The New York Herald Newspaper, March 18, 1874, Page 7

“FAMINE. Spread of the Dire Distress in India. Hundreds of Thousands on the Relief Lists, EMACIATION FROM WANT. The Horrible Story of the In- dian Hunger Land. TELEGRAM TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. Cancurra, March 17, 1874. The distress from the famine in Bengal is increasing, and many thousands of the na- tives are dependent upon the government for food. HUNGER STRICKEN AND EMACIATED. In the Tirhoot district 100,000 persons, all of whom are in an emaciated condition, have made application for relief within the last ten days. THE BENGAL FAMINE LAND. phe Fe Cees A Vivid Picture of the Situation in India — Sixty-five Million People Threatened with Starvation—Total Failure of the Rice Crop—Former | Bengal Famines—Twelve Million Hu- man Beings Perish by Hunger. Six times since Great Britain permanently es- tablished her sway in the East Indies has the Pres- idency of Bengal been devasiated by famine. Christian humanity and enlightened statesman- ship have rendered modern statesmen, as well as Others, ignorant of the meaning of the words “pestilence’' and “famine” in their Asiatic sense, They are pregnant with pictures of indescribable horrors, as will be learned by reading further on & description of what took place in the Northwest Provinces in 1770 and in Orissa in 1866, It is, per- haps, a little surprising that the civilized world is not at the present moment more exercised in ref- erence to a calamity that for five months past hag weighed down upon the same people ana the same region and threatens results equally disastrous, English historians, treating of Indian history as a series of struggles about commercial Privlieges, enlivened with startling military cx- ploits, have naturally little to say regarding occur- rences which involved neither a battle nor pariia- mentary debate. But the periodical fallure of the Tice crop in Bengal, caused by the dronghts, to which provinces in Hindostan are ifable, has | caused during the past century an aggregate of tn- Alvidual suffering which no civilized nation has Deen called upon to contemplate in historic times. ‘The extensive territory now aillicted with scarcity was visited, as stated, by 2 similar calamity in 1770, which continued nine months and carried off 10,000,000 of the inhabitants; a local inundation destroyed the harvest in Sylliet in 1782, and one- ‘third of tne people died ; the same thing occurred in 1784, when two-thirds of the cattle perished ; in 1837 and 1861 the Northwestern firovinces were visited by @ season of terrible drought, and in 1866 in Orissa, in the southwestern part of the Presidency, 3,000,000 human beings died from hunger. Famine | tn India is caused by natural scarcity resulting from the deficiency of the crops, and is more or less severe in proportion as the crops have been more or less destroyed. Inunaations may cause temporary scarcity, but the losses of low-lying localities are usually made up by the subsequent abundance on the high grounds, The total grain crop of Bengai is sufficient to sustain all its popu- lation, and the dearth which now exists in Behar | and other districts would have been avoided had exportation been prohibited in season and prompt measures taken to transport food when the first unmistakable evidences of a failure in the rice produte had appeared, THE FIRST SYMPTOMS. As far back as October last it was well known that the drought that had for some time prevailed in Behar threatened a vast deficiency in the grain supply. The East India authorities, with past ex- perience beiore their eyes, should have at once set to work to prevent the disastrous results taat have followed. Lord Northbrook, the Viceroy, and Sir George Campbell, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, had their attention directed to the alarming condition of affairs, but, by all ac- counts, they did not view the matter as requiring any extraordinary exertions. They, | lke their predecessors, it would seem, viewed | the question as a financial one. On former Occasions of famine, and it was the habit to pay wery litete attention to such matters in England. The Joss of life was accepted a3 a natural consequence of the loss of the crop. The earth had yielded no food, and so the people, in the ordinary course of | things, died. A different condition of public opin- ion, happily, exists now, and the Indian authori- ties are to be, and will be, held toa strict respon- | sibility for the proper and humane discharge of | their duties. In January it vecame evident that | some definite system for the distribution of relief | should be established, so that, as soon as actual | necesstty for it appeared, everything suould be Sound in working order. DELUSIVE STATEMENTS, ‘Less than two months ago the Viceroy tele- @raphed that the government hadon hand an ample supply of grain, from beyond the sea, to meet all demands from the distressed districts, and he bad already inaugurated relief works on a large scale, besides encouraging emigratton from Bengal to Burmah. For the latter purpose $250,000 was appropriated. But as weeks passed matters began to assume a most unpromusing pect. Distress spread over a large tract of country, amd the horrors of famine, similar to those described by Mr. Bunter, in his “An- mals of Rural Life in Bengal,” as hav- ang occurred in 1770, appeared imminent. Lord Northbrook, in one of his latest depatches, states that it would be only necessary to support 3,000,000 people for three months—a statement terribly at variance with facts—and that he had established one pound of rice datly for each adult asa minimum ratiou. The estimated amount of food required is 180,000 tons, and the | authorities announce that they have on hand | 234,000 tons—most deceptive figures, mdeed. The | transportation, which is most dificult, is to be | Performed by 70,000 carts and 140,000 bullocks, UNDER OFFICIAL ESTIMATES. The fault with these estimates is that they fall almost immeasurably below what are necessary to prevent widespread sufering and mortality. In | the first place, the ration of one pound of rice is | totally inadequate to properly sustain life. Two | pounds are the least that can be considered suMcient. The London Times of February “We firmly believe that the | if was never greater than it is now, and at the same time that oficial exertions never be- fore were 80 earnest or directed with so clear a purpose. Ail the calculations yet made have been made premising 25,000,000 of people, including one- tenth only able-bodied, required food. We must not forget, however, that the deficiency is stated at one4ialf the entire rice crop of Bengal, and, with- out going out of those provinces, we nave SIXTY-FIVE MILLIONS OF PROPLE more or less affected by the scarcity. In addition to this we bave a possible large demand from the northwest provinces, Oude and Madras.’ The fact is that at least 25,000,000 natives will require food for nearly one year from this date, as it is well established there can be no considerable supply, of rice until the opening of 1875. The fain that has recently fallen has not affected the prospects, and the re. ports show virtually an absolute faiture of the boon’ made, wrom ‘Ghittagong, a ferule province, amd {rom Oriaaa, which qidered severely (rem | headquarters ; Slight remission of the land tax shoul scarcity In 1860, It ts very evident vision made to meet the emergency is entirely in- saflicient. A quarter million bg oo RN last but a very short period, and there is the im- ity of transporting even that scanty the people are sufer- gloomy, anda fearful responsibility rests in ome quarter. The situation as it is at present, according to the latest and most reliable reports, 18 Of a most alarming character, and there seems to be no competent | means to save millions of people {rom the horrors of famine. CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. The Bengalese may be classed under three different beads. First, there are the zimanders, or large landed proprietors—men of wealth and free from all danger of want or suffering, The ziman ders have shown great want of feeling reiative to the distress that surrounds them, and the Viceroy bas told them in plain terms that he would make | them practical examples that property, having its | rights, has also ite duties. The ryots are the small | holders and cultivators of the soil on their own ac- count, The third class, the coolies or laborers, | are by far the most numerous, and depend entirely upon the work of their own hands, | When the crop fails there is no employ- ment lor them, and, consequently, the scarcity | falls upon them with terribie efect. The Kenuga- lese are in general a self-contained, recent and | patient people. No matter what distress exists | among them they make no compluint, They maui- fest in presence of tue most crushing poverty a | degree of resignation entirely unknowk soma | equally civilized nations. They seldom show sud- den abger, but their memory is very retentive. ] Onicial reports May state that starvation ts carry. | ing off the Bengalese by thousands, but no out- ward signs confirm the statement, It is, however, in their domestic afairs tht their ideas’o! privacy | are carried to @ climax, No one ventures to make | an ordinary inquiry aiter the health o: a wile or | daugnter of a Bengalese, and in the poorest habita- | tion there is always a separate room to receive: | strangers. ‘The statistics oi tle famine in Orissa, in 1866, show that numerous females perished be- cause they would not see the reneving officers; and they also show that the inmates of many a rural household passed away without making a com- plaint or Making any sign. THE FAMINE IN 1770, In the cold weather of 1769 Bengal was visted by @ lumine whose ravages two generations failed to repair, he disaster, which from this distance floats as a laint speck on the horizon of English East Indian rule, stands out in the contemporary | records in appalling proportions, It places in @ | new light those broad tracks of desolation which | the British conquerors found in Hindostan; it un- | folds the suiferiugs entailed on an ancient rural | society by being suddenly placed in a position in | which its immemorial forms and usages could no | longer apply. Bengal has three harvests each | yeat—a scaiity pulse crop in spring, a more abun- | dant rice crop in autumn, and the great rice crop, | the harvest of the year, in December—wnich 1s & kind of torlorn hope to Behar at present. In the early part of 1769 high priees had ruied, owing to the purtial fauure of the crops in 1768, but the scarcity had not been so severe as materially to | affect the governmental rental, which has been from the beginning the cluet object kept in view by rulers of the country, In spite of the complaints | and forebodings of local officers the authorities av | reported that the land tax | had peen rigorously enforced, and the rains | 01 1769, aithough deficient in the northern districts, | seemed for a time to promise relief. The Septem: ber harvest was suficient to enable the Bengal Council to promise grain to Madras on a large scale, Notwithstanding the high prices, But in that month the periodical rains prematurely ceased, and the crop, which depended upon them jor existence, withered. The felds of rice became like fields of dried straw. CALAMITOUS PREDICTIONS, however, Were at that time s0 common on the part of local officials that the Governor declined to transmit the alarm. The government had deemed it necessary to lay in a supply for the troops—a piece of foresight at the time common when a har- vest was either very abundant or very scanty. In the fourth week of January, 1770, one district was suffering 80 severely that it was proposed some be made. New hopes had also arisen, for the spring crop cov- ered the flelds and promised a speedy, though a scanty, relief, THE PEOPLE SUFFERED INTENSELY, how intensely it seemed tobe as diMicult then as now for the general government to ascertain until too late, and notwithstanding alarming reports trom the districts, up to the middle of February the Council believed the question to be chiefly one of revenue. April a scanty spring harvest was gathered in, but the distress continued to increase ata rate that baffled calculation, The marvellous and infinitely pathetic silence under sufering which characterizes the Bengalee was at length broken, and in the second week of May the central government awoke to find itself in the midst of UNIVERSAL AND IRREMEDIABLE STARVATION. The mortulity, tue beggary exceeded all descrip- tion. Above one-third or the inhabitants perished in the ouce [par bo province of Purneah, and in other parts the misery was cqual. ‘The inability of the government to appreciate the character of the calamity is rendered more remarkabie by the cir- cumstance that at that period the local administra- tion continued in the hands of the tormer native officers, Every report of the time is filled with apprehensions and highly colored accounts of the public distress; but it does not appear that the conviction entered the minds of the Council that the question was not go much one of revenue as of depopulation, Something of the same kind ap- pears to have marked the conduct of Indian ruiers at the present juncture, for we find Lord North- brook’s subordinates considering the famine in Behar almost mainly as oue affecting the inances of India. All through the stifling summer of 1770 THE BENGALESE WENT ON DYING. The husbandmen sold their cattle; they sold their best poe of agriculture; they