  and  was  not  likely  to  fail, 
the  experiment  was  not  made  by  them.  From  North 
Arcot  the  collector  reports  that  the  experiment  could 
not  be  tried  owing  to  press  of  other  work.  In  Tinne- 
velly  and  Malabar  there  is  no  prickly-pear.  No  par- 
ticulars of  the  experiments  as  to  cost,  numbers  fed,  etc. 
are  given  for  the  districts  of  Nellore,  Bellary,  Salem, 
Chingleput  and  Coimbatore.  In  all  these  districts,  how- 
ever, sufficient  data  on  which  to  form  a  general  con- 
clusion have  been  obtained. 

*  The  unanimous  opinion  of  the  collectors  may  be 
stated  to  be  that,  if  gradually  accustomed  to  this  food, 
cattle  will  eat  the  cactus  with  relish,  and  will  thrive  on 
it  after  a  little  time.  Owing,  however,  to  the  great 
labour  and  consequent  cost  involved  in  its  preparation, 
together  with  the  extremely  disagreeable  nature  of  the 
labour  itself,  it  is  never  likely  to  be  largely,  or  indeed 
at  all,  resorted  to  except  in  times  of  great  pressure  and 
want  of  forage.  The  cultivators  generally  are  much 
adverse  to  its  use  on  the  ground  that  it  causes  diarrhoea 
and  dysentery,  but  without  sufficient  ground  apparently, 
according  to  the  reports.  In  many  instances,  however, 
some  impression  has  been  made  on  their  prejudices, 
though  it  is  expected  to  pass  away  quickly. 

*  The  experiments  have  been  carefully  and  system- 
atically carried  out  and  reported  only  in  three  dis- 
tricts, and  the  results  are  tabulated  below : — 


DistrictB 


Ouddapah 
Kumool . 
Madura  . 


No.  of 

feeding 

depots 


6 
1 
2 


Average  I  Average 
number  of  number  of 


cattle  fed 
daily 


114 
37 
13 


da^s  for 
which  fed 


32 

98 
42 


Entire  cost  of 
experiment,  in- 
cluding feeding 
instruments 


248  11    2 

460  14  11 

•212  11    9 


Daily  cost 

per  head 

fed 


as. 

110 

^200 

1-20 


^  Oost  higb;  as  hill  grass  was  expensive.    The  cactus  had  to  be  brought 
a  long  waj.  •  Of  this  sum,  Rs.  171  12  0  was  paid  for  the  cattle. 


374  MISCELLANEOUS . 

*  From  these  figures  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cost 
per  head  daily,  which  represents  almost  entirely  the 
cost  of  the  labour  necessary  for  the  preparation  of  the 
plant,  is  so  great  as  to  preclude  its  introduction  as 
fodder  generally.  In  Mr.  Robertson's  Farm  report  for 
1876  (pages  57  to  60)  it  is  similarly  shown  that  the 
fodder  is  costly,  and  its  use  suited  to  times  of  extra- 
ordinary pressure  only. 

'  The  ration  given  in  Cuddapah  was  at  first  20  to 
25  lbs.  of  the  cactus  per  head.  This  it  was  subsequently 
found  necessary  to  increase  to  40  lbs.  per  head.  In 
Kumool  the  ration  seems  throughout  to  have  been 
from  20  to  22  lbs.  of  the  cactus  and  4  lbs.  of  hill  grass. 
In  Madura  the  ration  is  not  distinctly  stated,  but  two 
men  are  said  to  be  able  to  prepare  enough  cactus  for 
8  beasts.  It  does  not,  however,  seem  to  have  been  the 
only  fodder  used.  Where  cattle  are  fed  on  the  cactus 
alone  a  ration  amounting  to  40  lbs.  per  head  must  be 
given.  The  quantity  which  a  man  can  prepare  daily  is 
stated  at  60  lbs. 

*  Two  methods  of  preparing  the  plant  were  tried. 
Under  the  first  the  thorns  were  removed  by  roasting, 
but  this  mode  of  preparation  proved  a  failure  in  the 
Chingleput  and  Coimbatore  districts,  where  alone  it 
was  tried.  The  second  method  is  removing  the  thorns 
with  pincers,  and  cutting  the  leaves  into  pieces,  about 
an  inch  square,  with  a  knife  made  for  the  purpose. 
The  leaf  should  be  given  half  sun-dried,  or  else  should 
be  carefully  wiped.  It  should  not  be  much  handled  as, 
if  it  is  so,  a  glutinous  substance  exudes  which  is  dis- 
tateful  to  the  cattle,  and  to  it  is  ascribed  slight  dysen- 
tery or  diarrhoea  which  prevailed  in  one  camp.  The 
leaf  has,  at  first,  in  many  instances,  to  be  forcibly  in- 
troduced into  the  animal's  mouth,  and  has  in  all  cases 
to  be  mixed  with  salt  and  bran  or  oil-cake  or  some 
such  other  bait  before  it  will  eat  it  voluntarily.* 


PRICKLY-PEAU   AS   CATTLE   FOOD.  375 

In  Mysore  the  experience  gained  was  satisfactory. 
The  Deputy-Commissioner  of  Chittaldroog  said: — 

'  The  Pavagada  Taluk  Amildar  has  been  nioet  saooessfal  in  his 
attempts;  several  animals  he  began  to  feed  on  December  12  are  now 
reported  to  be  quite  fat,  and  that  the  owners  of  some  of  them  have 
removed  them. 

'  My  own  experiments  have  been  more  limited,  but,  on  the  whole, 
successful.  I  have  found  that,  if  the  prickly-pear  is  burnt  sufficiently 
to  remove  all  thorns  and  well  washed,  animals  eat  it  with  greediness. 
I  have  tried  the  experiment  on  my  own  animals,  and  also  upon  a 
Government  Amrut  Mahal  bull — the  latter  has  been  entirely  fed 
upon  it  for  the  last  three  months,  and,  although  not  in  such  good 
condition  as  grass  er  straw  fed  cattle,  he  has  thrived  hitherto  re- 
markably well.  This  animal  has  been  under  my  own  observation, 
and  in  my  own  compound. 

*  It  may  be  interesting  to  remark  that,  in  a  village  in  the  Doderi 
taluk,  a  small  portion  of  this  plant  was  set  on  fire  by  some  villagers, 
the  thorns  only  being  burnt  up,  but,  as  soon  as  this  had  been  done, 
some  six  or  eight  head  of  cattle  made  a  rush  at  it  and  ate  it  up.  I 
only  regret  that  the  supply  is  so  scarce,  as  there  is  no  other  plant  that 
appears  to  answer  the  purposes  of  fodder.' 

For  exceptional  seasons,  and  for  these  only,  the 
cactus  known  as  prickly-pear  would  seem  to  be  of  great 
service. 


THE   MOETALITY   AEISING 
FEOM   THE   FAMINE 


^1^1 


THE    MORTALITY    ARISING 
FROM   THE   FAMINE. 


Whilst  the  proofs  of  this  work  are  passing  through  the 
press  enquiries  are  in  progress  regarding  the  mortality 
in  the  famine  districts.  It  will  be  some  time  before  all 
the  evidence  which  has  been  obtained  can  be  collected 
and  trustworthy  results  deduced.  Meanwhile,  the 
Government  of  India  have  courteously  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  author  certain  documents,  upon  which 
a  judgment  may  be  founded.     They  are  quoted  below. 

NOTE  ON  THE  BOMBAY  TEST  CENSUS. 
By  Col.  Merriman,  R.E. 

The  census  was  taken  on  the  19th  of  January  1878.  The  general 
census  of  1872  was  taken  on  the  21st  of  February.  The  times  of 
year  selected  on  the  two  occasions  correspond  sufficiently  to  prevent 
any  ordinary  annual  movement  among  the  population  from  vitiating 
a  comparison  between  the  residts  of  the  two  censuses. 

Nine  Collectorates  were  affected  more  or  less  severely  by  the 
famine,  but  it  was  not  considered  necessary  to  take  a  census  in  all  of 
these.  The  five  districts  in  which,  according  to  returns  received  from 
the  Sanitary  Commissioner,  the  mortality  had,  during  the  nine  months 
ending  with  September  1877,  been  highest,  were  chosen.  These  were, 
in  order  according  to  the  height  of  the  rate  of  mortality  in  each, 
Kaladgi,  Dharwar,  Belgaum,  Satara,  Sholapur. 

The  period  of  nine  months  mentioned  above  was  taken,  as  January 
1877  was  considered  to  be  the  first  month  in  which  the  death-rate 
could  possibly  have  been  affected  by  the  scarcity,  and  as  September 
was  the  last  month  for  which  returns  were  available.  Had  a  selection 
of  the  five  worst  districts  been  made  not  on  the  basis  of  the  mortuary 
returns  but  on  the  general  information  in  the  hands  of  Crovomment  . 


380      THE    MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE   FAMINE. 

the  only  difference  woiild  have  been  that  Poena  wonld  have  been  sub- 
stituted  for  Satara. 

Within  the  five  districts,  taluks  were  selected  in  this  wise :  in 
order  to  know  the  worst,  the  taluk  in  which  the  death-rate  appeared 
to  have  been  highest  was  chosen,  and  in  order  to  have  an  estimate  of 
the  efEdct  of  the  famine  on  the  whole  population  of  the  district,  that 
taluk  was  chosen  in  which  the  death-rate  had  been  most  nearly  iden- 
tical with  the  death-rate  of  the  district.  The  taluks  in  which  the 
death-rate  was  shown  as  the  highest  in  each  district  were,  Sangola  in 
Sholapur,  Man  in  Satara,  Bagalkot  in  Kaladgi,  Athni  in  Belgaum, 
and  Eon  in  Dharwar.  And  the  taluks  in  which  the  rate  of 
mortality  most  nearly  agreed  with  that  of  the  district  were,  Madha 
in  Sholapur,  Khatau  in  Satara,  Badami  in  Kaladgi,  Sampgaon  in 
Belgaum,  and  Kod  in  Dharwar. 

Of  these  ten  taluks  accordingly  a  census  has  been  taken.  And 
the  method  of  selection  having  been  as  above  described,  it  follows  that 
it  would  be  meaningless  to  combine,  in  the  way  of  aggregation,  the 
results  pertaining  to  the  first  group  of  five  taluks  with  those  of  the 
second  group,  or  indeed  to  take  the  aggregate  of  the  results  belonging 
to  the  first  five  taluks  at  all.  The  returns  of  each  of  these  taluks 
must  be  looked  at  individually  :  their  purpose  is  to  show  how  far  the 
population  of  each  district  has  been  affected  by  the  famine  in  that 
sub-division  in  which,  as  was  conjectured,  the  effect  of  the  famine  was 
greatest — ^though,  as  is  explained  below,  they  cannot  in  all  cases  be 
accepted  as  indicating  this.  On  the  other  hand,  the  second  group  of 
taluks  having  been  selected  each  as  the  average  representative  of  its 
district,  the  results  in  their  case,  it  was  expected,  might  have  been 
combined  to  furnish  an  estimate  of  the  effect  of  the  famine  on  the 
whole  population  of  the  five  districts.  But  though  at  the  time  of 
selecting  the  worst  and  the  mean  taluks  it  was  thought  best  to  be 
guided  by  the  mortuary  returns,  the  results  of  the  census  tend  to 
show  that  those  returns  did  not  furmsh  the  very  best  guide.  In  the 
cases  of  Sholapur  and  Kaladgi  the  taluks  selected  as  average  ones 
appear  from  the  census  to  have  suffered  much  more  than  those  sup- 
posed to  be  the  worst.  But  it  is  to  be  noticed  that  in  these  two  cases 
the  selection  of  worst  taluks  made  on  the  basis  of  the  mortuary 
returns  is  not  the  same  as  would  have  been  made  if  the  recorded 
accounts  of  the  condition  of  the  taluks  only  had  been  considered, 
while  in  those  cases  in  which  the  mortuary  returns  correspond  with 
the  general  accounts  of  the  taluks,  the  census  returns  also  are  found 
to  agree.  Thus  in  the  districts  of  Satara,  Belgaum  and  Dharwar,  the 
taluks  of  Man,  Athni  and  Ron  respectively  are  indicted  as  the  worst 
as  well  by  the  accounts  received  of  the  failure  of  crops,  &c.,  as  by  the 
mortuary  returns.     But  in  Sholapur  it  is  the  very  taluk  (Madha) 


THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE   FAMINE.      381 

selected  by  the  mortuary  returns,  as  an  average  one,  that  the  reports 
at  the  close  of  1876  showed  to  be  the  worst  of  all.  Madha  was  the 
only  taluk  in  Sholapur  in  which  the  outturn  of  both  kharif  and  rabi 
crops  was  estimated  as  ilothing.  Of  the  taluks  of  Kaiadgi  worse 
accounts  were  given  of  three  others  than  of  either  Bagalkot  or  BadamL 
The  returns  of  the  taluks  of  the  second  group  therefore  must  be  taken, 
like  those  of  the  first,  each  by  itself.  And  in  judging  of  the  returns 
of  the  ten  taluks  it  can  safely  be  assumed  only  in  the  case  of  Man, 
Athni  and  Ron  that  the  taluk  in  question  is  the  worst  of  its  district, 
though  that  is  probably  true  also  in  the  case  of  Madha.  Of  the 
other  taluks  Sangola  may  be  taken  as  one  of  the  worst  three  in 
Sholapur,  Khatau  as  one  of  the  worst  four  in  Satara ;  Bagalkot  was 
a  little  below  the  avei*age,  and  Badami — except  in  the  matter  of 
prices— one  of  the  be»t  in  Kaiadgi;  the  accounts  of  Sampgaon  are 
conflicting,  as  its  crops  were  estimated  to  be  among  the  best  in  the 
district,  while  as  regards  rainfall  and  prices  it  was  amongst  the  worst; 
Kod  was  one  of  the  best  districts  in  Dharwar. 

The  purpose  of  the  census  being  merely  to  ascertain  to  what 
extent  the  growth  of  the  population  had  been  checked  by  the  famine, 
it  was  deemed  unnecessary  to  make  the  census  meet  all  the  require- 
ments of  the  elaborate  returns  called  for  on  the  occasion  of  the  general 
census.  Other  reasons  of  simplifying  the  work  as  much  as  possible 
were  the  long  and  trying  labours  the  district  officers  and  their  subor- 
dinates had  just  undergone  and  the  wish  to  obtain  the  results  of  the 
census  while  famine  and  famine  policy  were  still  prominent  objects 
in  the  deliberations  of  the  Indian  Governments.  Accordingly  those 
of  the  statements  presciibed  for  the  general  census  of  1872  which 
are  not  addi^essed  to  matters  liable  to  be  immediately  influenced  by 
famine  have  been  on  this  occasion  omitted,  and  no  classifications  of 
the  population  have  been  made  except  those  according  to  (1)  sex,  (2) 
age,  (3)  religion  in  so  far  as  the  divisions  connote  race,  (4)  condition 
as  judged  from  the  style  of  house  dwelt  in,  and  (5)  occupation  in  so 
far  as  it  is  agricultural  or  not.  As  regards  the  classification  according 
to  ages,  the  same  divisions  of  age  have  been  observed  as  in  1872.  As 
regards  religion,  the  numbers  of  Buddhists  and  Christians  in  the 
districts  in  question  were  too  small  for  it  to  be  worth  while  to  main- 
tain them  as  separate  classes — indeed  it  was  only  on  account  of  the 
numbers  of  these  classes  in  Burma  and  Madras  that  they  were  so 
distinguished  in  1872 — so  only  Hindus  and  Muhammadans  have 
been  shown  separately  and  the  few  others  remaining  counted  to- 
gether. 

The  results  of  the  census  now  taken  are  set  forth  in  certain  tables, 
and,  to  facilitate  comparison,  the  corresponding  figures  of  the  census 
of  1872  are  set  out  in  parallel  lines  throughout  the  tables,  the  dif- 


382      THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM  THE   FAMINE. 

ferenoe  in  each  case  being  shown  in  a  third  line  below.  In  some 
points — ^but  fortunately  points  of  less  importance — no  comparison  is 
practicable,  as  different  standards  have  been  adopted  or  some  of  the 
instructions  differently  interpreted  on  the  two  occasions,  and  indeed 
in  different  districts  and  different  taluks  of  the  same  district  on  the 
same  occasion.  Thus  a  comparison  of  the  number  of  enclosures  with 
the  number  of  houses  shows  that  the  definition  of  enclosure  has  in 
some  cases  been  misunderstood.  A  comparison  of  the  number  of 
houses  of  the  better  sort  in  1872  with  the  number  in  1878  shows 
that  in  some  cases  a  different  standard  of  quality  has  been  taken. 
Again  in  both  taluks  of  Belgaum  and  in  Madha  of  Sholapur  some 
classes  not  counted  as  Hindus  in  1872  have  obviously  been  counted 
as  such  in  1878.  And  lastly  the  number  given  as  the  total  agricid- 
tural  population  is,  in  many  instances  in  the  returns  of  1872  and  in 
the  case  of  Kaladgi  in  1878,  obviously  too  small  in  comparison  with 
the  number  of  male  agriculturists  above  20  years  of  age.  But  these 
discrepancies  do  not  interfere  with  the  more  important  objects  of  the 
census.  The  salient  points  indicated  by  the  different  tables  are  con- 
sidered in  the  following  paragraphs. 

The  first  table  shows  that  with  the  exception  of  the  taluk  of  Rod 
in  Dharwar  where  there  is  a  slight  increase,  there  has  been  a  diminu- 
tion in  the  population  of  every  taluk  since  1872.  Of  the  population 
recorded  in  1872  the  percentage  of  diminution  for  each  taluk  is  given 
below : — 

Sangola ^  P®^  ^^^' 

Madha 19       „ 

Man  12        „ 

Khatau 10        „ 

Bagalkot H        n 

Hadami 20 


}f 


Athni 13       „ 

Sampgaon ^       ti 

Ron  7 


tr 


In  Kod  an  increase  of  1*7  is  shown  on  the  population  of  1872. 

This  is  briefly  the  result  of  the  census  just  taken,  but  an  examina- 
tion of  the  detailed  returns  is  necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  of 
its  significanoe. 

In  the  second  table  the  people  are  classified  (1)  according  as  they 
live  in  houses  of  the  better  or  of  inferior  sort,  (2)  according  to  sex, 
and  (3)  according  as  they  are  Hindus,  Muhammadans  or  of  some 
other  denomination. 

That  the  poorer  people  should  suffer  from  the  scarcity  more  than 
those  in  better  condition  is  axiomatic,  but  the  table  furnishes  no 


Tll£    MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE  FAMINE.      383 


means  of  comparing  the  ratios  of  diminution  of  the  two  divisionfl,  as 
the  classification  of  houses  has  not  been  regular. 

An  examination  of  colimms  7  and  8  of  this  table  discloses  that 
the  number  of  males  has  diminished  a  great  deal  more  than  the  num- 
ber of  females.  This  is  true  of  every  taluk  except  Kod,  where  there 
has  been  no  diminution,  and  where  such  increase  as  there  has  been 
is  more  among  males  than  females.  The  exception  is  important  as 
indicating,  so  fieur  as  it  goes,  that  the  difference  in  the  rates  of  diminu- 
tion of  males  and  females  is  really  due  to  a  cause  relating  to  famine — 
the  cause  being  found  to  bear  its  result  in  eyery  taluk  except  that  in 
which  the  influence  of  the  famine  was  least.  The  percentage  of 
diminution  in  the  nimibers  of  each  sex  in  each  of  the  nine  other 
taluks  is  shown  below  : — 


District 

Taluk 

Percentage  of  diminu- 
tion OF  THE  Population 
OF  1872 

Males 

Females 

Sholapur 

Satfua    . 

Kaladgi . 

Belgaum 

Dharwar         .        .  ^ 

Sanerola    . 
Madha 
Man . 
Khatau     . 
Bapralkot  . 
Badami    . . 
Athni 
Sampgaon 
Ron  . 

4 
21 
13 
11 
13 
22 
14 
6 
9 

2 
18 
10 

0 
10 
18 
11 

3 

5 

As  there  is  no  known  reason  why  the  male  population  should  decrease 
much,  if  at  all,  faster  than  the  female,  whereas  it  is  probable  that 
men  go  further  in  search  of  occupation  than  women,  the  deduction 
to  be  drawn  appears  to  be  that  part  of  the  diminution  of  population 
the  census  shows  in  this  respect  is  due  to  migration  only. 

The  third  table  shows,  separately  for  males  and  females,  the  popu- 
lation divided  into  nine  classes  according  to  age.  (Comparing  the 
results  with  those  of  the  census  of  1872  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is 
a  very  great  diminution  in  the  numbers  of  very  young  children, 
an  increase  in  the  numbers  of  older  children  and  persons  up  to  20 
years  of  age,  a  slight  diminution  in  those  between  20  and  40  years  of 
age,  a  more  considerable  diminution  of  those  above  40,  and  a  great 
diminution  in  those  above  60  years  of  age.  Or,  stating  the  results  in 
greater  detail,  the  diminution  in  the  number  of  infants  under  one 
year  of  age  varies  from  23  per  cent,  in  Kod  to  73  per  cent,  in  Badami ; 
that  in  the  children  between  one  and  six  years  of  age  from  13  per 
cent,  in  Man  to  41  per  cent  in  BagaJkot.     The  number  of  children 


384      THE   MORTALITT  ARISING  FROM  THE   FAMINE. 

between  6  and  12  has  increased  in  seven  out  of  the  ten  taluks.  So 
also  the  persons  between  12  and  20  years  of  a^  have  increased  in 
seven  out  of  the  ten  taluks.  But  those  between  20  and  30  are 
fewer  in  eight  taluks ;  those  between  30  and  40  fewer  in  seven  taluks; 
those  between  40  and  50  fewer  in  nine  taluks,  the  peroenta^  of 
dimiuution  rising  to  21  per  cent,  in  Man ;  those  between  50  and  60 
are  fewer  in  eight  taluks,  the  percentage  rising  to  28  per  cent,  in 
Badami ;  and  those  above  60  years  of  age  are  fewer  in  eight  out  of 
the  ten  taluks,  the  percentage  of  diminution  amounting  to  57  per 
cent,  in  the  Man  taluk. 

Now,  it  is  well  known  that  in  ordinary  years  the  diminution 
among  the  very  young  and  the  very  old  is  very  much  more  than 
among  those  of  intermediate  ages;  and  in  a  year  of  famine,  sudi 
diminution  would  be  even  much  more  marked  than  in  ordinary  years. 
The  registration  during  1877,  the  records  of  which  are  now  complete, 
fully  bears  this  out. 

In  1872  it  was  computed  that  the  death-rate  amounted  to  3*557 
per  cent,  of  the  whole  population  of  the  Presidency  of  Bombay, 
whereas  in  1877  it  amounted  to  3*876  per  cent.,  and  in  the  nine 
affected  districts  to  5*447  per  cent,  of  the  population  of  those  districts, 
indicating  large  mortality ;  but,  even  assuming  a  death-rate  based 
upon  the  loss  of  very  young  children,  which  is  the  most  unfavourable 
view  of  the  case,  the  census  of  1878  most  distinctly  indicates  very 
large  migration  from  Madha  and  Badami,  a  fact  borne  out  by  the 
reports  of  the  District  Officers,  considerable  migration  from  Man, 
Khatau,  Bagalkot  and  Athni  and  some  migration  into  Kod. 

It  is  impossible  to  state  precisely  what  proportion  of  the  losd 
exhibited  by  the  census  of  1878  is  due  to  excess  deaths  from  1872  to 
1876,  to  excess  deaths  during  1877,  and  to  migration  out  of  the 
distressed  districts,  but  an  examination  of  the  calculations  and  specu- 
lations given  in  the  appendix  to  this  note  will  tend  to  throw  some 
light,  at  any  rate,  upon  the  subject. 


APPENDIX  TO  COLONEL  MERRIMAN'S  NOTE. 

The  death-rate  for  the  whole  Presidency  was  in  1877=38*76  per 
1,000  of  population. 

The  death-rate  of  each  class  was  during  the  same  year — 

Infants  under     1          ,  .  .  149-43  per  1,000 

Children  from  1  to  12  *.  .  26*76      „        „ 

Adults        „     12  to  60  .  .  26C4     „        „ 

Old  people  above  60     .  .  .  12672  „        „ 


THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE   FAMINE.      385 

Taking  the  ratio  of  increafie  as  1  per  cent,  per  annum,  the  popula- 
tion at  the  beginning  of  1878  ought  to  have  been  6*15  per  cent,  greater 
than  shown  by  the  census  of  1872. 

One  Table  (F)  shows  the  loss  per  1,000  of  each  class  in  each  taluk, 
and  the  question  comes  what  proportion  of  this  loss,  if  any,  is  due  to 
migration.  It  may  be  reasonably  supposed  that  whatever  portion  of 
the  loss  is  due  to  death,  in  such  portion  the  respective  losses  of  each 
class  would  approximate  to  that  shown  above,  and  that  the  special 
conditions  giving  rise  to  increased  mortality  in  1877  would  tend  rather 
to  raise  than  to  lower  the  loss  of  in&nts  and  old  people,  as  compared 
with  the  loss  of  children  and  adults. 

Another  Table  (G)  is  obtained  by  dividing  the  loss  per  1,000  of 
each  cla£s  by  the  figures  given  above.  Where  the  figures  under  the 
columns  children  and  adults  exceed  the  figures  under  the  columns  in- 
fants and  old  people,  we  must  either  suppose  that  the  special  conditions 
above  refen*ed  to  caused  increased  mortality  among  children  and  adults 
as  compared  with  infants  and  old  people,  or,  what  is  more  reasonable, 
that  a  portion  of  the  loss  was  due  to  migration  of  children  and  adults, 
and  the  greater  the  difference  between  the  figures  the  greater  such  mi- 
gration. Keferring  to  this  table,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  figures  under 
children  and  adults  exceed  those  under  infants  and  old  people  in  great- 
est proportion  in  the  taluks  of  Bidimi  and  M4dha,  indicating  that  a 
large  portion  of  the  loss  of  population  of  these  two  taluks  was  due  to 
migration.  Biddmi  shows  the  highest  loss  rate  for  children  and  nearly 
the  highest  loss  rate  for  old  people,  indicating  a  large  mortality  as  well 
as  much  migration.  More  or  less  migration  is  also  indicated  /ram 
the  following  taluks : — Min,  Khatau,  Bigalkot,  and  Athni.  No  mi- 
gration is  indicated  from  Sdngola ;  here  the  loss  is  probably  due  to 
mortality,  what  proportion  in  1877  and  what  in  previous  years  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  Bon.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  figures  indicate  migration  into  Kod ;  hence  the  indications 
are- 
Large  migration  from  Bdddmi  and  Mddha. 
Less  migration  from  M^n,  Khatau,  BAgalkot,  and  Athni. 
No  migration  indicated  from  S^ngola  and  Eon. 
Migration  into  Kod. 

If  the  taluks  are  placed  in  order  of  their  loss-rate,  we  have — 

Ist.— BddAmi  254-11,  Mddha  245-15. 

2nd.— Athni  187-10,  M4n  171-72,  B4galkot  169-29,  Khatau 

153-14. 
3rd.— Ron  127-64,  Sampgaon  98-78,  SAngola  92*66. 
4th.— Kod  41-58. 

VOL.   II.  C  C 


386      THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE   FAMINE. 


As  a  speculation,  as  to  the  amount  of  migration  from  each  taluk, 
we  may  proceed  as  follows : 

Assuming  that  the  loss-rate  of  children  and  adults,  in  excess  of  that 
for  infants  and  old  people,  represents  migration,  we  find  that  in  the 
six  taluks  named  this  amounted  to 


M&dha 


12,091  individuals  =  loss  per  1,000  of  popular 


tion  of  the  taluk 


B&ddmi 

B^alkot 

Elhatau 

Athni 

M&n 


» 


99 


99 


}} 


tt 


9t 


l> 


110-95 
8309 
71-39 
48-40 
41-16 
26-71 


10,081 
8,361 
4,211 
6,010 
1,786 

These  figures  are  obtained  by  taking  the  highest  of  the  two  figures 
under  infants  and  old  people,  Le.,  the  figure  under  infants  in  every 
taluk  except  Khatau,  and  deducting  it  from  the  figures  under  children 
and  adults;  the  remainders  multiplied  by  28*75  and  25*34  respectively 
give  loss  per  1,000  of  children  and  adults  due  to  migration,  and  these, 
calculated  on  the  numbers  of  each  class,  give  the  loss  of  individuals. 

But  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  the  actual  migration  was  higher  than 
the  numbers  shown  above  for  the  following  reasons : — 

1st. — The  migration  rate  is  calculated  above  on  the  presumption 
that  the  special  causes  prevailing  in  1877  caused  increased 
mortality  of  all  classes  alike.     Now  table  G.  shows  that  in 
every  taluk  except  one  (Khatau)  and  one  (Mdn)  where  the 
losses  are  equal,  the  loss  of  old  people  was  less  than  that  of 
infants,  from  which  it  may  be  presumed,  that  of  the  two 
classes  (infants  and  old  people)  likely  to  suffer  most,  the  in- 
fants suffered  in  greater  proportion  than  the  old  people. 
2nd. — Migration  of  children  and  adults  would,  in  all  probability, 
be  accompanied  by  migration  of  infimts  and  old  people,  of 
which  no  notice  has  been  taken  in  the  calculation. 
We  may  attempt  to  eliminate  the  error  from  the  first  of  these  two 
causes  by  repeating  the  calculation  just  made,  employing  the  mean  of 
the  figures  in  Table  G.  under  infants  and  old  people  in  place  of  the 
highest  of  the  two  figures ;  modifying  the  calculation  in  this  way,  we 
get  the  following  migration  rates : — 


Mfidha 

14,802  individuals  =  loss  per  1,000 

13410 

B&dimi 

12,962 

99                                    99 

106-76 

B^alkot   . 

13,696 

99                                    >l 

117-09 

Khatau      . 

8,131 

»                                     » 

93-46 

Athni 

8,261 

9f                                    99 

67-86 

M&n 

1,786 

f}                                     W 

26*71 

Sampgaon . 

4,921 

>l                                     99 

36-25 

The  recorded  death-rate  during  1877  in  the  nine  affected  districts 


THE  MORTALITY  ARISING  FROM   THB  FAMINE.      387 


w 


» 


ft 


if 


a 


if 


>» 


» 


« 


91-82 
115-82 
95-46 
66-67 
22-76 
27-98 


was  54'77  per  1,000,  and  the  death-rate  of  each  cIbjss  in  the  same  dis- 
tricts was — 

Infants  under  1       .  .  .  .  17316  per  1,000 

Children         1  to  12  .  .  .  42-91    „ 

Adults          12  to  50  .  .  .  85-85   ,, 

Old  people  over  50  .  .  .  176-16    „ 

Bepeating  the  last  calculation,  employing  these  figures  instead  of 
the  figures  for  the  whole  Presidency,  we  get  the  following  migration 

rates: — 

M&dha,  loss  per  1,000      ....        122*79 

B&d&mi 

Bftgalkot 

Khatau 

Athni 

M&n 

Sampgaon 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  two  cases,  Bdgalkot  and  Sampgaon,  these 
estimated  migration  rates,  if  deducted  from  the  total  loss-rate,  give 
figures  below  the  recorded  death-rate  in  the  taluk.  But  the  migration 
rates  deducted  from  the  loss-rates  only  give  the  excess  loss  which  has 
taken  place  in  each  taluk  during  the  six  years  ending  January  1878, 
over  and  above  that  due  to  the  loss  by  average  mortality  during  the 
same  period ;  three  causes  may  have  been  in  operation  to  produce  this 
excess  loss. 

1st. — Migration  of  infants  and  old  people  accompanying  migrating 
children  and  adults,  of  which,  in  the  previous  calculations,  no 
notice  has  been  taken. 

2nd. — Excess  mortality  during  the  five  years  ending  January  1877. 

3rd. — Excess  mortality  during  the  year  ending  January  1878. 

What  proportion  of  the  excess  loss  is  attributable  to  each  of  these 
heads  it  is  not  possible  to  say. 

The  conclusions  come  to  by  the  Bombay  Govern- 
ment is  that  this  new  and  partial  census  leaves  the 
question  of  mortality  from  famine  very  much  in  the 
same  doubtful  state  as  before,  but  that,  so  far  as  the 
Governor  in  Council  can  judge,  the  following  conclu- 
sions may  be  formed : — 

Ist. — That  the  new  census  taken  in  the  taluks 
or  tracts  of  country  selected  as  the  worst  or  most 
distressed  by  the  famine  does  seem  to  show  a  dimi- 
nution of  the  population. 

c  c  2 


388      THE   MORTALITY  ARISING  FROM   THE    FAMINE 

2nd. — That  this  diminution  is  in  a  considerable 
degree  apparent  only,  as  arising  from  migration, 
and  partly  real,  as  arising  from  mortality. 

3rd. — That  the  mortality  arose  partly  from 
sickness  other  than  famine — sickness  extending 
not  only  throughout  the  year  1877,  that  is,  the 
year  of  fiEimme,  but  also  throughout  the  two  previous 
years  1876  and  1875,  which  were  not  years  of 
famine — and  partly  also  from  famine. 

4th. — That  the  mortality  arising  from  famine 
itself  cannot  be  exactly  estimated,  but  probably 
it  was  not  considerable,  or  was  rather  comparatively 
inconsiderable. 


MADRAS. 

The  partial  oensua  in  the  famine  districts  of  Madras  was  taken, 
on  the  15th  March,  1878,  in  one  taluk  out  of  each  of  the  six  severely 
stricken  districts  of  Bellary,  Kumool,  Cuddapah,  Nellore,  Coimba- 
tore,  and  Chingleput,  and  in  all  the  nine  taluks  which  constitute  the 
district  of  Salem ;  a  census  was  also  taken  in  one  taluk  out  of  each 
of  the  districts  of  Kistna,  Trichinopoly,  and  Tinnevellj,  in  parts  of 
which  some  distress  was  felt,  but  in  parts  of  which  the  crops  were 
saved  by  irrigation,  and  in  one  taluk  of  Tanjore,  throughout  almost 
the  whole  of  which  the  crops  were  saved  by  irrigation  from  the 
Cauvery  river.     The  results  of  the  census  were  as  follows : — 


In  the 

Population  as  per 
Censna  of 

Difference. 

Percentage 

of 
difference  on 
original  . 
population. 

November, 
18/1. 

March, 
1878. 

Six  tahikR  of  the  six 
very  distressed  dis- 
tricts        -        -        - 

Nine  taluks  of  the  Sa- 
lem district 

Three  taluks  of  the  three 
slightly  distressed  dis- 
tricts        -        -        - 

One  taluk  of  the  Tan- 
jore district 

869,132 
1,077,034 

496,702 
221,740 

739,989 
1,559,896 

528,574 
242,999 

-119,143 
-417,138 

+  81,872 
+  21,250 

minus  13 
„      21 

plus      6 
„        0 

THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE   FAMINE.      389 

No  review  of  these  figures  had  been  received  from  the  Madras 
Grovernment  early  in  July,  when  these  pages  left  India;  but  Sir 
Michael  Kennedy  had  furnished  the  Government  of  India  with  re- 
marks upon  the  results  of  the  partial  census.  He  considers  that  the 
dimiuution  of  the  population  must  be  due  to  the  effect  of  migration, 
of  increased  mortality,  of  diminished  births ;  or  to  a  combination  of 
all  these  three  causes.  No  figures,  even  approximate,  are  available  to 
show  the  extent  to  which  emigration  has  taken  place  from  the  famine 
districts.  The  number  of  emigrants  by  sea  from  the  Madras  Presi- 
dency to  Burma,  Ceylon,  and  elsewhere  is  shown  by  the  returns  from 
sea-ports  to  have  been  287,482  during  the  14  months  of  famine,  as 
compared  with  156,143,  the  average  number  for  a  corresponding 
period  in  ordinary  times ;  that  is  to  say,  the  emigration  by  sea  nearly 
doubled  during  the  famine.  But  there  is  nothing  to  show  how  many 
of  these  emigrants  came  from  the  famine  districts,  or  from  the  parti- 
cular taluks  in  which  the  recent  census  was  taken.  Again,  there  is 
no  available  information  regarding  the  great  exodus  of  population 
from  the  frimine  districts  to  the  neighbouring  tracts  in  Malabar,  Tan- 
jore,  Ganjam,  and  parts  of  Tinnevelly  and  Kistna,  where  drought  had 
comparatively  little  effect.  The  figures  of  the  recent  census  show 
that  the  dimiuution  among  the  males  of  ten  years  old  and  upwards 
has  been  considerably  greater  than  among  women  of  the  same  age. 
Sir  Michael  Kennedy  points  out  that  there  was  no  reason  why  men 
should  have  died  from  famine  more  rapidly  than  women,  while  it  is 
quite  probable  that  men  would  migrate  more  readily  than  women. 
He  considers  that  this  excess  diminution  among  men  tends  to  show 
that  the  total  number  of  persons  migrating  from  the  famine  tracts 
must  have  been  very  large,  and  that  a  part  at  any  rate  of  the  decrease 
of  population  must  be  due  to  emigration.  He  shows  that  a  part  of 
the  diminution  must  be  due  to  the  decrease  in  births ;  for  the  returns 
(confessedly  imperfect  as  yet)  of  births  for  the  15  famine  taluks,  in 
which  the  census  has  now  been  taken,  give  a  decrease  of  32,054  births 
as  compared  with  the  average  of  ordinary  years.  Further  he  shows 
that,  according  to  the  monthly  returns  of  moi*tality,  a  great  part  of 
the  loss  of  population  was  due  to  unusual  epidemics  of  cholera,  small- 
pox, and  fever,  which  swept  off  in  these  15  taluks  149,053  persons, 
compared  with  an  average  mortality  of  32,909  from  these  diseases  as 
returned  during  the  years  1870-75. 

