FAMINE WARNINGS.-The maximum price of common husked rice during the famine of 1866-67 was 6 sers for the rupee, which is equivalent to Rs. 6. 10. 8 a maund, or 18s. 2d. per cwt.; and of paddy or unhusked rice, Rs. 3. 4. o a maund, or 8s. 10d. per cwt. The Collector, in 1871, was of opinion that prices had then returned to their normal rates. He considers that famine rates might be said to be reached when ordinary rice is selling at Rs. 4 a maund, or IIS. od. per cwt.; and that at that point Government aid would become necessary. He states that the ordinary price of coolie labour is Rs. 4 a month, and he assumes the quantity of rice required by each individual to be of a ser, or 1 lb. a day. It is evident therefore that, putting aside the aged and infirm, and those incapacitated from earning their own livelihood, the ordinary rate of wages would be insufficient to provide the necessaries of life, when rice reaches the rate specified. The Collector further considers, that if the price of rice were to rise in January or February to as much as Rs. 2. 8. o a maund, or 6s. 10d. per cwt., that rate should be regarded as an indication of approaching scarcity. Famine, however, might yet be escaped; for if the prospects of the coming harvest were to continue good, this rate of price might be maintained throughout the year without serious distress. The bázár rates always depend quite as much upon the anticipations of the coming harvest as upon the results of the past year, except in the extreme case when the country has been entirely denuded of grain. The consumption of áman rice is much greater than of áus, and the danger of famine would be very imminent in the event of a total failure of the áman crop. There are two varieties of áus, the one fine and the other coarse ; of which the latter is consumed almost solely by the cultivators and the very poor. If the áman crop were to fail, it would hardly be possible that the áus harvest, however abundant, should avert actual famine. There is little or no fear of the isolation of any part of the District, if extensive importations of grain should be required, except, perhaps, in some portion of the Kándí Subdivision in the south-west, where the roads are exceptionally few and bad, the rivers unnavigable, and the railway diverges westwards towards Bardwán.

FAMINE OF 1769-70.-This great calamity fell with great severity on the part of Bengal surrounding Murshidábád. The following account is mainly taken from the statements made at the time by

'Mr. Becher, who was Resident at the Darbár of Murshidábád. They are extracted from the Memoir on the Famines which affected Bengal in the Last Century, by Sir George Campbell. The first allusion is in August 1769, when Mr. Becher reported 'the alarming want of rain which has prevailed throughout all the upper parts of Bengal, both the last and this season, and particularly the latter, to a degree which has not been known in the memory of the oldest man.' On 26th August he adds, 'There is great reason to apprehend that in all the Districts to the northward of Nadiyá the crops of rice will be very short indeed. Since the season for rain began, they have hardly had any; and if God does not soon bless this country with plentiful showers, the most fatal consequences will ensue, not only a reduction in the revenues, but a scene of misery and distress that is a constant attendant on famine.' All through the closing months of 1769 the drought continued, and the worst anticipations were realized. In the beginning of February 1770, the Resident, in conjunction with the native authorities of Murshidábád, arranged a plan to have rice distributed daily in the city at six places, at half a ser (one pound) to each person. The Government, in reply, inform him that he might be assured of their concurrence in every measure for the relief of the poor, and earnestly recommend his taking every step towards that purpose. On the 30th March he states that the Districts which had more particularly suffered by the unfavourableness of the season were Purniah, Rájmahál, Bírbhúm, and a part of Rájsháhí. The measures of relief which he adopted were advances to rayats, remissions of revenue, and distributions of food. A little later he says that he had intended to proceed on tour, but was deterred for the present, being 'persuaded that, though my humanity may be shocked at the numberless scenes of distress that would present themselves to my view, little would remain in my power to contribute to their comfort, while God pleases to hold from them the blessing of rain, and the country remains parched and unfit for cultivation. The distress of the inhabitants does not only proceed from scarcity of provisions, but in many parts they are without water to drink.' His Assistants were out in their Districts, and all tell the same painful story. In the beginning of June we have another report from the Resident at Murshidábád. Up to the end of March,' he says, 'the rayats hoped for rain, but God was pleased to withhold that blessing till the latter end of May. The

scene of misery that intervened, and still continues, shocks humanity too much to bear description. Certain it is, that in several parts the living have fed on the dead; and the number that have perished in those provinces which have suffered most is calculated to have been within these few months as 6 to 16 of the whole inhabitants.' On the 18th of June he writes, 'Misery and distress increase here daily; rice at six and seven sers for the rupee, and several days there have been lately when there was not a grain to be purchased. A happy precaution it was, ordering a supply of rice from Bákarganj; without it, many of the Company's immediate attendants even must have starved.' In July the distress reached its climax. On the 12th of that month the Resident reported as follows:— 'The representations I have hitherto made from hence, of the misery and distress of the inhabitants for want of grain and provisions, were faint in comparison to the miseries endured in, and within 30 miles of, the city. Rice only 3 sers for a rupee, other grain in proportion; and even at these exorbitant prices, not nearly sufficient for the supply of half the inhabitants; so that in the city of Murshidábád alone, it is calculated that more than five hundred are starved daily; and in the villages and country adjacent, the numbers said to perish exceed belief. Every endeavour of the ministers and myself has been exerted to lessen this dreadful calamity. The prospect of the approaching crop is favourable; and we have the comfort to know that the distress of the inhabitants to the northward and eastward of us is greatly relieved from what they have before suffered. In one month we may expect relief from our present distresses from the new harvest, if people survive to gather it in; but the numbers that I am sensible must perish in that interval, and those that I see dying around me, greatly affect my feelings of humanity as a man, and make me as a servant to the Company very apprehensive of the consequences that may ensue to the revenues.'