devoured their seed grain; they sold their sons and deugh- ters, till atlength no buyer of children could be found; they ate the leaves of trees and the grass ot the fields, and in June, 1770, it was omiciaily announced thaf the living were feeding on the dead. Day and night a torrent of famished | wretches poured into the great cities, At an early poraon of the year pestilence had broken out. The streets were blocked 4 with pp StSAeC ous heaps of the Cu and the dead. Interment could not do its work quick enough; even the dogs and jackals, the pubitc scavengers of the East, became unable to accomplish their revolting work, and multitudes of MANGLED AND FESTERING CORPSES at length threatened the existence of the citizens. In 1770 the rainy season brought relief, and belore the end of September the province reaped an abu dant harvest. But the relief came too late to al rest depopulation. Starving and shelteriess crowds crawled despairingly from one deserted village to another in a vain search for food or & resting place from which to hide themselves from the rain. The endemics incident to the season were thus spread over the whole country, and until the close of the year disease continued fear- fully prevalent. MILLIONS OF FAMISHED WRETCHES died in the stroggle to live through the few inter- vening weeks that separated them from the har- Vest, their last gaze being probably, according to | Mr. Hunter, fixed on the densely covered fields that would ripen only a little too late for them. “It is scarcely possible,” write the Council at the beginning of the September reaping, “that any description could be an exaggeration.” Three Months later another bountiful harvest—tne great rice crop o/ the year—was gatuered in. Abundance Teturned to Bengal as suddenly as famine bad swept down upon it, and it ts difficult to realize in reading the records of the tme that the scenes Dave Dot been hideous phantasmagoria, or A LONG, TROUBLED DREAM. During the tollowing thirty years Nature failed to repair the damage she had done. Plenty. indeed, had returned, but it had returned to a silent and deserted province, Before the end of | May, 1770, one-third of the population was ofl- cially calculated to have disappeared; in June the deaths were returned at six to sixteen of the whole inhabitants, and it was estimated that one- half the cultivators and payers of revenue per- ished with hunger. But it was not until cultiva- tion commenced in the following year (1771) that the practical cosh ton began to be felt. It was then discovered that the remnant of the popu- lation would not suffice to tillthe land, The country continued to fall out of cultivation ana the Commissioners appointed in 1772 to visit tue various districts found the finest parts of the province ‘desolated by famine, the lands abandoned and the revenue falling to decay.’ ‘Two years fatter the dearth | contines oi | Over which misery and suffering of a harrowing | the statements of bis subordinates, e that the that scarol al take no Fin: | sokive steps womset the crisis, When ae length te became generally understood that Orissa was des- titute of rice exportation and tmportation were alike impossible, The southwest monsoon hed set to. The harbors of Oripa, never open more than a part of the year, had become impracticable, The only landward route was wholly unfit for the trabsport of sufficteat food fur the country, aud the doomed population found themselves utterly isolated, “in the condition of passengers in a ship without provisions.” Meantime the cry of distress reached Engiand, and when @ commission was sent down to the district 1t was found 1,000,000 of the inhabitants nad died trom starvation, THE FAMINE STRICKEN TERRITORY, The province of Behar, where the dread calamity | Of jamine is now felt with the greatest severity, 18 | in the northeastern portion of the Presidency ot | Bengal, the most important division of British pos- ‘sessions in Hindostan and the chief seat of English authority in the East, Sir George Campbell is the Lieutenant Governor, but he ts to be succeeded in @ few months by Sir Richard Temple, who bas been recently sent to the distressed districts with | full powers to carry out extensive measures ot relief, The intense and widespread dis tress is not confined to Behar, but extends to the south and north of the region, Taking a map of Asia in hand and finding the Bay of Bengal, the vast area over which famine has spread its black wings will be seen to the north wo the Nepaul, with Burmah and Bhotan to the east and Thibet further north. It is a wide tract, where scarcity has for months obtained, and description prevail in consequence of the drought. Along the foot of the Himalayas, stretching om Oude to the west near Danjeeling, on the east is a& long strip of insalubrious rice country known as the Terai—a district of jungles, roadless and waterless. TIRHOOT. The atstrict of the province of Benar most sorely afflicted is ‘Tirhoot. It has a population of 2,500,000, and numerous deaths from starvation have been recently reported from there, The sur- face of the country is undulating, andin many places picturesque. The climate is comparatively cool, and much more healthy to Europeans than to the natives, except in the Terai before men- tioned, and where the greatest suffering is now undergone by the unjortunate inhabitants. It is oue oO! the principal districts for the cultivation of indigo, rice, sugar, tobacco, maize, wheat and other grains. Rajshahye is hilly aud overrun with jungle, and elsewhere the suriase is fut, contam- ing several extensive lakes and is intersected by many arms and afiluents of the Ganges. One-half the soit is ander rice culture and the other half is devoted to raising indigo and the mulberry plant. However, the rice produce ts insufiicient jor home consumption, Bhaemgulpore ts also a hilly district; the suriace of the level land ts mere rock, Great numbers 1 pilgrims visit Bhaemgul- | pore, for it 1s the birthplace of shudaa and the | scene of one of Vishna’s incantations. The inhab- | itants carry on quite a profitable business with the devotees in furnishing them with refreshments, &c, Sarun is well watered oa the rainy sea- son and in ordinary times is In a flourishing state of cultivation, ‘The surlace 18 almost wholly level. The district of Rungpoor, which is mentioned frequently, consists of an elevated sandy plain, and 18 weli adapted for raising rice. Ita centre is traversed by the River Teesta, which, since 1784, has changed its course, abd now joins the Brahmapootra instead of the Ganges. Extensive manulactures of silks, woollens and carpets are carried on, and the {airs are visited by merchants trom Bhootan and Thibet, There is little difference in the soil, climate and | sprogucsians of the other districts now suffering ‘om or threatened with famine. The cultivation of optum (which is a government movopoly) is prosecuted without any lack of operey, and is only reguiated or kept within bounds by the capacity of the natives tolabor, in all the afticted districts there is an absolute want of roads and bridges. FORTY MILLIONS IN WANT. All this tract lies to the north of the Ganges and of railroad communication; it is more or less re- Mote therefrom, and the difficulties of bringiug food are increased trom the circumstance that its interior communications are by no means good, it is ip this extensive district, extending beyond the boundaries of Behar, which is largely and densely populated, that actual famine is now existiug. Here it is that lhe the districts of Tirhoot, Champuran and Sarun, frequently mentioned in the cavie despatches, Gyar, Shalabad, Mooreshedubad, Rungpore and Bharmguipore, easily tound on the Map, are also in great distress. Fifteen districts, with a population of 26,000,000, are in actual want. Besides there has to be taken into account Bhan- | gulpore, Burdwan and other places, having a | opulation of 14,000,000, in Which the rice crop has | failed and the consequences of a scarcity ts felt. THE PRESIDENCY OF BENGAL, The Presidency of Bengal comprises the provinces of Bengal, Behar, the jpevernments) of Agra, Aila- habad, Meerut, Delhi, Benares, portions of Oude, Gundwana, Berar, Orissa and the British posses- sions beyond the Ganges, Assam, Cachan, Aracan and possessions in the Straits of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. This vast territory has a popula- tion of 60,000,000, Behar, it will be observed, is | only one province, It has a population Oo! 11,000,000. | The Ganges flows through tt from east to west, | dividing the province into TWO NEARLY EQUAL PARTS, An extensive alluvial tract is on the left bank of | that river and stretches nortn to the forests of | Nepaul ana Morung; the south consisting partiy of | | a similar tract along the right bank of the Ganges, | and a broad, mountainous tract, called Nagpoor, | from the diamond mines tt is supposed to contain. The Province of Behar is divided into six districts, | and is, in respect to natural advantuges, when not visited by droughts, the most highly favored in | destan. Its ciimate is temperate and healthy. The northern part of the Province is weil watered, it being tuterspersed in all directions by streams large and small. In addition to the Ganges it has several large rivers, and the soil is of remarkable fertility. In the tracts south of the Ganges irriga- tion is effected by means of wells and dams. ‘he | inhabitants are remarkable for their height and | physical strength. The capital 1s Patna, where | extensive relief works seem to have been apn | Het since the scarcity of food commenced to be fe AID FROM THE IMPERIAL TREASURY. It ts expected in some quarters that the Queen In her speech to Parliament next Thursday will | recommend that an appropriation be made from the surplus in the imperial Treasury for the relicf of the Bengalese sufferers. No sooner was the proposition first broached than Grete was made to it on the ground that India has a financial system of its own; that it has an abundance of money, and that even without such being the case, its credit is good for any amount It may require to borrow. Lord Northbrook was sent to india mainly, it would seem, to look after its financial affairs, =e te ee so far eta fe oe peinoipie raat economy in disbursemi ly observe while the land an other Hiker it be me ugiy collected. Publio dptnion in England {g not tavor- ably disposed to appropriate any portion of the $25,000, left by Mr. Gladstone for the relief of the suffering Bengalese. They are impressed with the idea that the viceregal government should Pare, tae matters better, and, having full Mt somning scarcity, should have taken | more prompt ahd suitable measures to meet the emergency. There is no pretenge of lack of money, As far back as November last the municipal authorities of Agra represented to the Woe Lord Northbrook, the | ENGLAND. The Premier Endorsed by His Constituents. TELEGRAMS TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. Lonpon, March 17, 1874. Mr. Disraeli and Sir Stafford Northcote have been re-elected to Parliament without opposition, Viscount Barrington, a conservative, has been re-elected to Parliament from Eye, Suffolk, by 270 majority. Economic Anticipation of the Speech from the Throne. LONDON, March 18—5:30 A. M. It is said that the Queen’s speech on the reas- sembling of Parliament will propose @ reduction | of two pence on the pound on tue income tax. Weather Report. Lonpon, March 17, 1874. The weather throughout England to-day is fair, THE BONAPARTES. pe aS A Friendly Call Upon the Ex-Empress. TELEGRAM TO THE KEW YORK HERALD, Lonpon, March 1%, 1874, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visited tue ex-Empress Engénie at Chiselnurst to-day. GERMANY. Cabinet Determination to Fcrce the Passage of the Army Bill. TELECRAM TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. “BEREAN, March 17, 1874. The Prussian Cross Gazette intimrates that the Reichstag will be dissolved if it persists in its re- fusal to Ox the ordinary strength of the army at 400,000 men, as demanded by the government, AUSTRIA. Clerical Oppomtion to Cabinet Legislation. TELEGRAM 10 THE NEW YORK HERALD. VIENNA, March 17, 1874. The Roman Catholic bishops in the Reichsrath threaten to withdraw if the passage of the Bccle- siastical bills ts pressed. CENTRAL ASIA. Demoralization of the Khivan Population. TELEGRAM TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. Lonpon, March 18, 1874, Aspecial despatch to the Daily News from Cen- | tral Asia represents that anarchy reigns in Khiva. WEST INDIES. Havirax, N. S., March 17, 1874, The steamer Alpha, which arrived here last even- ing, brings the following West India news:— There was a heavy gale at Bermuda on the 2d | inst. No boats were, however, destroyed, In | parts of the island animals and trees in exposed situations suffered. ‘The potato crop in some places is blighted. A few days ago a whirlwind passed over Bailey's a doing considerable damage. ler Britannic Majesty’s ship Bellerophon, flag- ship of Vice Admiral Wellesiy, accompanied by the | gunboat Sypher, arrived at St. Thomas on the third | instant from Barbados, TRINIDAD. There is no material change in values to record. Most of the sugar estates on the sland of Trinidad have commenced to grind. The general estimate of the incoming crops is encouraging. ltis thought that the sugar crop Will be equal and may exceed that of last year. The defacing of copper coin has been made & penal offence in the colony. WEATHER REPORT. WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THR CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER, WASHINGTON, March 18—1 A. M. Probabilities, For the Northwest and upper lake region, fall, ing temperature, northwesterly winds, cloudy | weather and snow, clearing in the forenoon. For the lower Missourt and Ohio valleys, north- westerly and southwesterly winds, partly cloudy weather and falling temperature, For the lower lakes, southwesterly winds, lower temperature and clearing weather. For the Southern States, southwesterly winds, rising barometer, clearing and clear weather. FoR THE MIDDLE STATES, SOUTHEASTERLY TO SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS, HIGH TEMPERATURE AND CLEARING WEATHER. For New England, southeasterly winds, cloudy weather and rain, partly clearing in the evening. The display of cautionary signals will be re- | sumed at the lake stations on April 1, ad peace eaa Seana The Weather in This City Yesterday, The following record will show thé chatiged in the temperature for the past twenty-four hours in comparison with the corresponding day of last ear, a8 indicated by the thermometer at Hudnut’s Pharmacy, HERALD Building :— 1873, 1874. 1873. 1874. 3 A.M. 430 (60) 6 A.M... 9A. M. necessity of P [es an embargo off the exportation of rice; but, something like Sir Ce- oil Beaton, in 1866, he saw no grounds for fear, and would not consent to any iuterference with the | ordinary course of trade. So exportation went on, | and now all efforts are bent to Import 100d, when | its arrival, if obtained in sufficient quantities, will be in most instances entirely too late to save thou- | sands oO! lives, In any event it 19 doubtiul if the House of Commons, representing the wishes of the | eople, would make a@ grant to the In- ian government. The credit of the latter rs in all Asiatic markets to obtain all the rice needed, and the only difficulty is now to | procure enough food and transport it to the locali- ties where the people are suffering irom want. | This is the problem Lord Northbrook and his ad- yisers have to solve, and upon which depenas the fate of millions of the natives of India. It should | Dot be a question of dollars or pounds sterling; it | is simply placing food which there can be no dim. | culty in obtaii within the reach of those in want, \ CONCLUSION, | To sum up, Lord Northbrook had, according to less than | 800,000 tons of rice accumulated at Calcutta, hun- | dreds oi miles away [rom the famine stricken dis- WARREN HASTINGS wrote ane laborate report on the state of Bengal. He © had made a progress through a large portion of the | country, institating the most searching inquiries | by the way, and he deliberately states the loss ag — t least one-thire of the inhabitants.” This esti- ate has been accepted by all offictal and the most accurate unofiicial writers. ‘twenty years after | the famine the remaining population was estimated | at Irom 24,000,000 to 30,000,000, and the conclusion must be arrived at that the tailure of a single crop, | following a year of scarcity, had within nine months swept away 10,000,000 of human beings. THE FAMINE LN ORISSA. The famine that vinited Orissa in the southern | part of Bengal, in 1866, carried off 1,000,000 of | its inhabitants. As Jar back as the records ex‘end. | the province has produced more gratn than it can | use, It is an exporting and not an importing | country, sending away its grain by sea and neither requiring nor seeking any communication with Lower Bengal by land, The scarcity manifested | itself early in October, 1865, From the first week | in Janury, 1866, the Rast Indian Irrigration Com- | pany began to import rice into Orissa, Sir Cecil | Beaton, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, was | requested to do the same thing, but, in | common with the local officers, who were new to the province, he laughed at such fears, and declared still higher prices would bring out hidden | stores. It would appear that during the earlier | months of the scarcity it was Known that Orissa | had suffered like other parts of the Presidency; | bat neither the government nor public were aware that a greater proportion of the crops had been | Jost than In the rest of the districts, and the native | merchants, relying Ou the general superabundance | of grain while Lonel tag 4 their export transac- | tions, saw no necessity lor importing. Towards the middle of February, 1866, however, it began to be perceived that there was something wrong in the food supply of Orissa. The truth was that the abundant importation and distribution which had tended to e goud the harvest in the rest of the province had never reached Orissa. antime THE PEOPLE WHRE DYING BY THOUSANDS. In April and it 18 calculated that over halt @ millon ened from starvation, but not until ‘the commencement of May did tl fm oMicials dia- Sra SPE tat tind | of the tricts, and to reach which obstacles of almost an insuperable character are to be surmounted. ‘This pg would hardly last a fortnight ior a popula- tion that, according to the London Times, reaches | 65,000,000 souls, There is an absolute failure crops. There may be relief in work and money, but money 1s of no avall unless food can be purchased, This is the | pa work betore the Viceroy. Again, the Viceroy as based his calcu:ations upon one pound of rice daily vo each of 3,000,000 adults for shree months, when at the most moderate estimate two pounds | a daily ration are needful, The number requir- , ing aid cannot be less than 20,000,000 and the period of a absolute scarcity not far from ten months, Instead of 800,000 tons of food at feast 3,000,000 tons arg called for, and it ts out of the question that such a quantity can be ob- tained. Thus the case stands, There ts no possi- ble way of placing a different construction upon it. Famine, witi all its horrors, stares the doomed Bengalese in the face, and it does not appear that human effort can do anything towards preventing | @ repetition of the horrors of 1770, SIXTY-NINTH REGIMENT RECEPTION. The reception of the Sixty-ninth regiment last | night was quite a success. No trouble had been | spared by the committee of non-commissioned officers to make the reception the most successful on record, and Irving Ha!l was filled with a very | gay throng when the ball opened. ‘The hall was | decorated with the Irish and national colors and | the banners of the regiment. Jn the course of the | night @ presentation Was made to Colonel James Cavanagn of a fine gold nrédal, carrying on one | side the inscription of the names of the prominent , battles in which the regiment bene ha! during | the war, and on the other side:—-‘Presented by | the Board of gee toned Officers.” The | Board consis Major J, G. Donohue, Sergeant M. nt John McHugh, Ser- ant Joho he ge was presented b: Donohue, on vena of the regi- speech, to which the Colonel