The  table,  given  later  on,  regarding  the  results  of  the  partial 
census  in  Madras,  takes  the  normal  increment  of  the  population  to  be 
1^  per  cent,  per  annum.  And  some  of  the  subsidiary  statements 
forwarded  by  the  Government  of  Bombay  assume  the  normal  increase 
of  the  population  to  be  one  per  cent,  per  annum.     If  it  be  assumed 


390      THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   PROM   THE   FAMINE. 

that  any  such  increase  really  occurred  during  the  years  1872-75, 
before  the  distress  began,  then  the  actual  loss  of  population  attributable 
to  famine  will  be  proportionately  larger.  Sir  Michael  Kennedy  in 
his  memorandum^  shows  that  the  excess  of  registered  births  over 
registered  deaths,  according  to  the  returns  published  by  the  Madras 
Qovemment,  gave  a  normal  increase  of  population  at  the  rate  of  '2 
per  cent,  per  annum  in  the  15  taluks  during  the  period  of  1872-76; 
and  he  considers  that  there  is  no  sufficient  ground  for  the  a^umption 
that  the  population  of  the  Madras  Presidency  increases  at  the  rate  of 
1-^  per  cent,  per  annum.  It  appears  to  the  Government  of  India  that 
no  absolute  certainty  has  yet  been  attained  regarding  the  normal 
increase  of  population  in  India.  The  Madras  Census  Beport  of  Decem- 
ber 1873  ^ows  (pp.  11-13)  that,  according  to  four  censuses  taken 
from  1851  to  1871,  the  annual  rate  of  increase  ranged  from  0*74 
per  cent,  during  the  earliest  to  3*02  per  cent,  during  the  latest 
period.  But  the  writer  of  the  report  (Dr.  Cornish)  rejects  these 
deduced  rates  of  increase,  and  holds  that  the  figures  merely  prove 
the  earlier  censuses  to  have  been  imperfect.  In  the  North-Westem 
Provinces  a  detailed  census  has  been  taken  on  scientific  principles 
more  often  than  in  other  parts  of  India.  The  report  of  the  1871 
census  for  the  North- Western  Provinces  shows  (page  2  of  vol.  L  of 
the  report)  the  annual  increase  of  population  to  have  been  0*52  per 
cent.,  as  compared  with  an  increase  in  Great  Britain  of  0*56  during 
the  ten  years  1851-1861.     The  Census  Report  of  the  Bombay  Presi- 

^  Sir  Michael  Kennedy's  oondusions  have  been  formulated  thus : — 

(1.)  That  looking  to  general  considerations,  to  the  records  of  births  and 
deaths,  and  to  the  census  results  as  to  the  number  of  existing  houses,  there 
has  not  been  an  increase  of  population  since  1871  at  the  rate  of  1^  per  cent, 
per  annum ;  that,  in  all  probalnlity,  any  increase  that  may  have  taken  place 
does  not  exceed  *2  per  cent,  per  annum ;  and  that  there  may  possibly  have 
been  a  decrease  of  numbers. 

(2.)  That  a  large  portion  of  the  apparent  loss  of  population  shown  by 
the  last  censos  is  due  to  migration.  What  the  number  of  absentee  mi- 
grants actually  was,  it  is  not  practicable  to  determine ;  but  that,  on  a  con- 
sideration of  the  actual  number  of  resident  males  and  females  over  10  years 
of  age,  found  in  the  distriots,  the  number  may  fairly  be  assumed  to  be  about 
360,000. 

(3.)  That  cholera,  small-pox,  and  fever  account  for  nearly  f  rds  of  the 
excess  mortality  during  the  period  between  the  latter  part  of  1876  and  the 
and  of  Februaiy  1878. 

(4.)  That  the  loss  of  population,  not  thus  accounted  for,  amounts  to 
about  68,290,  or  to  less  than  2^  per  cent. ;  some,  but  not  all,  of  which  loss 
may  be  attributable  to  the  distress  that  has  prevailed 


THB  MORTALITY  AEISING  FROM  THE   FAMINE,      391 

dency  of  January,  1874  (pp.  72-74  and  236-247),  shows  the  deduced 
rate  of  increase  in  the  population  to  be  0*54  per  cent,  per  annum. 
Probably,  until  the  information  on  this  subject  is  more  complete,  the 
normal  increase  of  an  Indian  population  might  be  taken  at  between 
0*5  and  0*6  per  cent.  At  this  rate  the  population  would  double  itself 
within  130  years.  As  pointed  out  by  the  Bombay  Government,  parts 
of  the  country  were  afflicted  by  epidemic  diBeases  during  1875  and 
1876,  and  during  those  yeai%  the  supposed  normal  rate  of  increase 
may  not  have  been  maintained.  But  during  the  years  1872-1875,  or 
four  years,  some  increase  of  the  population  must,  it  may  be  believed, 
have  occurred.  And  the  apparent,  as  well  as  the  actual  loss  of  popula- 
tion, during  these  two  sad  years  of  £unine,  must  be  proportionately 
increased  above  the  figures  shown  or  suggested  in  the  foregoing 
paragraphs. 

There  ib  still  much  uncertainty  as  to  the  numbers  who  have 
migrated,  and  who  may  return  to  their  homes.  The  figures  for  the 
several  taluks,  both  in  the  Bombay  and  in  the  Madras  Presidency, 
show  remarkable  differences  between  the  percentages  of  apparent  loss 
of  population ;  and  it  iB  not  possible  to  say  over  what  proportion  of 
the  famine  country  the  higher,  the  medium,  or  the  lower  percentages 
of  decrease  in  the  population  extend. 

The  statement  alluded  to  will  be  found  in  the  tables 
appended. 

Upon  the  figures  given  in  these  tables  the  Madras 
correspondent  of  the  Times  wrote  to  that  journal  in  May 
last,  as  follows  : — 

The  census  operations  were  completed  on  the  night  of  March  14, 
and  were  of  a  simple  character,  but,  of  course,  involved  a  preliminary 
numbering  of  the  houses  and  people,  leaving  the  correction  of  the 
house  schedules  for  the  night  of  March  14.  The  results  were  sent 
down  to  Madras  for  tabulation,  and  this  work  has  just  been  com- 
pleted by  Mr.  Kalyana  Sondara  Chettiar,  a  gentleman  who  acquired 
his  experience  of  census  tabulation  in  1871,  when  the  last  Madras 
census  was  taken.  On  this  occasion  every  village  in  a  district  was 
separately  numbered,  and  the  district  tables  show  the  particulars  of 
population  for  every  one  of  the  55,000  villages  of  the  Presidency. 
In  this  way  it  was  easy  for  the  tabulator  of  the  famine  census  to  show 
the  loss  or  gain  of  population  in  each  village,  and  this  practice  was 
followed  in  the  tables,  which  will  hereafter  take  a  prominent  place  in 
the  history  of  the  famine.  I  should  only  weary  yon  if  I  attempted 
to  give  particulars.     The  main  facts  brought  out  by  this  statistical 


392      THE   MORTALITT  ARISING  FROM  THE   FAMINE. 


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THE   MORTALITY   ARISING   FROM   THE   FAMINE.      393 

enquiiy  are  that  the  death  registration,  as  all  along  contended  by 
the  Sanitary  Commissioner,  did  not  represent  the  real  mortality  of 
the  famine.  According  to  the  estimated  population  at  the  end  of  1 876, 
the  losses  in  the  famine  year  have  been  as  follows  : — Bellary,  21  per 
cent. ;  Knmool,  27  per  cent. ;  Cuddapah,  26  per  cent. ;  NeUore,  21 
per  cent. ;  Coimbatore,  17  per  cent. ;  Chingleput,  10  per  cent.  The 
Salem  district,  as  I  have  already  said,  was  numbered  throughout.  Its 
estimated  population  in  1876  was  2,129,850.  The  actual  population 
on  March  14,  1878,  waa  1,559,876 — that  is,  there  were  569,956  souls 
in  this  one  district,  or  nearly  27  per  cent,  of  the  people,  unaccounted 
for.  And  I  wish  you  to  remember  that  in  this  Salem  district  the 
famine  distress  is  not  yet  over,  nor  will  it  be  for  some  months ;  so 
that  the  half  a  million  and  odd  of  the  two  millions  of  population  does 
not  represent  the  whole  of  the  fearful  life- waste  of  the  fleunine. 

But  I  have  said  that  a  trial  census  was  also  made  in  some  dis- 
tricts in  which  there  had  been  no  actual  famine,  and  the  results  are 
of  the  highest  value  in  corroboration  of  the  figures  of  the  worst 
famine  districts.  For  instance,  in  the  following  districts  there  was  an 
increase  over  the  estimated  population,  as  follows  : — Kistna,  5*1  per 
cent. ;  Tanjore,  1*7  per  cent. ;  and  in  the  subjoined  districts  there  was 
a  very  slight  decrease  : — Trichinopoly,  2*9  per  cent. ;  Tinnevelly,  1  '^ 
per  cent.  But  in  all  these  four  districts  the  population  of  1878  was 
above  that  of  1871,  though  in  two  of  them  not  quite  equal  to  the 
'estimated'  population.  It  has  been  assumed  throughout  that  an 
Indian  population  grows  normally  at  the  rate  of  1^  per  cent,  per 
annum,  and  this  proportion  is  within  the  mark  in  ordinary  times ; 
but  we  have  now  the  most  convincing  testimony  that  the  death-rate 
indications  throughout  the  famine  were  right,  and  that  no  Govern- 
ment can  in  future  afford  to  neglect  the  warnings  afforded  by  such 
testimony.  The  Government  of  India  must  already  be  aware  that 
any  famine  policy  which  allows  one-fourth  of  the  population  to  die. 
can  hardly  be  put  forth  as  a  policy  to  be  followed  on  future  occasions. 
In  all  my  letters  on  the  famine  during  last  year,  you  will  remember 
that  I  never  ceased  to  dwell  upon  the  gravity  of  tjie  crisis  as  regarded 
the  vitality  and  energy  of  the  people,  and  the  census  figures  now 
tabulated  show  how  completely  my  forebodings  were  justified  by 
actual  facts.  We  have  probably  lost  not  less  than  three  millions  out  of 
the  twenty  millions  of  population  severely  affected  by  the  fBunine,  and 
if  we  add  the  mortality  in  Mysore  and  Bombay,  the  total  losses  of 
the  population  in  South  India  will  not  be  far  short  of  six  millions. 

These    results    are   obtained  by  appljdng  to   the 
districts  respectively  the  experience  obtained  from  an 


394      THE  MORTALITT  ARISING  FROM  THB  FAMINE. 

examination  of  one  taluk,  it  being  held  that  the  whole 
numbering  of  the  people  in  Salem  justified  this  course. 
These  conclusions,  however,  are  considered  doubtful, 
and  the  subject  is  still  (July  1878)  being  discussed 
between  the  Grovemment  of  India  and  the  Madras 
authorities. 

As  matters  stand  when  these  pages  are  sent  to 
press,  the  evidence  available  is  not  sufficient  to  justify 
an  estimate  of  the  famine  mortality  of  1876-78  being 
made. 


APPENDICES 


APPENDICES. 


-*o«- 


APPENDIX  A. 

INSTRUCTIONS  TO  SIR  RICHARD  TfiMPLE,  BART.,  G.C.S.I. 

AS  FAMINE  DELEGATE^ 

From  the  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  India  to  the  Hon.  Sir 
Richard  Temple,  Bart.,  K.C.S.I.,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal 
(on  a  special  mission). 

Calcutta,  January  16,  1877. 

His  Excellency  the  Governor-General  in  Council  having  been 
pleased  to  depute  you  on  a  special  mission  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting 
the  districts  suffering  from  scarcity  in  the  Presidencies  of  Madras  and 
Bombay,  and  conferring  personally  with  the  Governments  of  those 
Presidencies  regarding  the  measures  which  are  being  carried  out,  and 
which  will  have  to  be  carried  out,  for  the  relief  of  distress,  I  am 
directed  to  communicate  to  you  the  following  observations,  indicating 
the  general  views  of  the  Government  of  India  on  some  of  the  more 
important  questions  with  which  you  will  have  to  deal. 

2.  I  am  to  observe  in  the  first  place,  that  while  it  is  the  desire  of 
the  Grovemment  of  India  that  every  effort  should  be  made,  so  far  as 
the  resources  of  the  State  admit,  for  the  prevention  of  deaths  fr^m 
famine,  it  is  essential  in  the  present  state  of  the  finances  that  the 
most  severe  economy  should  be  practised.  The  distress  is  so  wide- 
spread, extending  over  21  districts  in  the  two  Presidencies,  and  more 
or  less  affecting  a  population  of  27,000,000,  and  threatens  to  be  pro- 
tracted for  so  many  months,  that  the  utmost  care  is  necessary  to 
restrict  the  expenditure  to  the  absolute  requirements  of  the  case. 
Even,  however,  if  financial  considerations  were  less  overpoweringly 
strong,  it  would  still  be  true  that  a  Government  has  no  better  right 
in  times  of  scarcity  than  in  other  times  to  attempt  the  task  of  pre- 
venting aU  suffering,  and  of  giving  general  relief  to  the  poorer  classes 
of  the  community.     False  and  mischievous  ideas  on  this  subject  have 


398  APPENDIX   A. 

become  so  prevalent,  that  the  Grovermnent  runs  some  risk  of  being 
charged  with  inhumanity  when  it  declares  that  these  are  the  principles 
by  which  it  intends  to  be  guided.  The  Governor-General  in  Council 
will  not  be  deterred  by  such  considerations  as  these  from  a  course  of 
action  which  he  knows  to  be  right.  Everyone  admits  the  evils  of 
indiscriminate  private  charity,  but  the  indiscriminate  charity  of  a 
Grovemment  is  far  worse.  The  Grovemment  of  India  is  resolved  to 
spare  no  efforts  which  may  be  necessary  and  practicable,  with  reference 
to  the  means  at  its  disposal,  to  save  the  population  of  the  distressed 
districts  from  starvation,  or  from  an  extremity  of  suffering  dangerous 
to  life ;  but  it  will  not  sanction  a  course  of  action  which  must  tend  to 
demoralise  the  people  themselves,  who  are  passing  through  a  time  of 
temporary  trial,  and  inevitably  lead  to  the  imposition  of  heavy  and  per- 
manent burdens  on  the  industry  of  the  countiy.  Even  for  an  object 
of  such  paramount  importance  as  the  preservation  of  life,  it  is  obvious 
that  there  are  limits  which  are  imposed  upon  us  by  the  fisusts  with 
which  we  have  to  deal.  K  the  estimates  of  the  local  Governments 
are  to  be  accepted,  the  relief  of  the  existing  scarcity  in  the  Madras 
and  Bombay  Presidencies,  including  loss  of  revenue,  will  not  cost  less 
than  six  and  a  half  millions  sterling.  Considering  that  the  revenues 
are  barely  sufficient  to  meet  the  ordinary  expenditure  of  the  Empire, 
and  that  heavy  additional  taxation  is  both  financially  and  politically 
impracticable,  we  must  plainly  admit  that  the  task  of  saving  life, 
irrespective  of  the  cost,  is  one  which  it  is  beyond  our  power  to  under- 
take. The  simple  fact  is  this,  that  the  recurrence  of  a  few  Amines, 
such  as  that  from  which  the  countiy  is  now  suffering,  or  such  as  that 
which  occurred  three  years  ago  in  Behar,  would,  if  measures  of  relief 
were  carried  on  upon  that  principle,  go  fe^r  to  render  the  future 
government  of  India  impossible.  The  embarrassment  of  debt,  and  the 
weight  of  taxation,  consequent  on  the  expenditure  thereby  involved, 
would  soon  become  more  fatal  to  the  country  than  famine  itself. 
Happily,  however,  the  Government  are  not  placed  in  any  such  dilemma. 
They  believe  that  from  the  histoiy  of  past  famines,  rules  of  action 
may  be  learnt  which  will  enable  them  in  the  future  to  provide  efficient 
assistance  for  the  suffering  people  without  incurring  disastrous 
expenditure. 

3.  One  of  the  first  points  which  should  engage  your  attention  is 
the  extent  to  which  relief  is  given,  and  the  principles  on  which  it  is 
afforded.^     The  numbers  on  the  relief  works  are  so  great,  that  the 

'  Madias — 

On  relief  works 1,126,117 

Fed  gratuitously 119,363 

Bombay—  1,244,480 

On  relief  works 287,000 

1,631,480 


APPENDIX   A.  399 

Govenmient  of  India  see  reason  to  apprehend  that  many  persons 
must  be  employed  to  whom  snch  relief  is  not  absolutely  essential,  and 
who  without  it  would  have  been  able  to  maintain  themselves,  at  all 
events  for  some  time  to  come.  The  Governor  Greneral  in  Council  does 
not  for  a  moment  doubt  the  reality  of  the  calamity  that  has  fallen 
upon  the  country,  a  calamity  which  unhappily  threatens  to  become 
ere  long  still  more  disastrous.  But  it  is  necessary  to  remember  that 
the  mere  collection  of  enormous  numbers  of  people  on  relief  works 
in  seasons  of  scarcity  is  in  itself  no  sufficient  proof  of  serious  actual 
Buffering.  K  relief  works  are  carried  on  upon  wrong  principles ;  if 
labour  is  not  strictly  exacted  from  all  who  are  physically  able  to  work ; 
if  proper  supervision  is  wanting,  and  people  find  that  they  can  obtain, 
almost  for  the  asking,  and  in  return  for  next  to  no  work  at  all,  wages 
in  money  or  in  grain,  there  is  hardly  any  limit  to  the  numbers  who 
even  in  prosperous  times  may  be  attracted  to  them.  *  When,'  as  Sir 
George  Campbell  has  observed, '  a  lax  system  is  established,  and  every- 
one down  to  the  merest  child  gets  paid  for  the  merest  pretence  of  work, 
with  probably  a  good  many  abuses  besides,  the  thing  becomes  too 
attractive,  the  whole  country  tends  to  come  on  the  works,  the  numbers 
threaten  to  be  absolutely  overwhelming.  The  people,  too,  become 
demoralised;  works  where  real  work  is  exacted  are  deserted,  and 
many  evils  follow.'  A  good  illustration  of  this  may  be  found  in  the 
official  narrative  of  the  scarcity  of  1873-74  in  the  North- Western 
Provinces.  '  In  a  season  of  considerable  pressure,  but  not  of  absolute 
famine,  the  relief  works  in  Gorakhpur  and  Basti  were  for  some  weeks 
daily  thronged  by  more  than  200,000  men,  women,  and  children,  who 
found  an  attraction  in  the  light  work,  in  the  liberty  of  going  at  night 
to  their  houses  after  attending  a  sort  of  vast  pic-nic  during  the  day, 
and  in  the  wages  earned  at  a  time  when  ordinarily  they  had  no  em- 
ployment in  the  fields,  and  had  to  live  on  their  harvest  savings.  But 
when  the  wages  were  cut  down  to  a  mere  subsistenoe  allowance,  when 
a  full  day's  laboiu*  was  insisted  on,  and  when  the  liberty  of  living  at 
their  homes  was  threatened,  these  immense  crowds  melted  away  as 
rapidly  as  they  had  collected,  and  it  was  found  that  there  was  hardly 
anyone  who  really  stood  in  need  of  relief.'  The  Governor-General  in 
Council  does  not  assert  that  a  similar  condition  of  things  now  exists 
in  any  of  the  districts  of  Madras  or  Bombay,  but  the  matter  is  one 
which  requires  the  most  careful  observation. 

4.  The  general  principles  on  which  operations  for  the  relief  of 
famine  in  India  should  be  conducted,  have  been  established  beyond 
question  by  past  experience.  When,  as  may  easily  happen  at  the 
commencement  of  a  period  of  distress,  it  is  a  matter  of  doubt  whether 
serious  scarcity  is  actually  threatening  a  tract  of  country,  it  may  be 


400  APPENDIX   A. 

desirable,  in  the  first  instance,  to  open,  as  a  tentative  measure,  small 
and  well-supervised  local  works.  The  Government  may  thus  avoid 
the  risk  of  finding  itself  committed  to  serious  expenditure  on  lai^ 
public  works  which  there  was  no  immediate  necessity  for  undertaking. 
It  was  for  reasons  of  this  kind  that  the  Government  of  India,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  present  scarcity,  and  while  still  in  doubt  regard- 
ing the  extent  to  which  relief  operations  might  ultimately  become 
necessary,  thought  it  right,  both  in  the  Madras  and  Bombay  Presi- 
dencies, to  encourage,  in  the  first  instance,  the  organisation  of  works 
of  a  local  character  in  preference  to  those  of  greater  magnitude.  But 
when  it  becomes  no  longer  a  matter  of  doubt  that  serious  scarcity  is 
impending,  and  that  relief  will  have  to  be  provided  upon  an  extensive 
scale,  the  great  difficulty  of  insuring  adequate  supervision  for  numerous ' 
scattered  works  renders  it  necessary  to  resort  to  large  works  on  which 
large  gangs  of  labourers  can  be  employed,  and  on  which  adequate 
labour  tests  can  be  exacted.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  it  is  clear  that  the 
Crovemment  will  have  to  undertake  serious  measiu'es  for  the  relief  of 
scarcity,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  giving  to  the  people,  to  the  greatest 
extent  practicable,  the  means  of  employment  on  large  public  works. 
Such  works  supply  the  means  of  subsistence  to  the  able-bodied  poor  ; 
they  prevent,  instead  of  merely  relieving,  distress. 

5.  In  choosing  such  works  it  is  obviously  of  great  importance  that 
those  selected  shall  be  of  a  permanently  useful  and  remunerative 
character ;  for  it  is  in  the  last  degree  unsatisfactory  that  when  ths 
necessity  for  employing  great  multitudes  of  people  is  forced  upon  the 
Government,  their  labour,  which  might  have  been  devoted  to  works 
which  would  have  conferred  lasting  benefit  on  the  country,  should  be 
thrown  away.  The  works  should  also  be  such  as  are  calculated  to 
absorb,  in  comparison  with  their  entire  cost,  a  sufficient  proportion  of 
labour  during  the  anticipated  period  of  famine.  They  need  not  always 
be  in  the  distressed  districts,  or  near  the  homes  of  the  people  who 
require  relief.  When  railways  or  other  thoroughly  good  means  of 
communication  are  available,  it  may  sometimes  be  easier  and  wiser  to 
carry  the  people  to  the  works  and  to  their  food,  than  to  carry  the  food 
to  the  people.  Temporary  migration  from  their  homes  has  always,  in 
times  of  scarcity,  been  the  natural  and  one  of  the  best  remedies  to 
which  the  people  have  had  recourse,  and  the  organisation  of  public 
works  in  placet  where  food  in  plentiful,  and  to  which  access  is  not 
difficult  from  the  distressed  districts,  may  in  some  cases  be  more  use- 
ful than  works  at  places  where  the  supply  of  food  is  already  insuffi- 
cient. No  apprehension  need  be  felt  that  the  people  will  not  return 
to  their  homes  when  the  period  of  distress  has  passed  away.  It  will 
be  for  you  to  consider  how  far  these  principles  are  being  acted  on,  and 


APPENDIX   A.  401 

if  hecessaiy  to  recommend  to  the  local  Governments  the  discontinu- 
ance of  any  works,  or  system  of  works,  which,  in  your  opinion,  can- 
not be  usefully  proceeded  with. 

6.  When,  by  undertaking  large  public  works,  employment  has 
been  provided  for  the  able-bodied  poor,  it  may  still  be  necessary,  even 
before  the  pressure  of  famine  has  become  extreme,  to  afford  means  of 
support  to  persons  who  are  physically  unable  to  give  a  full  amount  of 
labour  in  return  for  the  wages  they  receive.  These  must  either  be 
employed  in  poor-houses  or  on  roads  and  other  easy  work,  every  effort 
being  made  to  prevent  relief  being  given  to  anyone  who  does  not 
really  require  it.  It  has  often  been  found  a  most  useful  test  of  actual 
distress  to  insist,  when  charitable  relief  is  necessary,  that  it  shall 
ordinarily  be  given  in  the  shape  of  cooked  food. 

7.  It  should  be  added  that  when  distress  becomes  extreme,  and  a 
state  of  absolute  famine  has  been  reached,  that  large  public  works 
may  become  insufficient  to  afford  relief  to  the  numbers  of  people  in 
need  of  it.  At  such  a  time  the  Government  may  be  driven  to  set  up 
relief  works  near  the  homes  of  the  people  on  a  scale  inconsistent  with 
careful  supervision  or  searching  tests.  Such  measures  as  may  be 
practicable  must  then  be  adopted  for  reducing  to  a  minimum  the 
inevitable  evils  that  will  then  arise.  The  Governor  General  in  Council 
leaves  it  to  you  to  communicate  to  the  local  Governments  the  results 
of  your  own  experience  in  regard  to  this  very  difficult  part  of  the 
question. 

8.  A  very  satisfactoiy  feature  in  the  course  taken  by  the  Bombay 
Grovemment  in  dealing  with  the  present  famine  is  their  adherence  to 
the  principle  of  non-interference  with  private  trade,  which  up  to  the 
present  time  they  have  acted  on  with  marked  success.  In  Madras  a 
different  policy  has  been  observed.  At  an  early  stage  in  the  scarcity, 
the  Crovemment  of  Madras  contracted  through  a  local  firm  for  a  sup- 
ply of  30,000  tons  of  grain,  to  be  used  as  a  reserve  to  meet  deficiencies 
in  the  local  markets.  Applications  for  authority  to  make  further 
similar  purchases  have  since  been  received,  but  have  not  been  sanc- 
tioned, the  Government  of  India  being  of  opinion  that  such  purchases 
are  seriously  calculated  to  discomrabge  the  operations  of  private  trade, 
and  to  increase,  instead  of  diminishing,  the  difficulty  of  procuring  the 
supplies  which  will  be  necessary  to  augment  the  deficient  food  supply 
of  tiie  Presidency.  Enquiry  has  been  made  whether  this  objection 
would  apply  to  the  Government  advertising  for  tenders  for  the  supply 
and  delivery  of  grain  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  certain  works 
on  which  gangs  of  labourers  are  employed  at  a  distance  from  all  local 
markets.  The  answer  must  of  course  be  in  the  negative.  There  is 
no  more  objection  to  such  purchases  than  there  is  to  the  Government 

VOL.   II.  D  D 


402  APPENDIX    A. 

making  purcIiaseB  through  the  commiflsariat  for  the  troops.  The 
objection  is  to  the  Cbvemment  entering  into  transactions  which  may 
excite  apprehensions  on  the  part  of  traders,  that  the  Government  are 
about  to  take  their  place,  and  so  to  disarrange  the  bases  on  which 
they  found  their  calculations  of  profit.  This  objection  is  especially 
applicable  to  purchases  of  a  secret  character.  In  such  cases  the  fact 
that  the  Government  are  in  the  market  is  almost  certain  to  become 
known,  and  thereupon  doubts  are  raised  as  to  the  nature  and  extent 
of  the  transaction,  and  private  trade  is  paralysed.  In  regard  not 
only  to  this  but  all  other  matters  connected  with  the  management  of 
famines,  the  general  rule  should  be  that  the  operations  of  the  Crovem- 
ment,  and  the  reasons  on  which  those  operations  are  based,  shall 
receive  full  and  complete  explanation  and  publicity. 

9.  One  of  your  most  important  duties  in  connection  with  the  pre- 
sent state  of  things  in  the  Madras  Presidency  will  be  to  ascertain  how 
far  private  trade,  if  left  perfectly  unfettered,  may  be  counted  on  to 
supply  the  wants  of  that  Presidency.  As  at  present  informed,  the 
Governor  General  in  Council  entertains  a  strong  opinion  that  the 
supply  of  that  Presidency  from  foreign  sources,  such  as  Burma, 
BengsJ,  &c,  should  be  left  altogether  to  private  trade,  and  that  the 
intention  of  the  Cbvemment  so  to  act  should  be  widely  made  known, 
together  with  full  and  frequent  information  regarding  the  prices  of 
food  grains  and  other  articles  of  consumption  in  the  distressed  and 
other  districts.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  in  certain  localities  at  a 
distance  from  the  lines  of  railway  and  from  large  markets,  it  may  be 
requisite  for  the  Cbvemment  to  intervene  by  making  purchases  at  the 
nearest  local  dep6t  to  which  the  trade  will  convey  the  grain.  In  such 
cases,  where  the  local  trade,  from  whatever  cause,  is  not  active,  the 
direct  intervention  of  the  Cbvemment  may  probably  tend  rather  to 
facilitate  than  to  discourage  the  importation  of  grain,  by  affording 
confidence  to  the  trade  that  importations  will  find  a  certain  purchaser. 
Finally,  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  there  is  a  great  advantage 
in  paying  labourers  on  relief  works  in  money,  wherever  and  so  long 
as  this  mode  of  relief  is  practicable. 

10.  The  Governor  General  in  Council  would  have  hoped  that  it 
was  hardly  necessary  to  impress  upon  local  officers  the  importance  of 
exercising  no  interference  of  any  kind  with  the  object  of  reducing  the 
price  of  food ;  but  cases  have  come  to  his  notice  which  show  that  a 
warning  on  this  point  may  not  be  uncalled  for.  It  is  obvious  that, 
especially  in  a  time  of  scarcity,  nothing  could  be  more  mischievous 
than  such  interference,  and  that  high  prices,  by  reducing  consumption 
and  encouraging  the  importation  of  fresh  supplies  of  food,  are  not 
only  liecessary  but  highly  beneficial* 


APPENDIX  A.  403 

11.  AjQOthGr  matter  of  importance  is  the  question  of  transport  of 
grain,  both  on  the  railways  and  to  parts  of  the  country  with  which 
the  existing  means  of  communication  are  insufficient,  as  well  as  of 
providing  additional  facilities  for  landing  it  at  the  ports.  These 
matters,  the  €k)vemment  of  India  have  reason  to  believe,  have  not 
been  at  all  overlooked  by  the  local  Governments,  but  it  is  probable 
that  your  experience  will  enable  you  to  offer  valuable  suggestions  on 
the  subject. 

12.  There  is  one  other  subject  to  which  the  (rovemor  General  in 
Coundl  thinks  it  desirable  to  refer,  not  because  it  is  one  with  which 
you  will  have  at  present  in  any  way  to  deal,  but  because  he  wishes  to 
place  you  generally  in  possession  of  the  views  which  are  held  by  the 
Crovemment  of  India  on  all  the  more  serious  questions  connected  with 
the  treatment  of  Indian  famines. 

You  will  observe  that  his  Excellency  in  Council,  in  my  letter  to 
the  Government  of  Bombay,  No.  5  A.,  dated  the  5th  instant,  has  laid 
down  the  principle  that  if  any  great  irrigation  works  or  other  works 
of  local  and  provincial  importance,  involving  heavy  future  responsi- 
bilities for  their  completion  and  maintenance,  be  undertaken,  certain 
rules  will  be  held  applicable,  which  will  hereafter  be  prescribed,  in 
regard  to  the  enforcement  of  provincial  responsibility  for  meeting  the 
charges  for  extraordinary  public  works.  This  is  not  a  convenient 
time  for  entering  into  a  full  discussion  of  these  questions,  but  his 
Excellency  in  Council  desires  to  take  the  present  opportunity  of  de- 
claring his  opinion  not  only  that  the  main  portion  of  the  charges 
incurred  on  public  works  which  protect  the  people  against  famine, 
and  which  add  greatly  to  their  wealth,  should  be  borne  by  the  people 
protected  and  benefited,  and  not  by  the  general  taxpayer,  but  also  that 
every  province  ought,  so  far  as  may  be  practicable,  to  be  held  respon- 
sible for  meeting  the  cost  of  the  famines  from  which  it  may  suffer. 
The  Gk>vemor  General  in  Council  believes  that  until  these  principles 
are  enforced,  the  only  real  security  for  wise  and  economical  manage- 
ment will  be  wanting.  When  local  Cbvemments  and  local  officers 
understand  that  the  inevitable  consequence  of  unnecessary  expen* 
diture  will  be  the  imposition  of  heavy  burdens  upon  their  own 
people,  and  not  upon  those  of  other  provinces,  a  powerful  and  most 
useful  check  upon  extravagance  will  have  been  established.  On  this 
subject  the  opinions  of  Her  Majesty's  Secretary  of  State  for  India 
have  been  expressed  in  a  passage  which  may  properly  be  quoted 
here :  * — 

>  Despatch  from  Secretary  of    State   to  (Government  of  India,  No.  59 
(Revenue),  dated  November  25, 1875. 

1)  ])2 


404  APPENDIX    A. 

^  There  is  a  further  point,  though  not  one  to  fall  within  the  scope  of 
such  an  enquiry  as  that  which  you  have  directed  to  be  made,  which  should, 
in  my  opinion,  be  carefully  considered  by  your  Excellency's  Govern- 
ment before  the  questions  that  arise  in  connection  with  the  occurrences 
of  1873-74  can  be  regarded  as  fairly  met.  I  refer  to  the  proper  in- 
cidence of  the  charges  that  are  necessarily  incurred  in  providing  for 
the  requirements  of  the  population  of  a  district  in  a  period  of  drought. 
However  plaia  may  be  the  primary  obligation  on  the  State  to  do  all 
that  is  requisite  and  possible  towards  preserving  the  lives  of  the  people 
under  such  circumstances,  it  would  be  most  unwise  to  overlook  the 
great  danger  of  tacitly  accepting,  if  not  the  doctrine,  at  least  the 
practice,  of  making  the  general  revenues  bear  the  whole  burden  of 
meeting  all  local  difficulties  or  of  relieving  all  local  distress,  and  of 
supplying  the  needful  funds  by  borrowing  in  a  shape  that  establishes 
a  permanent  charge  on  the  general  revenues  for  all  future  time.  In 
Bengal,  where  (as  the  Lieutenant  Governor  observes  in  reference  to  the 
objections  of  the  Gk)vemment  in  relation  to  emigration)  the  beneficial 
interest  of  the  Government  in  the  land  is  limited  by  the  permanent 
settlement,  these  considerations  are  of  special  and  more  pressing 
application. 

*  The  question  which  is  thus  raised,  of  how  to  make  local  resources 
aid  in  meeting  local  wants,  is  no  doubt  one  of  great  difficulty  and 
complexity,  particularly  in  a  country  like  India.  But  the  diffi- 
culty of  providing  any  satisfactoiy  solution  of  it  should  not  be  allowed 
to  obscure  the  perception  of  its  vital  importance  to  the  future  well* 
being  of  the  country,  as  well  as  of  the  troubles  to  the  Government 
and  the  demoralisation  of  the  people  which  must  necessarily  result 
from  postponing  too  long  the  introduction  of  some  system  under 
which  shall  be  suitably  recognised  the  undoubted  responsibility  which 
rests  on  the  people  themselves  to  provide  for  their  own  support  and 
well-being.  The  duty  of  the  State  does  not  extend  further  than  to 
see  that  the  needful  means  are  supplied  for  giving  effect  to  this  prin- 
ciple, and  for  distributing  the  local  burdens  arising  from  its  practical 
application  in  the  manner  which  shall  be  most  equitable  and  least 
onerous  to  those  who  have  to  bear  them.' 

The  manner  in  which  these  principles  shall  be  carried  into 
practical  effect  is  under  the  consideration  of  the  Gk)vemment.  It  is 
sufficient  at  present  to  say  that  the  Cbvemor  General  in  Council  is  of 
opinion  that  they  ought  to  be  kept  in  view  in  connection  with  the 
present  scarcity,  and  that  a  considerable  portion,  if  not  the  whole,  of 
the  permanent  char^  whiph  relief  operations  now  in  progress  may 


APPENDIX   B  405 

entail  ought  to  be  borne  by  the  Presidencies  in  which  the  expenditure 
is  being  incurred. 

13.  The  above  are  the  only  observations  that  the  Gk>vemment  of 
India  deem  it  at  present  necessary  to  place  on  record  in  connection 
with  the  onerous  and  delicate  duty  which  you  have  undertaken  :  and 
they  have  been  made,  not  so  much  with  the  view  of  advising  you  on  a 
subject  which  you  have  probably  studied  more  thoroughly  than  any 
other  public  officer  in  India,  as  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  you  with 
a  statement  of  the  views  of  the  Gk>vernment  of  India,  to  which  you 
can  refer  in  your  communications  with  the  local  Governments.  I 
am  directed,  in  conclusion,  to  convey  to  you  the  cordial  thanks  of  the 
Qovemor  General  in  Council  for  the  promptitude  with  which  on  this, 
as  on  other  occasions,  you  have  responded  to  the  call  made  upon 
you. 


APPENDIX  B, 


MINUTE  BY  HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  VICEROY. 

1.  The  summer  rains  of  June  and  July  have  now  failed,  more  or 
less,  over  many  of  the  districts  in  Southern  India,  where  the  rainfall 
of  1876  was  lamentably  deficient.  The  severity  of  the  situation  is 
increased  by  the  scantiness  of  the  rainfall  in  western  and  northern 
India  during  the  past  six  weeks.  I  desire  to  place  on  record  my 
appreciation  of  the  probable  effect  of  these  unanticipated  circum- 
stances on  the  condition  of  the  people  and  the  prospects  of  the  Govern* 
ment.  In  so  doing,  I  will  endeavour  to  indicate  my  general  views  aa 
to  some  of  the  measures  required  to  prepare  for  a  second  year  of  famine 
if  unhappily  so  terrible  a  calamity  should  overtake  any  large  tract  of 
Southern  India. 

2.  The  time  has  not  come  for  the  Government  of  India  to  review 
the  famine  operations  of  the  year  1876-77  for  the  famine  is  still 
almost  at  its  worst.  But  a  short  notice  of  1/iie  failure  of  last  year's 
harvest,  of  the  misfortunes  thereby  caused,  and  of  the  relief  operations 
undertaken,  is  necessary  to  a  proper  imdei'standing  of  the  extreme 
gravity  of  the  present  situation. 

3.  The  summer  rains  (south-west  monsoon)  of  1 876  were  extremely 
scanty  over  tracts  belonging  to  the  Presidencies  of  Madras  and  Bombay, 
to  the  State  of  Hyderabad,  and  to  the  Province  of  Mysore.  Over 
these  tracts,  which,  oontain  a  population  of  about  twenty-six  millions. 


406  APPENDIX    B. 

the  summer  rains  yield  the  main  rainfall  of  the  year ;  they  fill  the 
irrigation  tanks,  and  on  them  depends  the  safety  of  the  main  food 
crops.  In  the  above-mentioned  districts,  therefore,  the  chief  food 
crops  of  1876  failed  by  reason  of  the  shortness  of  the  summer  rains. 
But  in  the  rest  of  the  Madras  country  the  main  rainfall  comes  with 
the  October  rains  (north-east  monsoon) ;  these  rains  were  also  Tery 
deficient,  and  so  the  irrigation  tanks  of  the  Madras  districts  remained 
dry,  and  the  chief  food  crops  failed.  The  fate  of  the  Madras  crops  was 
thus  partially  in  doubt  until  the  middle  of  November. 

4.  The  failure  of  the  crops  of  a  single  year  might  not  have  caused 
a  famine,  if  it  had  been  confined  to  only  one  province,  or  to  a  few 
districts ;  for  inter-communication,  by  railway  and  by  road,  is  easy 
and  cheap  all  over  Southern  India,  and  the  surplus  of  one  province 
would  have  supplied  the  deficiency  of  another.  But  last  year  the  area 
of  failure  was  so  vast  that  famine  prices  were  inevitable ;  and  by  the 
month  of  December  1876,  food  grains  in  the  markets  of  Southern  India 
were  three  times  as  dear  as  in  ordinary  years.  The  calamity  pressed 
with  special  weight  on  some  of  the  stricken  districts  (notably  Bellary, 
Sholapur,  pai*ts  of  the  Camatic,  and  of  Mysore),  because  the  crops  of 
one,  or  even  two,  preceding  years  had  been  short.  In  such  districts 
food  stocks  were  lower  than  usual,  and  the  people  had  less  money  to 
buy  food  brought  from  a  distance.  In  Bengal,  Burma,  Central  and 
Northern  India,  the  crops  were  happily  good ;  food  stocks  were  large ; 
and  there  was  plenty  of  grain  to  supply  the  stricken  districts,  if  it 
could  be  carried  thither,  and  if  the  people  could  afford  to  pay  for  it. 

