INDIA, BEITISH. 



373 



such institutions continue to increase and nour- 

 ish. The Bengal Asiatic Society was founded 

 by Sir "William Jones in 1784, as a centre to 

 which individual inquirers might forward ma- 

 terials, and from which they might derive as- 

 sistance and advice ; and the Madras Literary 

 Society was formed in 1813. The Bomhay 

 branch of the Asiatic Society dates from 1804; 

 its Journal was established in 1841, and the 

 publication has been regularly kept up ever 

 since at intervals of one or two years. The 

 Bombay Geographical Society dates from 1830, 

 and its Journal contains many valuable pa- 

 pers, chiefly from officers of the Indian Navy ; 

 and the Medical and Physical Society, after lan- 

 guishing for some years, has been revived, and 

 published a large volume of " Transactions " 

 in 1871. In Calcutta, besides the venerable 

 Asiatic Society, there are the Bethune Soci- 

 ety, for the promotion of intercourse between 

 European and native gentlemen; the Dalhousie 

 Institute, for the literary and social improve- 

 ment of all classes of the community; the Ben- 

 gal Social Science Association ; and others. In 

 other parts of India there are several societies, 

 such as the Rangoon Literary Society, with lect- 

 ures and classes, established in 1857. But, in 

 addition to these societies of European origin, 

 there are now throughout India, and especially 

 in Bengal, many associations, some of them 

 literary or scientific, but others political, which 

 were founded by, and are composed entirely 

 of, natives. In Bengal, among many others, 

 there are the People's Association and the 

 Radical League. The Lieutenant-Governor 

 says: "If not very completely justifying the 

 titles they assume, they are, nevertheless, an 

 earnest of things to come, and are, on the 

 whole, much to be encouraged; some are al- 

 ready interesting societies, with much reality 

 and substance in them." In Oude there are 

 three Native Reform Clubs. In the Central 

 Provinces the associations appear to be chiefly 

 formed by school-masters, to afford opportuni- 

 ties for self-improvement, but there are also 

 native clubs. The information on this inter- 

 esting subject from other parts of India is very 

 incomplete, but it is clear that these native 

 societies and institutions are advancing with 

 rapid growth, and springing into existence in 

 all directions. A scene, such as has not before 

 been seen in any part of India, occurred in 

 December, 1873, in Barahnagar. The mem- 

 bers of the Working-Men's Club, a society 

 which ha* been in existence there for the last 

 four years, celebrated their anniversary with 

 earnestness and enthusiasm. The party, head- 

 ed by Babu Sasipada Banerjee, undertook an 

 excursion to the Barrackpore Park by green 

 boats, decorated with flowers and flags. But, 

 while the number of societies which emanci- 

 pate themselves from the old prejudices of the 

 Hindoo religion is on the increase, facts are 

 not wanting, on the other hand, which show 

 that Ilindooism continues to exercise an influ- 

 ence even on men of the highest social stand- 



ing. Thus it is reported from Calcutta that 

 Baboo Kali Mohun Dass a much respected 

 pleader of the Calcutta High Court has 

 thought it worth while to pay ten thousand 

 rupees to be readmitted to his caste, the priv- 

 ileges of which he had forfeited for some rea- 

 sons not stated. The ceremony itself is said 

 to have cost him half the sum mentioned, the 

 remainder being dispensed in pious works. 



In December, 1873, the first representative 

 popular election took place in India, fifteen 

 municipal commissioners being chosen at Ber- 

 hampore. The election was entirely success- 

 ful. One-third of 5,569 rate-payers voted, in- 

 cluding females. 



Toward the close of the year the province 

 of Bengal was threatened by one of those ter- 

 rible famines from which India has so severely 

 suffered on many previous occasions. As in 

 the fatal autumn of 1865, the September rice- 

 harvest had been safely reaped, but the De- 

 cember harvest (the great crop of the year) 

 was burned down to the ground for want of 

 rain. The December harvest alone sufficed to 

 place Bengal beyond the reach of scarcity. 

 The two subsidiary harvests namely, the rice- 

 crop, which is reaped in September, and the 

 pulse, pease, and miscellaneous seed-crop 

 may take the extreme edge off a famine, but 

 are powerless to avert the most terrible suffer- 

 ing among the poorer classes. This year the 

 rain set in late and ceased early, and the Sep- 

 tember rice-harvest was, on the whole, a light 

 one. The districts chiefly affected are the high 

 tracts of Behar and Western Bengal. Behar 

 is amply furnished with means of communica- 

 tion. A railway and the great river Ganges 

 run through its midst, roads diverge on either 

 side, and the isolation which rendered the ca- 

 lamity so appalling in Orissa seven years ago 

 is not to be feared here. The western dis- 

 tricts such as Hazaribagh are more segre- 

 gated. But they have a means of supply ma, 

 the Grand Trunk road which Orissa did not 

 possess. In Behar, moreover, the spring crops 

 play a much more important function in the 

 food-supply of the people than they do in 

 Orissa. It was generally acknowledged that 

 the English authorities were acting with the 

 most praiseworthy energy. Sir George Camp- 

 bell, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, gave 

 formal notice to the Viceroy that his prov- 

 inces lay under the approaching shadow of 

 this calamity. Lord Northbrook immediately 

 telegraphed full authority to the Lieutenant- 

 Governor to commence, public works with a 

 view of preventing the able-bodied population 

 from sinking into pauperism by the gradual 

 decline of their physical strength. Two great 

 enterprises the Soane Canal, and the North- 

 ern Bengal Railway, connecting Calcutta with 

 Darjeeling were to be pushed on at once, 

 with such lesser local works as the officers in 

 charge of the threatened district might deem 

 needful. Thus the Government avoided the 

 error made in 1865-'6G, when the public works 