ded with great warmth, The festivities did Ceade until a late hour in the moraine ant ment, with a n Tes} 2 M. verage Average tempe: last year... NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, The Fleet at Key West Ordered to Dis- perse—Destinations of Vessels—Trans- fer and Dismissal of Crews—The European Squadron. WASHINGTON, March 17, 1874. The Secretary of the Navy has issued orders for the dispersion of the fleet at Key West. Rear Admiral Case will transfer his flag from the Wa- bash to the Franklin. The Wyoming and Wachu- sett will exchange crews, The Shenandoah Is or- dered to New York, the Wyoming to Washington, the Wabash to Boston and the Ticonderoga to New York, Rear Admiral Case will proceed imme- diately to the European station with the Franklin, | Juniata, Alaska and Congress. A new detail or | officers will be ordered to the Congress before her departure, The Lancaster is to return to Brazil | as soon as ready, and the crews ot all homeward | bound vessels except the Ticonderoga are to be discharged, Stores for the European squadron will be sent out or purchased avroad, as the neads | of bureaus may determine, THE DEFAULTER sPHELPS, ALBANY, N. Y., March 17, 1874. Counsel for Phelps, charged with larceny trom | the State Treasurer’s oMice, have moved for a post- ponement of his trial until the next Oyer and | ‘Terminer, on the ground that a material witness | has disappeared with important papers in his pos- | session, Counsel think that the witness can be produced by the time the next Oyer and ferminer | sits. District Attorney Moak opposed the motion. | THE KELSEY CASE AGAIN, | Huntineton, L. 1, March 17, 1874 | The Kelsey mystery is about to be revived. Ar- | thur M. Prime, son of Claudius B, Prime, who was | indicted last fall for supposed perjury in an ex- | amination before Coroner Baylis, was this day | cited toappear at Riverhead jor trial, Colonel B, | Fellows appeared in behalf of Prime, but owing to the non-appearance of the Coroner until alter- noon the case could not be brought to trial in time. It was, therefore, adjourned. BILLIARDS, Albert Garnier Answers Rudolph’s Chal- lenge. To THR EDITOR OF THE HBRALDe— In answer to the challenge from A. P. Rudolphy which was published in the HeRraup of the 15th inst., [beg leave to state that I wiil play in New York @ game of three bali French carroms, 500 points up, for $1,000 aside, with 2% balls, on a5x10 table, the game to take place three weeks after my match with Maurice Daly for the champtonship ol the world and the cup. Lhave deposited my Sor seis Qt $260, e hadiae May 09 Suceessfal Launch of the City of New Bedtord—Her Dimensions, Accommoda- tion and Machinery. There was successfully launched from the ship, yard of Mr. J. B. Van Deusen, foot of North Seventh street, Williamsburg, yesterday morning at half-past eight o'clock, the steamboat City of New Bedford, designed for service on Long Isiand Sound. Nothing occurred to mar the occasion, as from the moment of beginning the preliminary work until the vessel plunged into her natural element everything progressed in the most satis- factory manner. This vessel was built for the New York and New Bedsord Steamship Company, and ts intended, with a sister craft nearly completed at Mr. Van Deusen's yard, to establizh & new route hence to Boston abd the East, carrying through Passengers in the same time as the present fas Toutes, but without transier from boats to train The City of New Bedford is 180 feet op the water Une, 193 feet over ail, 33 feef beam, 23 feet depth of hold; has two decks, the lower bold being 13 cet, with 10 Jeet between decks and ts about 1,000 tons burden, old measurement. AlViough she will be enabled to carry large quantities of freight the accommodations for passengers, as already decided upon, will be of the most com- fortable nature. About 100 first class tray- ellers may find large rooms, — elegantly appointed, not only singte, but en suife, that faml- ites can be kept together and have @ parlor, as it were, to themselves. the larger saioon, Besides the main saloon there wlii be provided one for the exclusive use of ladies. The City of New Bediord was constructed with the view Of attaiming great speed combined with great strength, that she may to the route of her intended service and the open sea. The keel is of white oak, 14 by 14 inches; frame of white oak; siding 16 inches: moulding }: inches at keel, 63; inches at deck and 26 inches apart from centres. The bottom of the vessel is | filled in soltd from stem to stern and to the | heigh of the water line at ends. ‘he deck beams | are of Georgia pine, 14 by 14 inches, with six 7 by 3 inch khees to each. The whole work is fastened in the most substanttal and approved manner, ‘The cylinder is 36 inches diameter by sfeet stroke of piston, Steam will be furnished by two borizon- tai return tubular boilers, each 12 teet by 12 fee: and will carry a pressure ‘of 60 pounds. ‘The pro- pelier is 12 feet 6 inches in diameter and has a pitch of 20 feet. ‘The City of New Bedford is schooner Tigged, and will be provided with ample canvas tor the most urgent case. THE SHOOTING AFFRAY AT BRESLAU. The most tatense excitement still prevatis at Bresiau, L, 1, over the shooting of Andrew Muller, at Heil’s Hotel, on Sunday evening last. On Monday evening strong threats were made to lynch August Kellerman, the prtsoner, and a large crowd gathered for the purpose. Justice William Ganckler, fearing they would put their threat into execution, swore in a number of special con- stables, and managed to have the prisoner removed to Babylon for safe keeping. The bouy of Muller lies in ®& room = at his brewery, and will be removed to-day for burial. The inquest on the body of the murdered man was commenced yesterday, by Coroner Hamill, of Islip. The investigation was hela at Nehring’s Hotel, The prisoner, a man to take the matter very cooily. He occupied a seat beside his counsel, as did his wile and daughter. years, is a tinsmitn by trade, and for the past Pella oeens has been in the employ of Frazie} Bell & Loughlan, corner of York and Adams streets, Brooklyn. Nicholas Heil, the proprietor of the honse in which the jeath ocenrred, testufled as follows:—I keep a grocery and saloon; have @ license trom the town of Babylon, also a United States license; know the deceased, Andrew Muller; have known him about a year and have had bi aness relations with him; he wasa brewer and was uarried; prisoner came into my saloon on Sunday ening last about eight o'clock; he was sober; there ere other persons in the’ room at the’ tine; do not know whether they were sober of not; the inen were playing cards when the prisoner came in; the prisoner had a gun; my my wile to take care of it; my wife took t ituway; the prisoner then went out, but soon came back again