Rain came at the end of July; but, as almost invariably happens, the long-continued drought was succeeded by disastrous floods, which caused great damage in the low lands of Rájsháhí and the eastern Districts. The excessive rainfall caused also much sickness among the people; and at the height of the famine small-pox had broken out, to which the young Nawab himself fell a victim. As late as September, it was reported that the people near Kásimbázár were suffering from want of food. In October the prospect brightened;

and on the 14th December the Government could inform the Court of Directors that the famine had entirely ceased.

The measures adopted to relieve the starving population in the city of Murshidábád appear very inadequate when judged by the modern standard. The account of the Bákarganj rice received shows only Rs. 124,506 expended on this purchase. A further sum of Rs. 87,000 was sanctioned for the gratuitous distribution of rice; but of this sum the Company was to pay only Rs. 40,000, or less than half, the remaining portion being defrayed by the Nawab and his ministers. This sum was, however, far exceeded; and Mr. Becher writes pathetically to beg the Council to believe that neither humanity nor policy would admit of a stop being put to the distribution earlier than was done.' He continues, 'I have only to observe that these gentlemen (Muhammad Rezá Khán and his officers), independent of this distribution, helped to preserve the lives of many by their charitable donations, as, I believe, did every man of property in these parts. Indeed, a man must have had a heart of stone that had the ability and would have refused his mite for the relief of such miserable objects as constantly presented themselves to our view. I understand it to be esteemed good policy in all Governments to preserve the lives of the people; on this principle of humanity the distribution of rice took place.'

IN THE FAMINE YEAR OF 1866 the District of Murshidábád lay just outside the limits of extreme suffering. The neighbouring Districts to the south, Nadiyá and Bardwán, experienced all the severity of the dearth; but in Murshidábád itself no lives were lost. from starvation, and the intervention of Government relief was never required. The following paragraphs are taken from the Report of the Famine Commissioners, vol. i. pp. 119-120:—

'The pressure of high prices was much felt in this District, rice selling at from 7 to 9 sers per rupee in part of June, July, and part of August; but very great relief was afforded by native liberality. The rich Hindustání merchants settled in the neighbourhood of Murshidábád (Rái Dhanpat Sinh and others), and several of the wealthier residents of that city and of the sister town of Barhampur, distributed food largely to the poor; and a rich and benevolent widow, the Rání Swarnamayi, distinguished herself by great liberality at several different places. Up to a certain date it was hoped that there would be no actual famine; but in the course of July it was found that much local distress was beginning to appear in the

south-eastern corner of the District adjacent to Nadiyá. The local committee, presided over by the Commissioner, immediately sent out food, and an active native officer was specially deputed to ascertain the facts and superintend the operations. The distress was for a short time very considerable, but it was relieved by an ample distribution of food. Eight feeding centres were established, and at one of these the number receiving rations was at one time as high as 1800 persons, mostly women and children. The plan was adopted of giving to each three days' uncooked food at a time, and thus much of the inconvenience of the feeding centres was avoided; but, of course, this required fuller supplies and better superintendence than was available in the Districts where the famine was most severe. The indulgence does not seem to have been abused, for as soon as the early rice crop was cut, the distress ceased, and the relief operations were discontinued. The relief in this District was entirely supplied from private funds, without any aid from the North-West fund, the Government, or any other external source.'

THE SCARCITY OF 1874 was also felt only to a slight extent in the District of Murshidábád, which again lay on the border-land of the distressed area. The price of rice undoubtedly rose very high, and the export of this grain from the river marts of the District towards the North-West entirely ceased; but the crisis was tided over without recourse to relief operations on a grand scale. The interference of Government was limited to the grant of an extraordinary sum of £7500 to the District Road Cess Committee. This money was devoted to constructive works wherever a demand for labour arose, and in its allotment the chief consideration was to spend the money in the most beneficial manner. Charitable relief was only given indirectly from this source, and no further operations were required to mitigate the distress. The application of the above-mentioned special fund will be given in detail on a subsequent page under the heading Roads (p. 142), to which subject it more properly belongs.

FOREIGN AND ABSENTEE PROPRIETORS.-In 1871 the Collector reported that there were 12 European proprietors on the rent-roll of the District, paying a Government Revenue of £12,406. With these there were 21 Hindu co-sharers holding land in common; but there is no record to show the proportion of revenue paid by each. At the same date there were 1299 Muhammadan proprietors, who paid £12,779; with whom there were 144 Hindu co-sharers.