252 THE INTERRUPTION OF INDUSTRY 



close of the first epoch. My reason for selecting this 

 date is that the first line of railway was opened from 

 Bombay to Thana in 1853. In a scientific classifica- 

 tion the first epoch should embrace the whole time 

 from the dawn of history down to the construction of 

 railways, but as nothing is to be gained by including 

 in this list famines with regard to which we have 

 little detailed evidence, I have begun my survey from 

 the year 1783. The first epoch, therefore, covers the 

 period from 1783 to 1853. These seventy years may 

 be accepted as typical of the ages which preceded, the 

 ages during which it was mechanically impossible to 

 bring food to the famine-stricken areas. The second 

 epoch, from 1853 to the present day, will be dealt with 

 in a separate chapter, which will be devoted to the 

 question of famine relief. 



The following is a list of the more important famines 

 in the first epoch : 



1783-84. The great Chalisa. 



1803-04. Famine in the Doab. 



181 3-14. Acute distress in the Doab. 



1818-19. Famine in the Northern Doab. 



1824-25-26. Drought in the Delhi territory and 



Rohilkhand. 

 1 833-34. Famine from Cawnpore to Bundel- 



khand and Ajmer. 

 1 837-38. A devastating famine over all the 



United Provinces. 



In addition to these famines, the history of several 

 districts reveals the occurrence of special scarcities 

 which were peculiar to those districts, but which, to 

 the populations concerned, brought almost as much 

 suffering as the widespread famines. A chart of the 

 prices of a single district* will often reveal scarcity of 

 which there is not historical evidence, and will exhibit 



* Vide the Agra price-lists recorded by Mr. H. F. Evans. 