and asked my wile tor the gun, and told her not to Bive itto any one, as it was loaded; ‘prisoner then went out, and came back the third time; he then took the gun, and stood in front of the counter with the gun on lis right side, his right hand on the lock; Joseph Ranneger ‘told him to put the gun’ away, and not to play with it: prisoner then said, “You had better look out, it is loaded ;” the charged as soon as he said this; did not hear the deceased | Say anything; said, “I shot this man, arrest mo ;” he made no attempt u Theard him cock the gun, but did not think that he would shoot; I was sitting at the table with the man who was shot; the shooting took place about ten o'clock on Sunday evening; the muzzle of the gun was about two feet trom the deceased when It was discharged ; six other persons were sitting around the table when the deceased was shot. Mary Heil, wife of tne former witness, testified to the same tacts as given by ber husband. opening of the afternoon session counsel for the prisoner objected to the jury on the ground that Jour of their number, if not five, were of the part who, on Monday night, had threatened to lync' the prisoner, and that, too, after they had been sworn and had viewed the body. Counsel also ob- jected to the interpreter, wno did not in all cases translate the witnesses’ testimony. The Coroner overruled the objection and will continue the inquest to-day. SHOT BY THIEVES, Escape of the Would-be Murderers. Michael Brown, aged twenty-four years, of No. 803 West Twentieth street, was attacked last night by a gang of thieves at the corner of Forty-second Street and Eleventh avenue, When he remon- strated with them one of the gang drew a revolver and discharged four shots at him, Luckily only one struck him, causing @ severe wound in the leit arm, They thea beat ana kicked himina shameful manner, and then robbed him of a sliver watch and chain, valued at $40, aiter led i which they made their eacape. Brown Wag removed the Forty-seventh street tity @, Wheré his wounds Were dressed by Fit! fi mn presents § 9 pis jends were notified to take him home. T y, they hare uot the slightest clew as to the pei TaLors 01 das- tardly outrage, and they were up toa late hour last night scouring the ward for, if possible, some witnesses to it, as it was rumored that a woman that was passing at the ttme saw it all, but they were unabie to find her. REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE, A meeting of the Republican Central Committee took place last evening at Republican Hall, After the reading of the minutes the various committees: were appointed, They ran as follows:— Executive Committee—First district, Michael W. Burns Second, Morris Friedsam; Third, David MeKilve, Fourth, Charles M. Brackett; Fifth. Stephen G. Coo) Seventh, Jacob H. Gumbie; Bighth, Solon B. Smith Ninth, George B. Deane; Tenth, Jacob M. Patterson, J Eleventh, Thomas C. Acton; Tweltth, John Hart; Thir- teenth, Charles 8. Spencer; Fourteenth, Joseph . Pi ney ; Sixteenth, William Laimbeer; Seventeenth, Be min K. Phelps; Eighteenth, Horace M. Ruggles; Nine- teonth, Richard H. Greene ;' Twentieth, George Opdyke; Twenty-first, Clarence Heilelberg. Finance Co shall B. Blake, Edmund Ste- yenson,_ 8 Lewis J. Phillips, Frank &. Howe, J. tes A. Flammar, Comunittee on Naturatization—William H. Albertson, Rob- ert B. Boyd, Constantine Nitzoche, John M, Lanthier, Isaac H. Hunt, David H. Crowley and John Robinson. Committee on Resolutions—William A, Darling, Henry C. Robinson, John H. White, John D. Lawson, George W. arker. Commitire on Printing—Pierce C. Van Wyck, Samuel J. Acton and John A. Meek. ‘The committee then adjourned. THE PRODUCE EXCHANGE, Deepening the Erie Canal. A meeting was held at the Exchange yesterday Mr, Franklin Edson, the President, presided, and introdaced Mr. till, who first referred to the time before the produce interests became so tm- portant—when the population of the city was so much smaller and the factlities of canal trans- portation were comparatively insignificant. He spoke of the importance of action to maintain the supremacy ol New York by turning attention to the solution of the question of travelling facilities between this city and the West. He referred to what could pe done by the canal by the aid of steam; that speed could be doubled.and expense reduced twenty per cent, and when the @oubie jocks are completed it would be reduced fifty per cent, What 18 wanted is a depth of water of seven Jeet, and not a widening of the the rates canal, The speaker then compared of canal and ratiroad carriage, and cautioned the people against monopoly, compete With canals, he said, by seventy-fve per cent, and boats nad many advantages over the railroad in the facility of the delivery of grain. The grain business, he insisted, will be done by water. He urged them to stand by their old | friend—the Erie Canai—put steam upon it, and it need not be long delayed. Rail. roads, he said, did not want the heavy freight, and steam Navigation on the canal, he belleved, would not only be the salvation of New York, but of the whole country. | Mr. Hannalis, of Chicago, was then introduced, and read a correspondence with Mr. Alberger, of the Legislature, Chairman of the Committee on Canals, &¢., on the subject of enlarging the locks and using tugs instead of horses on tiie canal, by which over seventy hours could be saved in thne and considerab.e in expense. Mr. Orr offerea resolutions in favor of deepening the canal, &c., to facilitate the introduction of steam on the canal, and that a committee be ap- pointed to Pyro ne to Albany to influence legisia- tton needful to the object desired. Thay were agautad agd the mecting auiqarngd, These staterooms open irom | ‘The machinery for the City of New Bedford is | being constructed at the Delamater Iron Works. | apparently about forty-five years of age, appears | He has resided at Breslau for several | attention was called to the gun by the prisoner asking | n he gun and put | run was dis: | risoner then put the gun to his side and | At the | to listen to the views of Mr. Henry Hill on the sub- | ject of the introduction of steam on the Erie Canal, | Rat.roads could not | machinery | 7 A MOUNTAIN IN LABOR: The Living Voleano in North Carolina. peat ES THE INHABITANTS FLEE | An Eruption Momentarily Expected. | SaLissury, N. C., March 17, 1874 ‘The vicinity of Bald Mountain, in the county of McDowell, near Marion (the county seat), has for several days past been greatly agitated over mys- tertous noises and rumblings in the bowels of that mountain, One report from a scientific source States that these internal noises resemble those | beard in Mount Etna preparatory to a volcanio | eruption, RURAL CITIZENS TERRIFIED, The people in that section have become so much» alarmed that families residing immediately around! the base of the rumbling mountain have taker! | up their necessary domestic articles and fled pre- | cipitately from the threatened impending erup~ tion, be adapted | TREMBLING AND REVERBERATION oF THR EARTHS Throughout the entire country and for a distance! of sixteen miles from the mountain, extending into adjoining counties, these sounds are not only: heard, but the ‘rembling and reverberation of the’ earth ts perceptibly felt. HASTY FLIGHT OF THE INHABITANTS. In numerous instances, for several miles tront the mountains, the glasses have rattled in the windows and the dishes have been shaken from | the shelves to such an extent as to create the | most widespread consternation among the | Tural inhabitants. This has again caused la stin greater stampede of the citizens, Many of whom superstitiously regard the terrible symptoms as an indication of “Judgment Day.’