Asiatic Quarterly Review (Full Title: The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review, and Oriental and Colonial Record): Volume XIII, No. 26 [‎533r] (190/238)

An Impending Famine in India—a Forecast. 403
was at all general. It need hardly be added that none of them affected
the river-irrigated districts.
Mr. Hare’s final recommendation is that “ the affairs of India must be
administered in the interest of her people, and not in the interest of the
people who receive their annual tribute of ^30,000,000.” That either
means that all the Europeans are to leave the country or that they are to
give their services gratuitously. Does Mr. Hare seriously contemplate
either alternative as an immediate remedy ?
J. B. Pennington.
March, 1902.
AN IMPENDING FAMINE IN INDIA—A FORECAST.
(From our Indian Correspondent.)
It is generally acknowledged by Indian authorities that failure of mon
soon and famine are convertible terms.
Lord Curzon most emphatically declared in a recent Government
resolution that the relation, as of cause and effect, between a good rainfall,
abundant crops, and agricultural prosperity on the one hand, is not more
obvious than that between a bad monsoon, failure of crops, and a
starving population on the other.
Such being the case, I venture to predict that the year 1902 will be
memorable in Indian history chiefly for a famine of unprecedented
severity, affecting large tracts of country, and causing untold misery to the
people and loss of revenue to the Government.
I base my prediction upon a general experience of the Indian climate
for several decades past, and also upon the fact that this year the cold
weather temperature— i.e., since the commencement of January—has been
on an average about twelve degrees higher over the greater portion of the
Indian peninsula than it should be, as compared to previous years. I may
note here what has doubtless been observed by others, that the mango-trees
have commenced to blossom about six months before their time—at least,
in this part of India, the N.W. Provinces—which is a very bad sign.
An abnormally high temperature in the winter months means an early
hot weather of exceptional severity. It also means a prolonged hot
weather and delay in the advent of the periodical S.W. monsoon.
The result of these conditions will be that the soil will get thoroughly
baked and hard as iron between now (February 7) and, say, June 15
next, rendering all agricultural operations difficult and unsatisfactory, and
cattle will suffer terribly from want of grass. I have lived many years in
India, and am not exaggerating when I tell you that already (February)
there is great scarcity of grass in this the most fertile part of India, viz.,
the Gangetic valley. What it will be like in June I am afraid to think.
I have said above that the soil will get thoroughly baked and hard, and
I may add that this condition will be greatly aggravated by the want of
trees, which is a very noticeable feature in the plains of India—at least, in
the Panjab and the N.W. Provinces of India. The protection which
the shade of trees gives to excessive evaporation of moisture and drying
of soil is wanting to a lamentable extent, and, whatever the causes, India
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