the unseen world and other essays-第42章

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　of　fifty　centuries；　are　nevertheless　members　of　the　imperial　Aryan　race；　descended　from　the　cool　highlands　eastward　of　the　Caspian；　where；　long　before　the　beginning　of　recorded　history；　their　ancestors　and　those　of　the　Anglo…American　were　indistinguishably　united　in　the　same　primitive　community。

The　narrative　portion　of　the　present　volume　is　concerned　mainly　with　the　social　and　economical　disorganization　wrought　by　the　great　famine　of　1770；　and　with　the　attempts　of　the　English　government　to　remedy　the　same。　The　remainder　of　the　book　is　occupied　with　inquiries　into　the　ethnic　character　of　the　population　of　Bengal；　and　particularly　with　an　exposition　of　the　peculiarities　of　the　language；　religion；　customs；　and　institutions　of　the　Santals；　or　hill…tribes　of　Beerbhoom。　A　few　remarks　on　the　first　of　these　topics　may　not　be　uninteresting。

Throughout　the　entire　course　of　recorded　European　history；　from　the　remote　times　of　which　the　Homeric　poems　preserve　the　dim　tradition　down　to　the　present　moment；　there　has　occurred　no　calamity　at　once　so　sudden　and　of　such　appalling　magnitude　as　the　famine　which　in　the　spring　and　summer　of　1770　nearly　exterminated　the　ancient　civilization　of　Bengal。　It　presents　that　aspect　of　preternatural　vastness　which　characterizes　the　continent　of　Asia　and　all　that　concerns　it。　The　Black　Death　of　the　fourteenth　century　was；　perhaps；　the　most　fearful　visitation　which　has　ever　afflicted　the　Western　world。　But　in　the　concentrated　misery　which　it　occasioned　the　Bengal　famine　surpassed　it；　even　as　the　Himalayas　dwarf　by　comparison　the　highest　peaks　of　Switzerland。　It　is；　moreover；　the　key　to　the　history　of　Bengal　during　the　next　forty　years；　and　as　such；　merits；　from　an　economical　point　of　view；　closer　attention　than　it　has　hitherto　received。

Lower　Bengal　gathers　in　three　harvests　each　year；　in　the　spring；　in　the　early　autumn；　and　in　December；　the　last　being　the　great　rice…crop；　the　harvest　on　which　the　sustenance　of　the　people　depends。　Through　the　year　1769　there　was　great　scarcity；　owing　to　the　partial　failure　of　the　crops　of　1768；　but　the　spring　rains　appeared　to　promise　relief；　and　in　spite　of　the　warning　appeals　of　provincial　officers；　the　government　was　slow　to　take　alarm；　and　continued　rigorously　to　enforce　the　land…tax。　But　in　September　the　rains　suddenly　ceased。　Throughout　the　autumn　there　ruled　a　parching　drought；　and　the　rice…fields；　according　to　the　description　of　a　native　superintendent　of　Bishenpore；　〃became　like　fields　of　dried　straw。〃　Nevertheless；　the　government　at　Calcutta　madewith　one　lamentable　exception；　hereafter　to　be　noticedno　legislative　attempt　to　meet　the　consequences　of　this　dangerous　condition　of　things。　The　administration　of　local　affairs　was　still；　at　that　date；　intrusted　to　native　officials。　The　whole　internal　regulation　was　in　the　hands　of　the　famous　Muhamad　Reza　Ehan。　Hindu　or　Mussulman　assessors　pried　into　every　barn　and　shrewdly　estimated　the　probable　dimensions　of　the　crops　on　every　field；　and　the　courts；　as　well　as　the　police；　were　still　in　native　hands。　〃These　men；〃　says　our　author；　〃knew　the　country；　its　capabilities；　its　average　yield；　and　its　average　requirements；　with　an　accuracy　that　the　most　painstaking　English　official　can　seldom　hope　to　attain　to。　They　had　a　strong　interest　in　representing　things　to　be　worse　than　they　were；　for　the　more　intense　the　scarcity；　the　greater　the　merit　in　collecting　the　land…tax。　Every　consultation　is　filled　with　their　apprehensions　and　highly…coloured　accounts　of　the　public　distress；　but　it　does　not　appear　that　the　conviction　entered　the　minds　of　the　Council　during　the　previous　winter　months；　that　the　question　was　not　so　much　one　of　revenue　as　of　depopulation。〃　In　fact；　the　local　officers　had　cried　〃Wolf！〃　too　often。　Government　was　slow　to　believe　them；　and　announced　that　nothing　better　could　be　expected　than　the　adoption　of　a　generous　policy　toward　those　landholders　whom　the　loss　of　harvest　had　rendered　unable　to　pay　their　land…tax。　But　very　few　indulgences　were　granted；　and　the　tax　was　not　diminished；　but　on　the　contrary　was；　in　the　month　of　April；　1770；　increased　by　ten　per　cent　for　the　following　year。　The　character　of　the　Bengali　people　must　also　be　taken　into　the　account　in　explaining　this　strange　action　on　the　part　of　the　government。

