INDIAN FAMINES - Institute for Social and Economic Change

HISTORICAL FAMINES. 35
have been subject to frequent droughts. None of
them, however, were iutense, and several were
of quite a local character j they are therefore
not landmarks in history, and so I will merely
briefly mention them. Whatever statistical
details of them are available, will be found at
pages 89, 90; but I regret to say that these are
extremely scanty.
In 1790 the district of Delhi was visited by
scarcity, but it does not appear to have extended
further.
1803.-The "Ceded Provinces " (obtained in
November 1801), forming the greater part of
our present " North-Western Province," were
subject to a severe strain till the autumn of
1804; and it appears that the dearth was partly
due to the short-sighted policy of the British
Government having imposed, simultaneously
with the drought, heavier rates of revenue,
which the people were unable to bear. The
population had just been emancipated from the
yoke of tyrants and of oppressive sovereigns,
and they therefore naturally "looked upon a
government as their common enemy," hence
great dissatisfaction was the result. Of all the