5.  The  policy  of  the  Government  of  India,  as  declared  after  pre- 
vious famines,  was  to  give  all  possible  facilities  for  the  transport  of 
grain  to  distressed  districts;  to  abstain  from  interference  with  the 
grain  trade,*  so  long  as  that  trade  was  active ;  to  give  relief  wages  to 
the  destitute  who  would  labour  on  useful  public  works ;  to  relieve, 
gratuitously,  under  trustworthy  supervision,  the  helpless  poor,  when 
the  pressure  of  femiine  became  extreme;  and  to  avert  death  from 
starvation  by  the  employment  of  all  means  practically  open  to  the 
resources  of  the  State  and  the  exertions  of  its  officers ;  but  to  discharge 
this  duty  at  the  lowest  cost  compatible  with  the  preservation  of  human 
life  from  wholesale  destruction.  In  the  autumn  of  1876,  no  general 
instructions  were  issued  by  the  Crovemment  of  India  for  the  manage- 
ment of  serious  and  widespread  famine ;  nor  until  November  was  it 
certain,  from  the  reports  received  by  the  Supreme  Gk)vemment,  that 
positive  famine  was  impending  in  the  Madras  districts. 

6.  From  the  month  of  September  1876  a  large  importation  of 
grain  from  Northern  India  and  Bengal  into  the  distressed  tracts 
began ;  and  this  traffic  rapidly  increased  till,  in  the  month  of  Decern- 


APPENDIX   B.  407 

ber,  grain  was  landed  by  sea  at  Madras ;  and  was  also  consigned  by 
railway,  fix>m  the  west,  through  Kaichore  (the  westernmost  limit  of 
the  Madras  Bailway),  in  much  larger  quantities  than  the  railways 
could  distribute,  to  the  districts  of  the  Madras  Presidency,  and  of  the 
Mysore  province.  From  December  up  to  the  present  time  of  writing 
private  traders  have  kept  consigning,  month  by  month,  into  the 
interior  of  the  famine  districts,  more  grain  than  the  railways  from 
Madras,  Beypore,  Negapatam,  and  Kaichore  have  been  able  to  carry. 
This  grain  has  come  from  Bengal,  Burma,  the  Punjab,  the  North- 
Western  Provinces,  Central  India,  and  Scinde.  Qovemment  has  done 
much  to  facilitate  the  traffic ;  and  on  one  occasion  only  have  Gk>vem- 
ment  operations  interfered  with  private  trade,  namely,  when  30,000 
tons  of  grain  were  bought  by  the  Madras  Government  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  famine,  and  were  carried  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 
To  this  extent  the  railway  and  cart  power  of  the  country  was  tem- 
porarily occupied  by  Government  to  the  exclusion  of  private  trade. 
These  proceedings  of  the  Madras  Gk)vemment  were  disapproved  by 
the  Cbvemment  of  India.  Prices  have  been  very  dear,  but  from 
nowhere,  until  July  23,  have  we  received  reports  that  food  cannot  be 
had  in  the  bazaars  by  those  who  can  afford  to  pay  for  it.  In  some  of 
the  worst  districts  the  imported  food  has  sufficed  for  the  needs  of  about 
one-third  of  the  total  population.  The  remaining  two-thirds  in  such 
districts,  and  a  much  larger  proportion  in  the  less  severely  afflicted 
tracts,  have  subsisted  on  old  stocks  and  on  the  peld  of  the  petty  crops 
that  have  been  harvested  even  during  this  year  of  famine.  The  im- 
portation of  grain  by  railway  into  the  interior  has  not  yet  exceeded 
an  average  of  about 

2,200  tons  a  day  into  the  interior  of  Madras  and  Mysore  ; 
1,000  „  n  >»  the  Bombay  Presidency. 

These  figures  do  not  include  the  large  quantities  of  grain  distributed 
into  the  interior  by  road  or  canal,  from  the  port  of  Madras,  and  from 
the  lesser  ports  on  the  Coromandel,  Malabar,  and  Southern  Mahititta 
coasts.  There  are  in  Central  and  Northern  India  and  in  Bengal  large 
stocks  of  food,  ready  to  go  forward  to  the  famine  districts  as  soon  as 
the  railways  can  carry  them. 

7.  At  the  outset  of  the  famine  operations  there  was  general  failure 
to  employ  the  destitute  poor  on  properly  managed  and  useful  public 
works.  During  November  and  December  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people  sought  and  obtained  relief  wages  on  works  which  were  not  of 
the  highest  utility,  and  on  which  there  was  no  adequate  professional 
supervision.  For  this  result  I  fear  that  the  orders  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  India,  enjoining  the  employment  of  the  people  on  petty  works 


408  APPENDIX   B. 

near  their  homes,  were  in  some  degree  responsible.  In  the  Govern- 
ment despatch,  conveying  instructions  for  Sir  Kichard  Temple's 
mission  to  the  famine  country,  it  was  mentioned  that  small  and  well- 
supervised  local  relief  works  might  properly  be  opened  at  the  begin- 
ning of  a  period  of  distress,  so  long  as  there  was  doubt  regarding  the 
extent  of  scarcity ;  but  that,  when  measures  of  relief  on  a  large  scale 
became  clearly  necessary,  great  public  works  of  a  permanently  useful 
type  should  be  opened  for  the  employment  of  relief  labourers.  The 
experience  of  the  present  famine — ^the  friction,  distress,  and  loss 
caused  by  the  transfer  of  labourers  from  small  to  large  works  during 
February  in  the  Bombay  Presidency — and  the  difficulty  of  moving  to 
large  useful  works  any  considerable  proportion  of  the  relief  labourers 
in  Madras  has  since  convinced  me  of  the  impolicy  of  opening  petty 
local  relief  works  during  the  early  stages  of  a  scarcity.  The  orders 
directing  the  opening  of  small  local  works  were  modified  in  December, 
and  it  was  subsequently  laid  down  that  relief  labourers  should  be 
employed  to  the  utmost  extent  possible  on  large  useful  works,  under 
the  direction  of  competent  engineers.  Meanwhile,  before  those  orders 
had  reached  the  local  officers, 

1,050,000  persons  in  the  Madras  districts, 
266,000      „  „      Bombay  distxicte, 

were,  n  the  beginning  of  January,  receiving  relief  wages  for  labour 
that  was  generally  inadequate  on  works  that  were  often  of  little 
value. 

8.  During  the  month  of  January  the  manner  of  employing  relief 
labourers  changed  greatly  for  the  better  in  the  Bombay  districts^ 
where  the  local  Government  utilised  to  the  full  its  staff  of  en^eers, 
and  possessed  a  number  of  excellent  irrigation  schemes  and  other  pro- 
jects. During  the  same  month  Sir  Eichard  Temple  was  deputed  by 
the  Government  of  India  to  visit  the  famine  districts  and  to  confer 
with  the  local  Governments  and  their  officers  as  to  the  best  means  of 
enforcing  economy  and  system  in  relief  operations.  The  admirable 
services  rendered  by  Sir  Bichard  Temple  have  already  been  acknow- 
ledged by  the  Government  of  India.  It  was  found  that  vast  numbers 
were  in  receipt  of  relief  who,  for  a  time  at  any  rate,  could  support 
themselves.  The  relief  wage  rate  was  lowered,  the  number  of  petty 
relief  works  was  reduced,  and  the  supervision  of  relief  labour  was 
increased.  In  consequence  of  these  measures  the  numbers  of  people 
on  the  relief  works  were  at  the  end  of  April 

In  Madras  districts    .  ,71 6,000  persons 

In  Mysore       „  ...      62,000      „ 

In  Bombay,  at  the  same  time,  the  numbers  had  risen  to  287,000. 
In  Maditts  11  per  cent,  of  these  labourers  were  employed  on  useful 


APPENPIX    Bi  409 

vorks  mider  profesdotial  supervisioiL  In  Bomlmy  90  per  cent,  were 
80  employed.  In  Mysore  47  per  cent,  were  on  naeful  public  works ; 
but  in  Mysore  the  numbers  on  relief  works  were,  in  a  way  that  has 
not  been  eixplained,  reduced  as  the  pressure  of  the  famine  increased ; 
and  large  sums*  are  now  being  spent  on  infructuous  alms,  instead  of 
being  devoted  to  improving  by  relief  laboiir  the  many  irrigation  works 
of  the  province. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  the  relief  works  managed  by  revenue 
oj£cers  are  absolutely  useless,  or  are  wholly  unsupervised ;  but  I  fear 
that  much  of  the  roadwork  done  under  revenue  officers  can  be  of  no 
lasting  value,  while  its  cost  is  from  twice  to  twenty  times  the  ordi- 
nary rates ;  whereas,  on  the  other  hand,  the  irrigation  and  railway 
works  executed  under  professional  supervision  will  be  of  permanent 
good  in  improving  the  country  and  averting  future  famines,  while 
some  of  these  works  (so  far  as  imperfect  information  has  reached  the 
Government  of  India)  are  being  executed  at  only  from  20  to  50  per 
cent,  above  ordinary  rates.  At  the  present  time  of  writing  the  pro* 
portion  of  relief  labourers  employed  under  professional  supervision 
on  large  works  in  Madras  has  risen  by  the  latest  returns  to  about 
21  per  cent,  on  the  total  number  of  workpeople. 

10.  Gratuitous  relief  on  a  large  scale  began  early  in  the  present 
famine.     By  the  end  of  December  there  were  in  receipt  of  gratuitous 

relief 

110,000  persons  in  the  Madras  districts 

3,000      „  „      Bombay      „ 

30,000      „  „      Mysore        „ 

These  numbers  were  somewhat  reduced  in  January  and  February, 
but  since  the  end  of  February  they  have  increased  enormously,  and 
have  risen  by  the  end  of  July  to 

839,000  in  the  Madras  districts 
160,000      n      Bombay      „ 
151,000      „      Mysore        „ 

In  Mysore  the  number  of  persons  in  receipt  of  gratuitous  relief  is 
more  than  three  times  higher  than  the  number  of  the  relief  labourers ; 
and  it  appears  that  in  this  province  relief  works  have  not  been  pro-r 
perly  managed.  The  persons  on  gratuitous  relief  in  Madras  and 
Bombay  belong  to  three  cat^ories,  thus : — 

Children  of  Persons  fed  Persons 

labourers        at  relief  rellercd  at . 

on  the  re-     houses  and  their  homes 

lief  works.         relief  through  yll- 

camps.  lage  agencies. 
Madras  (according  to  the  latest  detailed 

return  for  the  beginning  of  July)    .     149,000    207,000        218,000 
Bombay 93,000  66,000 


410  APPENDIX   B. 

The  Mysore  returns  do  not  distingnifih  the  several  classes  of 
charitable  relief.  So  long  as  relief  wages  are  kept  at  subsistence 
rates,  the  small  allowance  of  3  pies  (f  of  a  penny)  per  diem  must  be 
continued  to  the  infant  children  of  relief  labourers.  The  inmates  of 
relief  camps,  and  the  daily  recipients  of  food  at  relief  houses  are 
ordinarily  fit  subjects  for  charity,  provided  that  able-bodied  people  are 
drafted  to  relief  works  as  soon  as  they  are  strong  enough  to  labour. 
Belief  through  village  agencies  may  become  unavoidable  where  &mine 
presses  severely ;  but  its  administration  must  be  carefully  supervised 
in  order  that  the  needy  may  be  really  relieved,  and  that  there  may  be 
as  little  fraud  as  possible.  In  Bombay,  the  numbers  so  relieved  in 
each  district  vary  according  to  the  pressure  of  distress  and  the  num- 
bers on  the  relief  works.  But  the  figures  for  Madras  lead  to  a  belief 
that  different  systems  are  pursued  in  different  districts :  for  instance, 
in  Kiimool,  where  severe  distress  afflicted  the  whole  district,  only 
5,519  persons  were  receiving  village  relief  at  the  be^;inning  of  July  ; 
whereas  in  Salem,  a  part  only  of  which  district  was  severely  distressed, 
88,020  persons  were  on  village  relief. 

11.  In  regard  to  the  main  object  of  relief  operations,  viz.,  the 
saving  of  human  life,  much,  but  not  complete,  success  has  been 
attained.  In  some  tracts  relief  operations  began  too  late ;  at  centres 
of  population  like  Madras  and  Bangalore,  and  on  some  of  the  roads 
leading  to  such  centres,  starvation  deaths  have  occurred.  The  death- 
rate  from  cholera,  dysentery,  and  such-like  diseases  has  greatly  in- 
creased over  large  areas.  But,  on  the  whole,  the  worst  evils  of  famine 
have,  so  fieur,  been  successfully  averted  over  the  vast  tracts  visited  by 
failure  of  crops.  According  to  the  standard  of  mortality  during  the 
Orissa  famine,  from  three  to  five  millions  of  people  (instead  of  only 
half  a  million)  must  have  died  of  £ajnine  in  Southern  India  during  the 
year  1877,  if  the  guaranteed  railways  had  not  existed,  and  if  Qovem- 
ment  had  incurred  no  outlay  on  relief  operations.  Nothing  of  this 
sort  has  occurred,  and  on  this  result  the  Gk>vemments  and  the  local 
officers,  who  have  exerted  themselves  admirably,  deserve  the  acknow- 
ledgments of  the  Gk>vemment  of  India.  I  fear,  however,  it  may  here- 
after be  found  that  over  large  tracts  relief  operations  were,  for  con- 
siderable periods,  conducted  without  sufficient  system,  and  without 
due  regard  to  economy. 

12.  Regarding  what  is  past,  I  have  been  obliged  to  say  this  much, 
because  it  is  only  after  a  consideration  of  the  past  that  we  can  frame 
improved  plans  for  the  future.  During  the  spring  and  early  summer 
of  1877,  it  was  hoped  that  the  season  might  be  favourable,  that  spring 
showers  might  bring  forward  some  small  extent  of  early  food  crop  in 
June,  that  bountiful  summer  rains  (south-west  monsoon)  would  enable 


APPENDIX    B.  411 

the  people  to  secure  a  large  food  hanrest  daring  August  and  September, 
and  that  favourable  October  rains  (north-east  monsoon)  would  fill  the 
irrigation  tanks,  and  restore  plenty  to  the  districts  of  the  Madras 
Presidency.  The  October  rains  are  not  yet  due ;  but  our  spring  and 
summer  hopes  have  been  disappointed.  Had  they  been  fulfilled,  there 
would  have  been  no  present  need  for  special  aid  from  the  Government 
of  India ;  some  millions  sterling  would  have  been  spent,  there  would 
have  been  some  waste,  but  in  the  main  the  great  object  of  all  this  ex. 
penditure  would  have  been  obtained,  the  chfficulty  would  have  been 
over,  and  the  Government  of  India  would,  at  the  proper  time,  have 
placed  on  record  for  future  guidance  the  lesson  taught  by  the  famine 
of  1877. 

1 3.  But,  so  far  as  the  season  has  gone,  our  hopes  have  not  been 
fulfilled ;  the  spring  showers  came  not ;  the  summer  rains  have,  untQ 
the  last  week  of  July,  been  very  scanty  and  irr^ular ;  the  main  food 
crops  of  part  of  the  black  soil  country  in  the  Deccan  are  still  in  great 
jeopardy ;  it  is  feared  that  the  unirrigated  food  crops  of  Madras  and 
Mysore  must  be  lost  unless  the  good  rain  of  the  past  week  continues 
dunng  August.  The  local  officers  report  that  already  an  unascertained 
but  large  proportion  of  these  crops  is  dried  up ;  the  irrigation  tanks 
of  the  Mysore  country  are  still  diy ;  and  no  fresh  food  crops  can  be 
reaped  on  any  large  scale  in  Southern  India  before  December  next. 
If  there  are  favourable  rains  in  August  and  September,  and  if  the 
October  rainfall  (north-east  monsoon)  is  full,  then  plenty  may,  perhaps, 
be  restored  by  Januaiy  1878,  thou^  the  people  will  feel  the  effects  of 
the  famine  for  some  years  to  come.  But  even  under  the  most  favoui*- 
able  circumstances,  the  pressure  of  famine  in  many  districts  of  Madras 
and  Mysore  cannot  abate  greatly  before  January  1878;  at  the  best, 
the  tension  in  Bombay  may  lessen  in  September,  and  may  cease  al- 
together in  December.  But  unless  the  rainfall  of  August  and  Sep- 
tember is  unusually  heavy,  there  must  be  another  year  of  famine  in 
parts  of  Bombay,  of  the  Deccan,  and  over  a  great  part  of  Mysore ;  for 
in  none  *  of  these  tracts  can  a  heavy  downpour  be  expected  in  October. 

'  The  rainfall  statistics  for  parts  of  Southern  India  are  not  very  complete. 

So  far  as  they  go,  the  meteorological  returns  give — 

Average  rainfall  in  inches  daring  the 
months  of 


r  ' 
June  to 

Octoter  to 

1 
The  whole 

September 

December 

year 

Poona  

22^ 

6 

HI 

Belgaum 

.SA^ 

5 

47i 

Secunderabad       .... 

20 

3 

30 

Bellary          ..... 

HJ 

H 

17 

Bangalore 

19 

7| 

34J 

Mean  of  eight  districts  in  Mysore 

IT 

8 

— 

4! 2  APPEimix  B. 

A  great  pari  of  Bellary  and  Xnmool  also,  where  the  October  nins 
are  scanty,  mnst  Bofifer  another  famine  if  the  stimmer  rains  are  not 
plentifnl  daring  Angost  and  September ;  while,  if  the  October  rains, 
the  main  rainfall  of  the  Madras  littoral,  should  be  scanty,  there  most 
be  another  year  of  flEunine  over  a  great  part  of  the  Madras  Presi- 
dency. 

14.  Thns,  the  present  situation  in  Southern  India  is  that,  at  the 
end  of  a  season  of  famine,  one  of  the  great  food  crops  of  the  present 
season  is  ever3rwhere  in  jeopardy,  and  in  some  parts  is  abnost  irre- 
trievably lost.  Prices  of  food  over  the  flEimine  country  are  higher  than 
ever — four  or  five  times  the  ordinary  rate.  2,500,000  people  are  being 
directly  supported  by  State  charity,  of  whom  barely  450,000  are  per- 
forming work  that  will  have  useful  results.  The  present  pressure  of 
famine,  and  the  present  rate  of  expenditure  (considerably  above  half  a 
million  sterling  per  month)  cannot,  at  the  best,  be  greatly  lessened  before 
December  next ;  whereas,  if  the  season  turns  out  un£Eivourably  in  any 
part  of  the  famine  country,  that  tract,  with  its  stocks  already  depleted, 
must  suffer  from  a  second  year  of  famine  more  severe  and  more  diffi- 
cult than  the  year  through  which  it  is  now  passing. 

15.  The  position  in  Southern  India,  grievous  as  it  is,  becomes 
much  aggravated  by  the  fact  that  the  summer  rains  have  hitherto 
been  extremely  scanty  in  the  North- Western  Provinces  and  the 
Punjab.  Vast  areas  of  these  provinces  are  protected  by  irrigation ; 
the  surplus  food  in  stock  from  the  bounteous  harvests  of  the  last  few 

Ayenge  rainfall  in  inches  daring  the 
months  of 


Jnnoto 

October  to 

The  whole 

September 

December 

year 

Madms  City 

15 

29 

48* 

Salem  .        •        .        . 

17 

H 

34f 

Goimbatore  . 

6 

H 

21 

Negapatam  . 

9 

24i 

35* 

Trichinopoly 

.         .            12i 

Hi 

29* 

Madnra 

16 

144 

26 

It  seems,  therefore,  that  in  the  Deccan,  and  in  the  Ceded  districts  of 
Madras,  the  summer  rainfall  (south-west  monsoon)  is  the  mainstay  of  the 
crops ;  that  in  Mysore  the  heavy  rain  which  fills  the  tanks  and  gatarates  the 
soil  comes  with  the  summer  monsoon,  but  that  the  October  (north-east)  mon- 
soon also  gives  a  considerable  rainfall,  especially  in  the  south  of  the  province ; 
and  that  in  the  districts  of  the  Madras  littoral  the  October  monsoon  yields 
the  main  rainfall  of  the  year. 

Though  the  north-east  monsoon  may  be  merely  the  rebound  of  the  rain 
clouds  which  travel  up  the  Bay  of  Ben^  with  the  south-west  winds,  still  we 
need  not  fear  that  scanty  summer  rains  in  Madras  must  necessarily  be  followed 
by  equally  scanty  October  rains.  For  the  cloud  currents  which  have  this  year 
shed  plentiful  summer  rains  over  Burma  and  Bengal  may  return  with  the 
north-east  winds  to  water  the  Madras  littoral. 


API'ENDIX   B.  413 

years  is  said,  in  the  Punjab  at  any  rate,  to  be  veiy  great ;  ihe  autumn 
crop  in  these  provinces  has  not  yet  been  lost ;  and  the  seed  time  of 
the  main  food  crop  is  yet  to  come.  There  is  no  present  ground  for 
fearing  actual  famine  in  Northern  India,  although  I  fear  there  may 
be  serious  scarcity  and  suffering  in  some  districts ;  but  the  surplus 
food  available  for  export  thence  to  the  famine  country  will  be  greatly 
reduced.  In  Bengal,  Burma,  and  Central  India  there  is,  according 
to  present  prospects,  no  reason  to  anticipate  that  the  winter  crops 
will  not  be  full  ones.  But  the  main  crops  of  Bengal  and  Burma 
can  hardly  be  estimated  before  October,  at  earliest. 

16.  The  prospect  in  Southern  India,  more  especially  in  Madras 
and  Mysore,  is,  therefore,  as  serious  as  it  could  possibly  be.  If  a 
second  famine  has  to  be  encountered  over  this  large  portion  of  the 
Empire,  the  duty  of  saving  the  lives  of  the  people,  and  of  utilising  to 
the  utmost  the  vast  expenditure  which  must  be  incurred,  will  impose 
on  both  the  Supreme  and  local  Crovemments  as  arduous  and  gigantic 
a  task  as  any  Government  could  be  called  upon  to  undertake.  Before 
entering  on  this  task,  it  may  be  well  to  state  shortly  what  are,  in  my 
opinion,  the  main  principles  which  Gk)vemment  should  follow  on  an 
occasion  of  this  kind.  Many  of  these  principles  were  laid  down  by 
the  Government  of  India  in  its  instructions  to  Sir  Bichard  Temple, 
but  I  think  it  desirable  to  repeat  them. 

17.  In  the  first  place,  the  Government  of  India,  with  the  approval 
of  Her  Majesty's  €k)vemment,  and  of  the  people  of  India  and  England, 
are  resolved  to  avert  death  from  starvation  by  the  employment  of  all 
means  practically  open  to  the  resources  of  the  State,  and  to  the  ex* 
ertions  of  its  officers.  Thus  far,  there  can  be  no  room  for  doubt  or 
difference  of  opinion. 

18.  When  harvests  fail  in  an  Indian  province,  considerable  old 
stocks  of  food  are  left  in  the  hands  of  the  landholding  and  mercantile 
cla£ses,  but  these  stocks  are  often  held  back  from  sale.  Markets  have 
therefore  to  be  supplied  with  grain  imported  from  a  distance.  I  con- 
sider that,  except  under  most  peculiar  and  exceptional  circumstances, 
the  function  of  supplying  the  demand  for  imported  grain  can  be  best 
and,  indeed,  alone  discharged  by  private  trade,  and  that  private  trade 
should  be  left  to  do  its  work  in  this  respect  with  as  little  interference 
from  Government  as  practicable.  The  Government  and  its  officers 
should,  however,  give  all  possible  information,  and  should  give  where 
necessary  additional  facilities  to  private  trade.  Early  and  correct  in- 
formation as  to  prices  and  means  of  carriage  should  be  published. 
The  carrying  power  of  railways  and  canals  leading  into  i^e  &mine 
tracts  should  be  reinforced ;  tolls  and  other  restraints  on  free  inter- 
communication should  be  removed ;  roads  into  the  interior  should  be 


414  APPENDIX   B. 

improved  and  kept  in  order ;  rates  of  railway  or  other  carriage  might 
be  reduced  ;  and,  in  cases  of  extreme  necessity,  temporary  railways  or 
tramways  might  be  laid  down  from  main  railway  lines  into  popnlons 
tracts,  whereto  means  of  communication  failed  or  were  insufficient.  These 
will,  indeed,  be  the  most  useful  of  all  works  if  we  have  to  meet  another 
year  of  famine.  Grain  required  by  Government  for  alms  to  the  help- 
less poor,  or  for  labourers  on  relief  works,  or  for  any  tract  where  sup- 
plies were  deficient,  should  be  obtained  through  the  trade  at  or  near 
the  local  markets,  and  should  not  be  imported  from  a  distance  by 
Government  itself.  Experience  has  shown  that  Government  opera« 
tions  in  the  grain  market  disoi^ganise  and  paralyse  private  trade  to  an 
extent  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  operations  themselves.  Moreover, 
where  the  carrying  power  of  a  country  by  rail,  canal,  or  cart,  is 
limited  and  is  fully  utilised.  Government  grain  importations  must 
necessarily  displace  a  corresponding  quantity  of  privately  imported 
grain.  My  view,  therefore,  is  that  under  no  circumstances  which  are 
likely  to  occur  ought  the  Government  itself  to  engage  in  the  business 
of  importing  grain.  Free  and  abundant  private  trade  cannot  co-exist 
with  Grovemment  importation.  Abscdute  non-interference  with  the 
operations  a£  private  commercial  enterprise  must  be  the  foundation  of 
our  present  famine  policy.  Trade  towards  the  &mine  country  firom 
Bengal  and  Northern  and  Central  India  is  at  present  active,  and 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  Indian  sources  of  supply  are 
BtUl  considerable.  But  even  if  these  should  &il  the  interference  of 
the  Government  would  be  a  ruinous  error.  It  could  only  have  the 
effect  of  decreasing  the  total  amount  of  food  available,  and  thus  aggra- 
vating the  catastrophe.  I  am  confident  that  more  food,  whether  from 
abroad  or  elsewhere,  will  reach  Madras  if  we  leave  private  enterprise 
to  itself  than  if  we  paralyse  it  by  Government  competition.  These 
remarks  refer  to  the  famine  we  are  now  dealing  with.  I  do  not  of 
course  intend  to  assert  that  famines  cannot  occur  in  which  Govern- 
ment interference  for  the  importation  of  food  may  not  be  absolutely 
necessary.     Indeed,  the  Orissa  famine  was  one  of  those  cases. 

19.  Before  scarcity  of  food  deepens  into  famine,  there  is  a  large 
and  increasing  section  of  the  population  who  are  out  of  work  and 
have  no  means  of  buying  food  at  dear  rates.  It  is  the  policy  of 
Government  to  employ  such  people  on  relief  works,  and  my  view  is 
that  relief  employment  at  a  subsistence  rate  of  wage  should  be  pro- 
vided on  large,  fully  supervised  works,  which  will  be  of  permanent 
benefit  to  the  country.  The  advantage  of  lai^  works  of  this  kind 
over  petty  local  works  is  twofold.  Firstly,  the  obligation  to  do  a  full 
da/s  work  at  a  low  rate  of  wage  and  to  go  some  distance  to  work 
keeps  from  seeking  relief  people  who  can  support  themselves  otheiv 


APPENDIX   B.  415 

wise ;  and  secondly,  the  money  expended  on  such  works  bequeaths 
permanent  benefits  to  the  country. 

20.  On  this  point  the  following  passages  firom  Sir  Bichord  Tem- 
ple's excellent  report  of  his  recent  mission  to  the  distressed  tracts  of 
Southern  India  are  very  valuable.  When  discussing  the  lessons  to  be 
deduced  from  Indian  famine  experience,  he  writes  : — 

'  It  seems  to  me  that  from  these  events  we  forcibly  and  positively 
learn : — 

'To  determine  beforehand,  as  soon  as  any  forecast  of  the 
coming  distress  can  be  made,  the  large  public  works  upon  which 
relief  labour  can  be  employed  and  upon  which  task-work  can  be 
exacted  or  piece-work  established  under  professional  supervision. 

*  To  notify  generally,  and  to  intimate  to  all  concerned,  espe- 
cially to  the  civil  officers,  the  particular  public  works  to  which 
the  relief  labourers  in  each  distressed  district  are  to  be  drafbed. 

<  To  organise  an  engineering  staff  in  readiness  for  undertaking 
vigorously  these  particular  public  works  when  the  time  for  active 
operation  shall  arrive,  and  to  prepare  for  devoting  to  this  purpose 
all  the  professional  establishments  which  can  be  obtained. 

'  To  prohibit  absolutely,  in  the  beginning  of  the  distress,  the 
opening  of  petty  works  under  civil  officers,  or  non-professional 
establishments,  among  the  villages  close  to  the  homes  of  the 
people. 

'  To  refuse  relief  to  strong  able-bodied  persons  of  both  sexes  in 
any  form,  save  employment  on  the  large  public  works. 

*  To  allow  petty  village  works  to  be  opened  only  when  severe 
and  wide-spread  distress  has  declared  itself  at  a  comparatively 
advanced  stage  in  any  district,  or  part  of  a  district,  and  even 
then  to  reject  all,  save  those  who  cannot  reasonably  be  expected 
to  proceed  to  the  large  public  works — in  short,  to  reserve  these 
petty  works  for  the  weakly,  the  sickly,  the  advanced  in  life,  and 
for  those  who  have  any  just  claim  for  indulgence. 

'  To  keep  the  wages  on  relief  works  at  the  lowest  rate  com- 
patible with  the  health  of  the  labourers ;  this  being  necessary, 
not  only  in  the  interests  of  economy,  but  also  to  prevent  de- 
moralisation of  the  people.' 

I  do  not  think  it  would  be  possible  to  define  more  clearly  than  is 
done  in  the  foregoing  extracts,  those  principles  which  seem  to  me  the 
right  ones  for  the  organisation  of  famine  relief  works. 

21.  At  the  beginning  of  a  famine  there  are  some,  and  before  the 
end  of  a  famine  there  will  be  many,  people  who,  from  physical  in- 
firmity, or  from  social  custom,  or  from  some  other  reason,  are  unable 


416  APPENDIX   B. 

to  earn  wages  on  relief  works,  and  who  have  no  means  of  buying 
food.  For  persons  of  this  class  the  State  must,  when  the  sources  of 
private  benevolence  are  dry,  provide  gratuitous  relief,  if  it  undertakes 
to  provide  for  them  at  all ;  an  undertaking  which,  if  it  assumes  wide 
dimensions,  must  impose  upon  the  State  operations  of  peculiar  diffi- 
culty and  delicacy.  For  it  is  the  inevitable  tendency  of  all  gratuitous 
relief  afforded  by  the  State,  if  it  be  not  supervised  and  restricted 
with  the  most  scrupulous  exactitude,  to  intrude  injuriously  on  the 
field  of  relief  labour,  and  thus  demoralise  large  masses  of  the  popu- 
lation. Such  relief  may  be  given  in  the  shape  of  grants-in-aid  of 
private  charity ;  in  the  shape  of  cooked  or  uncooked  food,  distributed 
at  relief  centres,  at  camps,  or  poor-houses,  where  the  recipients  of 
relief  are  hoiised  and  cared  for ;  or  (if  complete  means  of  supervision 
exist),  in  the  shape  of  money  alms  distributed  to  paupers  at  their 
homes  through  village  agencies.  One  or  other,  often  more  than  one, 
of  these  forms  of  gratuitous  relief  must,  sooner  or  later,  be  dispensed 
in  every  famine  tract.  At  large  centres  of  population  relief  camps 
are  useful ;  for  the  inmates  are  prevented  from  wandering  about  the 
streets,  and  starving  for  want  of  miscellaneous  alms.  On  great  roads 
and  lines  of  traffic,  out-door  relief  centres  are  more  suitable.  Where 
a  good  indigenous  village  agency  exists,  it  is  advisable  to  register  and 
relieve,  at  an  early  stage  of  a  famine,  the  helpless  paupers  in  their 
villages ;  so  that  they  may  be  prevented  from  starving  at  home,  or 
from  wandering  forth  in  quest  of  charity.  But,  in  whatever  shape 
gratuitous  relief  be  given,  the  ordinary  district  organisation  must  be 
greatly  strengthened  to  secure  its  due  and  honest  administration.  No 
other  form  of  famine  relief  is  more  open  to  abuse  and  malversation. 
Every  rupee  spent  in  providiug  effective,  trustworthy  supervision,  is 
saved  over  and  over  again,  not  only  in  preventing  wasteful  and  un- 
necessary expenditure,  but  in  securing  that  the  relief  given  reaches 
the  classes  and  pei'sons  for  whom  it  is  intended,  without  being  turned 
aside  into  the  pockets  of  people  who  can  do  without  State  aid. 

22.  The  principles  and  the  policy  described  in  the  four  preceding 
paragraphs  should,  in  my  judgment,  guide  the  operations  of  Govern- 
ment, not  ovly  at  the  beginning  of  a  famine,  but  throughout  its 
continuance.  Disregard  of  these  principles  must  assuredly,  and 
indefinitely,  aggravate  the  serious  financial  difficulties  in  which  even 
a  well-conducted  campaign  against  a  great  famine  involves  the 
Government.  If  we  have  departed  from  these  principles  in  parts  of 
the  famine-stricken  country,  then  we  should  now  strain  every  nerve 
to  return  to  them  as  speedily  as  possible.  Famine  relief  expenditure 
must,  I  fear,  continue  on  a  veiy  large  scale  for  some  months  to  come. 
And  it  may  be  that  we  are  on  the  threshold  of  another,  and  much 


APPENDIX  B.  417 

more  terrible  year  of  famine.  It  behoves  us,  therefore,  to  lose  no 
time  in  reorganising  and  strengthening  the  forces  with  which  Govern- 
ment hopes  to  contend  against  famine. 

23.  The  amomit  of  grain  carried  daily  into  Southern  India  will 
have  to  be  greatly  increased.  The  present  estimate,  founded  on  the 
figures  of  the  local  Governments  is,  that  into  the  Madras,  Mysore, 
and  Hyderabad  districts  alone,  from  4,500  to  5,090^  tons  of  food 
may  have  to  be  carried  daily;  whereas  2,500  tons  a  day  was  the 
greatest  quantity  carried  during  the  past  season.  I  believe  this  full 
task,  if  it  be  required,  can  be  accomplished.  During  the  Bengal 
£Eunine  the  railways,  working  from  three  directions,  carried  at  times 
as  much  as  4,000  tons  of  food  a  day ;  and  the  railways  into  Madras 
and  Mysore  work  from  four  different  ports,  besides  the  fifth  line  from 
the  Bombay  direction.  No  time  should  be  lost  in  framing,  in  pub- 
lishing to  the  trade  generally,  and  in  bringing  into  effect  on  the 
guaranteed  railways,  a  scheme  whereby  4,500  to  5,000  tons  of  food 
can,  if  consigned  by  the  trade,  be  carried  daily  into  the  famine  dis- 
tricts of  Madras  and  Mysore.  When  the  railway  has  brought  the 
required  supply  of  food  into  the  country,  the  question  will  arise, 
whether  the  famine-stricken  cattle  can  sufiice  for  the  task  of  distri- 
buting by  cart  the  large  quantities  required  in  the  interior  of  the 
districts.  And  the  problem  will  have  to  be  faced  and  decided  at 
once,  whether  it  will  be  best  to  lay  down  rough  tramways  for  carriage 
of  grain,  or  to  bring  the  destitute  poor  to  places  near  the  railway 
lines,  or  to  promote  their  emigration  into  other  provinces. 

24.  Next,  all  the  best  engineering  skill  available  in  the  many  pro- 
vinces of  India  should,  I  think,  be  lent  to  the  Madras  Qovemment,  so 
that  a  sufficient  number  of  large  public  works  may  be  opened  in  all 
parts  of  the  Madras  as  well  as  of  the  Mysore  famine  country,  at  which 
the  largest  possible  proportion  of  the  two  and  half  millions  of  people 
now  supported  by  the  State  qiay  be  employed  under  proper  supervision 
on  works  which  will  help  to  protect  the  country  from  future  famines. 
The  districts  of  Madras  and  Mysore  are  studded  with  irrigation 
tanks,  and  are  traversed  by  rivers,  many  of  which  are  already  bridled 
and  turned  into  irrigation  channels.  Much  great  work  of  this  kind 
remains  to  be  done.  The  projects  and  estimates  for  such  works  may 
not  be  everywhere  ready  in  full  detail ;  but  it  would  be  better  for  the 
people  and  for  the  country  that  the  Qovemment  should  accept  a 
moderate  proportion  of  fiedlures  in  such  works  than  not  to  attempt 
them  at  sJl.  It  would  be  wiser  to  lay  out  one  million  sterling  on 
irrigation  channels  and  reservoirs,  which  will  store  water  for  future 

'  This  quantity  would  give  subsistence  to  about  ten  millions  of  people. 
VOL.  II.  E  E 


418  APPENDIX  B. 

needs,  or  on  other  works  of  lasting  utility,  than  to  spend  half  a  million 
on  petty  works,  which  cannot  be  adequately  supervised,  and  are  of 
no  permanent  usefulness.     Of  the  famine  roads  which  in  1874  were 
undertaken  in  Bengal,  about  one-half  had  to  be  left  imbridged  and  un- 
finished.    These  have  since  fallen  into  a  condition  of  utter  uselessness 
owing  to  the  inability  of  local  funds  to  complete  and  maintain  them. 
I  believe  that  it  would  be  highly  desirable  to  sanction  for  Madras  a 
special  chief  engineer  for  famine  works,  as  was  done  for  Bengal  in 
1874.     Nothing  is  more  essential  to  successful  administration  in  such 
a  crisis  as  the  present,  than  the  concentration  of  authority  in  the  hands 
of  a  single  man  of  energy  and  judgment,  who  shall  be  responsible 
to  the  head  of  the  local  Government  alone.     I  am  satisfied  tiiat  the 
great  success  which  has  attended  the  operations  for  the  rehef  of  the 
present  famine  in  Bombay  has  been  mainly  due  to  the  fi9u;t  that  this 
principle  has  been  strictly  acted  on.     The  chief  engineer,  Major- 
Creneral  Kennedy,  has  been  virtually  responsible  to  no  one  but  the 
Gk>vemor  himself,  and  I  believe  that  both  the  late  and   present 
Governors  of  Bombay  have  thus  been  able  to  carry  out  their  orders 
with  a  vigour,  promptitude,  and  success  which  would  otherwise  have 
been  impossible.     Of  course,  however,  this  arrangement  might  have 
been  as  injurious  as  it  has  proved  beneficial,  had  the  officer  on  whom  the 
result  of  it  depended  been  deficient  in  experience,  judgment,  or  energy. 

25.  When  the  employment  of  relief  labourers  shall  have  been 
thus  made  over  to  professional  agency,  the  civil  officers  will  be  able  to 
give  their  time  to  organising  and  supervising  gratuitous  relief,  and  to 
saving  the  helpless  poor  from  starvation. 

