dots. Famine occurs so frequently in India, sometimes t'nun 

 other causes than drought, and as history unfortunately 

 has not kept a regular account of either, it is difficult to 

 arrive at any very satisfactory conclusions with reference 

 to periodicity from the records available. Sufficient in- 

 formation, however, exists to show that there is a tendency 

 for drought and famine to recur in accordance with 57 year 

 periods, with varying intensity. 



For example: One of the most severe droughts which has 

 ever been experienced occurred from 1873 to 1878, the 

 greatest intensity being from 1875 to 1877, when from 

 250,000 to 300,000 square miles were affected with famine. 

 A similar drought, lasting six years, occurred with the 

 greatest intensity in the years 1020, 1021, and 1022; the 

 interval between these two great droughts being 855 years 

 or five cycles of 171 years. From the diagram it will be 

 seen that droughts in the series of 57 years occurred in 

 1762 and again in 1819-1820. 



Another great drought is shown to have occurred from 

 1745 to 1753, and was repeated with less intensity from 

 1802 to 1807, and with more intensity from 1859 to 1870, 

 with a break in 1863-1864. History shows that a drought 

 in this series occurred in 1291, being 513 years before 1804, 

 aud again in 1412-1413, being 312 years before 1754-1755. 



The drought which is shown to have taken place from 

 1780 to 1784 was repeated with less intensity from 1837 to 

 1839, and with greater intensity from 1896 to 1901. 



A drought, which will no doubt be of interest at the 

 present time, is recorded in Dow's "Hindustan." It is 

 reported to have occurred at Ghor (on the borders of India 

 and Afghanistan) from 1052 to 1060:— "So that the earth 

 was burned up, and thousands of men and animals perished 

 of heat and famine." Although there is no mention of 

 drought having occurred in India in this series from 1736 