* A passenger on the western train states that it is | pitiful to see the poor, unsophisticated rustics fly- ing in such great terror, while at the same time he believes that the cause of the stampede Is not without its due foundation. THE TERRIFIC SOUNDS INCREASING. The latest accounts from the disturbed mountaim state that, so far, there has been no volcanio eruption of lava or fire, though the terrific noise | and internal rambitngs, heard at a distance, were 80 great yesterday morning as to induce the belief that averitable and genuine volcanic outbreak, had talten place, ‘ The excitement throughout the entire westerly’ section of the State is intense, and many people | are repatring to the scene in the hope of witness. | ing for the first time a grand volcanic eruption, | SHOCK OF EARTHQUAKE IN NOVA SCOTIA, HALIFAX S., March 17, 1874, There was @ slight shock of earthquake at Yam mouth on Thursday. MAILS FOR EUROPE, | The steamship Calabria will leave this pore | on Wednesday for Queenstown and Liverpool. ‘The mails for Europe will close at the Post Office at half-past twelve o’clock P. M. Tue New York Hrxatp—Edition for Rarops—, will be ready at half-past eight o'clock in the morning. Single copies, cents, Honey to Heal, Horehound to Stima- inte, tar to strengthen, and the three combined im HALES HONEY OF HOREHOUND AND TAR will | Tender the lungs consumption proof, PIKE)S TUOTHs ACHE DROPS cure in one minute. in wrappers for mailing, six. A.—For a First Class Dress or Business HAT go direct to the manufacturer, ESPENSCHELD) 118 Nassau street. A Specialty.—Knox’s Spring Style Specialty. Ready now. KNOX, 212 Broadway, eorner Fulton street, A.—Hernia, the New Remedy for Ra } jppled by the ELASTIC TRUSS COMPANY, | Broadway, is patronized by the principal physicians branch offices in the principal cities. | At This Season of the Year Cough | Colds, Hoarseness and other affections of the throat an | lungs’ pre MME. PORTER'S COUGH BALSAM is | most valuable remedy ; it has been used 30 years. Batchelor’s Hair Dye is Splendid. | Never ‘ails Established 97 years, Sold and) propery | applied at BATCHELOR’ S Wig factory, 16 Boal st, Ne Dr. Fitler’s Rheumatic Remedy—Post« tively guaranteed to cure Rheumatism, Neuralgia and Nervous Diseases. Send for circular. 21 John street and druggists. Dyspepsia Promptly Cured When other remedies tat, by Dr. SHARP'S SPECIFIC, | Vegetable regulator, alierative and tonic, HARTNETT, } Bible House; HUDNUT, Herald Building; O'BRLAN, Fifueth street, corner Thir avenue. Goodall’s Playing Cards—The Best, the cheapest. Ask for and Insist on getting them. Sold | everywhere. J. H. Sackett’s Magic Coloris, Bril« LIANTINE, CAPILLARY and HAIR DYE, Soud for price list. 122 Liberty street, New York. Danville & Co.—rhe Irish Distilleries, | Belfast, Ireland, are the largest holders of Whiskey lt | the world, Their OLD IRIs WHISKEY ts recommend ed by the. medical profession In pre‘erence to Frenctt | brandy. supplied in casks or cases. ited States | Branch, 51 Broad street New York. | Pleuritic Attacks Subdued by Jayne's | EXPECTORANT. be i Pond’s Extract, POND’s BXTRACT, oot, PONDS EXTRACT. , This standard domestic remedy can be obtained at all reputable drug stores. Public convenience in this re- spect is not dependent upon one of two Broadway i tutions. “Kememper; siall Is cheap at 3) conta becay | doses are light, Medium Is cheaper at $l; wort saving 33 cents. Large 1s cheapest at $1 75; worth $2 67— saving 92 cents. ADES in all styles, new tints, with gol rders: HOLLAND in all colors ; also Swiss embroide: | WINDOW SHADES, newest patterns, best Fixtures. G. { L, KELTY & CO., Manufacturers, No. 154 Fifth avenue. The “Beebe Range.” Price reduced :—$60 for the largest family size put up. Orders for repairs received by moll, JANES & KIRTLAND, Nos. 3,910 and [2 Reade street. Wigs, Toupees, &.—G. Rauchfa Practica! Wigmaker and Importer of Human Hair, East Tweltth street, near Broadway. | . Wedding Invitations—New Style; Repp PAPER, very elegant. MONOGRAMS and foreign N | PAPERS in great variety. JAS. EVEKDELL, lished 1540. 302 Broadway. _NEW _PU BLICATIONS. | —“OBSERVATIONS ON NASAL CATARRH,” BY fh. AN. Willlamson, M. D., late Clinical Physiciam in the University Medical Coliege. Sent free. dress No. 137 East Seventeenth street. TTHE GALAXY Is ALWAYS MORE A MAGAZINE than any and more varied in its range than eay | Independent, New York. { THE GALAXY. | APEIL NUMBER NOW READY. It contains articles by the well known writers: Justin MeCarthy, Williata Winter, Cari Benson, Bayard Taylor, Richard Grant Whitey, Alvert Rhodes, Theo, Gift Junjus flonri Browne, Titus Manson Coan, ‘Nettie M. Arnold, Henry James, Jr.: T. W. Parsons, | Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen. Francis illington Loop, In addition to the regular articles by the above list of brilliant writers, the Departinent Articles alone sre | worth double the’ price of the magazine, The Scientifia reilany, by ¥ or B. lL. Youmans; Drittwood, by nilip eK. Pond); Current Literature, by Arthur Sedgwick; Nebulw, by the Editor, PRICE %8 CRATE PRR NUMBER, Subscription price, $4 per year. . SPE. Dox £00. 77 Byoadway, New York. PUBLISHING COMPANY, lace, New York, rue UNITED STAT 13 University Will ignue In a few days TRE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES of CHARLES SUMNER. | This work has been long in preparation, and is now completed with an account of his lamented’ death, (he tributes of the nation at his grave, and the universal | Secor of the friends of humanity throughout the world. | , The volume will embrace about 60) pages, Svo. with a portrait on stec! of the late Senator, and numerous tilus- | wations. It will prove @ book of gbpotbing interest and pe) &@ ready and extended sale. Canvassing Nts will remember that this is ne! subsory re ‘and willbe ready for delivery early in April. arty WR DRQADOG HY COXUBOMG Yak RTM A, >?