26.  The  two  main  objects  to  which  the  best  endeavours,  and  all 

the  available  power  of  the  Crovemment  of  India  and  the  local 

Gk>vemment8  must  now  be  directed,  are, — ^firstly,  the  framing  and 

working  of  a  scheme  whereby  4,500  to  5,000  tons  of  food  may  be 

carried  daily  into  the  famine  country;  and,  secondly,  the  selection 

and  commencement  of  large  public  works  of  lasting  utility,  on  which 

all  the  able-bodied  relief  recipients  of  either  sex  and  any  age  should 

at  once  be  employed.     If  the  rainy  season,  which  has  begun  so  badly, 

should  happily  end  well,  these  special  exertions  on  the  part  of  the 

State,  of  the  railways,  and  of  public  servants,  may  not  be  required 

beyond  December  next.     If  the  season  ends  badly  anywhere,  then 

these  exertions  will  have  to  be  continued  on  behalf  of  such  afflicted 

tracts  until  August  1878.     In  any  case,  the  lives  of  millions,  and  the 

useful  expenditure  of  large  public  funds,  must  depend,  during  the  next 

five  months,  on  the  arrangements  that  may  now  be  made.     If  matters 

are  allowed  to  drift,  there  may  be  terrible  loss  of  life ;  and  there  must 

be  a  wasteful  expenditure  of  vast  sums  of  public  money,  which  might, 


APPENDIX   B.  419 

under  proper  arrangements,  bequeath  great  and  useful  works  to  the 
district  wherein  it  is  incurred. 

27.  The  beneficial  esSeet  of  money  expended  on  well-considered  and 
well-organised  public  works  will  be  felt  in  the  future.  But  for  the 
immediate  relief  of  the  present  distress,  the  creation  and  supervision 
of  new  means  of  transport  are  urgently  needed.  I  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  our  reserve  of  grain  is  amply  sufficient  to  meet  the  in- 
creasing demand,  and  that,  even  if  it  runs  short,  we  may  reckon  with 
confidence  on  the  enterprise  of  private  trade  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
But  the  arrangements  which  must  now  be  made  for  distributing  over 
large  tracts  of  country,  where  no  sufficient  means  of  transport  yet  exist, 
that  quantity  of  grain  which  their  population  requires,  and  the  trade 
is  able  to  supply,  will  be  as  difficult  and  delicate  as  they  are  necessary. 

28.  I  have  not  included  the  Bombay  districts  in  the  tracts  where 
special  joint  effort  by  the  Supreme  and  local  Grovemments  is  at  once 
required ;  because  prospects  in  Bombay  are  not  so  bad  as  in  the  south- 
eastern districts ;  and  because  the  management  of  relief  works  and 
relief  operations  in  Bombay  has,  during  the  past  season,  been  such 
as  to  warrant  confidence  that  famine  there,  if  it  comes,  will  be  more 
easily  met,  and  that  relief  labourers  will  be  employed  on  well-orga^ 
nised  works  of  permanent  usefulness. 

29.  I  am  afraid  that  the  situation  in  Mysore  is,  in  proportion  to 
its  area  and  population,  even  more  critical  than  in  Madras.  The 
Mysore  demand  for  imported  grain  has,  throughout  the  famine,  been 
larger  with  reference  to  the  distressed  population  than  in  the  Madras 
Presidency.  The  fate  of  the  crops  now  in  the  ground  is  more  doubtful 
in  parts  of  Mysore  than  anywhere  else.  The  employment  of  the 
destitute  poor  on  useful  public  works  has,  since  April  last,  been  quite 
inadequate  to  the  occasion.  At  the  present  time  the  persons  on  gra^ 
tuitous  relief  are  three  times  as  many  as  the  relief  labourers  on  public 
works.  In  Bombay,  the  nimibers  on  gratuitous  relief  are  now  little 
more  than  half  the  total  of  relief  labourers.  In  Madras  the  total 
nimiber  on  gratuitous  relief  is  somewhat  less  than  the  total  on  works. 
Beports  have  been  received  from  more  than  one  Madras  district  that 
people  in  the  last  stage  of  distress  fiock  over  from  Mysore  to  British 
relief  houses  for  help.  It  would  seem  that  Mysore  relief  arrangements 
are  at  present  neither  efficient  nor  sufficient.  In  this  province  imme- 
diate steps  must  be  taken  for  reorganising  the  relief  administration. 

30.  As  my  colleagues  are  aware,  it  is  my  iatention  to  visit  Madras 
and  Mysore  immediately.  Before  starting  on  this  journey,  I  have 
thought  it  desirable  to  place  on  record  my  reasons  for  undertaking  it. 
These  will  be  found  in  the  foregoing  general  statement  of  the  main 
facts  of  the  present  condition  of  the  famine-stricken  districts  in  Southern 

E  B  2 


420  APPENDIX   B. 

India.  I  cannot  contemplate  such  a  condition  of  things  without  the 
most  serious  anxiety,  and  the  deepest  sympathy  with  all  those  local 
authorities  who,  after  prolonged  and  arduous  exertion,  are  now  con- 
fronted with  new  administrative  difficulties. 

31.  It  is  unnecessaiy,  and  indeed  undesirable,  to  discuss  in  the 
present  minute  any  of  the  particular  measures  which  have  been,  or 
may  have  to  be  adopted  for  meeting  those  difficulties.  The  teachings 
of  experience  would  be  as  barren  as  they  are  bitter,  were  it  impossible 
to  derive,  from  study  not  only  of  the  phenomena  of  the  late  famine 
in  Bengal,  but  also  of  the  course  of  the  present  famine  in  Madras  and 
Bombay,  a  clear  apprehension  of  certain  general  principles  of  famine 
management.  The  soundness  of  these  principles  is,  I  think,  estab- 
lished both  by  the  beneficial  results  of  their  timely  and  intelligent 
application,  and  also  by  the  disastrous  consequences  which  have 
attended  the  disregard  6f  them.  I  cannot  doubt  that  they  should 
everywhere  guide  our  action.  But  it  is  obvious  that  the  application 
of  them  must  always  be  easier  in  some  localities  than  in  others.  My 
object,  therefore,  in  now  proceeding  to  Madras  is,  not  to  urge  upon 
the  administrative  authorities  of  that  Presidency  the  adoption  of  any 
jsystem  of  operations  devised  d  priori,  without  due  reference  to  local 
peculiarities,  but  to  endeavour,  by  frank,  unprejudiced  personal  con- 
ference with  his  Grace  the  Governor,  to  ascertain  how  far  it  may  be 
practically  in  my  power  to  place  unreservedly  at  his  disposal,  for  the 
furtherance  of  measures  approved  by  his  judgment  and  experience,  all 
those  resources  which  are  commanded  only  by  the  Government  of  India. 

32.  Two  or  three  such  measures  are,  indeed,  already  foreshadowed 
by  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  in  an  important  and  suggestive  minute, 
which  has  only  just  reached  me.  In  this  minute  his  Grace  has 
practically  overruled  the  opinion  of  those  who  wanted  to  give  extra- 
ordinary diet  and  comforts,  costing  several  rupees  a  month  per  head, 
to  all  inmates  of  relief  camps.  He  has  also  wisely  decided  that  none 
who  can  work  shall  be  relieved  except  on  public  works ;  and  he  has 
indicated  some  large  public  works,  mainly  of  irrigation,  which  will 
supply  labour  for  aU  applicants  in  six  districts,  and  parts  of  two  others. 

33.  Should  it  be  found  possible  to  develope  yet  further  the  salutary 
principles  on  which  these  decisions  are  based,  by  bringing  the  whole 
of  that  portion  of  the  relieved  population  capable  of  work  under  a 
well-organised  engineering  supervision,  one  of  the  great  dangers  with 
which  the  Madras  Presidency  is  now  threatened  will  have  been  suc- 
cessfully averted.  But,  even  to  carry  out  with  complete  efficiency  the 
wise  measures  already  announced  by  his  Grace,  the  local  Public  Works 
Department  will,  I  should  think,  require  some  addition  to  the  strength 
of  its  staff,  and  some  relaxation  of  departmental  rules.     The  Governor 


APPENDIX   B.  421 

of  Madras  has,  no  doubt,  rightly  preferred  schemes  for  storing  surplus 
water  to  projects  for  canying  it  away ;  and  the  Madras  engineers  are, 
perhaps,  the  best  hydraulic  engineers  in  all  India.  It  will  be  my 
earnest  endeavour  to  afford  the  Goverament  of  Madras  every  en- 
couragement and  assistance  in  my  power,  for  the  prompt  and  bold 
development  of  large  local  public  works  of  every  useful  kind.  In  the 
circumstances  we  have  now  to  deal  with,  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary 
that  such  works  should  be  remunerative  in  the  ordinary  sense.  Since 
relief  labour  must  now  be  employed,  and  employed  on  an  enormous 
scale,  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  a  matter  of  primary  importance  that  it 
should  be  employed  on  works  of  the  greatest  possible  permanent 
utility,  even  though  such  works  be  wanting  in  the  remunerative 
conditions  requisite  to  justify  our  sanction  of  them  in  ordinary  times. 

34.  So  long  as  we  might  reasonably  hope  that  the  worst  difficulties 
and  dangers  of  the  Madras  famine  would  by  this  time  be  passing  over, 
I  have  purposely  refrained  from  visiting  that  Presidency,  lest  my 
presence  there  should,  however  unintentionally,  prove  embarrassing, 
rather  than  helpful,  to  the  efforts  of  the  local  Government. 

35.  But  in  face  of  the  facts  recorded  and  reviewed  in  the  preceding 
paragraphs  of  this  minute,  I  can  no  longer  question  the  urgency  of 
my  own  duty,  and  that  of  all  concerned,  under  the  pressure  of  a 
natural  calamity  greater  than  any  which,  so  far  as  I  know,  has  in 
modem  times  afflicted  India.  It  is  now  clear  that  the  humane  efforts 
of  the  Madras  Government  have  proved  insufficient  to  diminish  the 
intensity,  or  reduce  the  area  of  this  calamity.  The  distress,  which 
appears  to  be  increasing  with  frightful  rapidity,  must,  even  under  the 
most  skilful,  the  most  economical,  and  the  most  energetic  management, 
strain  to  the  utmost  the  administrative  abilities  of  the  local  Govern- 
ment and  the  financial  resources  of  the  Empire.  Therefore  I  cannot 
doubt  that  the  Governor  of  Madras  is  entitled  to  receive  from  the 
Viceroy  the  unreserved  assistance  of  all  the  technical  skill  and  special 
experience  this  Empire  can  furnish,  for  the  relief  of  the  people  and  the 
revenue  by  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  wisest  measures  that  can 
be  devised.  In  short,  we  are  now  faii-ly  engaged  in  a  terrible  conflict 
with  nature  ;  our  line  of  battle  has  been  broken  at  Madras  and  Mv^ore, 
and  it  is,  therefore,  at  these  points  we  should  now  concentrate  all  our 
reserved  force. 

36.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  my  intention  than  to  interfere 
unduly  with  the  local  authorities,  and  the  devoted  officers,  who  have  so 
long  and  zealously  been  combating  the  growth  of  a  gigantic  cata- 
strophe. Although,  up  to  the  present  moment,  the  result  has  not 
equalled  the  assiduity  of  their  untiring  efforts,  yet  the  energy  and 
devotion  of  the  district  officers  throughout  Madras,  during  the  pro- 


422  APPENDIX   C. 

tracted  and  increasing  strain  upon  their  physical  and  mental  faculties, 
cannot,  I  think,  he  too  highly  or  gratefully  appreciated.  It  is  not 
to  inadequate  energy  or  intelligence,  but  to  inadequate  numbers  and 
inadequate  executive  powers,  that  I  attribute  the  incompleteness  of 
their  success. 

37.  My  journey,  therefore,  to  the  famine-stricken  districts  of 
Southern  India,  and  more  especially  my  journey  to  Madrcus,  is  prompted 
by  the  hope  that  it  may  enable  me  to  strengthen  and  augment  the 
means  on  which  his  Grace  the  Governor  of  that  Presidency  is  now 
dependent  for  the  satisfactory  solution  of  a  problem  as  serious  as  any 
which  has  ever  occupied  the  mind,  or  taxed  the  abilities,  of  an  Indian 
statesman. 

38.  I  think  that  the  highest  expert  talent  procurable  from  any 
part  of  India  should  now,  at  once,  be  placed  unreservedly  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  His  Grace  will  be  able  to  supple- 
ment and  direct  the  special  knowledge  of  experts  by  the  large 
generalisations  of  a  varied  experience.  Such  a  combination  can 
scarcely  fail  to  ensure  ultimately  to  the  Government  of  his  Grace  an 
administrative  success  copimensurate  with  the  ma^itude  of  those 
difficulties  which  nothing  short  of  the  coolest  judgment  and  most 
resolute  firmness  can  now  overcome. 

Lytton. 
Simk,  August  12,  1877. 


APPENDIX  a. 

THE  RULES  OF  THE  NEW  SYSTEM  IN  MADRAS. 
GOVERNMENT  OF  MADRAS. 

REVE29UE  DEPARTMENT. 

Fcmiine  Rdief, 

No.  497.     Proceedings  of  Government,  dated  September  24,  1877, 

No.  2,847. 

His  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  is  pleased  to  issue  the  following 
instructions  for  the  guidance  of  all  officers  concerned  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  famine  relief : — 

1.  Under  the  successive  orders  of  the  Madras  CrOvemment,  rdief 
has  been  sanctioned  to  famine-stricken  people— 

(1)  In  the  form  of  wages  for  work  done ; 

(2)  Gratuitously  in  camps,  relief  houses,  and  villages,  to  those 

unable  to  labour  or  temporarily  incapacitated  for  work. 


APPENDIX   C.  423 

2.  It  has  been  determined  that  both  relief  by  employment  on 
works  for  the  strong,  and  gratuitous  relief  to  the  infirm,  shall  be  con- 
tinued. 

3.  To  enable  employment  on  large  public  works  to  be  more  exten- 
sively and  systematically  carried  on,  the  Government  of  India  have 
agreed  to  lend  a  large  additional  force  to  the  Public  Works  Department ; 
and  to  enable  collectors  to  duly  watch  the  distribution  of  gratuitous 
relief,  the  Government  of  India  have  placed  at  the  disposal  of  this 
Government  a  large  number  of  European  officers  to  supervise  relief 
operations  in  the  several  taluks  of  the  distressed  districts. 

4.  In  order  that  the  wishes  and  instructions  of  his  Grace  the 
Governor  in  Council  may  be  clearly  understood,  the  conditions  under 
which  relief  has  been  sanctioned,  and  is  to  be  continued,  are  subjoined. 

5.  Collectors  and  civil  officers  are  responsible  for  sending  to  relief 
works  or  for  providing  gratuitous  relief,  under  the  orders  now  issued, 
to  all  who  have  not  adequate  means  of  supporting  life.  The  Public 
Works  Department  officers  are  responsible  for  providing  a  sufficiency 
of  work  in  every  distressed  district  for  the  employment  of  the  persons 
who  may  be  sent  to  them  by  the  civil  officers,  and  shall  employ  thereon 
all  those  so  sent. 

Helief  Works. 

6.  The  intention  of  his  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  is  that  all 
relief  shall  be  eventually  given  through  relief  works,  closed  camps,  and 
village  relief. 

7.  Belief  works  affording  to  indigent  persons  capable  of  some 
labour  the  opportunity  of  earning  money  with  which  to  buy  food  con- 
stitute the  backbone  of  the  relief  system. 

8.  These  works  are  of  two  classes — 

(a)  Those  under  the  supervision  of  the  Public  Works  Depart- 
ment or  other  professional  supervision     p^ofeMionai  Agency 
which  may,  for  the   sake- of  brevity,  be  "Works, 
called  professional  agency  works ; 

(6)  Those  not  requiring,  to  any  great  extent,  professional  super- 
vision, and  which  may,  for  the  sake  of  _ 

,         ..'     ,  n   J      .    -V  i_  Civil AgenqrWorkB. 

brevity,  be  called  civil  agency  works. 
These  works  will   be  tinder  the  superintendence  of  the 
Public  Works  Department  or  of  the  Civil  Department 
according  to  circumstances. 

9.  Every  district  engineer   will  prepare  a  list  of  works  in  his 
district  which  may  be  made  available  as  relief  works.     These  list 
should  show  approximately — 

(a)  The  probable  cost  of  each  work ; 


424  APPENDIX    C. 

(h)  Kouglily  the  proportion  of  the  total  cost  required  for  earth- 
work; 

(c)  The  number  of  persons  who  can  be  employed  upon  each,  and 
for  how  long. 

10.  These  lists  will  be  submitted  to  €k)vemment  through  the  chief 
engineer  or  the  chief  engineer  for  irrigation.  His  Grace  the  Goygtdot 
in  Council  will  sanction  them  provisionally  either  wholly  or  in  part^ 
and  the  works  thus  provisionally  sanctioned  may  be  taken  up,  from 
time  to  time,  as  need  for  affording  relief  arises,  except  large  works, 
the  commencement  of  which  will  be  decided  by  his  Grace  the  Governor 
in  Council.  The  opinion  of  the  collector  should  decide  which  of  the 
works  in  the  list  so  sanctioned  shall  be  first  proceeded  with.  Estimates 
to  cover  such  works  as  may  be  approved  by  Government  in  these  lists 
should  be  prepared  and  submitted  for  final  sanction  as  soon  as  possible, 
but  the  commencement  of  no  such  work  shall  be  delayed,  where  ita 
commencement  is  necessaiy,  for  the  reason  that  a  plan  and  estimate 
have  not  been  sanctioned.  Lists  of  works  which  have  been  commenced, 
specifying  the  approximate  number  of  persons  who  can  be  received 
thereon,  will  be  furnished  by  the  district  engineer,  from  time  to  time, 
to  the  collector,  who  will  send  copies  to  every  revenue,  police,  and 
fjEunine  officer. 

11.  The  very  widest  publicity  of  the  locality  of  relief  works  must 
PabUdty  of   nUet  ^  given;   the  responsibility  with  regard  to  this 

^^^  point  rests  upon  the  collectors  and  their  assistants. 

12.  The  distinction  between  budgeted  works  and  famine  relief 
works  is  abolished  in  the  following  districts : — 

Nellore.  South  Aroot. 

Cuddapah.  Trichinopoly. 

Bellary.  Madura. 

Kumool.  Tinnevelly. 

Chingleput.  Coimbatore. 

North  Arcot.  Salem. 

And  all  works  whatever  therein  (Imperial,  provincial,  or  local,  ex- 
cepting only  buildings)  shall  be  considered  fiunine  relief  works  and 
shall  be  carried  out  under  all  the  rules,  tests,  and  restrictions  applicable 
to  famine  relief  works.  Any  relief  works  which  may  be  necessaiy  in 
any  of  the  remaining  districts  will  be  carried  out  ajs  special  works 
under  special  arrangements. 

13.  All  establishments  at  present  employed  under  civil  officers  in 
supervision  of,  or  in  accounting  in  respect  of,  relief  works,  should  be 
transferred,  with  the  charge  of  the  several  works,  to  the  Department 
of  Public  Works  as  soon  as  the  district  engineer  is  in  a  position  to 
take  them  over. 


APPENDIX   C.  425 

14.  All  persons  capable  of  labour,  who  are  in  fair  health  and  con- 
dition, must  be  drafted  to  professional  agency  works,  i  to  be  dnfted 
and  with  them  must  also  be  drafted  such  members  to  proteoaicnai  Agency 
of  their  families  as  are  willing  to  accompany  them. 

15.  Weaker  people,  who  are  neyertheless  capable  of  some  work, 
should  be  employed  upon  civil  agency  works,  but  to  be  em- 
should,  as  they  recover  strength,  be  drafted  to  pro-  ployed  upon  .ava 
fessional  agency  works,  the  object  being  to  employ  ^^^°^ 

the  largest  possible  number  of  people  to  whom  it  may  be  necessary  to 
afford  relief  upon  works  of  this  latter  description. 

16.  Work  is  to  be  exacted  and  musters  taken  for  six  days  in  every 
week;  payment  for  the  seventh  day  is,  however,  ^^ 
included,  i.e.,  an  increment  to  each  working  day's 

wage  has  been  made  in  order  to  provide  for  the  seventh  day,  in  the 
following  scale  of  wages. 

17.  The  rates  of  pay  to  persons  who  perform  their  allotted  tasks 
shall  be  for  each  working  day : — 

Upon  Pro/em&nal  Agency  Works, 

n.  a.  p. 
For  a  man  the  value  of  1  lb.  of  grain  .  .  Pins  0  16 
For  a  woman  „  „  ..,,010 

For  a  child  of  7  and  upwards  |  lb.  of  grain        .      „       0    0    9 

Upon  Civil  Ag&rwy  Works. 

For  a  man  the  value  of  1  lb.  of  grain         .        .,,010 
For  a  woman  „  „  ..,,009 

For  a  child  of  7  and  upwards  ^  lb.  of  grain       .      „       0    0    6 

18.  By  grain  is  meant  grain  of  medium  quality  and  of  the  descrip- 
tion in  ordinary  use  at  the  time  of  payment  among 

the  labourers  upon  the  works.      The  price  to  be 

taken  at  the  retail  price  of  the  grain  ruling  at  the  cusba  of  the  taluk 

on  the  previous  week. 

19.  When  work  is  interrupted  by  rain  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
tasks  ordered  cannot  be  exacted,  professional  agency  intemiptian  from 
labourers  should  be  paid  the  civil  agency  rate  and  '**^ 

civil  agency  labourers  should  be  paid  the  civil  agency  rate  less  two 
pies  all  round. 

20.  No  work  is  to  be  taken  from  children  under  seven  years  of  age, 
nor  are  such  children  to  be  allowed  to  remain  among    ^„^         .    _^_ 

^     Children  under  Beren. 

the  labourers  while  they  are  working.   Such  children, 

belonging  to  parents  or  natural  guardians  employed  upon  works,  must 

be  mustered  at  a  convenient  spot  at  some  little  distance  from  where 


426  APPENDIX    C. 

the  work  is  in  progregs,  and  placed  under  the  charge  of  a  sufficient 
number  of  the  women  drafted  to  the  works  who  will  be  employed  as 
nurses.  At  large  works,  and  where  working  camps  are  established, 
kitchens  must  be  provided,  and  these  children  supplied  with  rations 
of  cooked  food  not  exceeding  ^  a  lb.  of  grain  per  diem.  The  nurses 
must  receive  their  full  ration  of  cooked  food,  i.e.,  1  lb.  of  grain  plus 
the  money  portion  of  the  wage.  On  small  works  officers  in  charge 
must  make  suitable  arrangements  for  effecting  the  same  purpose. 

21.  To  prevent  relief  works  becoming  unduly  attractive,  three  tests 

are  necessary,  viz.,  1st,  primd  facie  evidence  that 
the  individual  really  requires  employment  upon  a 

relief  work ;  2nd,  distance  of  the  work  from  the  home  of  the  labourer ; 

and,  3rd,  tasks. 

22.  The  task  to  be  exacted  upon  professional  agency  works  is  76 

per  cent,  of  what  the  individual  would  be  able  to 
perform  if  he  worked  to  the  full  extent  of  his  ability ; 
upon  civil  agency  works  50  per  cent,  of  what  the  individual  would 
be  able  to  perform  if  he  worked  to  the  full  extent  of  his  ability. 

23.  In  settling  and  exacting  these  tasks  it  will  be  necessary  for  the 
officers  concerned  to  use  great  judgment,  discretion,  and  firmness,  so  as 
to  avoid  oppression  of  the  people  upon  the  one  hand  or  encouragement 
to  idleness  and  laxity  on  the  other. 

24.  It  may  probably  be  expedient  in  many  cases  to  take,  as  the 
unit  for  tasking,  a  gang  composed  of  all  the  members  of  one  family 
who  are  on  the  work,  or  a  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  any  one  village ; 
and  it  is  the  wish  of  his  Grace  the  Governor  in  Council  that,  as  far 
as  possible,  consistently  with  economy  and  discipline  on  the  works, 
members  of  the  same  family  should  not  be  separated  in  their  employ- 
ment. But  these  points  of  detail,  varying  as  they  will  with  the  size 
and  nature  of  the  work  and  other  circimistances,  must  be  left  to  the 
discretion  of  the  executive  officers  acting  under  the  general  orders  of 
Government. 

25.  The  employment  of  contractors  directly  or  indirectly  is  abso- 
lutely prohibited  on  relief  works. 

26.  Masonry  work  requiring  skilled  labour,  such  as  culverts, 
tunnels,  sluices,  calingulahs  of  tanks,  and  similar  works  found  essential 
to  the  completion  of  relief  works  may  be  performed  by  contract  in  the 
ordinary  way.  In  selecting  works  to  be  placed  on  the  list.  Public 
Works  officers  will  bear  in  mind  that  the  beneficial  effect  of  the  work 
as  a  relief  measure  is  the  principal  object ;  therefore  works  of  which 
a  large  proportion  of  the  estimate  is  for  masonry  or  compensation  for 
land  should  generally  be  at  once  laid  aside  as  unsuitable. 

27.  The  distance  test  is  necessarily,  to  .a  great  extent,  enforced  by 


APPENDIX    C.  427 

concentrating  relief  labour  upon  a  comparatively 

small  number  of  large  works,  and,  until  further 

instructions,  this  test  may  be  deemed  to  be  complied  with  when  the 

labourer  goes  to  professional  agency  works  and  performs .  the  tasks 

exacted  there. 

28.  The  question  whether  persons  are  fitting  objects  for  employ- 
ment upon  relief  works  must  be  decided  by  the  civil 

officers,  who  will  refuse  employment  to  all  persons 
except  those  who  are  destitute. 

29.  The  civil  officers  will  despatch  such  applicants  for  employment 
as  they  consider  eligible   with   written  duplicate 

nominal  rolls,  and  the  production  of  such  rolls  will 
be  the  authority  to  the  Public  Works  Department  officers  to  employ 
the  persons  named  in  them.     The  rolls  shall  specify  the  name  and 
father's  name  and  village  of  each  person,  and  shall  be  dated,  and  shall 
bear  the  signature  of  the  despatching  officer. 

30.  Where  camps  are  necessary  on  works  these  camps  will  be 
under  the  charge  of  the  Public  Works  officer  direct- 

.,  1  1  -n  1  .J      Sanitary  Preoantlona. 

ing  the  work,  who  will  make  arrangements,  and 
enforce  rules,  for  strict  conservancy  and  sanitary  measures,  and  select 
suitable  persons  from   the  relief  coolies  for  the  various  duties  of 
scavenging,  water-drawing,  &c. 

31.  In  transferring  people  to  works  at  a  distance  exceeding  ten 
miles,  it  will  be  necessary,  under  some  circumstances, 

to  pay  them  batta.     The  amount  and  nature  of  this 

batta  will  vary  with  local  circumstances,  but  it  should  never  exceed 

16  oz.  of  uncooked  grain  for  each  day's  march. 

32.  There  will  probably  frequently  be  exceptional  cases,  arising  on 
works,  requiring  special  treatment.     It  is  obvious 

that  what  may  be  sufficient  for  the  vast  majority 
may  be  unsuitable  in  quantity  or  quality  in  individual  cases.  Such 
cases,  which  will  include  also  those  of  people  arriving  on  the  works 
worn  out  and  in  low  condition  must,  as  far  as  possible,  be  specially 
treated  under  medical  advice ;  and  they  may  be  fed  in  accordance  with 
the  scale  laid  down  in  G.O.  No.  2,372,  of  July  24,  1877,  for  people 
under  such  treatment.  The  extra  allowance  must  cease  as  soon  as  the 
person,  in  the  opinion  of  the  medical  officer,  regains  strength. 

33.  Persons  not  permanently  incapacitated  for  labour  will  probably 
regain  health,  as  soon  as  convalescent,  more  rapidly  upon  a  relief  work 
than  amidst  the  surroundings  of  a  relief  camp. 

34.  All  labourers  must  be  warned  that  they  are  liable  to  fine  and 
dismissal  from  relief:  but  these  punishments  should 

«.,  ^"1  PunJahmenta. 

be  enforced  with  care  and  judgment. 


428  APPENDIX   C. 

35.  Short  work  &om  idleness  should,  in  the  first  place,  be  met 

with  a  small  fine,  and  a  repetition  of  the  offence 
should  be  punished  with  greater  severity.  But, 
until  further  orders,  the  effect  of  the  fine  in  the  case  of  weakly  people 
must  never  be  to  reduce  the  wages  of  an  individual  upon  professional 
agency  works  below  civil  agency  work  rate,  nor  to  reduce  those  of 
an  individual  upon  civil  agency  works  below  the  relief  house  scale. 

36.  Incorrigible  idleness  or  insubordination  on  the  part  of  persons 

in  fair  physical  condition  should  be  met  by  immediate 
dismissal. 

37.  Payments  upon  relief  works  must  be  made  at  least  twice  a 
Frequency  of  pay-  week,  and  oftener  if  necessary.    New  arrivals  should 

°*®°**-  for  the  first  few  days  be  paid  daily. 

CJiaritable  Relief. 

38.  All  previous  orders  relating  to  gratuitous  relief,  so  far  as  in- 
consistent with  the  following  rules,  are  hereby  cancelled. 

39.  Belief  officers  will  be  appointed  to  the  charge  of  one  or  more 
taluks,  or  parts  of  taluks,  according  to  size  and  local  circumstances. 

40.  Their  duties  will  be  to  supervise  all  relief  operations  within 
their  charges  except  public  works.  Their  especial  duty  is  to  see 
that  the  orders  of  Grovemment  are  strictly  carried  out ;  that  relief 
reaches  all  who  need  it;  that  waste,  abuse,  and  fraud  are  prevented, 
and  the  utmost  economy,  consistent  with  due  relief,  enforced  throughout. 

41.  They  are  expected  to  be  constantly  on  the  move,  and  to  vint 
the  several  villages  and  relief  camps  as  frequently  as  possible  and  at 
uncertain  times. 

42.  They  will  furnish  to  the  collector,  every  Saturday,  information 
on  the  foUowing  points  :— 

(1)  The  number  of  cases  in  which  relief  has  been  granted, 

refused,  or  stopped. 

(2)  Any  case  of  flsilure  of  duty,  inattention,  or  inefficiency  on 

the  part  of  any  officer  or  servant. 

(3)  The  physical  condition  of  the  people  generally  on  relief, 

whether  failing,  improving,  or  stationary. 

(4)  They  will  submit  any  general  remarks. 

43.  Village  relief  shall  be  given  either  in  the  shape  of  cooked  food 
or  in  money,  according  to  the  discretion  of  the  collectors  and  local 
circumstances,  and  shall,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  paragraph  53,  be 
confined  to  destitute  resident  villagers,  who  are  house-ridden,  or 
otherwise  unfitted  for,  or  incapable  of,  laboui*.  This  class  will  include 
such  persons  as  are  idiots,  cripples,  blind,  or  so  old  or  decrepit  that 


APPENDIX   C.  429 

they  are  not  able  to  support  themselveB;  or  yonng  children  living 
with  and  wholly  dependent  on  such  persons ;  women  in  an  advanced 
state  of  pregnancy,  or  who  have  been  recently  confined ;  and  further, 
to  qualify  for  this  relief,  these  persons  must  be  without  well-to-do 
friends  or  relatives  on  the  spot  on  whom  their  support  would  ordin- 
arily and  rightly  devolve. 

44.  Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  these  orders,  officers  in  charge  of 
taluks  shall  cause  each  village  to  be  inspected  by  an  officer  not  below 
the  rank  of  a  village  inspector,  and  after  careful  enquiry  into  the  cir- 
cumstances of  each  individual  case,  shall  strike  off  the  register  any 
persons  who,  from  condition  and  circumstances,  do  not  come  within 
the  above  description.  The  relief  officer  in  charge  of  a  taluk,  or  part 
of  a  taluk,  shall  visit  each  village  as  early  as  practicable,  and  satisfy 
himself  that  his  instructions  have  been  properly  carried  out.  No 
fresh  admissions  to  the  register  shall  subsequently  be  made,  except 
under  the  orders  of  the  village  inspector,  who,  whenever  he  may 
authorise  any  such  admissions,  shall,  in  his  next  weekly  return,  report 
them  to  tlie  taluk  relief  officer,  who  shall  transmit  an  abstract  showing 
increase  or  decrease  of  numbers  in  each  village  of  his  charge  to  the 
collector  weekly,  for  preparation  of  the  weekly  tabular  statement  for 
Qovemment.  The  taluk  officer  shall  take  the  earliest  practical  oppor- 
tunity of  inspecting  the  persons  who  have  been  newly  admitted. 

45.  Persons,  who  under  the  operation  of  the  above  order  are 
struck  off  the  regu»ters  of  village  relief,  dball  at  the  same  time,  if 
capable  of  labour,  be  sent  to  work,  and  if  temporarily  incapacitated 
by  illness  or  any  other  cause,  shall  be  sent  to  the  nearest  relief  camp, 
to  be  there  maintained  and  treated  until  able  to  work  or  found  per- 
manently incapable. 

46.  All  open  camps,  other  than  works  camps,  shall  be  abolished, 
and  in  their  place  such  number  of  closed  camps  as  may  be  necessary 
shall  be  established.  On  this  point  collectors  should  at  once  take  such 
steps  as  may  be  needed. 

47.  Until  further  orders  are  published  for  the  regulation  and 
interior  administration  of  closed  relief  camps,  the  arrangements  now 
in  force  should  continue;  but  it  should  be  distinctly  and  clearly 
understood  by  the  officers  in  charge  that  no  person  capable  of  labour 
should  be  received  into  a  camp,  and  that,  as  soon  as  any  inmate  of 
such  camp  recovers  strength  and  condition  sufficient  to  enable  him  to 
tmdertake  labour  on  professional  agency  works,  he  should  at  once  be 
drafted  off  to  such  works,  whiph  should  not  be  situated  within  ten 
miles  of  the  village  of  which  he  is  an  inhaHtant. 

48.  Officers  in  charge  of  camps  will  recollect  that  the  primary 
object  of  the  camp  is  that  the  strength  of  its  residents  should  be 


430  APPENDIX   C. 

restored  therein,  and  that  they  may  be  thtia  rendered  fit  for  work. 
Food  and  shelter,  hut  no  money  payment,  will  be  given  therein. 
Camp  diet  is  prescribed  in  G.  O.,  July  24,  1877,  No.  2,372 ;  but  all 
camps  must  be  so  divided  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  those  not 
actually  requiring  it  to  obtain  the  special  diet  allowance  sanctioned 
for  those  under  medical  treatment.  No  person  shall  in  any  case  be 
admitted  to  the  higher  scale  of  diet  except  under  the  written  order  of 
the  medical  officer  of  the  camp. 

49.  Collectors  will  take  care  and  watch  carefully  the  effect  of 
relief  operations,  and  if  it  should  appear  that  any  camp  has  a  tendency 
to  draw  to  it  those  who  should  be  relieved  in  their  villages,  or  any 
undue  tendency  is  observed  on  the  part  of  those  on  works  to  seek 
camp  relief,  the  diet  must  be  so  adjusted  in  accordance  with  the  dis- 
cretion given  by  the  Gfovemment  order  referred  to  as  to  counteract 
such  tendency. 

50.  No  outside  relief  shall  be  given  at  any  closed  camp. 

51.  All  able  to  work  will  at  once  be  sent  to  a  suitable  relief  work 
with  a  list  as  described  in  paragraph  29.  In  carrying  out  these  in- 
structions, however,  the  officer  will  exercise  a  careful  discretion  in 
cases  where  husband  or  wife,  mother  or  child,  may  be  ill  in  camp,  and 
should  not  enforce  separation  in  such  cases.  Any  able-bodied  person 
so  retained  temporarily  in  camp  will  be  required  to  do  suitable  work 
in  or  about  the  camp. 

52.  The  collector  should  keep  superintendents  of  camps  informed 
of  all  works  in  progress,  and  to  what  extent  labour  can  be  acoommo- 
dated  on  each  work,  and  the  order  of  the  superintendent  of  the  camp 
to  the  officer  in  ch surge  of  the  work  shall  be  sufficient  authority  to  the 
latter  to  receive  the  persons  who  may  be  sent  from  the  camp. 

53.  Wanderers  who  present  themselves  at  any  village  in  a  state 
of  destitution  shall  be  provided  by  the  village  head  with  one  meal, 
i.e.,  10  oz.  grain,  and  he  will  be  held  strictly  responsible  that  no 
person  manifestly  in  need  of  assistance  to  prevent  starvation  shall 
remain  unrelieved ;  but  such  {lersons  shall  only  i-eoeive  one  meal,  and 
shall  be  passed  on  to  the  nearest  relief  camp  where  they  shall  receive 
support,  or,  if  needed,  medical  treatment,  or,  if  in  a  fit  condition  to 
support  themselves  by  labour,  be  at  once  sent  to  suitable  works.  In 
special  cases,  where  necessary,  village  heads  may  incur  such  charge  as 
may  be  needed  to  convey  to  the  nearest  relief  camp  destitute  persons 
who  cannot  travel.  But  whenever  this  is  done  an  immediate  report 
must  be  made  to  the  village  inspector. 

54.  In  laying  out  relief  camps,  sanitary  requirements,  especially 
position  of  hospital,  water  supply,  and  latrines,  should  be  carefully 
attended  to. 


APPENDIX   C.  431 

55.  With  the  exception  of  those  in  hospital,  persons  in  relief 
camps  ai'e  not  to  be  allowed  to  remain  idle ;  they  must  be  employed 
in  all  the  necessary  duties  of  the  camp,  its  conservancy,  water  supply, 
cookery,  hospital  attendance,  dec,  or  in  spinning,  weaving,  rope  making, 
or  other  similar  light  work.  No  extra  allowances  are  to  be  given  for 
work  performed  in  or  about  the  camp. 

56.  This  order,  except  as  regards  scales  of  diet,  does  not  apply  to 
the  Nilgiris  district,  in  which  the  commissioner's  arrangements  to 
meet  the  special  circumstances  will  continue  in  force  subject  to  further 
instructions. 

(True  extract.) 

(Signed)  J.  H.  GARSTIN, 

Additional  Secretary  to  Government. 

To  the  Board  of  Revenue. 

Financial  Department. 

Public  Works  Department. 

Sanitary  Commissioner. 

Surgeon-Greneral,  Indian  Medical  Department. 

Commissioner  of  Police. 

Inspector-General  of  Police. 
To  all  Collectors. 


432 


APPENDIX   D. 


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436  APPENDIX   D. 

The  Mansion  House  Committee  was  composed  as  follows : — 

President  and  Treatwrer. 
The  Right  Hon.  the  Lord  Mayor  (Sir  Thomas  White). 

Committee. 

The  Right  Hon  the  Earl  of  Northbrook,  G.C.S.I. 
Sir  Nathaniel  M.  de  Rothschild,  M.P. 

las^^^"''-^-}     (B-ingBros.) 

