© Underwood & Underwood 



SUPPLIANTS FOR PUBLIC BOUNTY IN TIMES OF FAMINE: INDIA 



One of the difficulties which the British Government has encountered -in- its relief work- 

 in India has been the problem of caste. In the great Orissa famine thousands of Santals 

 perished in the midst of ample supplies before it was discovered that a peculiar tenet of this 

 tribe forbids its members to touch food cooked by Brahmins. The more enlightened native 

 princes have been quick to cooperate with the British officials in aiding the starving millions, 

 a notable instance being the foundation of the "Indian People's Famine Fund" by the 

 Maharaja of Jaipur, who contributed $600,000 to the charity out of his private purse. 



People flocked to the palace in masses, 

 crying piteously for relief at the hands of 

 the Commander of the Faithful ; but no 

 help was to be had in that quarter, for 

 the palace itself was so short of provi- 

 sions that whsn the banquet for the Feast 

 of the Sacrifice was spread the slaves of 

 the royal household broke in and swept 

 the tables. Slaves began to rise in revolt 

 in all parts of the country and it became 

 necessary for citizens to organize com- 

 mittees of safety for self-protection, the 

 government granting permits to kill the 

 bondmen. The vizier, el-Gargarai, was 

 himself imprisoned in his own house. 

 With an ample Nile in 1027, however, the 

 period of suffering came to an end. 



A third and far more terrible famine 

 came in 1064, and, like that which af- 

 flicted the land in the days of Tcheser 

 and of Joseph, lasted for seven fearful 

 years. To the hardships of starvation 



were added the miseries of civil warfare. 

 Nasir-ed-dawla, commander-in-chief of 

 the Fatamid army, upon being deposed 

 by the Caliph Mustansir, quickly gained 

 the support of bands of Arabs and Ber- 

 bers. Black regiments were soon in con- 

 trol of all upper Egypt. 



Forty thousand horsemen of the Le- 

 wata Berbers descended upon the delta 

 of the Nile and swept all before them, 

 cutting dikes and destroying canals with 

 the malign purpose of spreading starva- 

 tion. Both Fustat and Cairo were cut oft 

 from supplies, and to add to all these 

 tribulations the Nile failed to come to a 

 flood in 1065. The result was indescrib- 

 ably terrible. 



The peasantry, not daring to venture 

 into their fields for fear of the armed 

 bands of brigands, were unable to carry 

 on any agricultural pursuits ; so that the 

 dearth of one year's harvest was pro- 



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