INDIAN FAMINES - Institute for Social and Economic Change

92 FINANCIAL ~ND OTHE.B .BESULTS
famine the smaller the percentage of deaths
should be. Column 12 of the table does not
fully bear out the desired condition, if we retain
the Orissa famine of 1866 and the Rajputana
famine of 1868-70. The extreme mortality
caused by the latter famine I would be inclined
to leave out of the reckoning, a8 the features
connected with the famine are so peculiar. In
the states of Rajputana we have not supreme
control over the destinies of the people; but no
such excuse can be made for Orissa. That
there was a complete failure in the early part
of the administration of the famine in that
country, I do not think anyone will deny; and
the only consolation we can give ourselves is,
that it taught us the lesson so thoroughly
known, and which has been carried into practice
in the present famine. However, if we
omit these two famines, unique in character during
recent times, the decl'easing ratio of deaths
is tolerably uniform. The number of deaths
recorded against Nos .. V. and VL I am by no
means satisfied with. I can give no other
reason for entering the number than that it
seems hitherto to have remained unquestioned.