Sir  Charles  H.  Mills,  Bart.,  M.P.  (Messrs.  Glyn,  Mills  &  Co.). 

Hugh  M.  Matheson,  Esq.  (Messrs.  Matheson's). 

The  Baron  de  Stem  (Messrs.  Stem  Brothers). 

L.  Hath  Esq.  (Messrs.  F.  Hath  k  Son). 

C.  G.  Arbathnot,  Esq.  (Messrs.  Arbathnot,  Latham  k  Co.) 

J.  S.  Morgan,  Esq.  (Messrs.  J.  S.  Morgan  k  Co.). 

John  Fleming,  Esq.,  C.S.I.  (Smith,  Fleming  &  Co.), 

Francis  W.  Bazton,  Esq.  (Rresoott,  Grote  &  Co.). 

Hon.  Henry  L.  Bourke  (Branton,  Boorke  &  Co.). 

Henry  Bayley,  Esq.  (P.  &  O.  Company). 

S.  P.  Low  Esq.,  J.P.  (Grindlays  &  Co.). 

William  Scott,  Esq.  (Binney  k  Co.). 

^'K^castle,  Esq.}   <Oomptoir  d'Escompt*.) 

John  Sands,  Esq.  (Frith,  Sands  k  Co.). 

H.  S.  Cunningham,  Esq.,  Advocate-General,  Madras. 

John  Pender,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Eastern  Telegraph  Co. 

Samuel  Morley  Esq.,  M.P.  (J.  and  R.  Morley). 

Charles  Teede,  Esq.  (Teede  k  Bishop). 

Mr.  Alderman  Sidney. 

P.  Macfayden  Esq.,  Madras  (Arbuthnot  k  Co.). 

G.  Parbury,  Esq.  (Messrs.  W.  Thacker  k  Co.). 

Mr.  Alderman  and  Sheriff  Hadley. 

Thomas  Gray,  Esq. 

J.  H.  Grossman,  Esq.,  J.P. 

T.  J.  Reeves,  Esq.  (Dent,  Palmsr  k  Co.). 

C.  B.  Dowden,  Esq. 

Arthur  T.  Hewitt,  Esq. 

George  Arbathnot,  Esq. 

George  Smith,  Esq.  (Smith,  Elder  k  Co.). 

J.  N.  Bnllen,  Esq. 

Alderman  Sir  W.  A.  Rose. 

Alderman  Sir  R.  W.  Garden. 

F.  W.  Heilgers,  Esq. 

General  Sir  Heniy  W.  Norman,  K.tJ.B. 
W.  R.  Arbuthnot,  Esq. 
W.  Mackinnon,  Esq. 
H.  S.  King,  Esq.,  J  J". 

Bon.  Secretary. 
William  J.  Soulsby,  Esq.,  Private  Secretaiy  to  the  Lord  Mayor. 

Hon,  Cathier, 

G.  J.  W.  Winzar  Esq« 

Bankers, 
Messrs.  Glyn,  Mills,  Carrie  k  Co.,  Lombard  Street. 


APPENDIX   B.  437 


APPENDIX  E. 
SOUTHERN    INDIA'S    GRATITUDE. 

{Fr<*m  the  Madrat  l^mst,  January  29.) 

The  good  people  of  Madras  will  have  to  carry  their  memories  very 
far  back  to  recollect  an  occasion  when  a  public  meeting  held  in  the 
BanquetLng  Hall  was  so  numerously  attended,  so  iniiuentially  repre- 
sented, and  accompanied  by  so  much  enthusiasm  as  that  which  took 
place  last  evening  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  resolutions  conveying, 
on  behalf  of  the  people  of  Southern  India,  an  expression  of  heartfelt 
gratitude  for  the  sympathy  and  support  nobly  and  generously  accorded 
them  by  the  people  of  Great  Britain,  her  Colonies  and  India,  in  relief 
of  the  distress  caused  by  the  famine  which  has  overshadowed  the  land 
throughout  the  last  eighteen  months.  The  meeting  of  yesterday 
evening  was  not  only  an  assemblage  of  the  people  of  Madras,  but  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  whole  of  Southern  India,  the  latter  being  re- 
presented by  delegates  fix>m  most  of  the  districts  which  had  felt  the 
severity  of  the  famine ;  and  another  characteristic  and  highly  interest- 
ing feature  of  the  occasion  was  the  pleasing  fact  that  the  hall  was 
graced  by  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  ladies,  the  gentle  influence 
of  several  of  whom  had  in  no  small  way  helped  in  mitigating  the 
severity  caused  by  the  period  of  scarcity.  His  Grace  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham  and  Ohandos  received  the  delegates  of  the  famine  com- 
mittees of  the  districts  of  Southern  India  and  the  province  of  Mysore 
at  Government  House,  where  they  were  introduced  to  his  Grace,  and, 
accompanied  by  them,  came  to  the  Banqueting  Hall  precisely  at  half- 
past  four  o'clock.  The  hall  at  this  moment  presented  an  animated 
and  interesting  spectacle.  It  was  crowded  almost  to  overflowing,  and 
the  assemblage  represented  members  of  every  section  of  the  public. 
On  the  dais  were  accommodated  his  Grace  the  Chairman,  the  Ladies 
Grenville,  the  Members  of  Council,  the  several  speakers,  and  the 
delegates  from  the  District  Committees,  including  the  Rajah  of  Yen- 
catagherry,  C.S.I.,  and  Mr.  Seshia  Sastri,  C.S.I.  Among  others  pre- 
sent on  the  occasion  were  Lady  Robinson,  the  Honourable  D.  F. 
Carmichael,  Miss  Carmichael,  Colonel  Michael,  C.S.I.,  Mr.  Tarrant, 
Mrs.  Tarrant,  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Dean,  Mrs.  Dean,  Mrs.  Digby,  Mr. 
Thomhill,  C.S.I.,  Mr.  Ballard,  Colonel  Weldon,  Mr.  Campbell,  the 
Honourable  V.  Ramiengar,  C.S.I.,  Mr.  Srinivasa  Row,  Mr.  Run- 
ganadha  MudaJiyar,  Mr.  Mahomed  Yusuf  Saib,  and  many  others. 


438  APPENDIX    K. 

Mr.  W.  W.  MuNSiE,  the  Sheriff,  read  the  following  notice  conven- 
ing the  meeting : 

*  We,  the  undersigned  inhabitants  of  Madras,  request  that  you  will 
be  so  good  as  to  convene  a  Public  Meeting  at  the  Banqueting  Hall, 
on  Monday,  January  28,  at  4.30  p.m.,  for  the  purpose  of  expressing 
the  gratitude  of  the  people  of  Southern  India  for  the  sympathy 
and  liberality  exhibited  towards  the  famine-stricken  population 
of  India  by  their  fellow-subjects  in  all  parts  of  the  British  dominions. 

"We  have  the  honour  to  be.  Sir,  your  obedient  Servants, 

(Signed) 

C.  R.  Drury.  C.  A.  Ainslie. 

Robert  Stephenson.  J.  W.  Mellis. 

T.  E,  Franck.  V.  Krishnama  Chariar. 

H.  R.  Dawson.  J.  Cramp. 

Y.  Yencatahramiah.  C.  Y.  Cunniah  Chetty. 

Mahomed  Yusuf.  G.  Coopoosawmy  Naidu. 

J.  Higginbotham.  L.  R.  Burrows. 

S.  Fennelly.  J.  H.  Taylor. 

J.  G,  Coleman.  Robert  B.  Elwin. 

G.  Bidie,  M.B.  Wm.  Digby. 

Robert  Orr.  H.  R.  P.  Carter. 

T.  Ramachendra  Row.  P.  Strinivasa  Row. 

T.  Weldon.  P.  Yiziarungum  Mudaliyar. 

J.  Colgan.  Mohideen  Sheriff  Khan  Bahaduc 
Ahmed  Mohideen  Khan  Bahadur.       W.  Walker. 

C.  A.  Lawson.  Frederick  T  Atkins.' 

Mr.  Munsie  added  that  the  meeting  was  held  in  pursuance  of  the 
above  notice. 

His  Grace  the  Chaibman  said  : — *  The  notice  the  Sheriff  has  read 
explains  fully  the  cause  of  the  present  meeting — to  thank  the  people 
of  England,  of  the  Colonies,  to  thank  all  parts  of  the  British  Empire 
for  the  aid  which  was  so  promptly  and  so  liberally  afforded  to 
Southern  India  in  her  hour  of  distress.  That  dark  cloud  of  famine 
which  has  so  long  overshadowed  Southern  India  has  broken  and  is 
dispersed.  Much  distress  has  been  relieved,  the  condition  of  the 
people  is  vastly  improved,  and  although  in  many  districts  yet  there 
are  still  recurrences  of  distress,  shadows  of  clouds  still  undispersed 
passing  over,  yet  all  the  returns  show  from  month  to  month  that 
distress  even  in  those  districts  is  lightening,  that  the  worst  is  passed, 
and  that  we  may  look  forward  to  being  relieved  from  the  anxiety 
under  which  we  have  so  long  lived,  we  may  look  to  that  being  very 
speedily  and  entirely  dispersed.     Although  the  famine  is  passed,  yet, 


APPENDIX   E.  439 

as  I  said,  much  distress  still  remainSy  and  good  work  remains  to 
be  done  with  that  remaining  portion  of  the  fund  so  liberally  and 
munificently  afforded  by  England's  charity.  Those  who  are  address- 
ing you  to-day,  having  taken  an  active  part  in  the  various  districts 
in  the  distribution  of  the  fund,  know  weU  how  great  was  the  distress 
they  had  to  meet,  how  vast  would  have  been  the  calamity  if  that  help 
had  not  been  afforded  to  us  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land.  Those  purposes  which  I  ventured  to  shadow  forth  at  the  meetr 
ing  in  August,  as  purposes  which  needed  a  large  and  liberal  charity 
to  meet,  to  relieve  those  distresses  that  could  not  be  brought  under  or 
met  by  Grovemment  organisation  or  rule,  have  been  found  not  less 
than  I  anticipated  they  would  be  found,  requiring  the  aid  of  the  large 
funds  which  have  been  given  to  this  country  for  the  purpose.  I  will 
not  detain  the  meeting  with  any  details.  Many  in  this  room  know 
far  better  almost  than  Government  the  details  of  the  distress  which 
they  had  to  deal  with  in  their  towns  and  in  their  villages,  and  I  will 
not  detain  you  longer  than  to  call  upon  the  Honorary  Secretary,  Mr. 
Digby,  to  read  a  statement  of  the  operations  of  the  committee. 
(Applause.) 

Mr.  DiQBY  said  that  five  and  a-half  months  ago,  when  the  appeal 
went  to  England  from  that  hall,  the  meeting  which  sent  it  was,  neces- 
sarily, composed  entirely  of  the  citizens  of  Madras.  There  was  not 
time  to  make  it  other  than  a  town's  meeting.  On  the  present  occa- 
sion, the  meeting  was  representative  of  the  whole  Presidency,  indeed 
of  Southern  India  generally,  for  not  only  were  there  representatives 
present  from  the  various  local  committees,  but  also  a  deputation  from 
Mysore.  Some  local  committees  could  not  send  delegates,  but  instead 
had  written  expressing  their  gratitude.  He  held  in  his  hand  a  list  of 
delegates  and  letters  from  committees.  He  would  not  read  them  to 
the  meeting,  but  the  document  would  be  handed  to  the  press  for  publi- 
cation. One  or  two  letters,  however,  might  be  cited.  After  quoting 
two  or  three  of  the  letters,  the  following  document  was  laid  on  the 
table : — 

List  of  Delegates  and  Letters  from  Local  Committees  attending  the 

PvMic  Meeting  on  January  28. 

Adoni, — No  members  able  to  attend,  owing  to  business  and  other 
engagements.  Mr.  Byramjee,  Honorary  Secretary,  writes : — *  The 
committee  here  humbly  request  the  general  committee  to  excuse 
them  for  their  non-attendance,  and  at  the  same  time  beg  leave  to  ex- 
press many  thanks  for  the  kindness  shown  by  the  British  public 
towards  their  poor  fellow-subjects  of  this  country  in  their  time  of 
distress.' 


440  APPENDIX   E. 

Amee, — lyaloo  Naidu ;  Akiland  Aiyar. 

Bdlary, — Arthur  Huson,  Esq. ;  Rev.  E.  Lewis ;  M.  Abraham, 
Esq. ;  A.  Sabapathy  Mudaliyar,  Esq. ;  Custoori  Chetty,  Esq.,  and  A. 
Sadasiva  Fillai. 

ChingUput  {and  Saidapet)  C&rUral  Committees. — Mr.  Barlow 
writes  : — *  I  greatly  regret  that  my  revenue  arrangements  wiU,  pro- 
bably, make  it  impossible  for  me  to  attend,  as  I  am  at  present  work- 
ing away  from  any  line  of  railway,  for  as  coUector — even  more  than 
as  president  of  the  Saidapet  committee — I  should  have  wished  to 
express  my  thanks  for  British  relief,  especially  as  regards  the  allot- 
ments for  agriculturists,  which  have  enabled  large  numbers  of  petty 
holders  to  recommence  cultivation,  after  eighteen  months  of  famine, 
with  something  like  a  good  heart.' 

Saidapet  sends  the  following  gentlemen : — George  Duncan,  Esq. ; 
A.  M.  Jones,  Esq. ;  Y.  Bagava  Charlu,  Esq. 

Chimgleput — C.  N.  Overbury,  Esq. ;  C.  Soondarum  Mudaliyar ; 
2T.  Bamakistna  Aiyer;  M.  Coopoosawmy  Naidu;  P.  Tharagaram 
Filial ;  P.  Strinivassa  Aiyengar. 

Chitoor. — Thomas  Stracey,  Esq. ;  V.  Soondra  Aiyer ;  T.  S.  Nara- 
singa  Bao. 

Coimbatore. — No  members  able  to  attend,  owing  to  business 
engagements. 

Cuddalore, — 0.  B.  Irvine,  Esq. ;  Vencoba  Charriar ;  Bajarutna 
Mudaliyar,  and  Sadasiva  Pillay. 

Dindigvl, — We  are  reminded  that  this  is  the  date  for  your  great 
public  meeting  at  Madras,  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  the  gratitude 
of  the  people  of  Southern  India  for  the  very  kind  and  munificent 
assistance  they  have  received  from  kind  friends  in  England  in  this 
time  of  famine  and  distress.  We  regret  that  our  committee  cannot  be 
represented  at  this  meeting,  in  the  object  of  which  we  feel  so  hearty 
a  sympathy.  But  they  desire  me  to  express  for  them  their  own  grati- 
tude, and  that  of  the  thousands  and  ten  thousands  in  this  district 
whose  sufferings  have  been  relieved  by  this  most  timely  assistance. 
Words  fiedl  us  in  the  attempt  to  express  our  appreciation  of  the  kind- 
ness and  love  which  have  prompted  this  princely  gift.  It  is  hard  to 
get  an  expression  of  feeling  from  this  people,  but  they  are  not  wholly 
insensible.  This  kindness  astonishes  them  now,  but  for  years  to  come 
it  will  be  a  lesson  which  cannot  be  lost  upon  them. 

Dindigtd, — The  Rev.  Louis  St.  Cyr,  writing  on  January  24, 
says,  'Indeed  England  has  given  to  the  world  the  most  splendid 
example  of  charity  and  generosity  in  the  way  she  came  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  fiunine-stricken  people  in  the  Presidency  of  Madras.  May 
God  reward  and  bless  her  as  she  deserves  !     I  associate  myself  most 


APPENDIX    E.  441 

cordially  with  Uie  public  meeting  which  is  to  be  held  in  Madras  the 
28th  instant,  being  unable  to  be  prenent  on  the  occasion.' 

Erode. — Chinnamala  Govindoo ;  Gopaulasamy  Naidu  ;  Abdul 
Kader  Saib. 

Kodi  Kcmal. — The  Rev.  J.  T.  Noyes,  Honorary  Secretaiy,  writes  : 
— '  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that  there  is  to  be  a  meeting  in  the 
Banqueting  Hall  to  express  thanks.  Nothing  could  be  more  appro- 
priate. It  would  give  us  great  pleasure  to  attend.  But  I  cannot, 
and  I  do  not  think  any  of  our  members  can  attend,  unless  Mr.  Turner 
will  go.' 

Kumool, — Feared  no  one  can  attend  unless  Mr.  Latham,  on  his 
return  from  Coconado. 

OngoU, — ^Rev.  J.  E.  Loughridge. 

Pulney, — ^The  Honorary  Secretaiy  (Mr.  Chandler)  writes: — 
*  We  received  your  telegi-am  in  regard  to  the  public  meeting  to  be 
held  on  the  28th  instant,  and  at  our  meeting  held  on  Saturday  last, 
as  no  one  volunteered  to  go,  we  decided  to  send  an  united  expression 
of  our  thanks,  which  you  will  receive  in  a  day  or  two.' 

'Head  and  recorded  telegram  from  Honorary  Secretary,  relief 
committee,  Madras,  requesting  to  know  if  any  of  the  members  of 
the  Pulney  relief  committee  would  attend  the  meeting  to  be  held 
at  Madras  on  the  28th,  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  up  an  address 
thanking  the  people  of  England  for  their  generous  benefactions. 

*  Resolved, — That  the  Honorary  Secretary  be  requested  to  inform 
the  Madras  committee  that  the  members  of  this  committee  severally 
and  jointly  regret  their  inability  to  attend  the  meeting  in  question. 

'  Resolved  also, — That  an  address  be  drawn  up  in  the  name  of  the 
people  of  Pulney  taluk,  thanking  the  people  of  England  for  their 
liberal  charity  in  the  time  of  great  distress,  and  that  the  same  be 
forwarded  to  the  Madras  conmiittee  for  transmission  to  the  promoters 
of  the  Mansion  House  fund.' 


Pulney,  January  26,  1878. 
Your  telegram  in  regard  to  the  public  meeting,  to  be  held  on  the 
28th,  was  received  and  read  at  the  last  meeting  of  our  committee . 
No  one  has  the  leisure  to  accept  the  kind  invitation.  But  though 
prevented  by  circumstances  from  being  present  in  person,  we  must 
not  fail  to  forward  to  you,  and  through  you  to  the  donors  of  the 
Mansion  House  fund,  our  sincere  and  most  hearty  thanks  for  the 
timely  aid  they  have  sent  to  the  thousands  of  sorely  distressed  people 
of  this  taluk. 


442  APPENDIX   E. 

We  thank  you  in  behalf  of  more  than  two  thousand  landholders 
who  have  been  able  by  your  aid  to  bring  their  fields  under  culti- 
vation during  the  recent  rains,  though  in  very  many  instances  they 
had  been  compelled  to  consume  their  seed  grain ,  using  their  farming 
utensils  for  fuel,  and  selling  their  ploughing  cattle  to  keep  themselves 
alive. 

We  thank  you  in  behalf  of  the  12,000  poor,  whom  the  pressure  of 
famine  and  the  severity  of  the  rainy  season  had  left  roofless,  and  who 
are  now  able  to  secure  some  shelter. 

We  thank  you  on  behalf  of  more  than  4,000  persons,  most  of 
them  women,  who  could  almost  literally  say,  *  We  were  naked  and 
you  have  clothed  us.' 

We  thank  you  in  behalf  of  the  little  children,  many  of  whom 
would  have  been  in  their  graves  but  for  the  16,000  meals  of  good 
wholesome  food  they  have  taken  in  our  day  nursery. 

We  thank  you  in  behalf  of  more  than  2,000  men,  women,  and 
children,  who  have  been  able  to  prolong  their  lives  with  the  pittance 
given  in  the  weekly  money  dole.  And  again  we  thank  you  in  behalf 
of  the  120  children  of  our  orphanage  who  are  thrown  entirely  upon 
our  care.  And  we  pray  that  the  blessing  of  Him  who  is  the  Grod  of 
the  widows  and  of  the  fatherless  children,  and  who  has  said,  *  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  ye  have  done  it 
imto  Me,'  may  rest  upon  you,  and  abundantly  reward  you  for  your 
liberal,  timely,  and  highly  appreciated  benefactions. 

Ranipett. — H.  W.  Bliss,  Esq.,  B.A. ;  H.  M.  Scudder,  Esq.,M.D. 

Tripatore. — T.  Misquita,  Esq.,  District  Munsif :  Mr.  Leonard, 
Police  Inspector :  M.  R.  Ry.  Ananthram  Aiyer ;  Annamaly  Chettiar ; 
Subba  Row ;  Mr.  C.  Soondrum,  Evangelist,  L.M.S. 

TinneveUy. — Telegram,  'Our  members  regret  cannot  attend 
meeting.' 

Madura, — ^Ko  member  can  attend  from  any  of  the  committees  in 
this  district,  but  Mr.  Lee- Warner,  C.S.,  writes,  *  K  it  can  be  done  by 
the  president,  on  behalf  of  the  whole  area  of  country  over  which  this 
grateful  gift  has  been,  and  is  being  distributed,  as  president  of  the 
Ramnad  relief  committee,  I  venture  to  express  the  heartfelt  thanks 
of  the  people  of  this  estate.' 

The  secretary  of  Madura  committee  writes  : — '  I  am  desired  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  through  the  collector  of  your  telegram,  dated 
16th  instant,  to  the  president  of  this  committee,  and  in  reply  to 
inform  you  that  the  committee  much  regret  that  they  are  unable  to 
send  any  of  their  members  to  represent  them  on  this  interesting  occasion; 
all  find  their  time  fully  occupied  ;  and  that  their  official  and  private 
avocations  will  not  just  now  allow  leisure  for  a  visit  to  Madras.     I 


APPENDIX   E.  443 

am  at  the  same  time  to  express  the  committee's  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments of  the  ready  and  liberal  consideration  which  the  general  com- 
mittee has  already  given  to  their  representation,  and  to  assure  you 
that,  though  unable  to  be  present,  they  and  this  whole  district  will 
echo  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts  the  resolutions  in  which  your 
gratitude  for  the  generous  sympathy  of  the  English  people  may  find 
expression.' 

Tmdtva/num, — Eev.  "W".  H.  Wyckoff. 

Trichinopoly, — A.  Seshia  Sastri,  Esq.,  C.S.I. ;  Periasami  Muda- 
liyar  ;  Syed  Khan  Saib. 

Vellore. — Eev.  J.  Scudder,  M.D. 

Salem, — Eev.  G.  O.  Newport ;  Dr.  E.  N.  Manikum  Mudaliyar. 

CuddapaJi. — This  committee  r^rets  that  none  of  their  members 
will  be  able  to  attend  the  public  meeting  at  Madras,  and  therefore  re- 
solves that  Messrs.  N.  Appa  Eow,  C.  Chengal  Eow,  E.  Eaghavandra 
Eow,  T.  N.  Subba  Eeddy,  Grouse  Sahib,  and  Hussain  Saib  be  re- 
quested to  form  a  sub-committee,  to  draw  up  a  note  of  thanks  in 
Telugu,  to  be  forwarded  to  the  general  committse,  Madras. 

TransUuion  of  Tdugu  Note, 

To  the  GJeneraJ  Committee  of  the  Mansion  House  Fund,  Madras. 

Gentlemen, — ^We  are  much  rejoiced  at  the  notice  sent  to  us  by  the 
Committee  of  the  Mansion  House  fund,  informing  us  that  a  meeting  will 
be  held  on  the  28th  of  this  month  at  Madras,  to  convey  thanks  to  the 
most  exalted  Englishmen  who  have  liberally  contributed  funds  towards 
the  maintenance  of  the  sufferers  from  the  famine.  We  are  all  desirous  to 
attend  the  meeting,  but  regret  very  much  that  our  business  engage- 
ments and  other  circumstances  will  not  permit  us  to  do  so.  The 
country  has  suffered  severely  from  a  great  famine  for  nearly  two  years, 
but  the  funds  liberally  contributed  by  the  British  nation  have  greatly 
helped  the  poor  in  procuring  food,  clothing,  seed  grain,  and  cattle, 
and  in  relieving  the  sick  and  the  emaciated.  We,  therefore,  on  behalf 
of  our  brethren  who  have  benefited  by  the  relief  fund,  beg  that  our 
most  grateful  and  heartfelt  thanks  be  conveyed  to  the  subscribers  to 
the  Mansion  House  fund. 

(Signed)     N.  Appa  Eow. 

C.  Chenoal  Eow. 
E.  Eaghavandra  Eow. 
T.  N.  Subba  Eow. 
G.  GousE  Sahib. 


444  APPENDIX   E. 

Tanjore. — ^A.  Seshia  Sastri,  Esq.,  C.S.I.  The  president,  writes  :— 
'  You  will  have  received  a  message  that  Mr.  Seshia  Sastri  will  represent 
the  Tanjore  committee ;  though  we  are  in  such  excellent  hands,  we  must 
still  regret  that  it  is  impossible  that  any  member  of  our  committee  can 
be  present  on  Monday.  Mr.  Subrahmanya  Ayyar,  who  will  repre- 
sent Tanjore,  is  in  such  poor  health,  I  regret  to  say,  that  he  feels 
unequal  to  the  journey.  The  vice-president  (the  sub-judge)  and 
myself  are  kept  here  by  our  heavy  official  work ;  other  members  of 
the  committee  have  not  quite  finished  their  circles,  or  do  not  know 
English.  I  much  regret  this,  but  trust  that  you  will  kindly  explain, 
if  necessary,  how  matters  stand.  Allow  me,  personally,  to  thank 
you  for  the  ready  answers  you  have  always  sent  to  my  letters  and 
messages.' 

{Telegrams  from  the  Bishop  of  Coimbatore,) — Unexpectedly  pro- 
vented  from  attending  meeting.  Bishop,  clergy,  congregation  thank 
generous  English  people. 

Bishop  Fennelly  wrote  : — *  The  Vicar  Apostolic  of  Pondicherry, 
who  regrets  his  inability  to  attend  the  meeting  thiB  evening,  desires 
me  to  assure  you  that  he  and  his  clergy  and  congregations  unite 
with  the  meeting  in  the  expressions  of  heartfelt  gratitude  for  the 
sympathy  and  assistance  accorded  by  the  people  of  Great  Britain  and 
other  countries  to  the  famine  sufferers  in  Southern  India.' 

Mr.  DiGBT  continued  by  saying :  I  have  the  honour  on  behalf  of 
the  general  committee  to  lay  the  following  statement  before  the 
meeting : — 

On  August  4,  a  meeting  was  held  in  this  hall  to  make  an  appeal 
to  English  charity  on  behalf  of  the  famine-stricken  people  of  India,  to 
render  such  aid  as  it  was  beyond  the  province  of  Government  to  give. 
A  committee  of  gentlemen  was  appointed,  from  whom,  two  days 
after,  an  executive  committee  was  chosen ;  an  appeal  was  prepared 
by  this  committee  to  be  sent  to  England  and  elsewhere.  By  the 
executive  committee  the  work  of  distribution  has  mainly  been 
carried  out. 

The  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  Alderman  Sir  Thomafi  White,  at 
once  organised  a  committee  and  opened  a  subscription  list  at  the 
Mansion  House ;  meanwhile,  the  municipal  bodies  in  Great  Britain 
were  communicated  with.  Separate  funds  were  opened  in  Lancashire, 
Blackburn,  Bradford,  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  and  Greenock.  In  course 
of  time  the  movement  spread,  and,  either  directly  to  the  committee  at 
Madras,  or  through  the  Mansion  House,  from  all  parts  of  the  British 
dominions,  from  Australia,  New  Zealand,  Canada,  Jamaica,  and  other 
West  India  Islands,  British  Guiana,  Mauritius,  Ceylon,  Gibraltar, 


APPENDIX   E.  445 

Hongkong,  the  Straits  Settlements,  from  English  residents  in  con- 
tinental cities,  Bengal  and  Burma — contributions  flowed  in,  until,  in 
November,  the  committee  felt  themselves  in  a  position  to  say  that  the 
fund  might  be  closed,  as  they  had  as  much  as  they  would  be  able  to 
disburse.  As  soon  as  English  feeling  had  been  aroused,  money  flowed 
in  very  liberally,  for  two  or  three  weeks;  at  the  Mansion  House  alone, 
10,000Z.  per  diem  was  received.  In  the  earlier  days  of  the  fund  large 
sums,  such  as  500Z.  from  the  Queen  Empress,  500  guineas  from  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  1001.  from  the  Princess  of  Wales,  several  donations 
of  1,000^.  each  from  the  Bank  of  England  and  City  houses  were  chiefly 
received,  but  later  on,  the  large  stream  of  charity  was  made  up  of 
multitudinous  sums,  chiefly  collections  from  workmen,  schools, 
churches  and  chapels.  All  sects  and  creeds  contributed,  and  the 
money  has  been  equally  disbursed,  irrespective  of  caste  or  creed.  It 
is  impossible  to  estimate  the  number  of  persons  contributing  to  the 
fund,  but,  bearing  in  mind  the  small  sums  which  characterised  con- 
gregational and  similar  collections,  the  total  must  represent  several 
millions  of  individuals.  An  analysis  of  the  Mansion  House  list,  the 
only  one  received  in  entirety,  has  not  yet  been  made— there  has  not 
been  time  for  this ;  but  when  it  is  done,  it  is  believed  that  more  than 
half,  probably  a  good  deal  more,  of  the  sum  of  500,000Z.  sterling,  will 
be  found  to  have  been  contributed  in  amounts  of  61.  and  less.  The 
sums  received  and  promised  from  particular  sources  are  as  follows  :— * 

£ 
Mansion  House,  London  and  Bradford  ....    500,000 

Lancashire 75,932 

Edinburgh 20,000 

Glasgow 7,537 

Greenock 1,840 

Australia  and  New  Zealand 100,000 

Other  colonies  (Mauritius,  Hongkong,  British  Guiana, 

&c.) 5,400 

Inditk  generally  (Madras  included)        ....  20,000 

731,209 

Besides  this  a  special  fimd  was  raised  in  the  county  of  Buckingham, 
which  has  been  entrusted  specially  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  as 
Lord  Lieutenant  of  that  coimty. 

Whilst  the  sum  .total  of  receipts  at  this  stage  (the  various  funds 
having  closed)  can  be  given  with  tolerable  accuracy,  only  an  approxi- 
mate analysis  can  be  prepared  of  expenditure  to  the  end  of  the  year. 
Although  some  committees  are  closing  operations,  none  have  yet 
actually  ceased  to  give  relief.  As  is  well  known,  considerable  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  the  months  of  August  and  September  in  obtaining 


446  APPENDIX   E. 

efficient  distributing  agency  throughout  the  Mofussil,  but  these  were 
surmounted,  partly  owing  to  the  services  of  Grovemment  officials  being 
made  available,  and  also  to  the  success  which  attended  the  efforts  of 
delegates  sent  by  the  executive  to  organise  committees.  Including 
local,  sub,  and  taluk  committees  and  individual  agencies,  more  than 
150  bodies  were  in  existence  in  November,  and  over  one  thousand 
Europeans,  Eurasians,  and  native  gentlemen  have  been  engaged  in  the 
work  of  relief.  Their  labours  have  been  unremitting  and  most  zealous, 
and  the  thanks  of  this  meeting  and  of  the  English  subscribers  are 
due  for  their  labour  bestowed  and  enei^  expended  by  them.  Among 
the  most  valued  agents  of  the  committee  have  been  the  missionaries 
of  all  creeds,  who  have  been,  in  many  cases,  the  only  available  means 
by  which  the  suffering  could  be  reached.  In  some  cases  several 
months  have  been  devoted  exclusively  to  this  work,  and  missionary 
agents  have  lived  for  weeks  together  among  the  people,  travelling 
from  village  to  village,  personally  enquiring  into  cases  of  distress,  and 
relieving  wants  with  their  own  hands.  This,  in  fact,  has  been  a 
characteristic  of  all  the  committees,  and  it  is  but  just  to  remark  that 
the  magnificent  money  gift  has  been  worthily  equalled  by  unselfish 
hard  work  on  the  part  of  distributors  of  the  fond.  The  money  has 
been  disbursed  as  follows : — 

To  Madras  city,  for  support  and  clothing,  1,69,000  rs.  Many  doles 
were  given  to  caste  and  Gosha  people  who  could  not  avail  themselves 
of  Government  relief,  and  for  partial  aid  to  others  not  wholly  destitute, 
in  numbers  varying  from  5,940  on  August  18  to  19,126  on  November 
12,  the  numbers  decreasing  a  few  thousands  subsequently,  until  they 
are  now  12,154  adults  and  4,072  children.  Cloths  to  these  were 
given  at  a  cost  of  23,790  rs.  The  need  for  this  aid  still  continues, 
rice  being  stiU  as  high  as  4  measures  per  rupee,  each  measure  being 
about  3  lbs.  in  weight,  about  two  and  a -half  times  its  nominal  rate. 
This  relief  was  disbursed  by  nine  divisional  committees,  superintended 
by  the  town  central  committee. 

The  district  distributions  are  as  follows : — 

North  Arcot  .                5,50,160 

South  Arcot 2,51,650 

Bellary 5,73,000 

Chingleput    .                 4,26,000 

Goimbatore •.        .  4,56,820 

Cuddapah 3,56,000 

Eistna .        .  23,730 

Eomool 3,29,000 

Madras,  for  Day  Nurseries,  Orphanages,  Friend-in- 

Need  Society,  and  Town  Relief,  &c. ....  2,41,988 

Madura 3,70,450 


APPENDIX    E.  447 

Rs. 
Malabar 17,400 

Neilgherry  Hills 13,385 

Nellore 4,49,159 

Salem 6,29,650 

Tinnevelly 1,80,000 

Tricbinopoly  and  Tanjore 3,63,900 

Tiavanoore 5,000 

Yizagapatam 2,000 

In  addition  to  the  above^  and  minor  sums,  16^  lakhs  have  been 
sent  to  Mysore,  and  80,000  rs.  to  Bombay,  and  some  to  Central  India. 

At  present  particulars  from  these  places  which  have  been  promised 
have  not  been  received,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  how  many  persons 
have  received  relief  and  in  what  form.  As  regards  our  own  com- 
mittees we  can  give  an  approximate  idea  of  what  had  been  done  with 
the  money  sent  to  them  prior  to  the  end  of  the  year,  but  in  quoting 
the  following  figures  it  must  be  remembered  they  are  greatly  within 
the  mark,  and  founded  on  as  yet  incomplete  examination  of  the 
voluminous  retiuns  received. 

Eelief  has  been  afforded  under  seven  heads,  and  to  the  number  of 
people  mentioned,  viz.  (the  figures  for  Madras  being  already  given, 
are  not  repeated  here) : — 

Rs. 
Food,  money  doles,  out-door  relief,  &c.,  namely.        .    10,00,000 

Orphanages  (about) 10,000 

Day  Nurseries 75,000 

Clothing 1,14,413 

Houses  repaired  or  rebuilt 31,824 

Agriculturists  helped  with  seed  grain,  bullocks,  &c  .  1,39,650 

Miscellaneous  charity ,        • 17,936 

Under  the  last  heading  is  included  substantial  help  to  weavers  and 
similar  classes,  who  have  been  helped  to  redeem  their  looms,  and  to 
commence  work.  This,  however,  has  only  been  done  in  an  incidental 
way.  Testimony  from  all  quarters  is  unanimous  as  to  the  great  good 
which  has  been  done  by  the  relief  funds,  and  though  here  and  ^ere 
cases  of  peculation  have  been  reported,  compared  with  the  vast  sums 
disbursed  they  were  exceedingly  few.  Close  personal  attention  on  the 
part  of  individual  members  of  committees  has  alone  secured  this 
result. 

An  mterim  balance  sheet  made  up  at  the  end  of  the  year  shows 
the  cost  of  managing  the  fund  to  that  date.  From  this  it  appears 
that  the  total  expenditure  in  the  central  office,  including  telegrams 
(the  largest  item),  printing,  <fec.,  was  rs.  25,315-13-9.  The  details  are 
as  follows : — 


448  APPENDIX   E. 

B8.       a.      p. 
Postages 1,024  16    6 

Printing  (maps  included) 3,662    7  0 

Establishment    ......  342    8  0 

Office  furniture,  stationery,  telegrams,  &c.         .  10,714    4  6 

Charges  on  specie,  remittance  and  bill  stamps  .  2,381  10  9 

Honorarium  and  travelling  expenses  to  dele- 

irates        .        .                6,800    0  0 

Total        .        .        .       24,416  13    9 
Grants  and  allotments  to  date,  as  per  weekly 
statements 64,47,693    0    0 

64,72,108  13    9 
To  balance       .        .  10,32,276    6    7 

Grand  total      .        .  76,04,386    3    4 

Assuming  that  when  all  the  remittances  are  received  and  brought 
to  account  the  sum  will  amount  to  more  than  80,00,000  rs.,  and  takinj? 
into  consideration  the  expenses  of  all  the  local  and  sub-committees 
the  executive  hope  to  be  able  to  show  working  charges  of  less  than 
one  per  cent,  upon  the  sum  entrusted  to  them.  If  this  can  be 
accomplished,  subscribers  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
their  generous  donations  have  been  disbursed  with  the  minimum  of 
attendant  expenditure. 

Afl  has  been  alr^y  remarked,  this  is  but  an  inierim  statement. 
When,  happily,  the  time  shall  come  that  no  further  need  for  its  efforts 
exists,  the  general  committee  will  be  prepared  to  render  a  full  account 
of  their  stewardship,  and  trust  it  will  be  found  that  they  have  wisely 
disbursed  the  large  sums  which  were  committed  to  their  charge  to 
alleviate  the  misery  of  their  fellow-subjects  in  this  land. 

[The  following  facts  from  the  honorary  secretary,  general  com- 
mittee, Friend-in-Need  Society,  were  forwarded,  for  inclusion  in  the 
statement  given  above : — 

As  requested  by  the  Friend-in-Need  Society  special  relief  commitr 
tee,  I  annex  certain  items  of  information  which  you  might  perhaps 
deem  proper  to  mention  at  the  public  meeting  on  Monday. 

862  persons  of  the  more  respectable  class  of  Europeans  and  East 
Indians,  who  felt  the  pressure  of  the  famine,  but  could  not  be 
expected  to  go  to  the  feeding  houses,  were  assisted  with  money  doles 
ranging  from  3  to  10  rs.,  according  to  circumstances. 

Of  the  pensioners  of  the  socie^  who  did  not  attend  the  feeding 
dep6ts,  there  were  12  with  families  who  received  r.  1-8  each  per 
mensem,  and  73  without  families  on  1  r. 

The  average  number  fed  daili/  was : — 

Adults 1^978 

Children 260 


APPENDIX  E.  449 

These  were  further  assisted  pecuniarily — those  with  families  r.  1-8 
each,  and  without  families  1  r.  per  mensem. 

