INDIA. 



401 



labor on the relief-works. In the Deocan, in 

 addition to the failure of the crops, extreme 

 di-jirth of water and fodder was expected. In 

 tho M.ilnis districts rain came in time for a 

 partial relief. 



On October 81st the delta of the Ganges was 

 viMti'd by the most destructive cyclone known 

 in history. On the evening of the terrible 

 event there were no extraordinary signs of the 

 approach of the storm. At eleven o'clock the 

 wind freshened, but nothing unusual was seen 

 in this. Suddenly, about midnight, a mighty 

 wave was seen, and in the next instant houses 

 and land were engulfed, and masses of human 

 beings and debris of all sorts were swept away 

 on the top of the flood. The flood extended 

 for many miles inland. The cyclone and storm- 

 wave appeared to have expended their fury on 

 the districts of Backergunge, Noacolly, and 

 Chittagong ; and a glance at the map will show 



how probable it is that a storm-wave occurring 

 in that region could not fail to do immense 

 destruction. The district is honeycombed uwl 

 broken up with rivers in all parts of the (uin- 

 getic Delta ; and some of these rivers, such an 

 the Ganges and the Megus, carry powerful 

 floods of water to the bay of Bengal. The 

 consequences of a tidal wave must therefore 

 be tremendous in these districts, because not 

 only does such a wave pour out upon the land 

 its own waters, but by rushing up the great 

 rivers it rolls their floods back, and these, rising 

 rapidly, must burst over the surrounding coun- 

 try, and carry destruction with them. The 

 total area of the inundated districts was about 

 4,000 square miles Backergunge, with the isl- 

 and of Dukhin Shahbazpoor, possessing 1,813 

 square miles ; Noacolly, 900 square miles ; and 

 Cliittagong, nearly 400 square miles. Sir 

 Kichard Temple, after a personal inspection 





of the afflicted districts, at the instance of the 

 Government, came to the conclusion that not 

 less than 215,000 people had been lost ; and 

 this fatality is distributed as follows among 

 the Deltaic provinces : Backergunge, possess- 

 ing a population of 437,000, lost a fourth of 

 that number ; Noacolly, with a population of 

 403,000, lost 90,000 ; and Chittagong, with a 

 population of 222,000, lost 20,000. Thus, out 

 of a grand total population of 1,062,000, 215,- 

 000 people were estimated to have perished! 

 Besides the loss of human life, large numbers 

 of animals, both domestic and wild, were 

 drowned. 



A convention representing the Sunday- 

 schools of India was held at Allahabad, Jan- 

 uary 19th. Chairmen were chosen for the dif- 

 ferent days, from the different denominations 

 represented in the meeting. A number of 

 papers were read on subjects pertaining to the 



interest, growth, and improvement of Sunday- 

 schools, several of them having especial refer- 

 ence to the adaptation of the schools to the 

 wants and customs of the people of India. A 

 Sunday-school Union of India was organized, 

 and the churches of the country not repre- 

 sented in the convention, as well as those 

 which were so represented, were invited to 

 join in carrying on the legitimate work of such 

 an organization. An executive committee was 

 appointed, and instructed to labor for obtain- 

 ing the adhesion of the different Sunday- 

 schools in India to the Indian Sunday-school 

 Union, and for the formation of auxiliary 

 unions in Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Burmah, 

 the Northwest Provinces, Oude, the Central 

 Provinces, and the Punjaub. Arrangement* 

 were made for establishing a monthly periodi- 

 cal in the English language, for the use of 

 teachers and Sunday-school workers in India, 