〃From　the　first　appearance　of　Lower　Bengal　in　history；　its　inhabitants　have　been　reticent；　self…contained；　distrustful　of　foreign　observation；　in　a　degree　without　parallel　among　other　equally　civilized　nations。　The　cause　of　this　taciturnity　will　afterwards　be　clearly　explained；　but　no　one　who　is　acquainted　either　with　the　past　experiences　or　the　present　condition　of　the　people　can　be　ignorant　of　its　results。　Local　officials　may　write　alarming　reports；　but　their　apprehensions　seem　to　be　contradicted　by　the　apparent　quiet　that　prevails。　Outward；　palpable　proofs　of　suffering　are　often　wholly　wanting；　and　even　when；　as　in　1770；　such　proofs　abound；　there　is　generally　no　lack　of　evidence　on　the　other　side。　The　Bengali　bears　existence　with　a　composure　that　neither　accident　nor　chance　can　ruffle。　He　becomes　silently　rich　or　uncomplainingly　poor。　The　emotional　part　of　his　nature　is　in　strict　subjection；　his　resentment　enduring　but　unspoken；　his　gratitude　of　the　sort　that　silently　descends　from　generation　to　generation。　The。　passion　for　privacy　reaches　its　climax　in　the　domestic　relations。　An　outer　apartment；　in　even　the　humblest　households；　is　set　apart　for　strangers　and　the　transaction　of　business；　but　everything　behind　it　is　a　mystery。　The　most　intimate　friend　does　not　venture　to　make　those　commonplace　kindly　inquiries　about　a　neighbour's　wife　or　daughter　which　European　courtesy　demands　from　mere　acquaintances。　This　family　privacy　is　maintained　at　any　price。　During　the　famine　of　1866　it　was　found　impossible　to　render　public　charity　available　to　the　female　members　of　the　respectable　classes；　and　many　a　rural　household　starved　slowly　to　death　without　uttering　a　complaint　or　making　a　sign。

〃All　through　the　stifling　summer　of　1770　the　people　went　on　dying。　The　husbandmen　sold　their　cattle；　they　sold　their　implements　of　agriculture；　they　devoured　their　seed…grain；　they　sold　their　sons　and　daughters；　till　at　length　no　buyer　of　children　could　be　found；　they　ate　the　leaves　of　trees　and　the　grass　of　the　field；　and　in　June；　1770；　the　Resident　at　the　Durbar　affirmed　that　the　living　were　feeding　on　the　dead。　Day　and　night　a　torrent　of　famished　and　disease…stricken　wretches　poured　into　the　great　cities。　At　an　early　period　of　the　year　pestilence　had　broken　out。　In　March　we　find　small…pox　at　Moorshedabad；　where　it　glided　through　the　vice…regal　mutes；　and　cut　off　the　Prince　Syfut　in　his　palace。　The　streets　were　blocked　up　with　promiscuous　heaps　of　the　dying　and　dead。　Interment　could　not　do　its　work　quick　enough；　even　the　dogs　and　jackals；　the　public　scavengers　of　the　East；　became　unable　to　accomplish　their　revolting　work；　and　the　multitude　of　mangled　and　festering　corpses　at　length　threatened　the　existence　of　the　citizens。。。。。　In　1770；　the　rainy　season　brought　relief；　and　before　the　end　of　September　the　province　reaped　an　abundant　harvest。　But　the　relief　came　too　late　to　avert　depopulation。　Starving　and　shelterless　crowds　crawled　despairingly　from　one　deserted　village　to　another　in　a　vain　search　for　food；　or　a　resting…place　in　which　to　hide　themselves　from　the　rain。　The　epidemics　incident　to　the　season　were　thus　spread　over　the　whole　country；　and；　until　the　close　of　the　year；　disease　continued　so　prevalent　as　to　form　a　subject　of　communication　from　the　government　in　Bengal　to　the　Court　of　Directors。　Millions　of　famished　wretches　died　in　the　struggle　to　live　through　the　few　intervening　weeks　that　separated　them　from　the　harvest；　their　last　gaze　being　probably　fixed　on　the　densely…covered　fields　that　would　ripen　only　a　little　too　late　for　them。。。。。　Three　months　later；　another　bountiful　harvest；　the　great　rice…crop　of　the　year；　was　gathered　in。　Abundance　returned　to　Bengal　as　suddenly　as　famine　had　swooped　down　upon　it；　and　in　reading　some　of　the　manuscript　records　of　December　it　is　difficult　to　realize　that　the　scenes　of　the　preceding　ten　months　have　not　been　hideous　phantasmagoria　or　a　long；　troubled　dream。　On　Christmas