Clothing  was  also  distributed  at  the  setting  in  of  the  oold  season 
to  those  receiving  food,  and  to  the  society's  pensioners  with  their 
families.     The  number  clothed  was : — 

Men 767 

Women 1,014 

Boys 290 

Girls. 283] 

Mr.  A.  SssniA  Sastri,  C.SJ.,  proposed  the  first  resolution,  which 
was: — 

*  That  this  meeting  desires  to  convey,  on  behalf  of  the  people  of 
Southern  India,  an  expression  of  heartfelt  gratitude  for  the  sympathy 
and  support  so  nobly  and  generously  accorded  them  by  the  people  of 
Great  Britain,  her  Colonies,  and  India,  in  relief  of  the  distress  caused 
by  the  famine  which  has  overshadowed  the  land  throughout  the  last 
eighteen  montlffi.' 

In  moving  the  resolution,  Mr.  Seshia  Sastri  spoke  as  follows : — 

Famines  are  not  new  to  the  world,  especially  to  tropical  countries 
and  countries  bordering  on  the  tropics,  only  their  occurrence  at  long 
intervals  renders  them  unfamiliar  to  us.  Famine  and  flood,  pestilence 
and  plague,  storms  and  storm-waves,  have  been  from  earliest  times 
phenomena  regarded  as  signs  of  Divine  wrath,  because  their  appear- 
ance is  sudden,  their  effects  are  terrible,  their  causes  are  mysterious, 
and  the  course  of  their  destruction  swift  and  irresistible.  And  it  is 
a  strange  fact  that  countries  reputed  as  the  granaries  of  the  world 
have  not  been  spared  from  famines ;  for  the  earliest  famine,  for  which 
we  have  the  authority  of  sacred  history,  as  we  all  may  be  reminded, 
was  that  which  occurred  in  Egypt  during  the  reign  of  the  Pharaohs, 
and  in  which  Joseph,  the  wise  and  discreet  officer,  played  so  con^ 
spicuous  a  part,  and  who,  warned  beforehand,  'gathered  com  as  the 
sand  of  the  sea  very  much,  imtU  he  left  numbering — ^for  it  was  without 
number.'  India  has  been  the  scene  of  many  famines — ^some  of  them, 
if  tradition  may  be  relied  on,  of  12  years'  duration — and  not  a  few 
have  been  eaqwrienced  in  our  own  Presidency.  They  were,  however, 
local,  confined  to  one  or  two  tracts  at  a  time,  where  they  have  left  to 
this  day  indelible  marks  of  the  destruction  caused  in  the  shape  of 
whole  villages  depopulated  and  now  overgrown  with  jungle,  as  may 
be  met  witili  notably  in  the  upland  taluks  of  the  late  Masulipatam 
and  Guntoor  districts.  Whole  colonies  of  people  driven  by  former 
famines  may  be  met  with  in  the  present  day,  scattered  and  settled  far 
away  from  their  homes.  Thus  a  colony  of  Tamil  Brahmins  driven 
from  Tanjore  have  been  settled  for  centuries  in  the  Godavery  delta ; 
VOL.  II.  G  G 


450  APPENDIX   E. 

soyersl  coloDies  of  Teliiga  Brahmins  driven  by  famines  with  which 
their  country  was  visited  oftener  than  others,  have  settled  themselves 
in  Southern  Tamil  districts.     Colonies  from  Madura  have  been  for 
centuries  settled  in  Tanjore.     Again,  several  successive  waves   of 
famine  emigrants  fit-om  the  ancient  Pandian  Kingdom  (Madura  and 
Tinnevelly)  may  be  traced,  at  this  day,  settled  on  the  favoured  Mala- 
bar coast,  where  famines  are  unknown ;  and,  in  our  time,  we  have  had 
the  Orissa  famine,  the  Ganjam  famine,  and  the  Bengal  famine,  none 
of  which,  however — thanks  to  the  Government  under  which  we  live, 
and  to  modem  commerce — ^has  displaced  and  permanently  scattered 
the  population  from  their  homes.      But  so  far  as  could  be  judged 
without  historic  data,  and  at  this  distance  of  time,  no  former  famine 
appears  to  have  been  so  wide-spread  and  to  have  threatened  the  simul- 
taneous annihilation  of  such  a  large  portion  of  the  population  as  the 
present  one,  out  of  which,  let  us  trust,  we  are  just  emerging,  under  the 
mercy  of  God.     So  fresh  must  be  the  occurrences  connected  with  the 
present  famine  in  the  memory  of  those  assembled  here,  that  I  must 
not  take  up  their  time  with  reciting  them.     The  &.ilure  of  the  early 
rains  in  1876  was  so  serious  and  the  loss  of  crops  so  great,  that  a 
great  scarcity  of  food,  indicated  by  high  prices,  was  the  first  feature 
which  presented  itself.     But,  accustomed  to  high  prices,  year  after  year, 
for  a  series  of  years,  our  minds  were  unprepared  for  an  approaching 
famine,  and  it  was  not  till  the  utter  failure  of  the  north-east  monsoon 
(November  1876)  that  we  realised  our  dangerous  position  and  stood 
face  to  face  with  a  famine  which  threatened  to  be  extraordinary 
in  magnitude  and  severity.     The  lives  of  a  population  of  18  millions 
(180  lakhs)  in  11  out  of  the  20  districts  of  this  Presidency,  of  three 
millions  in  Mysore,  and  of  many  millions  within  the  limits  of  the 
Bombay  Presidency  were  in  jeopardy.     It  was  not  easy  to  tell  what 
food  there  was  in  the  country.    It  was  consequently  impossible  to  say 
how  much  was  required  from  without  to  supply  the  deficiency.     The 
local  Government,  however,  doubled  and  radoubled  its  efibrts  in  every 
direction.     Belief  works  were  planned  and  multiplied  to  enable  the 
able-bodied  poor  to  earn  a  subsistence.     Belief  camps  were  opened 
at  convenient  centres  for  the  preservation,  by  actual  feeding,  of  the 
lives  of  those  who  were  too  weak,  by  age  or  sickness,  to  work  and 
earn  their  bread.     A  system  of  relief  by  village  money  doles  was  also 
afterwards  resorted  to,  to  save  from  death  the  aged  and  infirm  stQI 
left  at  home.     But  on  the  sufficiency  and  rapidity  of  the  supply  of 
food,  from  abroad  or  from  available  local  markets,  and  on  the  proximity 
to  the  scenes  of  actual  distress  to  which  it  was  possible  to  convey  that 
food,  depended  the  safety  of  millions.     This  necessity  fully  recog^. 
nised,  no  exertions  were  spared  (and  we  all  know  how  much  we  are 


APPENDIX   E.  451 

indebted  to  the  personal  exertions  of  his  Grace  the  Governor  in  this, 
among  other  directions)  to  expedite  and  facilitate  the  supply  of  food,  and 
the  carrying-power  of  the  railway  was  tried  to  the  utmost  possible  limit, 
while  the  ocean-borne  trade  proved  fully  equal  to  the  emergency.  The 
Crovemment  of  India,  on  their  part,  lost  no  time  and  spared  no  pains  to 
help,  combine,  and  concentrate  all  available  carrying-power  in  the  Em- 
pire. Some  idea  of  the  stupendous  character  of  the  operations  which 
taxed  the  minds  of  our  rulers  may  be  formed  by  noting  a  few  facts. 
1^  million  tons  of  food-grains,  valued  roughly  at  22^  crores  of  rupees, 
sufficient  at  a  low  calculation  to  support  7^  millions,  75  lakhs  of 
people,  for  12  months,  were  carried  by  the  railway  into  the  Presidency 
and  Mysore.  The  State  famine  expenditure  may  be  taken  at  four 
crores,  to  which  one  crore  for  Mysore,  and  another  crore  provided  by 
the  English  and  Indian  charity,  being  added,  we  have  a  total  expen- 
diture of  six  crores.  The  support  of  a  million  of  population  cost 
roughly  2^  crores  of  rupees.  The  six  crores  of  money  spent  must 
have  saved  21  millions  of  people.  The  highest  number  on  relief  (in 
September  1877)  was  a  little  over  two  millions  (21  lakhs),  and  five 
millions  of  people  must  have  also  absolutely  perished,  even  if  they 
had  the  money,  if  they  had  not  the  food  brought'  to  them  by  the  ocean 
and  the  railways.  Or,  in  other  words,  7^  millions  (76  lakhs  of  people), 
equivalent  to  35  per  cent,  of  the  population  of  the  famine  district, 
must  have  inevitably  perished,  but  for  the  presence  of  a  mighty 
commerce,  a  gigantic  carrier  in  the  railway,  and  a  powerful  and 
humane  Government  which  would  not  count  the  cost  in  saving  people 
from  death  by  starvation.  At  this  period  of  the  year,  December  1876 
to  April  1877,  no  other  field  for  the  employment  of  able-bodied  labour 
was  open  than  public  works.  The  cyclonic  rains  in  April,  May,  and 
June  1877,  which  tempted  many  to  plough  and  sow,  proved  delusive 
— for  the  results  of  that  cultivation  were,  as  we  all  know,  disastrous 
— and  people  were  again  thrown  back  on  the  hands  of  the  State— on 
public  works,  and  on  feeding  camps.  The  failure  of  another  south- 
west monsoon  thus  added  a  sad  gloom  to  the  already  deplorable  aspect 
of  affidrs.  The  money  of  the  Exchequer  was  well-nigh  exhausted, 
and  borrowed  money  was  running  out  at  the  rate  of  50  lakhs  per 
mensem.  But  in  spite  of  the  unremitting  supply  of  food  the  con- 
dition of  the  distressed  people  was  growing  worse  and  worse,  and  as 
one  rainless  day  succeeded  another,  and  prices  were  rising  with  unre- 
lenting steadiness,  hope  was  vanishing  and  dumb  resignation  to  an 
inevitable  fate  was  taking  its  place.  The  actual  condition  of  the 
people  at  this  time,  and  indeed  for  several  months  past,  was  one  of 
sore  distress.  Its  worst  features  were,  the  high  prices  which  still 
kept  food  inaccessible  to  many ;  there  was  no  water  to  drink,  no  fodder 

e  e2 


452  APPENDIX   E. 

for  the  cattle;  the  cattle  indeed  had  heen  let  loose  in  hnndreds  and 
thousands ;  the  aged  and  young  were  succumbing  in  large  numbers  to 
starvation  and  to  disease  generated  by  the  famine ;  the  thatch  on  the 
roof  of  the  huts  had  been  taken  ofif  to  feed  the  cattle.     People  in 
thousands,  nay  hundreds  of  thousands,  abandoned  their  homes  and 
lands  to  earn  a  precarious  subsistence  on  public  works,  or  for  a  scanty 
meal  in  the  feeding  camps,  stiU  wearing  the  very  clothes,  now  reduced 
to  the  last  rags,  in  which  they  had  left  their  homes,  the  females  laden 
with  baskets  on  their  heads,  containing  pots  and  cocoa-nut-shell  spoons, 
their  all  in  the  world — and  the  males,  laden  with  their  children,  now 
so  starved  as  to  be  *  spectres  unto  their  own  parents.'    Some  lived  on 
roots,  leaves,  on  the  seed  of  the  grass,  on  the  bark  of  trees ;  others  on 
'  the  plantain  root  and  on  the  plantain  stem,  and  even  on  the  tender 
stalk  of  the  screw-pine ;  others  again  found  a  meal  on  the  berries  of 
the  prickly-pear,  on  tamarind  seeds,  on  the  fruit  of  the  banian  and  the 
fig ;  while  others,  in  the  vicinity  of  forests,  lived  for  weeks  on  the 
seed  of  the  bamboo,  and  it  was  not  rare  to  find  children  kept  alive  on 
bran !     The  distress  was  not  confined  to  the  agriculturists.     The  poor 
among  all  other  industrial  classes,  and  notably  among  them  the 
weavers,  suffered  distress  even  more  severe,  because  less  accustomed 
to.     The  curse  of  famine  indeed  threatened  to  'consume  the  land. 
Rain  still  held  off,  and  ajffairs  became  more  grave  than  ever.     At  this 
juncture  the  Viceroy  visited  some  tracts  of  the  famine  country. 
More  public  works  and  more  agency  to  work  them,  more  feeding 
camps  and  more  agency  to  superintend  them,  were  devised  and  brought 
to  tell  on  the  alleviation  of  distress.     At  about  this  time  (end  of 
August  1877)  came  symptoms  of  appn^aching  monsoons,  and  cast  a 
ray  of  hope  on  the  gloomy  picture.     But  what  were  the  helpless 
people  to  do  even  if  rain  came,  was  the  question  which  vexed  the 
anxious  thoughts  of  many,  and  among  them  his  Grace  the  Qovempr. 
At  the  meeting  of  August  1877,  his  Grace  very  truly  said,  'When 
they  return  to  their  houses  from  the  relief  camps  or  public  works  they 
will  have  to  go  to  a  roofless  house,  with  not  a  single  culinary  vessel 
remaining  in  it.^  To  provide  clothing,  even  such  scanty  clothing 
as  this  climate  necessitates — to  enable  them  to  repair  their  huts — ^to 
purchase  new  implements  to  replace  those  sold  for  bread — here  were 
needs  sufficient  to  justify  a  call  on  public  charity.'    It  was  consequently 
resolved  to  appeal  to  the  charity  of  England  and  her  Colonies,  and  of 
India  also.     The  appeal  was  made  in  no  faltering  voice,  or  by  a 
voice  unfamiliar  to  the  English  nation.     It  was  at  once  responded  to, 
and  in  a  manner  without  parallel  even  in  a  country  proverbial  for  the 
munificence  of  its  charities.     The  results  have  been  just  placed  before 
us  by  the  honorary  secretary.     The  charity  flowed  in  a  continued 


APPENDIX   E,  453 

stream  till  arrested,  when  a  Bum  of  82  lakhs  of  rupees  had  heen 
reached.  The  administration  of  these  charity  funds  was  wisely 
entrusted  to  a  central  committee  composed  of  a  mixed  a^ncy  of 
officials  and  nonK>fficials,  merchants  and  missionaries,  and  Christians, 
Hindoos,  and  Mussulmans,  and  presided  over  by  the  Honourable  Sir 
William  Bobinson,  a  gentleman  who  has  spent  a  life-time  among  us, 
and  to  whom  no  comer  of  our  Presidency  is  unknown,  and  who  is 
familiar  with  the  condition  and  wants  of  every  district,  and  of  the 
people  of  every  portion  of  it.  The  central  committee  in  its  tiu*n 
organised  local  committees  of  elements  similarly  composed  for  each 
famine  district,  and  they,  in  their  turn,  formed  sub-local  committees, 
equally  and  even  more  representative  in  character.  Individual 
agencies,  consisting  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who  volunteered  their 
services,  were  also  largely  employed,  and  by  October  1877  all  these 
various  agencies,  to  the  number  of  upwards  of  120,  were  at  full  work 
and  fiill  of  enthusiasm  and  zeal.  The  actual  detail  and  modus 
operatidipi  relief  work  were  wisely  (thanks  to  Mr.  Thomhill)  left  to 
the  discretion  of  the  local  committees ;  and  at  a  sufficiently  early  date 
(thanks  to  Mr.  Ballard)  a  most  useful  and  practical  direction  was 
emphatically  given  for  the  employment  of  the  larger  portion  of  the 
fund  towards  helping  the  agricultural  classes  and  in  forwarding 
agricultural  operations,  so  necessary  to  the  return  of  prosperity  to  the 
commonwealth,  for  it  has  been  truly  said  by  a  well-known  poet : — 

Princes  and  lords  may  flourish  or  may  fade, 
A  breath  can  make  them  as  a  breath  has  made, 
But  a  bold  peasantry,  their  country's  pride, 
When  once  destroyed  can  never  be  supplied. 

It  pleased  God  at  this  time  (end  of  August  and  September)  to  send 
us  rain,  and  the  transactions  of  the  genei'al  committee  teem  in  every 
page  with  testimony,  from  every  direction,  of  the  immense  good  and 
the  variety  of  good  which  has  been  accomplished  with  the  help  of 
theii'  money.  But  though  I  feel  that  I  am  unduly  taxing  the 
patience  of  my  audience,  I  cannot  refrain  from  reading  a  few  extracts 
from  reports  already  in  the  annals  of  the  committee,  explaining  the 
direct  effect  of  relief  operations  with  the  English  charity.  Mr. 
Webster  reports : — *  Our  attention  has  been  directed  to  the  condition 
of  the  better  classes  of  cultivators,  those  who,  in  ordinary  years, 
had  some  small  capital  and  are  well-to-do.  Many  of  them  are  now 
paupers,  who  prefer  to  run  the  chances  of  dying  by  inches  at  home 
rather  than  seek  aid  on  Government  relief  works — a  kind  of  assistance 
which  they  regard  with  no  more  favour  than  a  respectable  English- 
man shows  to  the  workhouse.     To  people  of  this  class,  all  Government 


454  APPENDIX   E. 

schemes  of  relief  are  and  must  be  practically  useless,  but  the  assistance 
which  the  famine  relief  committee  has  been  able  to  afford  has  been 
received  most  thankfully,  as  it  has  not  only  enabled  people  to  tide 
over  the  present  time  of  dearth,  but  has  encouraged  them  to  look 
forward  to  an  early  reaping  of  crops  grown  on  lands  that  must  have 
remained  waste  had  there  been  no  relief  funds.'    Mr.  Sheristadar 
Puttabluram  Pillay's  report: — *The  rains  of  September,  however, 
have  brought  these  people  back  (from  relief  works  and  camps)  to  their 
fields,  and  revived  the  hopes  of  others  who  still  stack  fast  to  their 
homes  and  fields,  contending  against  all  odds  of  the  famine,  but  they 
were  without  means  to  plough  their  fields.     They  struggled  hard, 
mortgaged  a  portion  of  their  lands,  raised  a  small  sum  and  attempted 
cultivation.     But  the  means  they  got  were  very  insufficient ;  cultiva- 
tion was  therefore  indifferent,  but  yet  they  could  not  bring  themselves 
to  abandon  the  young  crops  for  relief  works  again.     Kor  had  they 
the  means  of  eking  out  a  subsistence,  except  the  wild-grown  greens 
which  the  late  rains  had  produced.     Their  huts  were  in  ruins  and 
afforded  them  no  shelter.     Their  cloths  were  all  rags ;  most  of  them 
were  next  to  nakedness.     It  was  while  they  were  in  this  miserable 
state  that  the  Mansion  House  relief  reached  them.     On  the  receipt 
of  the  relief  money,  which  was  always  paid  in  a  lump  sum,  many 
crowds  of  ryots  went  in  to  purchase  seed  paddy,  seed  ^rain,  and 
seed  cumbu.     Others  set  about  to  patch  up  their  ruined  huts,  others 
ploughed  their  waste  fields  and  sowed,  or  prepared  seeds,  beds  for  rice 
cultivation  under  tanks  now  full  with  water.     The  cloths  distributed 
were  of  the  utmost  service:  the  people  prized   them  much.     The 
feeling  of  gratitude  of  these  poor  people  for  the  English  charity 
money  that  came  to  their  help  at  this  crisis  cannot  adequately  be 
expressed.'    Another  agent  of  the  committee,  speaking  about  the 
distribution  of  cloths,  says  that  *  the  females  for  want  of  clothing 
were  ashamed  to  go  out  to  their  usual  work  on  the  fields*,  but  when 
the  cloths  were  distributed,  the  next  day  the  fields  were  alive  with 
them.'     Belief  was  peculiarly  seasonable  and  valuable  to  another  sec- 
tion of  respectable  people,  the  Gosha  women,  Mussulman,  Mahratta, 
and  Bajpoot.     This  portion  of  the  duty  fell  exclusively  to  my  lot  and 
that  of  my  fiiend,  Periasami  Mudaliyar,  head  of  the  native  community 
of  Trichinopoly,  who  is  now  here  by  my  side.     Living  in  secluded 
nooks  and  comers  of  a  large  town,  and  remote  from  observation  and 
sympathy,  these  were  slowly  passing  away,  dragging  on  a  miserable 
existence,  and  many  among  whom  would  surely  have  fallen  victims 
to  starvation  but  for  the  aid  from  English  charity  which  was  put  into 
their  hands  with  our  own  at  their  own  doors.     I  have  but  one  picture 
more  to  present  from  my  part  of  the  country,  and  that  is  where  relief 


■  ;♦ 
APPENDIX   Ei  455 

funds  were  applied  to  the  relief  of  a  lady  of  the  highieat  position,  who 
at  the  age  of  88  found  this  grim  famine  at  her  door,  with  sons  and 
with  daughters  yet  unmarried — grandsons  and  a  staff  of  old  faithful 
servants  who,  unwilling  to  abandon  their  mistress  in  adversity,  still 
clung  to  her.  She  was  in  the  utmost  distress,  and  the  sum  of  350  rs. 
being  put  into  her  hands  by  the  deputy  collector  on  behalf  of  the 
committee,  spoke  in  these  words :  '  Please  convey  my  deep  sense  of 
their  (the  English)  benevolence,  and  tell  them  that  I  was  bom  the 
offspring  of  the  ruling  nation  to  be  entitled  at  their  hands  to  this 
libaral  charity : '  which  is  an  Oriental  expression  to  convey  deepest 
gratitude.  What  I  have  been  narrating  is  but  a  scanty  specimen  of 
the  good  work  which  has  been  accomplished,  all  as  labour  of  love,  by 
an  agency  the  like  of  which  never  worked  before  in  this  land.  The 
total  good  work  done  has  been  simply  colossal,  and  the  results  have 
been  of  the  happiest  kind.  This  English  charity,  I  again  repeat,  was 
peculiarly  valuable,  peculiarly  seasonable,  and  peculiarly  fruitful  and 
happy  in  its  results.  Em'opean  and  native  gentlemen  of  the  highest 
position,  in  the  service  and  out  of  the  service,  merchants  and  sahookars, 
bishops  and  missionaries  of  all  denominations,  and  planters  and  their 
agents  all  over  the  Hill-ranges,  and  in  many  instances,  ladies  of  the 
highest  station  in  life  (all  honour  to  the  Honourable  Mrs.  Garmichael 
among  others)  who  adopted  as  their  own  the  orphans,  the  waifs  and 
strays  of  the  famine,  and  saw  them  reared  with  maternal  care  and 
affection,  all  these  vied  with  each  other  in  the  zealous  and  faithful 
performance  of  the  task  they  had  so  cheerfully  imposed  on  themselves, 
the  task  of  carrying  to  the  doors  of  the  famine-stricken  the  noble 
charity  of  which  the  English  nation  had  made  them  almoners.  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  repeating  that  the  opportune  and  critical  moment  at 
which  the  help  arrived — for  according  to  a  proverb  among  us,  *  Flood 
and  famine  are  most  tre.icherous  when  subsiding' — and  the  kind  manner 
in  which  the  gift  was  taken  to  the  afflicted  generally,  and  to  certain 
classes  of  people  in  particular,  on  account  of  their  strong  prejudices, 
to  whom  public  works  and  feeding  camps  were,  the  one  a  degradation, 
the  other  a  pollution,  gave  a  hundi-edfold  value  to  the  gift.  On  be- 
half of  my  countrymen  generally,  and  on  behalf  of  the  distressed 
famine-stricken  of  South  India  especially,  to  whom  English  charity 
came  like  sweet  water  to  men  dying  of  thirst,  whose  drooping  spirits, 
nay,  ebbing  life,  were  resuscitated  by  the  timely  and  kindly  help,  and 
enabled  them  to  preserve  themselves  and  their  children,  to  rebuild 
their  huts,  to  sow  their  fields,  and  reap  a  harvest,  when  they  despaired 
of  living  to  see  another — on  behalf  of  millions  of  such  of  my  country- 
men, and  for  the  good  they  have  experienced,  I  now  express  their  iirst 
prayeifxd  thanks  to  the  all-merciful  Providence  who  is  with  us  in  th^ 


456  APPENDIX   E. 

hour  of  grief  and  the  hour  of  joy,  and  whom  it  has  pleased  to  order 
a  hopeful  change  in  the  season;  and  their  next  l^ankfulness  and 
gratitude  to  the  Empress  of  India,  who  headed  the  charitable  move- 
ment at  home,  to  the  English  nation  and  to  the  Colonies  who  gave  so 
cheerfully,  so  quickly,  and  so  freely ;  to  the  Viceroy  who  headed  the 
contributions  in  India ;  and  to  the  Maharajahs  of  Baroda,  Indore,  and 
Travancore,  and  other  princes,  nobles,  and  personages  and  people  of 
India,  who  added  to  their  quota  of  help  with  equal  sympathy  and 
readiness ;  and  personally  I  feel  much  honoured  by  the  task  which 
has  been  entrusted  to  me,  and  which  I  now  perform  with  sincere 
pleasure,  by  moving  *  That  this  meeting  desires  to  convey,  on  behalf  of 
the  people  of  Southern  India,  an  expression  of  heartfelt  gratitude  for 
the  sympathy  and  support  so  nobly  and  generously  accorded  them  by 
the  people  of  Great  Britain,  her  Colonies,  and  India,  in  relief  of  the 
distress  caused  by  the  famine  which  has  overshadowed  the  land 
throughout  the  last  ten  months.' 

Mr.  MiRZA  Feboze  Hussain  Khan  Bahadur  seconded  the  reso- 
lution, and,  in  doing  so,  delivered  an  address  in  Hindustani,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  translation : — 

My  Lord  Duke, — After  first  rendering  thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all 
Good,  and  bestowing  blessings  upon  the  Prophet,  I  will  proceed  to 
say  a  few  words  out  of  gratitude  to  the  friends  who  have  been  so 
good  as  to  ask  me  to  speak  on  this  occasion,  though  I  am  painfully 
aware  of  my  deficiencies  as  a  speaker.  On  the  part  of  our  fellow- 
countrymen  of  this  Presidency  and  of  all  Southern  India,  I  beg  to 
express  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  noble  generosity  shown  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Great  Britain  and  the  British  Colonies,  and  by  the  Princes 
and  people  of  India.  For  a  year  and  a  half  past,  the  people  of  the 
Presidencies  of  Madras  and  Bombay  have  been  visited  with 
a  grievous  famine,  and  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  alleviate  the  distress,  thousands  of  poor  creatures  aban- 
doned their  homes  and  fell  victims  to  want  and  disease,  and  hundreds 
and  thousands  were  likewise  on  the  point  of  perishing;  when 
these  generous  benefactors,  hearing  of  our  distress,  subscribed  and 
sent  nearly  a  crore  of  rupees,  which  was  distributed  in  food  and  cloths 
.  among  the  needy,  by  committees  in  every  station,  town,  and  village 
throughout  the  Presidency ;  and  innumerable  lives  of  the  servants  of 
God  were  thus  preserved,  some  from  absolute  starvation,  others  from 
want  and  misery.  Such  beneficence  has  rarely  been  seen  in  this 
world,  and  everyone  will  heartily  unite  with  me  in  applauding  the 
noble  generosity  of  the  givers.  Let  us  pray  to  the  true  Crod,  saying, 
O  Lord !  may  their  lives  be  long  and  happy !  may  they  prosper 
more  and  more  day  by  day  I  Amen.  I  beg  to  second  the  resolution 
proposed  by  Mr.  Seshia  Sastri. 


APPENDIX   E.  467 

The  Rajah  of  Yenkatagherbt  spoke  as  follows  in  the  Telugu 
tongue : — 

My  Lord  Duke,  Ladies  and  Grentlemen, — ^I  consider  it  a  high 
privilege  to  be  allowed  to  second  the  resolution  which  has  just  been 
moved,  proposing  to  express  our  grateful  sense  of  the  priceless  services 
rendered  by  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Chandos  in  the 
crisis  which  we  may  now  hope  is  passing  away ;  in  fact  to  express  that 
gratitude  which  has  rendered  possible  our  gratitude  to  good  and  great 
England.  But,  gentlemen,  I  am  sure  that  gratitude  is  not  what  his 
Grace  has  laboured  for  or  expected.  His  ideal  of  duty  to  the  people 
whom  it  is  his  destiny  to  rule  and  protect  is  £ur  different.  I  can 
fancy  his  Grace  sa3ring  at  this  moment  : — *  I  did  not  stipulate  for 
gratitude.  It  is  of  far  more  importance  to  me  to  know  whether  I  have 
done  my  duty,  and  with  what  success.'  What  then  ]  If  in  the  words 
of  Nelson,  used  on  a  very  different  occasion,  England  expects  every 
man  to  do  his  duty,  are  we  not  bound  to  let  England  know  that  a 
noble  son  of  hers  has  done  his  duty  well  and  faithfully,  and  has  se- 
cured the  success  which  his  labours  have  so  well  deserved  ?  At  a 
time  when  a  humane  Government  was  putting  forth  all  its  might,  and 
was  almost  despairing  of  success  in  the  alleviation  of  distress,  did  he 
not  at  once  give  the  danger-signal  to  the  people  of  England,  and 
invite  volunteers  to  enlist  themselves  in  the  great  fight  which  he  was 
fighting  against  famine  and  disease  f  But  for  that  signal,  and  for  the 
weight  and  prestige  o£  his  Grace's  honoured  name,  what  would  have 
been  the  fate  of  the  millions  of  people  to  whom,  as  it  might  almost 
seem.  Providence  had  for  a  time  refused  the  means  of  raising  their 
own  sustenance  ?  His  Grace's  services  then  have  been  simply  price- 
less. Those  services  might  indeed  have  been  in  discharge  of  duty ; 
but  an  expression  of  our  appreciation  of  it  is  not  the  less  incumbent 
on  us.  His  Grace  has  locally  represented  good  and  noble  England  in 
her  catholic  charity,  in  her  active  benevolence,  and  in  what  I  may 
call,  her  practical  Christianity,  and  achieved  a  triumph  more  glorious 
— because  more  peaceful — ^than  that  won  in  many  a  battle-field.  Let 
us  then,  in  the  name  of  Southern  India — in  the  name  of  misery  and 
destitution  itself — thank  the  hero  who  has  thus  so  long  successfully 
battled  with  famine  and  pestilence,  for  the  almost  profuse  liberality 
with  which  England  and  her  Colonies  have  come  to  our  succour  in 
our  time  of  need  and  distress.  This  liberality  has  enabled  us  to  tide 
over  an  unexampled  crisis ;  and  let  us  not  forget,  the  people  of  Southern 
India  will  not  forget,  that  this  result  is  due,  in  no  small  degree,  to 
the  large-hearted  sympathy  and  promptitude  of  action  which  has 
characterised  the  administration  of  the  Presidency  by  the  illustrious 
nobleman  whom  it  has  been  our  good  fortune  to  have  at  the  head  of 


458  APPENDIX   E. 

the  Government  during  the  trying  period  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  has 
now  passed  away.  The  proposal  made  by  Mr.  A.  Seshia  Sastri,  C.S.I. 
is  very  laudable,  and  though  I  feel  myself  inferior  in  ability 
to  speak  what  I  have  to  say  in  the  presence  of  his  Grace  the 
Duke  and  the  illustrious  audience,  yet  I  trust  that  the  few 
observations  I  am  anxious  to  make  may  be  acceptable  to  all 
present,  in  the  same  way  as  the  lovely  lisping  speech  of  chil- 
dren  is  to  their  parents.  It  is  most  material  and  important  that 
we  should  express  our  feelings  of  gratitude  to  all  those  that 
have  cheerfully  contributed  towards  the  mitigation  of  this  dire 
calamity,  the  terrible  famine.  But  the  good  that  resulted  from  it 
woul<l  not  become  prominent  unless  the  horrors  of  long-past  fisimines 
are  enumerated.  I  would,  therefore,  cite  a  few  of  them  here.  The 
faminas  that  broke  out  in  the  yeirs  Achaya,  Tharana,  and  Nanadna, 
were  of  short  duration,  lasting  but  five  or  six  months,  when  season- 
able rains  dispelled  the  horrors,  and  restored  the  country  to  its  normal 
condition.  Even  in  times  of  such  scarcity,  rice  was  sold  at  10  to  12 
Nelloio  seers  a  rupee,  while  the  other  grains  were  comparatively  cheap. 
While  circumstances  were  so  placed,  no  adequate  arrangements  having 
been  made  towards  the  maintenance  and  support  of  the  starving  poor, 
many  had  fallen  victims  to  them ;  others  again,  resigning  themselves  to 
fate,  forming  g>ings,  committed  gang  and  highway  robberies,  thereby 
stripping  the  rich  of  their  property,  burnt  houses  by  setting  fire  to 
them,  and  committed  other  heinous  ofiences  of  like  nature.  Thus 
were  the  rich,  too,  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  death  and  ruin.  Nor  is 
this  all ;  they  murdered,  I  hear,  indiscriminately,  such  of  the  men 
as  had  procured  their  bread  by  some  means  or  other,  tearing  open 
their  stomachs  and  eating  the  contents  thereof,  and  hence  it  had  been 
proverbially  styled  the  Dokka  famine.  Others  that  had  five  or  nz 
children  amongst  them,  being  unable  to  resist  the  cravings  of  hunger, 
ventured  so  far  as  to  slaughter  their  children  and  feed  upon  them. 
Hence  it  has  been  styled  FiUala  (which  means  infanticide  famine). 
During  this  present  famine,  which  has  existed  for  the  past  eighteen 
months,  rice  could  not  be  had  even  at  5  or  6  Nellore  seers  a  rupee,  while 
all  other  grains  are  ruinously  high ;  and  though  it  rained  recently  rather 
partially  in  certain  localities,  prices  of  grain  continue  to  be  the  same 
as  before.  While  the  matter  stands  thus,  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  and 
Empress  of  India,  who  had  organised  relief  works,  opened  relief  camps 
for  the  helpless  poor,  and  fed  them  with  a  more  sumptuous  food  than 
they  ever  had  in  their  own  homes  even  in  days  of  festivity,  has  been 
protecting  them  in  every  way  from  death.  As  the  famine  has  been  of 
long  standing,  it  was  doubted,  or  rather  feared^  whether  they  would 
preserve  life  any  longer.  Appeal  for  pubUc  charity  was  made  by 
bis  Grace  the  Duke  to  England  and  her  Colonies.     They  all  freely 


APPENDIX   E-  459 

and  volnntarily  came  forward  with  liberal  contributions,  from  the 
Monarch  to  the  lowest  peasant,  and  sent  in  large  snms.     Even  in 
India  similar  contributions  were  made,  but  to  a  very  limited  extent. 
As  money  poured  in,  it  served  nobly  to  aid  the  efforts  of  protecting 
the  poor,  by  giving  the  Gosha  women  many  doles ;  clothing  the  naked ; 
by  giving  pecuniary  aid  to  repair  and  rebuild  houses,  granting  advances 
of  money  for  seed-grain,  for  purchasing  ploughing-cattle,  and  for  pro- 
curing the  implements  of  husbandry,  to  impoverished  ryots.     In  this 
manner  the  contributions  have  been  most  usefully  distributed  for  these 
and  various  other  purposes.   For  these  reasons,  not  only  were  the  poor 
saved  from  starvation,  but  the  rich  and  the  opulent  also  were  saved 
from  the  ravages  they  were  subjected  to  on  former  occasions  of  scarcity. 
The  fact  that  famine  has  ruined  the  country  has  alone  been  recorded,but 
the  munificence  of  England  has  warded  off  the  blow  that  would  have 
prostrated  the  country.      It  is  therefore  a  duty  incumbent  on  us  to 
express  omr  sense  of  deepfelt  gratitude  to  Her  Majesty  the  Empress 
of  India  for  her  enthusiasm  and  liberality  in  the  protection  of  the 
millions  that  were  in  distress,  to  the  people  of  England  and  her  Colo- 
nies for  their  sympathy  towards  the  feonine-stricken  population  of  this 
country,  to  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy  of  India,  and  to  his  Grace 
the  Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Ghandos  for  his  very  energetic  and 
indefatigable  exertions  in  wisely  ministering  to  the  wants  of  the  dis- 
tressed districts  by  visiting  them,  regard  having  been  had  to  respect 
every  caste  and  creed.  It  is  our  fervent  prayer  that  God  the  Almighty 
would  pour  His  blessings  on  all  those  who  have  so  nobly  and  gener- 
ously contributed  to  afford  protection  to  the  distressed  population  of 
Southern  India. 

The  Venerable  Archdeacon  C.  R.  Deuey  supported  the  resolu- 
tion : — 

He  remarked  that  he  thought  it  right  that  the  portion  of  the 
ecclesiastical  department  which  he  had  the  honour  to  represent  in  this 
diocese  during  the  absence  of  the  Bishop  should  take  a  prominent  part 
in  these  proceedings,  inasmuch  as  the  Church  of  England  at  home  and 
abroad  had  shown  great  sympathy  with  Southern  India  in  their  season 
of  trial,  and  also  contributed  liberally  to  the  relief  fund.  He  might 
also  say  for  the  sister  church  in  Ireland  that  the  sum  total  of  her  con- 
tributors iuclude  many  sums  given  at  a  cost  perhaps  of  the  meal 
which  was  much  needed,  and  comforts  which  could  hardly  be  spared 
by  poor  people  who  were  readily  making  a  sacrifice  to  show  their 
sympathy  for  the  suffering  and  distress  which  afflicted  their  fellow 
subjects  abroad.  Such  gifts  were  acceptable  to  God,  and  either  would 
be,  or  had  been,  rewarded  by  the  God  of  love,  who  commanded  them 
all,  as  he  (Archdeacon  Drury)  understood,  without  distinction  of  caste 
or  creed,  to  love  and  to  help  one  another  and  to  bear  one  another's 


460  APPENDIX   E. 

burdens.  (Applanse.)  They  put  off  as  long  as  ihey  poesibly  could 
asking  the  people  at  home,  in  the  Colonies,  and  other  parts  of  India, 
for  relief,  and  experience  had  shown  that  they  did  not  ask  for  it  a  day 
too  soon.  How  noble  a  response  had  their  appeal  met  with  I  They  had 
received,  he  understood  from  his  Grace  and  the  gentleman  who  spoke 
first  to  that  resolution,  money  sufficient  for  their  wants.  The  liberality 
of  Crovemment  had  been  supplemented :  the  naked  had  been  clothed ; 
others  who  were  in  want  of  seed  h&d  seed  given  them  to  enable  them  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  future  happiness  and  comfort  by  preparing  the 
ground  for  future  crops.  In  some  instances  instruments  of  agriculture 
had  been  supplied,  and  charitable  Chrmtian  ladies  amongst  them,  to 
whom  he  had  been  glad  to  hear  such  a  tribute  of  respect  had  been  shown 
by  Mr.  Seshia  Sastri,  embraced  the  opportunity  afforded  of  providing  a 
home  and  protection  for  many  destitute  orphan  children,  and  would  be 
able  to  keep  them  for  a  time,  perhaps  until  their  relief  was  no  longer 
required.  In  short,  through  the  assistance  which  the  committee  se- 
cured by  the  liberality  of  the  English  people,  of  residents  of  the  parts  of 
India,  including  the  native  princes  and  notables,  eveiything  was  being 
done  which  could  be  done  in  order  to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of  the 
famine-stricken  population.  He  was  glad  to  call  to  mind  the  fact  of 
England,  in  responding  so  liberally  to  their  appeal,  had  only  acted 
in  accordance  with  her  usual  custom ;  for  she  had  not  confined  her 
liberality  merely  to  fellow-subjects,  and  he  remembered  some  years 
ago  when  a  destructive  fire  destroyed  a  great  portion  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  and  brought  a  number  of  respectable  American  citizens  to 
great  poverty,  the  English  public  were  among  the  foremost  to  send 
them  money  to  minister  to  their  relief.  (Applause.)  In  saying  that, 
he  was  not  speaking  in  a  vain-glorious  or  boasting  spirit.  Almighty 
Qod  had  given  to  them  the  means  of  being  liberal,  and  what  was  of 
great  importance,  he  had  given  them  the  heart  to  do  so.  (Applause.) 
And  he  (Archdeacon  Drury)  took  the  liberty  to  say  that  probably  the 
prosperity  of  England  has  been  the  reward  of  her  generosity  and 
liberality  to  the  afflicted  and  distressed  (Applause),  her  readiness 
to  come  forward  to  protect  the  poor  and  the  weak  against  the  tyranny 
and  oppression  of  the  strong.  He  trusted,  and  he  was  sure  from  what 
he  had  heard,  that  the  natives  of  this  country  would  never  forget,  as 
long  as  memory  lasted,  the  sympathy  and  good  feeling  which  had  been 
shown  towards  them  all  by  the  English  people,  and  they  would  also 
remember,  if  they  had  any  memorials  worth  making,  bis  Grace's 
energetic  and  benevolent  exertions.     (Applause.) 

