10 



I have no doubt they would prefer adopting' the 

 customs of their own country, and would consider 

 the neighbouring- Rajas wise rulers, and their own 

 Government, either, very imbecile, or very cruel and 

 oppressive. Nor do I cite altogether a supposititious 

 case. Something- very similar actually did occur in 

 this district last year ; and such cases are almost 

 daily occurring 1 in some part of this vast Empire. 

 As I write i the Famine in the Deccan seems to 

 have become most severe, specially in the district of 

 Ahmednug'g'ur. The coarsest grain sells in British 

 territory at 8 seers for the rupee, but it is affirmed 

 that our own police obtain it at the rate of 16 seers. 

 On the Nizam's side of the Godavery the usual 

 coercion of the grain dealers has been resorted to, 

 and the rate of 18 seers prevails. But a cordon of 

 the Nizam's police all along* the frontier prevents all 

 intercourse from our side. The people of Ahmed- 

 nuggur let their cattle go wild, and themselves flock 

 in hundreds to the Railway works. The wells are 

 dried up, no rain having- fallen since June. We 

 fear this will affect seriously the cotton crop, July 

 being the sowing season.' * 



Such visitations, human foresight cannot avert, 

 but it may be worthy of consideration, whether, for 

 the maintenance of an abstract principle, or an idea, 

 it is sound economy to suffer a whole district to be 



* ' Eriend of India' newspaper, 25th September 1862. The 

 famine in Orissa last year is of course a stronger case in point. 

 January, 1867. 



