the unseen world and other essays-第38节

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e　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　eve；　the　Council　in　Calcutta　wrote　home　to　the　Court　of　Directors　that　the　scarcity　had　entirely　ceased；　and；　incredible　as　it　may　seem；　that　unusual　plenty　had　returned。。。。。　So　generous　had　been　the　harvest　that　the　government　proposed　at　once　to　lay　in　its　military　stores　for　the　ensuing　year；　and　expected　to　obtain　them　at　a　very　cheap　rate。〃

Such　sudden　transitions　from　the　depths　of　misery　to　the　most　exuberant　plenty　are　by　no　means　rare　in　the　history　of　Asia；　where　the　various　centres　of　civilization　are；　in　an　economical　sense；　so　isolated　from　each　other　that　the　welfare　of　the　population　is　nearly　always　absolutely　dependent　on　the　irregular：　and　apparently　capricious　bounty　of　nature。　For　the　three　years　following　the　dreadful　misery　above　described；　harvests　of　unprecedented　abundance　were　gathered　in。　Yet　how　inadequate　they　were　to　repair　the　fearful　damage　wrought　by　six　months　of　starvation；　the　history　of　the　next　quarter　of　a　century　too　plainly　reveals。　〃Plenty　had　indeed　returned；〃　says　our　annalist；　〃but　it　had　returned　to　a　silent　and　deserted　province。〃　The　extent　of　the　depopulation　is　to　our　Western　imaginations　almost　incredible。　During　those　six　months　of　horror；　more　than　TEN　MILLIONS　of　people　had　perished！　It　was　as　if　the　entire　population　of　our　three　or　four　largest　Statesman；　woman；　and　childwere　to　be　utterly　swept　away　between　now　and　next　August；　leaving　the　region　between　the　Hudson　and　Lake　Michigan　as　quiet　and　deathlike　as　the　buried　streets　of　Pompeii。　Yet　the　estimate　is　based　upon　most　accurate　and　trustworthy　official　returns；　and　Mr。　Hunter　may　well　say　that　〃it　represents　an　aggregate　of　individual　suffering　which　no　European　nation　has　been　called　upon　to　contemplate　within　historic　times。〃

This　unparalleled　calamity　struck　down　impartially　the　rich　and　the　poor。　The　old；　aristocratic　families　of　Lower　Bengal　were　irretrievably　ruined。　The　Rajah　of　Burdwan；　whose　possessions　were　so　vast　that；　travel　as　far　as　he　would；　he　always　slept　under　a　roof　of　his　own　and　within　his　own　jurisdiction；　died　in　such　indigence　that　his　son　had　to　melt　down　the　family　plate　and　beg　a　loan　from　the　government　in　order　to　discharge　his　father's　funeral　expenses。　And　our　author　gives　other　similar　instances。　The　wealthy　natives　who　were　appointed　to　assess　and　collect　the　internal　revenue；　being　unable　to　raise　the　sums　required　by　the　government；　were　in　many　cases　imprisoned；　or　their　estates　were　confiscated　and　re…let　in　order　to　discharge　the　debt。

For　fifteen　years　the　depopulation　went　on　increasing。　The　children　in　a　community；　requiring　most　nourishment　to　sustain　their　activity；　are　those　who　soonest　succumb　to　famine。　〃Until　1785；〃　says　our　author；　〃the　old　died　off　without　there　being　any　rising　generation　to　step　into　their　places。〃　From　lack　of　cultivators；　one　third　of　the　surface　of　Bengal　fell　out　of　tillage　and　became　waste　land。　The　landed　proprietors　began　each　〃to　entice　away　the　tenants　of　his　neighbour；　by　offering　protection　against　judicial　proceedings；　and　farms　at　very　low　rents。〃　The　disputes　and　deadly　feuds　which　arose　from　this　practice　were；　perhaps；　the　least　fatal　of　the　evil　results　which　flowed　from　it。　For　the　competition　went　on　until；　the　tenants　obtaining　their　holdings　at　half…rates；　the　resident　cultivatorswho　had　once　been　the　wealthiest　farmers　in　the　countrywere　no　longer　able　to　complete　on　such　terms。　They　began　to　sell；　lease；　or　desert　their　property；　migrating　to　less　afflicted　regions；　or　flying　to　the　hills　on　the　frontier　to　adopt　a　savage　life。　But；　in　a　climate　like　that　of　Northeastern　India；　it　takes　but　little　time　to　transform　a　tract　of　untilled　land　into　formidable　wilderness。　When　the　functions　of　society　are　impeded；　nature　is　swift　to　assert　its　claims。　And　accordingly；　in　1789；　〃Lord　Cornwallis　after　three　years'　vigilant　inquiry；　pronounced　one　third　of　the　company's　territories　in　Bengal　to　be　a　jungle；　inhabited　only　by　wild　beasts。〃

On　the　Western　frontier　of　Beerbhoom　the　state　of　affairs　was；　perhaps；　most　calamitous。　In　1776；　four　acres　out　of　every　seven　remained　untilled。　Though　in　earlier　times　this　district　had　been　a　favourite　highway　for　armies；　by　the　year　1780　it　had　become　an　almost　impassable　jungle。　A　small　company　of　Sepoys；　which　in　that　year　by　heroic　exertions　forced　its　way　through；　was　obliged　to　traverse　120　miles　of　trackless　forest；　swarming　with　tigers　and　black　shaggy　bears。　In　1789　this　jungle　〃continued　so　dense　as　to　shut　off　all　communication　between　the　two　most　important　towns；　and　to　cause　the　mails　to　be　carried　by　a　circuit　of　fifty　miles　through　another　district。〃

Such　a　state　of　things　it　is　difficult　for　us　to　realize；　but　the　monotonous　tale　of　disaster　and　suffering　is　not　yet　complete。　Beerbhoom　was；　to　all　intents　and　purposes；　given　over　to　tigers。　〃A　belt　of　jungle；　filled　with　wild　beasts；　formed　round　each　village。〃　At　nightfall　the　hungry　animals　made　their　dreaded　incursions　carrying　away　cattle；　and　even　women　and　children；　and　devouring　them。　〃The　official　records　frequently　speak　of　the　mail…bag　being　carried　off　by　wild　beasts。〃　So　great　was　the　damage　done　by　these　depredations；　that　〃the　company　offered　a　reward　for　each　tiger's　head；　sufficient　to　maintain　a　peasant's　family　in　comfort　for　three　months；　an　item　of　expenditure　it　deemed　so　necessary；　that；　when　under　extraordinary　pressure　it　had　to　suspend　all　payments；　the　tiger…money　and　diet　allowance　for　prisoners　were　the　sole　exceptions　to　the　rule。〃　Still　more　formidable　foes　were　found　in　the　herds　of　wild　elephants；　which　came　trooping　along　in　the　rear　of　the　devastation　caused　by　the　famine。　In　the　course　of　a　few　years　fifty…six　villages　were　reported　as　destroyed　by　elephants；　and　as　having　lapsed　into　jungle　in　consequence；　〃and　an　official　return　states　that　forty　market…towns　throughout　the　district　had　been　deserted　from　the　same　cause。　In　many　parts　of　the　country　the　peasantry　did　not　dare　to　sleep　in　their　houses；　lest　they　should　be　buried　beneath　them　during　the　night。〃　These　terrible　beast