Colonel  PsARSS,  president,  Mysore  central  relief  committee,  also 
supported  the  resolutions,  and  in  doing  so  addressed  the  meeting.  He 
read  the  following  resolutions  arrived  at  by  the  Mysore  general  relief 
committee  on  January  26,  1870 : — 


APPENDIX   £.  461 

'  The  Mysore  general  relief  oommittee  desire,  on  behalf  of  the  suf- 
ferers from  famine  throughout  this  provinoe,  native  and  European,  to 
express  their  deep  sense  of  gratitude  for  the  assistance  given  by  the 
subscribers  in  the  United  Kingdom  for  the  relief  of  the  famine  in 
India. 

2.  '  This  committee  have  already  received  the  large  sum  of 
150,000/.  sterling,  nearly  three-fourths  of  which  have  been  expended. 
The  assistance  has  been  most  timely,  and  relief  has  been  given  in  one 
shape  or  another  to  a  quarter  of  a  million  or  more  persons,  whom  it 
would  have  been  difficult  otherwise  to  relieve.  Temporary  provision 
has  been  made  for  numbers  of  destitute  orphans ;  clothing  has  been 
given  to  thousands  of  the  needy  poor ;  and  cdd  of  the  most  valuable 
kind  afforded  to  famine-stricken  agriculturists  and  artisans.  Belief 
has  been  given  to  all  sufferers  without  regard  to  race  or  creed ;  and  it 
is  impossible  to  over-estimate  the  good  that  has  been  done  to  those 
who,  but  for  this  assistance,  must  have  suffered  very  greatly. 

3.  '  Care  has  been  taken  to  make  it  widely  known  that  the  help 
thus  afforded  was  purely  the  charitable  gift  of  English  people.  It 
has  been  distributed  almost  entirely  through  the  agency  of  the  officers 
employed  on  special  famine  duty,  aided  by  benevolent  private  indi- 
viduals. The  committee  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  funds  have 
been,  on  the  whole,  usefully  and  judiciously  spent.  From  the  accounts 
received  from  all  parts  of  the  province,  the  committee  feel  confident 
that  the  generous  sympathy  thus  practically  evinced  towards  the 
people  of  Mysore  in  tiie  time  of  their  sore  distress  by  their  fellow-sub- 
jects in  Europe,  is  very  deeply  appreciated,  and  will  long  be  held 
throughout  this  province  in  most  grateful  remembrance.' 

After  reading  the  above,  Colonel  Fearse  proceeded  to  observe  :— * 
'  I  have  only  veiy  few  remarks  to  offer,  and  I  only  wish  that  some 
one  more  eloquent  and  more  capable  than  myself  were  present  to  state 
the  case  for  the  people  of  Mysore.  I  have  only  recently  succeeded 
Mr.  J.  D.  Gordon  as  president  of  the  Mysore  general  relief  com- 
mittee, and  it  is,  I  think,  right  that  I  should  advert  to  the  system 
pursued  in  the  distribution  of  the  funda  Conjointly  with  other  mem- 
bers of  our  committee  I  have  held  that  the  extension  of  the  system  of 
money  and  grain  doles  was  an  arrangement  which,  I  fear,  watched 
with  the  closest  supervision  and  most  tentatively  issued,  should  only  be 
adhered  to  in  cases  of  dire  distress  of  the  houseless  and  friendless  poor 
and  destitute,  there  being  always  the  fear  of  perpetuating  pauperism 
and  demoralising  our  lowest  classes  by  inducing  them  to  idleness 
instead  of  sending  them  back  to  their  ordinary  occupations.  We  have 
therefore  endeavoured  to  induce  relief  officers  to  pay  special  attention 
to  all  other  wants,  and  to  endeavour  to  restore  the  people  to  their 


462  APPENDIX   E. 

ordinary  occapationA,  and  that  is,  within  ordinary  grooves  of  life  to 
assist  those  who  have  lands  lying  untiUed  to  cultivate  them  and  give 
them  cheap  cattle  to  go  on  with;   also    to    assist  those   who  lie 
shivering  &om  cold  and  fever  under  detached  portions  of  their  old 
thatching  to  again  place  proper  roofs  over  their  heads,  and  to  enable 
'others  who  have  lost  their  implements  of  trade,  their  looms  and  their 
materials,  to  start  work  again ;  and  to  distribute  clothing  to  those  in 
need  of  covering,  and  thereby  restore  the  poorest  classes  to  that  condi- 
tion of  self-respect  which  the  calamity  of  famine  and  want  has  tempo- 
rarily destroyed.     By  this  system  also  the  ryots  have  again   been 
enabled  to  employ  the  poorer  classes  in  their  villages,  and  contentment 
and  renewed  prosperity  will  be  the  result,  and  the  dregs  of  a  period  of 
distress  not  experienced  for  many  generations  will,  to  a  great  extent, 
be  met  and  fought  against     There  are  some,  I  believe,  who  do  not 
consider  this  the  most  correct  method  of  dealing  with  the  funds,  bat 
I  can  only  add  that  many  of  the  most  thinking  famine  officers  believe 
it  is  a  good  and  true  policy  and  the  wisest  course,  and  that  if  we  think 
thereby  to  restore  to  prosperity  and  contentment  a  fair  percentage  of 
houses  reduced  to  poverty  and  desolation  by  the  famine,  we  shall  have 
done  much  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  English  public  who  have  so 
largely  and  liberally  contributed  to  our  wants.     There  is  one  more 
point  I  wish  to  refer  to,  and  which  will  be  pleasing  to  English 
ears  to  hear.     Many  intelligent  native  gentlemen  tell  me  that  the 
fact  of  this  money  being  a  free  gift,  and  which  will  not  be  recouped 
this  next  harvest  or  the  harvest  after,  has  made  a  profound  impression 
on  the  minds  of  the  lyots  of  Mysore.  The  fact  that  it  is  a  huge  contri- 
bution, sent  by  those  who  have  not  seen  or  known  them,  in  a  true 
spirit  of  humanity,  to  aid  them  in  their  hour  of  misfortune,  is  such  an 
unthought  of  and  untold  boon,  that  the  memory  of  such  timely 
generosity  will  form  a  happy  tradition  in  the  minds  of  those  who  have 
benefited  by  it  and  who  by  its  aid  have  again  been  placed  in  a  posi- 
tion of  self-respect,  and  have  been  enabled  to  again  earn  their  daily 
bread.     In  conclusion,  I  have  only  to  offer  the  acknowledgments  of 
the  Mysore  famine  general  relief  committee,  and  those  of  our  fellow- 
subjects  of  Mysore  whom  I  now  represent,  for  the  unhesitatingly  kind 
and  generous  spirit  in  which  the  president  and  members  of  the  Madras 
general  committee  have  met  our  requisitions  for  funds,  and  I  wish 
in  the  name  of  all  those  whom  they  have  benefited  to  thank  them  for 
the  consideration  shown  us  and  for  the  liberal  manner  in  which  they 
have  shared  the  fund  with  us. 

The  resolution  was  further  supported  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Scuddeb  : — 

He  said  he  was  thankful  of  the  privilege  of  using  his  voice,  and 

specially,  as  an  American,  in  ascribing  that  honour  to  England  which 


APPENDIX   E.  463 

she  80  richly  deserved  for  her  princely  charity.  (Applanse.)  He  was 
prond  of  his  relation  to  her )  She  was  his  mother,  and  though  Ame- 
ricans might  be  accused  of  undutifulness  and  disobedience,  yet  did 
they  think  a  mother's  love  would  for  that  cause  be  alienated  from 
her  children)  (Hear,  hear.)  He  thought  they  might  hope  that  she 
would  give  them  absolution  for  all  their  sins ;  indeed  she  had  given 
them  many  proofs  of  this.  The  Ajx^deacon  had  just  mentioned  one 
illustration  of  her  love  for  her  child  in  giving  her  money  to  relieve  the 
poor  and  suffering  in  Chicago.  He  ventured  to  say  as  an  American 
that  her  glory  was  their  glory,  her  honour  their  honour.  In  many  a 
battle-field  she  had  crowned  herself  with  glory ;  she  had  devoted  her 
all  for  the  good  of  the  people  ;  she  had  done  for  this  country  what  no 
other  nation  he  believed  would  have  done.  She  had  given  freely  and 
fully  of  her  resources  in  regard  to  the  famine,  and  they  were  there  to 
express  their  gratitude  for  the  sympathy  she  had  evinced.  The  word 
*  sympathy '  in  such  a  case  was  not  strong  enough — he  would  rather 
say  the  love  she  had  shown  for  that  people  in  a  marvellous  manner 
(applause),  responding  to  their  appeal  in  a  way  that  was  the  wonder  of 
the  world.  They  ought  not  on  that  occasion  to  forget  the  obligations 
they  were  under  to  the  ladies  of  the  Presidency,  whose  hearts  had  been 
touched  by  the  distress  and  suffering  around  them,  many  of  whom  had 
gone  into  places  where  there  were  pestilence  and  disease,  clothing, 
feeding,  and  nursing  poor  orphan  children.  For  this  work  he  said 
God  bless  them  (applause),  and  it  ^as  for  these  reasons  he  said  he 
thought  the  word  sympathy  was  not  strong  enough.  He  wished  once 
more  to  express  his  sense  of  the  marvellous  good  done  by  the  fund. 

The  resolution  was  put  to  the  meeting  and  carried  with  acclama- 
tion. 

Surgeon-General  George  Smith,  M.D.,  proposed  the  second  resolu- 
tion : — 

That  this  meeting  desires  to  tender  cordial  thanks 

To  Alderman  Sir  Thomas  White,  Lord  Mayor,  for  his  initiation 
of  and  active  interest  in  the  &mine  relief  fund  : 

To  the  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of 
Dublin,  to  the  Lord  Provost  of  Glasgow,  the  Mayors  of  Manchester, 
Liverpool,  and  other  chief  towns  of  England ;  to  the  Mansion  House 
and  other  committees  : 

To  the  committees  at  Calcutta  and  others  in  India  : 

To  the  chief  municipality  and  other  functionaries  in  Australasia, 
New  Zealand,  and  other  British  colonies  : 

To  the  ministers  and  congregations  of  the  Church  of  England 
and  religious  denominations  : 

And  to  The  Times  newspaper  and  the  press  generally  : 


464  APPENDIX   E. 

For  the  eamestnetss  and  energy  with  which  they  have  acted  in 
enlisting  sympathy  and  making  available  the  aid  contributed  towards 
the  relief  of  distress. 

In  proposing  the  above  resolution  Dr.  Smith  said  that  he  was  in 
the  singular  position  of  a  speaker  whose  speech  had  been  forestaUed 
by  the  points  taken  up  by  the  previous  speakers.  The  whole  of  the 
grounds  he  had  expected  to  have  to  go  over  had  been  traversed.  He 
offered  this  explanation  in  order  that  any  repetition  of  a  fact  already 
noticed  might  be  excused.     He  then  spoke  as  follows : — 

It  will  be  remembered  by  all  who  have  watched  the  efforts  that 
have  been  made  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  from  the  disastrous 
famine  in  Southern  India  that  a  public  meeting,  called  by  the  sheriff 
at  the  requisition  of  the  residents  of  this  city  and  presided  over  by 
your  Grace,  was  held  in  this  hall  on  August  4  last,  at  which  the  pro- 
minent facts  in  connection  with  the  sad  condition  of  large  portions  of 
this  Presidency  were  ably  and  clearly  brought  to  the  notice  of  the 
general  public,  and  that  a  resolution  was  passed  recognising  the 
necessity  of  making  an  appeal  to  the  public  charity  of  the  people  of 
India  and  of  England.  At  the  same  time  a  central  committee  to 
undertake  the  management  of  the  fiunine  relief  fund  was  constituted^ 
and  a  resolution  was  taken  to  appeal  by  telegraph,  and  more  fully  by 
letter,  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  to  the  other  civil  functionaries 
as  noted  in  the  resolution,  to  the  commander  of  Calcutta  and  of  other 
towns  and  stations,  and  to  the*  editor  of  the  London  Times,  stating 
the  gravity  of  this  crisis,  and  soliciting  that  the  same  may  be  made 
known  to  the  British  public.  I  need  hardly  say  how  much  the  suc- 
cess of  this  and  of  other  appeals  depended  on  the  action  taken  by  the 
Lord  Mayor  of  London.  It  is. true  that  when  proroguing  Parliament 
Her  Majesty  had  referred  in  a  marked  manner  to  the  same  crisis  in 
India,  and  it  is  also  true  that  the  Thunderer  had  struck  the  key 
note  of  human  sympathy  in  an  able  and  sympathetic  leading  article, 
the  concluding  sentence  of  which  I  may  be  allowed  to  quote : — 

'Let  not  the  appeal  now  at  length  made  to  us  fall  unheeded. 
Our  countrymen  at  Madras  call  upon  the  municipalities  at  home,  and 
the  cry  must  he  heard.  We  have  hitherto  been  too  little  concerned 
with  the  awful  tiial  that  has  befallen  our  fellow-subjects;  let  us 
redeem  the  past  by  keeping  it  before  our  eyes  and  in  our  minds  cmd 
hearts  until  all  that  we  can  do  is  done,  m  order  tluU  U  may  be  over^ 
come.* 

Good,  brave,  manly  words  these — ^nevertheless  it  was  necessary 
that  one  great  public  official  should  take  prompt  and  cordial  action  in 
order  that  generous  hearty  England  might  leap  response  to  the  call, 
and  feel  that  there  existed  a  definite  and  trustworthy  channel  through 


APPENDIX   E.  465 

which  its  liberality  might  with  certainty  reach  the  rnasaee  of  stiffering 
humanity  in  this  Presidency.    The  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  ^ir  T. 
White,  was  the  official  to  whom  all  eyes  were  turned,  and  we  well 
know  were  not  turned  in  vain.     On  the  day  on  which  the  article 
alluded  to  appeared  in  the  Times,  the  Lord  Mayor  at  the  Mansion 
House,  addressing  the  chief  clerk,  read  the  tel^ram  which  he  had 
received  from  the  Madras  committee,  which  he  said  spoke  for  itself* 
He  then  quoted  the  paragraph  from  the  leading  article  of  the  Times 
which  I  have  already  quoted,  and  then  stated  that  he  would  be 
delighted — that  was  his  expression — ^to  receive    and    transmit    to 
Madras  any  sums  which  a  generous  public  might  entrust  to  him, 
hoping  that  his  appeal  would  be  promptly  and  liberally  responded  to. 
We  know  in  the  Lord  Mayor's  own  words  what  a  splendid  response 
the  country  gave  to  this  appeal.     The  Mansion  House  relief  com- 
mittee was  appointed  and  acted  with  promptitude  and  energy.     The 
first  meeting  was  held  on  August  23,  and  the  last  of  its  famine  meet- 
ings on  November  5,  when  information  reached  them  that  the  crisis 
was  over  and  that  the  closiu^  of  the  fund  might  take  place.     During 
that  short,  sharp,  brilliant  campaign,  not  to  destroy  but  to  save  men's 
lives,  a  campaign  extending  over  2^  months,  half  a  million  sterling 
was  contributed  and  promptly  remitted  to  Madras.     By  the  influence 
of  his  official  position,  by  his  initiation  of  this  famine  relief  fund,  by 
the  personal  interest  he  took  in  its  success,  and  by  the  practical  help 
he  gave  as  president  and  treasurer.  Sir  Thomas  White  largely  influ- 
enced the  success  of  the  appeal  which  had  been  made  to  the  public. 
His  labours  were  cordially  recognised  by  the  committee  over  which 
he  presided,  and  I  am  convinced  that  they  will  receive  a  similar 
hearty  recognition  from  this  meeting  of  the  public  of  Madras.     And, 
my  Lord  Duke,  it  is  no  less  our  duty  than  our  pleasure  to  recognise 
most  gratefully  the  generous  and  ready  aid  given  by  the  other  great 
civic  magistrates  noted  in  the  resolution  as  well  as  by  the  Mansion 
House  and  other  committees  at  home.   Upon  them  devolved  the  heavy 
task  of  initiating  local  arrangements  and  of  collecting  local  subscrip- 
tions ;  with  them  it  rested  to  bring  the  cause  home  to  the  hearts  of 
the  people  and  to  set  on  foot  the  various  agencies  necessary  for  this 
purpose.     When  all  worked  so  nobly  and  so  well  it  would  be  invi- 
dious to  mete  out  comparative  praise.     To  all  our  cordial  thanks  are 
due.     (Applause.)     A  glance  at  the  published  daily  reports  of  the 
Times  and  at  the  subscription  lists  of  provincial  papers  will  show  how 
deep-reaching  and  how  far-extending  this  appeal  was,  and  how  nobly 
it  has  been  responded  to,  from  the  Queen  on  the  throne  to  the  humblest 
of  her  subjects,  from  that  huge  congeries  of  cities  called  London  to  the 
smallest  hamlet   in  the  land,  from  the  millionaire  to  the  humble 
VOL.  II.  H  H 


466  APPENDIX   E. 

labourer  who  oould  pat  but  a  few  pence  in  the  ooUectoi^s  hand. 
(Applause.)  And  not  money  alone  was  given.  The  generous  heart 
of  the  nation  was  stirred  to  its  inmost  depths,  and  time,  and  personal 
effort  and,  better  than  all,  deep  warm  sympathy,  bo  deep,  so  practical, 
so  unselfish,  so  prompt,  has  touched  a  chord  of  gratitude  in  Indian 
hearts  which  has  never  been  touched  before,  and  we  are  here  this 
evening  to  give  some  feeble  expression  to  the  nation's  gratitude.  And 
what,  Sir,  was  the  response  to  the  appeal  from  the  British  colonies  ! 
It  was  prompt,  liberal,  enthusiastic.  Australia  heads  the  list,  and 
well  she  may.  The  Mayor  of  Melbourne  took  immediate  action,  a 
hearty  and  sympathetic  meeting  was  held,  Qovemment  gave  effectual 
countenance,  and  local  committees  were  promptly  formed,  and  the 
press  gave  iis  powerful  pen.  Enthusiastic  meetings  were  held  at 
Sydney  and  Adelaide;  Brisbane,  Wellington,  Perth  and  Hobart  Town 
gave  a  hearty  response  to  the  appeal.  Australia,  including  Tasmania^ 
will  probably  add  100,000/.  to  the  famine  relief  fund.  Well  does 
Australia  merit  our  cordial  thanks.  (Applause.)  To  show  how 
deeply  the  sympathies  of  our  brethren  in  Australia  were  moved,  it 
may  be  mentioned  that  the  prisoners  in  one  of  the  gaols  asked  to  be 
put  upon  half  diet  for  some  time,  and  the  value  handed  over  to  the 
fund.  (Applause.)  The  offer  was  accepted.  (Applause.)  That 
sympathy  must  have  been  deep  and  strong  which  affected  so  pro- 
foundly and  so  practically  a  dass  of  the  population  so  little  likely  to 
b9  influenced  by  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  of  others.  New  Zealand, 
too,  has  contributed  largely,  and  considering  the  sparseness  of  her 
population  the  contribution  has  been  proportionately  more  than  that 
given  by  the  people  at  home.  Help  and  sympathy  have  reached  us 
from  other  colonies,  from  British  Guiana,  Jamaica,  Mauritius,  and 
elsewhere.  From  Mauritius  has  come  a  donation  from  the  (Govern- 
ment, and  in  addition  to  the  contribution  from  the  residents  a  further 
contribution  from  the  Indian  emigrants,  whose  sympathies  have  been 
roused  by  the  miseries  of  their  fellow-oountiymen  in  India.  A  similar 
eontribution  has  reached  the  committee  from  the  Indian  emigrants  in 
Ceylon.  Natal  brought  as  her  contribution  from  them  12,000  ra. 
We  are  asked  also  to  tender  our  cordial  thanks  to  the  committee  at 
Calcutta  and  to  others  in  India.  The  committees  contemplated  are 
the  collecting  not  the  distributing  committee.  The  committee  at  Cal- 
cutta has  raised  for  us  the  handsome  sum  of  about  2  lakhs  of  rupees. 
The  balance  of  the  Bengal  famine  fund,  75,000  rs.,  has  been  handed 
over  to  the  committee.  Among  those  in  prominent  positions  who 
have  helped,  we  mention  with  gratitude  the  Maharajahs  of  Baroda, 
Travancore,  Cochin,  Yizianagaram,  the  Maharajah  Holkar,  and  the 
Begum  of  Bhopal.     Others  have  also  liberally  helped,  including  con- 


APPENDIX   E.  467 

tributioDS  from  native  regiments.     The  town  of  Bangoon  gave  14,500 
FB.     The  resolution  further  recognises  the  valuable  efforts  made  by 
the  ministers  and  congregations  of  the  Church  of  England  and  other 
religious  denominations.   Through  their  active,  intelligent,  and  zealous 
agency  considerable  assistance  has  been  given  to  the  fund.   The  appeal 
to  the  clergy  was  first  made  by  the  Lord  Mayor,  and  his  results  at 
home  have  been  most  satisfactory.     On  this  point  I  need  offer  no 
further  remarks.     We  are  called  finally  to  offer  our  cordial  thanks  to 
The  Times  newspaper  and  to  other  journals  which  have,  by  their 
advocacy  and  help,  contributed  so  much  to  the  success  of  the  fund. 
By  the  earnestness  and  energy  of  their  appeals,  the  home  journals  and 
nearly  all  in  this  country  have  efiectually  roused  and  effectually  sus- 
tained the  interest  of  the  public  in  the  terrible  struggle  with  want 
and  woe  in  this  Presidency.     The  Times  newspaper  early  recognised 
the  extreme  gravity  of  the  crisis,  and  in  its  daily  issues  maintained 
public  sympathy  on  the  one  hand  and  recorded  public  liberality  on 
the  other.     The  home  papers  watched  the  fight,  and  cheered  the 
Labours  of  the  committee  with  their  sympathy,  support,  and  confidence. 
The  illustrated  journals,  too,  deserve  special  notice.     By  a  correct  re- 
production of  sketches  and  of  photographs  of  &mine  scenes  they 
greatly  assisted  in  bringing  home  to  the  public  some  of  the  terrible 
scenes  of  the  terrible  catastrophe.     The  hearts  of  men  were  moved  to 
their  very  depths,  and  liberality  was  evoked  which  saved  thousands 
of  lives.     The  photographs  from  Madras  told  effectually  their  own 
tale  of  sorrow  and  of  suffering.     Thanks  having  been  tendered  to  all 
who  were  deserving  of  thanks  in  connection  with  the  relief  of  the 
distress  caused  by  the  famine,  there  is  yet  one  point  to  be  considered. 
The  sympathy  which  had  been  shown  by  the  people  of  Great  Britain 
will  result  in  improving  the  relations  existing  between  the  people  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  people  of  this  land ;  and  they  who  aforetime 
were  two  peoples,  estranged  and  knowing  not  each  other,  will  now 
become  one.     (Applause.) 

Mr.  SoXASooNDRUM  Chetty  seconded  the  resolution,  and,  in  doing 
sOy  remarked  as  follows : — 

In  seconding  the  resolution  just  moved  by  the  eloquent  speaker 
who  has  sat  down,  I  am  happy  that  an  opportunity  has  been  afforded 
me  on  this  public  occasion  of  expressing  the  gratitude  of  her  Majesty's 
subjects  of  this  part  of  India,  for  the  sympathy  and  support  so  nobly 
accorded  by  the  generous  people  of  Great  Britain,  her  Colonies,  and 
India  in  relief  of  the  wide-spread  distress  caused  by  the  terrible 
calamity  which  has  cast  such  a  gloom  over  Southern  India  during 
the  last  18  months.  I  cordially  join  Surgeon-Creneral  Smith  in  ten- 
dering and  conveying  the  warmest  and  heart-felt  thanks  of  the  people 

H  H  2 


468  APPENDIX   E. 

•of  the  Madras  Presideiicy  to  the  several  agencies  and  committees 
named,  for  the  valuable  support  and  aid  received  at  their  hands  in 
the  trying  crisis  through  which  the  country  has  passed.     Had  it  not 
been  for  the  prompt  assistance  which  has  been  given  to  us  during 
this  direful  calamity,  with  true  sympathy  and  humanity,  by  the 
generous  people  of  England  as  well  as  by  the  committee  at  Calcutta^ 
including  the  sum  contributed  by  the  Bengal  students  and  the  sepoys 
of  many  native  regiments  from  their  small  means,  I  am  unable  to 
•say  to  what  dire  and  distressed  condition  those  people  whom  the 
Government  system  of  relief  has  not  reached  would  have  been  re- 
duced, and  to  what  extent  they  would  have  actually  perished.    It  is 
due  to  this  timely  and  spontaneous  aid,  in  conjunction  with  the  wide- 
spread relief  afforded  by  Crovemment,  that  the  calamity  has  been 
greatly  mitigated,  and  to  all  the  local  committees  and  individuals  through 
whose  instrumentality  the  charitable  funds  so  liberally  placed  at  our 
disposal  have  been  so  well  and  beneficially  distributed.     In  the  name 
of  the  people  of  Southern  India  we  tender  our  deep-felt  gratitude. 
In  conclusion  I  cannot  leave  this  hall  without  expressing  the  warm 
and  deep-felt  gratitude  which  we,  the  Hindus  as  a  nation,  owe  to  her 
most  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen  of  England  and  Empress  of  India, 
for  the  deep  sympathy  shown  by  her  towards  the  people  of  this 
^country,  in  a  time  of  sad  trial  and  distress,  and  for  having  felt  for  us 
ft  concern. such  as  a  mother  feels  for  her  child.     I  convey  bur  ardent 
hopes  and  prayers  for  her  Majesty's  and  England's  continued  pros- 
perity.    May  the  Almighty  allow  her  gracious  banner  to  fly  over  all 
the  parts  of  India,  and  for  ever  secure  to  her  the  devoted  attachment 
of  her  Indian  subjects  to  the  Government  of  India,  and  her  Imperial 
Majesty's  representative  in    this  Presidency.      To    his  Grace  the 
Governor  the  people  of  this  Presidency  owe  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude. 
To  his  Grace  we  cannot  be  too  thankful  for  the  active,  powerful,  and 
sympathetic  support  given  by  him  to  the  great  flow  of  British  bene- 
volence, and  the  display  of  British  humanity  on  behalf  of  suffering 
India* 

In  support  of  the  resolution  the  Kev«  J.  M.  Strachan,  M.D.,  spoke 
briefly^  He  said  there  was  one  point  which  had  not  been  referred  to  by 
the  Archdeacon,  namely^  the  help  that  was  afforded  by  the  Church  of 
England  and  the  religioits  bodies  towards  this  fund.  He  was  in- 
formed by  the  Honorary  Secretary  that  about  half,  or  even  more,  of 
the  fund  was  contributed  by  churches  and  chapels.  He  knew  very 
well  what  the  general  character  of  church  collections  was,  and  he 
believed  the  amount  subscribed  from  this  source  represented  the  gifts 
of  millions  of  our  fellow-subjects  in  Great  Britain,  many  of  whom 
must  have  given  from  limited  means  indeed.      He  also  thought 


APPENDIX   E.  469 

that  the  Surgeon-General  lost  sight  of  a  fact  which  ought  not  to  be 
lost  sight  c£  in  Madras.  About  a  fortnight  after  the  formation  of 
the  Mansion  House  Committee  an  appeal  was  published  from  the 
Lord  Bishop  of  Madras,  and  he  did  believe  that  appeal  of  their  -own 
diocesan  had  an  immense  influence  on  the  minds  of  the  people  and 
clergy  of  England  (hear,  hear),  and  that  it  was  the  means  of  raising 
a  very  large  sum  of  money  and  of  awakenening  a  very  wide-spread 
sympathy  throughout  England.  But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that 
the  Church  of  England  only  gave  help :  other  religious  bodies  came 
forward  right  nobly*  (Hear,  hear.)  They  knew  very  well  that  the 
Jewish  Eabbi,  and  Cardinal  Manning,  the  Cardinal  Archbishop, 
both  issued  appeals.  And  he  was  informed  that  the  Propaganda  at 
Home  actually  sent  25,000  francs  to  the  Mansion  House.  (Applause.) 
He  ventured  to  say  that  the  venerable  church,  in  all  its  long  and 
eventful  history^  never  did  a  more  graceful  act,  or  one  that  more 
truly  and  thoroughly  entitled  it  to  its  name  of  Catholic.  (Applause.) 
Although  ipany  of  the  persons  who  had  been  recipients  of  England's 
bounty  might  have  a  dim  and  confused  idea  about  the  sources  of  the 
charity  which  had  saved  them  from  the  most  awful  kind  of  death — 
starvation,  yet  the  educated  class  of  natives  knew  and  believed  that 
the  practical  sympathy  shown  by  our  beloved  and  most  gracious 
Queen,  the  Empress  of  India,  by  the  nobles,  the  gentry,  the  mer- 
chants, the  artLsans  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies,  would  do  more 
than  sword  or  diplomacy  to  secure  the  local  affection  and  devotion  of 
the  people  of  this  Presidency.     (Applause.) 

This  resolution  also  was  carried  by  acclamation. 

The  Bight  Bev.  Dr.  Fenkelly  proposed  the  following  resolution : — 
^  That  a  vote  of  thanks  be  tendered  to  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Buck- 
iTigbATn  and  ChandoB  for  the  interest  his  Grace  has  taken  in  the 
laising  and  distribution  of  the  fiamine  relief  fund,  and  for  presiding 
on  the  present  occasion.' 

Bishop  Fbnnblly  said  that  it  gave  him  very  great  pleasure  to  have 
to  move  the  resolution.  He  recollected  the  meeting  at  which  they 
were  all  assembled  to  supplicate  for  help,  and  the  noble  response 
given  to  the  appeal  was  well  known  and  acknowledged.  In  the 
history  of  famines,  there  had  been  no  famine  in  this  country  so  wide 
in  its  extent,  and  affecting  so  large  a  number  of  people,  as  the  recent 
fiBtmine  which  troubled  the  land.  The  effects  of  the  fEunine  had  been 
such  that  it  became  necessaiy  to  appeal  for  help  to  Great  Britain,  and 
the  appeal  had  met  with  a  ready  and  liberal  response.  But  they  all 
could  not  but  feel  that  a  great  part  of  the  success  that  had  attended 
the  appeal  was  due  to  the  honoured  name  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham 
and  Chandofi.    The  appeal  for  help  when  sent  from  Madras  wa^ 


470  APPENDIX    E. 

accompanied  by  a  Btatement  which  contained  at  the  end  of  it  the 
honoured  name  of  the  Duke.  In  England  the  Duke  of  Buckingham 
and  Chandos  was  much  respected  and  honoured,  and  if  his  name  had 
not  accompanied  the  statement  sent  with  the  appeal,  the  response  might 
not  have  been  as  liberal  as  it  had  been,  however  great  might  be  the 
generosity  of  the  people  of  England.  They  all  therefore  had  special 
reason  to  be  thankful  to  his  Grace  the  Crovemor  for  the  interest 
taken  by  him  in  the  raising  of  the  famine  relief  fund.  He  had  no 
doubt  that  the  name  of  the  Duke  would  be  handed  down  to  posterity 
for  the  efforts  his  Grace  had  made  in  alleviating  the  miseries  caused 
by  the  famine.  He  had  no  doubt  that  the  resolution  he  proposed 
would  be  adopted  with  acclamation.    (Great  applause.) 

The  vote  being  warmly  accorded, 

His  Grace  said  : — I  rise  to  express  my  grateful  thanks  for  the 
way  in  which  the  resolution  proposed  by  Dr.  Fennelly  has  been 
received,  and  for  the  kind  and  flattering  words  with  which  it  haa 
been  proposed  and  seconded.  My  reward  for  any  success  that  we  aa 
yet  have  attained,  for  any  exertions  I  may  have  made,  is  to  look  upon 
those  around  the  country  who  have  been  saved  (applause),  although 
we  cannot  but  regret  the  logs  which  the  past  year  has  seen.  My 
reward  is  to  look  and  to  think  upon  those  who  have  been  saved  by 
the  zealous,  energetic  efforts  of  English  officers  who  have  devoted 
their  time,  their  utmost  energies,  and  health  to  the  task  of  oombating> 
the  miseries  of  those  amongst  whom  they  w^^e  placed ;  in  seeing  the 
noble  response  which  England  made  to  the  appeal  from  this  Hall; 
and  to  see  the  good  which  it  has  effected  in  the  country,  through  the 
zealous,  the  warm-hearted  exertions  of  these  and  natives  of  all  castes 
and  creeds  combining  with  Englishmen  and  others  in  one  common 
purpose  of  devoting  that  fund  so  as  to  produce  the  utmost  possible 
results  of  good  to  the  people.  (Applause.)  A  year  of  anxiety  haa 
passed,  but  the  lessons  which  it  is  calculated  to  teach  remain.  Tha 
storm  is  passed,  but  the  ship  has  yet  to  be  brought  into  port,  and 
from  the  lessons  of  the  past  year  English  Governors  and  English 
statesmen,  combined  with  the  local  knowledge  of  residents  and  natives 
of  India,  must  consider  well  how  such  a  catastrophe  may  in  the  future 
be  guarded  against  and  the  attacks  of  fiBunine  most  promptly  staved 
off  whenever,  as  is  probable,  they  may  recur.  To  secure  this  end  it 
is  difficult  to  lay  down  any  rules,  but  these  are  questions  which  must 
in  the  future  occupy  the  thoughts  of  those  to  whom  the  government 
of  those  countries  is  entrusted,  governing  as  they  do,  under  the  wishes 
of  England  and  of  England's  Queen,  for  the  good  of  the  people.  My 
view  of  the  duty  of  a  Government  in  such  a  country  as  this  is  that 
the  safety  and  the  happiness  of  the  people  must  be  the  >fir8t  ol^t  of 


APPENDIX   F.  471 

the  GoTemmant.  (Applause.)  By  that  rule  I  have  endeavooied  to 
guide  my  conduct  through  the  difficulties  we  have  hitherto  had  to  en- 
oounter :  by  that  rule  I  trust  I  shall  govern  my  conduct  as  long  as 
it  is  my  lot  to  rule  over  this  Presidency.  (Applause.)  I  thank  you 
very  sincerely  for  the  vote  you  have  passed,  I  thank  all  present  here 
most  sincerely  and  cordially  for  the  exertions  that  they  made  in  the 
distributLons  of  the  large  fund  entrusted  by  EngVind  to  us.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

This  concluded  the  businesB  of  the  meeting,  which  had  lasted 
nearly  three  hours. 


APPENDIX  F. 

DAY  NTJRSBEIEa 

{From  Mrs,  L.  S.  Cobnish,  Teynampett,  Madras.) 

October  1, 1877. 

I  have  the  pleesnre  to  send  you,  according  to  promise,  the  follow- 
ing particulars  with  regard  to  the  Teynampett  Nursery. 

This  Nursery  was  opened  for  the  purpose  of  giving  one  good  meal 
8  day  to  the  children  residing  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  On 
September  1,  22  children  attended,  on  the  15th  their  numbers  had  in- 
creased to  94,  and  on  the  30th  to  203.  The  average  daily  attendance 
&r  the  mcmth  has  been  97^. 

The  total  cost  of  feeding  the  children  for  the  month  amounted  to 
rs.  12^2-0.  2,920  rations  in  all  were  issued,  and  the  cost  per  head 
was  8*1  pies. 

The  classes  relieved  are  chiejfly  Pariahs,  with  perhaps  25  per  cent 
of  Mussulmans,  Moodellys,  and  Naicks.  All  were  wretched  when 
first  entertained,  and  showed  famine  signs,  but  with  a  few  days'  feed- 
ing they  soon  began  to  improve.  The  food  now  given  is  brown  bread 
made  of  rolong,  and  raggi  conjee  mixed  with  buttermilk.  The  ration 
is  7  oz.  of  bread  and  |  pint  of  raggi  conjee  for  the  big  children,  and 
G  OS.  of  bread  and  \  a  pint  of  conjee  for  the  small  ones.  The  sickly 
babies  get  milk  in  addition,  bat  tins  I  do  not  buy;  it  is  given  me  by 
Mrs.  Kindersley. 

I  said  the  food  now  given.  On  first  starting  the  Nursery,  when 
the  numbers  were  few,  I  gave  brown  bread  soaked  in  boiling  water 
with  a  little  milk,  and  ^  an  oz.  of  siigar,  and  \  a  pint  of  buttermilk, 
to  each  child.  On  the  14th  of  the  month,  however,  there  were  so 
many  children  that  I  decided  to  issue  conjee  instead.  It  does  not 
take  nearly  so  long  to  serve  out,  and  the  children  like  it  better. 


472  APPENDIX   F. 

As  to  the  poverty  of  the  children  there  can  be  no  question^  from 
their  condition  when  taken  in.  Many  are  orphans  and  dependent  on 
their  grandmothers,  aunts,  &c.  Many  more  have  lost  their  fathers,  and 
these  are  generally  in  sad  plight,  for  if  they  are  young  children  it  is 
difficult  for  the  mother  to  leave  them  and  go  out  to  earn  a  living. 
Some  have  both  parents  alive,  but  the  father  in  many  cases  is  out  of 
place  or,  to  use  the  children's  expressive  phrase,  is  '  quite  at  home.' 

The  cost  of  establishment  in  September  was  almost  nothing.     I. 
pay  a  cook  3  and  a  peon  2  rs.  a  month.     A  poor  woman  whose 
children  are  fed  helps  in   serving  out  the  bread  in  return  for  her* 
ration,  and  that  is  all.     Myself  and  my  butler  have  done  all  the  rest, 
and  are  at  the  Nursery  from  1  to  2  hours  every  morning. 

