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was unheeded, appeal was not made to England; it was reserved for Madras to make this move three months later. One object, however, had been served by this letter it revived the entente cordiale between the Government and this non-official association. Being human, the authorities appreciated the endorsement of their policy, even though accompanied by some adverse criticism, more than the wholesale depreciation which the previous letter mainly consisted of. The Secretary to Government therefore acknowledged this letter 'with thanks,' and in phraseology nearly twice as long as that employed in April.

The monsoon was due in Bombay early in June, but even in April the people were evincing a great desire to return to their homes. Some difficulty was experienced in restraining this movement, which was considered premature, as agricultural operations could not be resumed in the absence of rain, and there was no grazing for the cattle. However, rain soon began to fall, somewhat out of season, and at least food for cattle would soon be provided. Orders were therefore issued to provide the people with food on their return, and for regulating their journeys and progress through the intervening districts, so that there might be as little distress as possible among them, and so that they might not be a burden on the population through which they might pass. It was anticipated at this time that the loss of cattle had been very great, but there was reason to suppose only the aged, diseased, and worthless had perished, whilst the best had been preserved. No scarcity had been experienced for transport and traffic purposes.

Towards the end of April Sir Philip Wodehouse retired from the Government of Bombay, and Sir Richard Temple, Bart., succeeded to the gadi.

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CHAPTER IV.

THE CULMINATION AND DECLINE OF THE FAMINE.

THE rains in April were deceptive so far as fitting the ground for the reception of seed-grain was concerned, and the movements of the people towards their homes fallacious. The numbers on works increased week by week till June 9, when the highest point was reached, the total then being 402,540. Of these, 40,507 were on civil agency works, and 362,033 on professionally supervised works. Consternation fell on many minds, and great anxiety was experienced by Government, when, June 5-the due date of the monsoon-passed and no rain fell. Anticipating, however, that the rains would fall before long, nearly 40,000 persons left the works between the 9th and 16th, and returned to their homes. They were rewarded for their faith. Heavy rain fell in many parts of the Presidency, and seed was sown everywhere. The decline in numbers on relief continued till August 4, when a reaction set in, and the total rose nearly 30,000, viz., from 248,492 on July 28 to 293,514 on August 24. Once more the seasons were out of joint. After the first heavy dashes of rain the skies once more became as brass, and for nearly two months no rain fell. Addressing the Viceroy towards the end of August, the Sarvajanik Sabha said that the crops which had been sown were in imminent danger of being burnt up. At that juncture, however, plentiful rains descended, and the great danger for that year was over. Thenceforward the numbers on relief

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declined to the extent of from 20,000 to 30,000 per week, until, on November 30, only 10,365 remained on the hands of Government, and it was confidently expected that all relief would cease with the end of the year.

Though the current had steadily set towards decline, there were not a few eddies which brought the worst scenes of distress prominently before the public. Notable amongst these was the state of affairs in Bombay city during the months of August and September. Large numbers of people took to wandering through the streets, spreading pestilence among the inhabitants, and serving to bring the more disagreeable incidents of such a time of disaster to the surface in a place where the greatest possible attention would be attracted to it. A committee of gentlemen exerted themselves to relieve the most distressed, and with the assistance of the police-out of funds contributed by the people of Bombay and by a grant from the Mansion House Fund made by the general committee at Madras-they were relegated to their homes. The mortality amongst them was great, and a peculiar famine disease broke out in their midst. In August Government thought it advisable to stop the immigration of famine-stricken persons into Bombay, and camps were formed for their detention at the Sion Causeway, at a port not far distant, and afterwards at Tanna. For this purpose a discretionary grant was placed at the disposal of the collector of Tanna. To these camps helpless persons who had wandered or were wandering into Bombay were sent, and were there detained and fed, and when necessary treated medically; thence, when they had sufficiently recovered, they were sent, at the expense of Government, to work or to their homes, according to their condition and circumstances.

In July prices had risen to such a distressing rate in Kaladgi that a further modification of the wages rate was found necessary, and it was ruled that, failing the relief that an immediate fall of rain would afford, where the price of staple grain should be dearer than a rupee for nine pounds, wages should be paid for Sundays as well as for week-days, or, in other words, that an increment of sixteen per cent. should be made to wages on all works. In the following month authority was given to all collectors of distressed districts to pay the Sunday wage on works in any taluk where rain still held off, and where the staple food-grain was selling at a rate dearer than nine pounds a rupee. As a fact, such a rate was reached only in the Kaladgi, Belgaum, and Dharwar districts, and in one taluk of Sholapur.

Until the copious rains of August and September fell considerable fear was felt that at least twelve months more of famine would have to be faced, the south-west monsoon being the only one which brings an appreciable quantity of fall to the Bombay Presidency, Plans began to be talked of, but nothing came of them, as their non-necessity was proved. During his journey to Madras, his Excellency the Viceroy remained at Poona for several days. Conferences were held, and among the decisions arrived at was one to give grain preference over all other traffic. This caused much inconvenience and annoyance in Bombay, as hardly any margin was left for other traffic. Sir R. Temple comments upon this decision thus :

'The inconvenience thus unavoidably caused to the trade of Bombay was very considerable, inasmuch as at this very time the exportation of wheat and oil-seeds to Europe was rapidly developing itself. It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 tons of grain and seeds were thus held back temporarily from exportation. The

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quantity cannot be exactly stated, but by some accounts it may have considerably exceeded even this large amount. These circumstances were greatly deplored, but could not possibly be averted, by reason of the supreme law which regards the safety of a vast population, in danger of starvation, as paramount over all other considerations. And if great inconvenience was caused to trade, there was this compensation that great relief was hereby afforded to suffering people, and that large supplies of food were conveyed which could not otherwise have been sent. However, the preference began to be relaxed in the beginning of October, and was finally removed by the end of that month.'

The Sarvajanik Sabha took the opportunity of Lord Lytton being at Poona to present a memorial on the whole subject of the famine. It amounted in bulk to an octavo pamphlet of 24 pages, and was published in that form. The whole ground of famine administration was traversed, and some remarks were made regarding mortality. 'In the absence of any official mortuary returns,' says the Sabha, 'it is impossible to state with any approach to accuracy the actual loss of life that has occurred. As far as can be gathered from available sources, the actual loss of life in this Presidency caused by the famine cannot fall short of a lakh of human beings. This is a much smaller tale of slaughter than the five lakhs officially reported to have died in Madras, but in that Presidency the number dependent upon state support has been nearly five times the figure in this Presidency. The Bombay famine has been, (according to the admission of the Famine Delegate) managed upon more hard, stringent, and economical conditions than in Madras, and the loss of life in this Presidency cannot fall far short of the Madras proportion. The published figures in official statements show that since October