With  regard  also  to  a  feeding  house  I  have  hitherto  been  spared 
the  cost  of  building  one,  as  the  members  of  the  Boat  Club  have  kindly 
let  me  use  their  sheds  while  their  boats  are  up  at  the  Adyar,  so  that 
for  the  month  of  September  nearly  all  the  expenditure  has  been  in 
the  shape  of  food. 

As  to  casualties  we  have  been  fortunate.  The  only  death,  so  far 
as  I  know,  has  been  that  of  a  child  who  was  brought  in  in  the  last 
stage  of  famine.  I  gave  it  a  cup  of  white  bread  and  milk,  bat  an' 
hour  or  two  after  the  mother  came  and  told  me  it  was  dead. 

In  conclusion  I  may  mention  that  there  is  an  immense  deal  of. 
want  among  the  class  of  out-door  servants,  as  punkah  men,  graas 
cutters,  watermen,  etc.  Small  cultivators  also,  and  salesmen  wha 
deal  in  petty  wares,  such  as  betel,  are  having  a  terrible  time.  Even 
the  families  of  the  better  class  of  servants  are  feeling  the  long  con- 
tinuance of  high  prices.  It  is  melancholy  to  see  the  state  to  which' 
many  of  the  poor  little  creatures  who  come  to  the  Teynampett  Nursery 
are  reduced,  and  I  think  no  better  way  can  be  found  of  bestowing 
charity  than  feeding  these  helpless  little  ones. 

February,  1878. 

For  a  single  meal  the  following  is  given  in  the  Teynampett 
Nursery: — 

Brown  bread,  from  5  to  7  oz. 

Baggi  conjee  (seasoned  with  salt  or  sugar,  and  containing  about 
1  oz.  of  raggi  flour  for  each  ration)  about  |  of  a  pint  to  a  pint^  in- 
cluding the  added  buttermilk. 

Buttermilk,  ^  to  ^  pint  mixed  with  the  conjee. 

At  the  Barber's  Bridge,  where  two  meals  a  day  are  given,  the 
bread  is  from  3  to  4  oz.  each  meal,  and  the  raggi  conjee  is  given  wiHi 
both  meals.  In  both  Nurseries  new  milk  is  reserved  for  the  little 
ones,  either  pure  or  mixed  with  conjee. 

For  children  from  3  to  7  years  of  age  the  following  quantities  are 
suitable  for  a  single  meal : — 


APPENDIX   F.  4?^ 

Fresh  brown  bread     •        .        .        •        4  to  8  oz. 
Raggi  flour  in  conjee  •        .        •       .        1  to  1^    „ 

Sugar  . JtoJ      „ 

Salt   (enough  to  season  conjee) 

Buttermilk i  to  ^  pint. 

If   raggi    diet  is  g^ven,  raggi  flour 

sifted,  from '3  to  5  oz.,  boiled  into 

a  stiff  pudding,  and  seasoned  with 

salt,  buttermilk  from  i  to  ^  pint, 

or  a  curry  of  dboU  and  vegetables 

alternating  with  buttermilk.      If 

rice  is  given,  raw  rice  cleaned 

and  boiled,  from  .        •        •        •        4  to  6  oz« 
Buttermilk  |  pint ;  salt  or  sugar  as  above. 

N.B. — ^Rice  when  boiled  shonld  weigh  about  3|-  times  the  weight 
of  dry  raw  rice. 

A  cany  of  vegetables  and  dholl  may  be  substitated  occasionally 
for  thjd  buttermilk. 

The  average  cost  of  each  meal  at  the  Teynampett  Nursery  is  about 
8  pies  per  head,  and  here  only  bread,  raggi  conjee  with  sugar  or  salt, 
and  buttermilk)  are  given.  The  fresh  milk  used  is  contributed  by 
neighbours  who  are  able  to  spare  of  their  abundance  for  the  wants  of 
the  poor,  and  the  cost  is  not  included.  A  mere  statement  of  the 
actual  cost  of  provisions  is  sufficient  to  show  that  a  native  child  cannot 
be  fed  on  the  '  3  pie '  allowance,  and  where  the  fSamily  wages  do  not 
come  to  more  than  5  or  6  rupees  a  month,  it  will  be  obvious  that 
both  parents  and  children  cannot  be  properly  fed. 


474  app:endjx  a- 


APPENDIX  G. 
WILD  PLANTS  AND  VEGETABLES  USED  AS  FOOD, 

Memorandum. 

Govemmont  having  directed  a  reprint  to  be  made  of  the  list  of 
the  wild  pktnts  and  vegetables  uded  sia  food  bj  the  people  in  famine 
timeB,  with  the  Telugu  synonyms  and  the  additions  noted  in  Prooeed- 
ings  of  the  Board  of  Bevenue,  No.  3,121,  dated  July  3, 1877,  the 
following  revised  list  is  published,  as  desired  by  Oovemment. 

(Signed)  W.  B.  Cobnish,  F.B.C.S., 

Sanitary  Commissumer/or  Madras, 

From  Surgeon-Major  J.  Shortt,  M.D.y  Lispector  of  Yaocination, 
Madras  Presidency,  to  the  Sanitary  Commifisioner  of  Madras^  dated 
May  3,  1877,  No.  263. 

I  have  the  honour  to  submit  a  list  of  most  of  the  wild  plants,  tibeir 
roots,  leaves,  fruits,  or  seeds,  that  are  eaten  by  the  poor  during  seasons 
of  drought  and  famine.  I  give  both  the  scientific,  Tamil  and  Telnga 
names  in  the  list,  believing  that  it  may  prove  of  interest  just  now. 

2.  I  commenced  .the  collection  first  during  a  visit  to  Ganjam,  in 
1870,  and  have  to  thank  G.  H.  Ellis,  Esq.,  and  J.  G.  Thompson,  Esq., 
the  then  collector  and  judge  of  that  district,  who  kindly,  at  my 
request,  procured  for  me  several  specimens  for  identification.  Since 
that  I  have  been  adding  to  the  number,  and  during  a  tour  to  the 
Bellary,  Kumool,  and  Cuddapah  districts  in  December  1876,  at  the 
onset  of  the  present  fiitmine,  and  in  the  North  Aroot  and  Salem  dis- 
tricts during  1877, 1  collected  further  information. 

3.  The  list  is  alphabetically  arranged ;  many  of  the  leaves  and 
young  shoots  of  those  used  as  greens  are  much  more  frequently  used 
as  Calavay  Keeray  or  mixed  greens.  This  is  a  fiikvourite  mode  d 
using  them  at  all  seasons,  and  they  axe  in  great  repute  even  among 
well-to-do  people.  Women  collect  the  wild  greens  both  as  an  amuse- 
ment and  occupation,  adding  at  the  same  time  an  additional  dish  to 
the  family  meal.  Many  European  and  East  Lidian  families  are 
partial  to  them,  as  they  are  said  to  be  healthy  and  to  have  a  slight 
laxative  action  on  the  bowels ;  that  they  will  frequently  send  their 
female' servants  out  to  collect  them. 

4.  The  tender  pith  and  leaf-bud  of  the  Hedge  Aloe  is  only  eaten  by 


APPENDIX   0.  475 

the  poor  from  great  presBore  of  hanger,  as  it  is  unwholesome  and 
causes  dysentery  and  diarrhoea. 

5.  Some  of  the  Arum  tribe  that  are  used  on  these  occasions  are 
not  only  unwholesome  but  poisonous;  to  avoid  their  deleterious 
effects  they  are  repeatedly  boiled  ere  eating.  Of  the  various  fruits, 
they  are  eaten  ripe  as  they  come  into  season.  The  banian,  peepul, 
and  country  fig  furnish  food  not  only  to  the  poor  people  but  to  cattle 
a^so.  The  kernel  of  the  mango  and  the  tamarind  stone  are  converted 
into  meal  and  cooked  into  porridge  or  baked  into  cakes,  but  as  they 
contain  a  large  proportion  of  tannin  they  are  not  healthy,  and  are  only 
resorted  to  during  seasons  of  scarcity.  The  bamboo  seed  furnishes  a 
kind  of  lice,  which  is  generally  collected  by  the  poor  during  the  season 
at  all  times  to  keep  them  in  food.  In  most  jungles  there  is  always  a 
succession  of  bamboo  in  seed  every  year.  The  fruit  of  the  prickly- 
pear  is  eateai  ripe;  sometimes  the  green  fruits  are  boiled.  The 
tender  leaveswould  furnish  good  vegetable  for  curry,  but  are  not  oflen 
resorted  to.  As  the  prickly-pear  possesses  sub-acid  or  antiscorbutic 
properties,  it  is  very  beneficial  to  the  health  both  of  man  and  beast. 
To  Mr.  H.  S.  Thomas,  the  collector  of  Tanjore,  the  credit  is  due  of 
first  suggesting  and  subsequently  demonstrating  practically  its  value 
as  cattle  fodder  by  feeding  his  own  cattle  on  it  and  exhibiting  the 
same  in  public,  thus  proving  its  utility,  and  it  has  been  introduced  to 
public  notice  by  Messrs.  Harvey  and  Sabapathy,  of^fiellary,  since.  It 
has  not  met  with  general  acceptance  in  consequence  of  the  trouble  and 
difficulty  of  freeing  the  leaves  of  their  sharp  spines,  but  there  is  a 
spineless  variety — Apuntia  delenii,  or  Nopaul,'  with  red  flowers — 
which  is  met  with  about  Madras.  I  remember  seeing  lots  of  it  grow- 
ing about  the  village  of  Karanguli,  in  the  district  of  Ohingleput,  some 
years  ago.  It  would  be  worth  while  introducing  this  cadus  into  the 
several  districts  to  form  cattle  fodder,  not  only  during  seasons  of 
scarcity,  but  at  all  other  times. 

The  Gtutzuma  tomerUoaa,  or  Bastard  Cedar,  was  introduced  into 
Southern  India  from  South  America  very  many  years  ago,  to  be  cul- 
tivated for  supplying  cattle  with  fodder;  it  is  met  with  about 
Madras.  The  woody  seeds  are  sweet  from  containing  sugar,  and  they 
are  eaten  by  the  poor  during  seasons  of  scarcity,  but  cattle  are  partial 
to  both  leaves  and  fruits.  This  tree  also  yields  good  fibre,  and  its 
extensive    cultivation    in    the  several  districts  is  well  worthy   of 

>  This  variety  of  Opnntia  was  introduced  many  years  ago  bj  the  late 
Dr.  James  Anderson  to  feed  the  cochineal  insect.  Dr.  Anderson  used  to  sup- 
ply Her  Majesty's  ships-of-war  in  the  Madras  roads  with  tbe  green  leaves, 
which  in  those  days  were  used  as  an  antiscorbutic,  after  being  boiled  as  an 
ozdinaiy  green  vegetable. — ^W.  B.  C. 


476  APPENDIX   G. 

attention  with  a  view  to  supply  fodder  for  cattle  during  seasons  of 
scarcity.  The  Bassia,  of  which  there  are  two  varieties,  from  tho 
fleshy  corolla  of  which  most  of  the  semi- wild  trihes  distil  their  arrack ; 
the  flowers,  being  sweet-tasted,  are  eaten  raw,  boiled  or  roasted,  and 
the  ripe  fruits  during  the  season.  The  kernels  furnish  a  coarse  oil, 
which  is  used  as  food.  The  palmyra  tree  is  too  well  known  for  the 
various  useful  products  it  furnishes.  The  fasiform  root  of  the  ger- 
minating stone  is  boiled  and  sold  in  the  bazaars  during  the  season^  as 
the  palmyra  tubers  or  Pannei  Kuhmgu ;  this  is  also  converted  into 
meal,  and  the  stones  of  the  fruit  are  carefully  collected  and  put  down 
to  germinate  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  roots. 

I  will  not  extend  these  remarks  further,  as  the  parts  used  and  the 
mode  in  which  they  are  prepared  are  given  opposite  each  plant. 

Note. — Since  this  letter  was  written  I  have  been  to  the  North 
Arcot  district  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  and  at  the  village  ci  Foloor  in 
that  district  saw  several  large  clumps  of  the  Nopaul  or  non-spinoua 
cactus  growing  in  a  tope.  The  tahsildar  being  absent,  I  Sjont  for  th^ 
sheristadar  or  sub-magistrate,  and  pointed  out  the  Nopaul  to  him.  I 
brought  with  me  several  specimens  of  the  young  plant,  and,  on 
receiving  a  note  from  Mr.  Fernandez,  of  the  Government  Office,  on. 
the  subject,  I  sent  these  plants  to  him  to  present  to  the  Chief  Secre- 
taiy  to  Government. 

At  Yellore,  near  the  toll-gate  leading  towards  the  central  gaol,  I 
also  saw  several  young  plants  of  the  Nopaul  growing  in  a  hedge  with 
the  common  spinous  cactus. 

In  Madras  there  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Nopaul  to  be  seen  in  a 
house  No.  31,  on  the  High  Boad,  Eoyapooram,  and  another  in  the 
compound  of  Trinity  Chapel,  John  Fareira's ;  both  these  plants  were 
with  flower  and  fruit  when  seen  by  me  about  two  months  ago. 


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APPENDIX   G.  483 


Wild  Herbs  &c.  used  as  Food  in  the  Kaladgi  District  of 
THE  Bombay  Presidency  during  the  Famine. 

Descriptive  Notes  hy  Mr,  James  MacN'ahh  Campbell,  of  the  Bombay 
Civil  Service,  amd  Remarks  thereon  by  Br,  Wellington  Gray,  Fro- 
/essor  of  Botany,  Grant  Medical  College,  Bombay. 

CLASS    I. 

EATEN   IN   ALL  SEASONS. 

No.  1. 
'  (S.)  Bahudv^dhi,  (if.)  Jati. 

\k,)  Hdli,  (E,)  Edli. 

A  climbing  creeper,  with  white  flowers.  A  favourite  vegetable  in 
all  seasons,  and  said  to  be  perfectly  wholesome. 

Remark  by  Dr.  W,  Gray. — No.  1  appears  to  be  the  leaf  of  an 
Asdepiad,  possibly  of  Cosmostigvna  acuminatum.  Its  identity  is, 
however,  too  doubtful  to  admit  of  my  venturing  any  remarks  as  to 
the  properties  or  uses  of  the  specimen. 

No.  2. 
(S,)  Chdgeri.  (M.)  Mdbli, 

(K)  Mdbli,  Nydhali,  \h,)  Nydbali. 

A  plant  about  two  feet  high,  with  a  white  flower  and  small  round 
fruit.  Is  used,  in  ordinary  years,  both  as  a  vegetable  and  as  a 
medicine.  As  a  vegetable,  the  leaves  are  boiled  and  mixed  with 
pulse.  As  a  medicine,  in  cases  of  fever  the  juice  is  poured  into  the 
ear.  It  is  not  eaten  by  animals.  As  a  vegetable,  if  taken  in  large 
quantities,  this  plant  is  said  to  cause  diarrhoea. 

Remark  by  Dr,  Gray, — No.  2  is  a  leaf  of  Gyrumdropsis  pentor 
phyUa,  a  plant  of  the  natural  order  Capparidece ;  it  is  a  common 
annual  weed,  and  no  doubt  possesses,  like  many  other  species  of  the 
same  order,  antiscorbutic  properties.  The  leaves  are  eaten  as  a  veget- 
able, and  bruised  when  fresh  are  applied  as  a  coimter-irritant  in 
inflammations.  The  seeds  are  used  as  a  substitute  for  mustard.  As 
regards  Mr.  Campbell's  statement,  that  the  vegetable  when  eaten  in 
large  quantities  causes  diarrhoea,  I  cannot  speak  with  any  degree  of 
certainty. 

*  S.  stands  for  Sanscrit,  M,  for  Mar^thi,  JT.  for  Eanarese,  IT,  for  Hin- 
dostani. 

Ii2 


484  APPENDIX    G. 


No.  3. 
(S.)  Jarjeri.  {M,)  Kurdu. 

\k,)  Garji.  iff,)  Gofji. 

A  plant,  about  six  inches  high,  with  a  white  flower.  The  leaves 
aro  at  all  times  a  favourite  vegetable.  It  is  not  used  as  a  medicine^ 
and  is  eaten  by  cattle.  Though  in  common  use  as  a  vegetable,  this 
plant  is  said  to  be  unsafe,  except  in  small  quantities,  bringing  on 
diarrhoea. 

Remark  by  Dr,  Gray, — No.  3  is  Arnblogyna  polygonoideSy  belong- 
ing to  the  natural  order  AmarcmtdceoB^  and  a  very  common  weed  in 
cultivated  ground.  It  is  much  used  as  a  pot  herb,  and  reckoned  ex- 
ceedingly wholesome.  So  far  as  I  am  aware,  it  does  not  bring  on 
diarrhoea. 

No.  4. 
{S,)  Kaunti.  (Jf.)  Negli. 

(K.)  Negli.  {H.)  Negli, 

A  low-growing  plant,  with  a  small  yellow  flower  and  round  thorny 
fruit.  Is  used,  in  ordinary  years,  both  as  a  vegetable  and  as  a  medi- 
cine. As  a  vegetable,  the  young  leaves  are  eaten  with  salt,  chillies, 
and  other  condiments.  As  a  medicine,  the  fruit  is  used  as  a  tonic  iu 
cases  of  fever.  The  older  stems  and  leaves  are  gathered  as  fodder  for 
cattle.  As  a  vegetable,  this  plant  is  said  to  be  pleasant  to  the  taste 
and  perfectly  wholesome. 

Remark  by  Dr,  Gray. — No.  4  is  Polygala  chinenais — natural  order 
PolygalecB.  It  grows  in  most  parts  of  the  Deocan.  Mr.  Campbell's 
remarks  as  regards  its  uses  are,  as  far  as  I  know,  correct. 

No.  5. 
(S.)  Madhuvrita.  (M.)  JBdrik  GhoL 

(K.)  Nuchgoli.  (H,)  Nuch  Ghol 

A  small  plant,  with  a  light-colonred  flower.  Is,  in  ordinaiy  years, 
eaten  by  people  of  all  classes.  As  a  vegetable,  the  leaves  are  boiled 
and  eaten  with  condiments.  It  is  not  used  as  a  medicine,  nor  as 
fodder  for  cattle.  As  a  vegetable  it  is  said  to  be  bitter  to  the  taste, 
but  safe  and  wholesome. 

Remark  by  Dr,  Gray, — No.  5  is  Portulaca  quadrifida,  of  the 
natural  order  Fortulaca^iea!,  and  a  common  annual  weed  in  many 
parts  of  the  Bombay  Presidency.     It  is  ordinarily  used  as  a  vegetable. 


APPENDIX    G.  485 


No.  6. 
(aS'.)  MadhuvnAa.  (Af.)  Moti  GhoL 

\k,)  Bod  Goli.  (//.)  Badi  Ghol 

A  low-growing  plant,  with  white  flowers,  whose  young  leaves  are 
at  all  times  a  favourite  vegetable.  It  is  not  used  as  a  medicine,  nor 
as  fodder  for  cattle.  As  a  vegetable,  through  wholesome  in  modera- 
tion, if  taken  in  large  quantities  this  plant  is  said  to  cause  diarrhoea. 

Remark  by  Dr.  Grwy. — No.  6  is  Forttdcbca  oleracea,  better  known 
perhaps  as  Purslane,  a  widely-distributed  plant.  It  is  cultivated  in 
Western  India  as  a  pot  herb,  and  possesses  antiscorbutic  properties. 

No.  7. 

{S,)  Moshiki.  (M.) 

{K.)  IlikivL  (H,)  Chivikikdn. 

A  creeper,  with  a  green-coloured  flower.  A  favourite  vegetable, 
used  at  all  times,  and  said  to  be  perfectly  wholesome. 

Remark  by  Dr.  Gray, — No.  7  is  probably  Tylophora  moUissima, 
of  the  natural  order  Aadepiadeoi.     Its  identity  is  also  doubtful. 

No.  8. 
(S.)  Pithari.  (M,)  PUpapdda, 

i^K,)  Kalsabasgi.  {H.)  Fatarsoi, 

A  low-growing  plant,  with  rose-coloured  flowers.  The  leaf  is 
eaten,  in  ordinary  years,  as  a  vegetable.  In  medicine,  it  ia  used  as  a 
remedy  for  fever.  Cattle  do  not  eat  it.  As  a  vegetable  it  is  said  to 
be  perfectly  wholesome. 

Remark  by  Dr.  Gray, — No.  8  is  a  leaf  of  Gloaaocardia  bostoelliay  a 
small  annual  plant  of  the  natural  order  Camposuce,  ana  a  rather 
common  weed  in  dry  ground.  With  regard  to  its  use  as  a  vegetable, 
I  am  iinable  to  speak  from  personal  experience.  It  is  said  to  be  em- 
ployed medicinally  in  certain  diseases  of  women. 

No.  9. 
(-S'.)  Tashta,  (M.)  Tdkla. 

(K.)  Takkarsoni,  (H.)  Tarota. 

A  small  bush,  growing  to  about  two  feet  high,  with  yellow  flowers 
and  pods.  The  young  leaves  are  at  all  times  a  favourite  vegetable. 
It  is  not  used  as  medicine,  or  as  fodder  for  cattle.  The  seed  yields  a 
blue  dye.  As  a  vegetable,  it  is  said  to  be  pleasant  to  the  taste^  and 
wholesome. 


486  APPENDIX   G. 

Remark  by  Br,  Gray, — No.  9  is  the  leaf  of  a  legummouB  plant — 
Cassia  Tora.  This  is  an  exceedingly  abundant  annual  in  grass  lands 
throughout  the  Deccan.  Mr.  Campbell's  remarks  on  the  plant  are 
correct. 

No.  10. 
(S,)  Shatdvari.  {M,) 

(K.)  Ddgadi.  (H,)  Ddgadi. 

A  creeper,  with  no  marked  flower  or  fruit.  The  leaves  are,  in 
ordinary  seasons,  eaten  by  the  poor.  It  is  not  used  as  a  medicine,  and 
is  given  to  milch  cows,  and  to  increase  their  yield  of  milk.  As  a 
vegetable,  this  plant  is  said  to  be  perfectly  wholesome. 

Remark  by  Dr.  Gray. — No.  10  is  CocciUus  viUosuSy  a  slender 
climbing  plant,  found  in  nearly  every  part  of  Western  India,  and 
belonging  to  the  natural  order  Menispermacece.  A  decoction  of  the 
fresh  root  is  given  as  an  alterative  in  cases  of  rheumatism  and 
syphilis.  The  leaves,  rubbed  up  with  water,  form  a  jelly,  which  is 
also  taken  for  the  same  diseases.  I  am  not  aware  that  the  plant  is 
used  simply  as  a  vegetable,  but  the  leaves  are  eaten  as  such  by  perscns 
who  are  undergoing  a  course  of  the  root  decoction.  Goats  and  cattle 
feed  on  it. 

CLASS  n. 

EATEN   IN  TIMES   OF   FAMINE. 

No.  1. 
(Z.)  Ami.  {M.)  ChincJi. 

{K.)  Eunchi.  (H.)  A'mli. 

The  leaf  of  the  tamarind  tree,  in  ordinary  years,  is  not  eaten  as  a 
vegetable,  or  used  as  a  medicine.  Cattle  eat  it.  At  present  it  is  used 
as  a  vegetable.  But  it  is  said  to  be  unwholesome,  and,  even  when 
taken  in  small  quantities,  to  have  a  weakening  effect. 

Remark  by  Dr.  Gray. — No.  1  is  a  leaf  of  the  tamarind.  The 
pounded  seeds  of  this  tree  are  commonly  eaten  in  seasons  of  scarcity, 
and  were  largely  consiuned  by  the  people  during  the  late  famine.  It 
is  highly  probable  that  the  leaves  produce  the  effects  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Campbell. 

No.  2. 
(S.)  JiUika.  (M,)  Gokaru, 

(K.)  Valamuchyaka.  (H.)  Bada  Gokaru. 

A  low-growing  plant,  with  yellow  flowers,  not  eaten  as  a  v^etable 
in  ordinary  years.     As  a  medicine,  it  is  used  in  cases  of  colic ;  and  its 


APPENDIX   G.  487 

jtdce  is  said  to  be  strong  enough  to  stnpify  a  scorpion.  Cattle  eat  it. 
The  leaves  are  at  present  used  as  a  vegetable  by  the  poorer  classes. 
They  are  said  to  be  unwholesome,  and,  if  taken  in  large  quantities,  to 
cause  diarrhoea. 

Remark  by  JDr,  Gray. — No.  2  is  TribiUtts  terreatris,  a  small  creep- 
ing plant  of  the  natural  order  ZygophyUece,  It  is  abundant  in  all 
Deccan  pasture  lands.  As  a  medicine,  it  is  said  to  be  aperient  and 
diuretic.  Except  in  times  of  scarcity,  it  is  seldom  eaten  as  a  vege- 
table. Judging  from  its  harsh  nature,  I  should  imagine  it  to  be  very 
difficult  of  digestion. 

No.  3. 

(K.)  TondaH.  {H.) 

A  hill  shrub,  with  no  marked  flower  or  fruit.  In  ordinary  years, 
though  not  eaten  as  a  vegetable,  its  juice,  mixed  with  whey,  is  a  com- 
mon remedy  in  cases  of  diarrhoea.  Cattle  do  not  feed  on  it.  At 
present  the  leaves  are  eaten  by  the  poorer  classes.  They  are  said  to 
have  no  unwholesome  qualities. 

Remark  by  Dr,  Gray. — No.  3  is  a  leaf  of  Cor  chorus  trUocularia, 
an  annual  plant  of  the  natural  order  TiltacecBy  and  found  in  parts  of 
the  Deccan.  I  see  no  reason  why  this  plant  should  not  be  used  as  a 
vegetable  in  ordinary  as  well  as -in  famine  seasons;  it  resembles  in 
properties  another  species,  C.  olitoriuSy  the  well-known  jute,  which  is 
much  eaten  in  Western  India  as  a  pot-herb.  Medicinally,  it  is,  like 
the  other  members  of  the  genus,  possessed  of  demulcent  properties. 

No.  4. 
(;S'.)  Tri/n  Gharmu,  (M.)  Gavat. 

(K.)  Hitgoni.  (H,)  Hitgovi. 

A  somewhat  broad  fleshy-leaved  grass,  growing  in  clusters ;  is  not, 
in  ordinary  years,  used  either  as  a  vegetable  or  as  a  medicine.  Cattle 
feed  on  it.  During  the  past  two  months  (June  and  July,  1877),  in 
places  where  the  supply  of  wild  herbs  is  scanty,  this  grass  has  formed 
a  very  common  article  of  food.  Used  in  this  way,  it  is  said  to  be  un- 
wholesome, caiLsing  dropsy  and  diarrhoea. 

Remark  by  Dr,  Gray, — No.  4  is  Cormnelyna  communisy  of  the 
natural  order  CommelyruicecB,  It  is  a  spreading  weed — not  a  '  grass,' 
as  Mr.  Campbell  states — growing  abundantly  in  moist  grass  lands  in 
the  Deccan.  Cattle  eat  it.  The  dropsy  and  diarrhoea,  said  to  result 
from  its  use  as  an  article  of  food,  may,  with  greater  probability,  be 
attributed  to  the  previous  reduced  and  scorbutic  condition  of  the  con- 


488  APPENDIX   G. 

Burner.  The  Bame  obBervation  will  apply  to  other  unusual  articles  of 
diet,  which  are  asserted  to  produce  disease ;  these  are  not  resorted  to, 
as  a  means  of  sustaining  life,  till  the  people  are  already  suffering  from 
the  results  of  chronic  starvation  and  scurvy.  The  phenomena  of  such 
a  condition  of  body  are  at  once  laid  to  the  door  of  the  strange  diet,  to 
which  the  people  have  hitherto  been  unaccustomed.  No  doubt,  this 
food  is  sometimes  more  or  less  difficult  of  digestion,  thus  giving  rise 
to  diarrhcea  and  other  bowel  disorders.  It  cannot  be  doubted,  how- 
ever, that,  in  a  large  majority  of  cases,  disease  attributed  to  an  un- 
usual kind  of  food  is,  in  reality,  the  result  of  starvation  and  the  use 
of  inferior  kinds  of  ordinary  food. 

No.  5. 

(S.)  Vrindi.  (M.)  Bhui  Taravad, 

{K,)  Nalavari,  (ff.)  Tarota. 

A  small  creeping  plant,  with  white  flowers  and  fruit.  In  ordi- 
nary seasons  its  only  use  is  as  a  cattle  medicine  in  cases  of  colic.  At 
present  the  leaves  are  eaten  as  a  vegetable.  It  is  very  bitter  to  the 
taste,  and  is  said  to  be  unwholesoma 

Rema/rk  by  Dr,  Gray, — No.  5  is  the  leaf  of  a  species  of  iTidigofera, 
probably  J.  trifoUata,  of  the  natural  order  LeguminosoB.  Its  identity 
is  doubtful  however,  and  I  am  consequently  unable  to  offer  any 
decided  opinion  on  Mr.  Campbell's  remarks.  Many  species  of 
Indigofera  are  indigenous  to  Western  India.  Cattle  eat  J.  enneaphylia 
greedily,  and  the  seeds  of  J.  glcmdulosa,  the  commonest  species  of  all, 
are  eaten,  as  pulse,  by  the  people  in  seasons  of  scarcity. 

General  Remarks  by  Dr.  Gray. 

I  may  take  this  opportunity  of  mentioning  that,  besides  the  plants 
noted  above,  there  are  numerous  other  indigenous  species— herbs, 
shrubs,  and  trees — ^which  afford  sustenance  to  the  poorer  classes 
during  periods  of  fiamine.  About  the  end  of  last  rainy  season,  Mr. 
Eichey,  tho  Collector  of  Dharwar,  forwarded  to  me  the  dried  frag- 
ments of  between  twenty  and  thirty  kinds  of  herbaceous  plants,  which 
were  said  to  have  been  used  as  food  by  the  famine  immigrants  into  his 
districts.  These  specimens  are,  however,  so  imperfect,  and  in  many 
cases  immature,  that  I  have  been  unable  to  determine  the  botanical 
names  of  more  than  a  few.  Some  are  identical  with  Mr.  Campbell's 
specimens ;  amongst  the  others  there  are  several  species  of  AmaraT^ 
taceoBf  an  order  which  furnishes  a  considerable  number  of  the  pot^ 
herbs  which  are  ordinarily  eaten  by  the  people  of  this  country.     I 


APPENDIX    G.  489 

also  observe  in  Mr.  Eichey's  collection  Oxalis  comiculata^  a  very 
common  creeping  plant ;  the  leaf  of  an  Alcecasiw,  together  with  some 
examples  of  the  natural  orders  Leguminoace^  ComposUas,  and  Urticacecs, 
I  trust  it  will  not  be  thought  out  of  place  if  I  here  suggest  the 
advisability  of  causing  a  complete  collection  to  be  formed  of  all  the 
indigenous  plants  which  were  used  as  exceptional  articles  of  diet  by 
the  lower  classes  who  inhabit  the  districts  affected  by  the  late  famine. 
When  the  plant  is  small  and  of  convenient  size,  the  dried  specimen 
should  consist  of  the  entire  leaf  or  shrub,  with  its  flower  and  fruit. 
If  large,  a  flowering  branch,  together  with  some  of  the  fruit  and  seed, 
would  be  sufficient.  Each  should  be  accompanied  by  its  native  names ; 
its  area  of  distribution  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be  ascertained ;  in- 
formation should  be  given  as  to  what  districts  it  is  most  used  in  ;  the 
parts  of  the  plant  which  are  eaten ;  the  classes  who  eat  it ;  the  efiects  it 
is  said  to  produce ;  and  whether  it  is  ever  employed  medicinally.  In 
fact,  the  full  history  of  the  plant  and  its  uses  should  be  fui-nished. 
The  complete  specimens,  carefully  gathered  and  dried,  can  then  be 
easily  identified  botanically,  and  any  particulars  of  scientiflc  interest 
they  may  possess  added.  With  their  histories  detailed  as  above  sug- 
gested, the  entire  collection  would  form  a  standard  famine  herbarium 
for  present  or  future  reference ;  and  the  value  of  such  a  collection  it 
would  be  difficult  to  over-estimate. 


490 


APPENDIX   H. 


GOVERNMENT  RELIEF 


Perhaps  it  would  not  be  possible  to  give  English  readers  a  better  idea  of  the  extent 

following  statement,  which 

Famine 
Statement  showing  the  Partictdars  of  ExpendUtarefrom  Famine  Advance  Account  m  the  Didrict  of 


TalakH 

Belief  works 

Belief  camps 

Orataitoas  relief 

PnndiaBeof  gxaln 

1 

Carriage  of    , 

gzain        1 

« 

CoUector's  Div.— 
Cuddapah  Talnk 

rs.         a.     p. 
1,32,605  14     1 

IB.       a>    p. 
3,316  16  10 

ra.       a. 
6,216    6 

p. 
3 

rs.       a.     p. 
306    0    0 

1 

rs.      a.    ^ 

6,026    3  4 

1 

Sub-Collector's 
Diyision — 

t 
1 

Roachoti  Talnk  . 

1,74,933    7    li 

6,616    0 

1 

4,901    4 

9 

1,966     1     6 

5,066  14  6  i 

Eadiri          „     . 

2,72,049    3    2 

2,990  10  11 

2,087    8 

6 

11,176  11    0 

5,215  13  8i 

Voilpaud      „     . 

3,43,977  14    2J 

1,157  10 

0 

2,751    3 

4i 

1,823    0    8 

10,551  13  2 

Madanapalli  Taluk 

3,14,516    9    6 

2,714    0 

0 

12,937  16  10 

20,000    0    0 

9,056    1  9 

Head      Assistant 
Collector's  Piv.-— 

Budwail  Taluk  . 

1,11,133    6  lOj 

1,496    8 

0 

8,396  14 

3 

— 

1,438  12  2 

Sidhout      „ 

66,756    5    0 

1,497  11 

I 

2,657    2 

7 

— 

12  6 

Pullampett  Taluk 

1,42,272    0    2 

2,804    0 

9 

19,079    6 

6 

— 

— 

General  Dep.- Col- 
lector's Div.—    . 

1 

Proddatur  Taluk 

68,591     8    3 

3,719    2 

OJ 

6,841  16 

04 

1,021    7  10 

742     0  4 

Jammalamadgu 
Taluk  .         .    . 

1,15,838  14    2 

1,464  10 

6i 

10,639    & 

H 

829  14    9 

215  12  0 

Temporary    Dep.- 
Collector's  Div.— 

Pulivendla  Taluk 
Total .    ,    . 
Huzur     .    . 
Grand  Total 

1,68,842    5    5 

1,438    0 

li 

12,890    9 

3 

— 

— 

18,96,617     7  Hi 

28,115     6 

4i 

88,397  11 

64 

36,620    3    9 

38,314     9  r 

20,500    0    0 

28,116    6 

4i' 

— 

80,000    0    0 

19,17,017    7  Hi 

88,397  11 

H 

1,16,620    3    9 

38,314     9  o 

*  Loans  under  Land  Improvement  Act 

Advance  to  Weavers 

Balance  in  hand 

Total      .    .     . 


Cuddapah  :  September  28, 1877, 


APPENDIX   H. 


491 


OPERATIONS. 

to  which  Grovemment  operations  for  relief  have  extended,  than  by  publishing  the 
relates  to  one  district  only  : — 

E.EUEF. 

Cuddapah,  called  for  in  Board's  Proceedings,  No,  766,  dated  February  21, 1877,  to  Jtme  15, 1877. 


Digging,  &o., 
wells 

Cost  of  materials 

Mlfloellaneons 
payments 

Total 

Balance  In  hand 

Grand  total 

n.      a.    p. 

ra.        a. 
1,018     7 

0 

ra.       a. 
8,171  11 

* 

p. 
5 

1,57,669 

a. 
9 

p. 
11 

ra.        a. 
17,082     0 

p. 
3 

ra.          a.     p. 
1,74,741  10     2 

» 

^^^^ 

639  11 

7 

8,000    3 

6 

2,01,022 

11 

Oi 

33,636  11 

10 

2,34,559    6  10} 

— 

218  10 

6 

8,566    9  11 

3,02,304 

3 

8i 

1,700    0 

0 

3,04,004    3    8} 

— 

403     5 

0 

2,448  15 

0 

3,63,113 

13 

6 

8,291     0 

0 

3,71,404  13     5 

•^-~ 

46    4 

0 

13,568    9 

9 

3,72,839 

8 

10 

8,961  12 

0 

3,11,801     4  10 

8,422    0     1 

^B^ 

6,141  16 

Of 

1,37,028 

8 

5 

23,037  14 

H 

1,60,066    6  10^ 

— 



6,617  14 

11 

67,630 

4 

1 

5,255     0 

9 

72,785    4  10 

1,352    4    0 

3,349  10 

6 

2,279  16 

10 

1,71,137 

5 

9 

12,591     8 

7 

1,83,728  14    4 

297    3 

6 

4,377     1 

9 

79,690 

6 

9 

23,049    9 

3 

1,02,640    0    0 

— 

6    9 

0 

2,819    6 

H 

1,31,314 

7 

8i 

13,767    9 

n 

1,45,072    1    4 

— 

264    4 

1 

3,673     1 

3 

1,87,108 

4 

H 

25,717  11 

lOJ 

2,12,826    0    0 

9,774    4     1 

6,244     1 

2 

66,665     8 

6i 

21,70,649 

3 

9 

1,72,980  14 

n 

23,43,630    2    4} 

— 

— 

24     0 

0 

1,00,524 

0 

0 

1,00,524     0    0 

9,774     4     1 

6,244     1 

2 

66,689    8 

61 

22,71,173 

3 

9 

♦1,72,980  14 

n 

24,44,154     2    4} 

rs.          a.    p. 
1,27,196     2     8 
570  10     9 
45,214     1     2| 

• 

1,72,980  14 

7* 

(Signed) 


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TdJMm  p.  4»i,  Via.  II. 


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•VilC  J^'^^-^'i 


\ 


•  •     I*  K  r<  ^  J^         i 


Now  in  the  press,  to  be  published  in  January  1879. 


FOETY   YEAES 


OF 


OFFICIAL  MD  NON-OFFICIAL  LIFE 


IN  AN 


ORIENTAL  CROWN  COLONY: 


BBINO     THE 


LIFE   OF  SIE  B.  F.  MORGAN,  KT. 

QUEEN'S   ADVOCATE 
AND    ACTINQ    OHIBF    JUSTICE    OF    CEYLON. 


BY 

WILLIAM    DIGBY. 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES. 


MADRAS  : 
HIGOINBOTHAM  &  CO.,  MOUNT  ROAD. 

CALCUTTA  :  THOS.   SMITH,   CITY  PRESS,   12   BBNTINCK   STREET. 

COLOMBO  :  'CEYLON   OBSERVER'  PRESS,   BAILLIE   STREET. 

LONDON :  LONGMANS,  GREEN,  &  CO. 


^ 


1 


I. 
I