INDIAN FAMINES - Institute for Social and Economic Change

R.ECENT F A.I{Il'{ES. 49
It is, of course, not to be expected that in
those days, any more than in our own, all the
measures taken to grapple with the famine should
have been perfect. It will be seen, from the table
given in the next chapter, that the mortality
was very great. There are revolting scenes on
record, such as have not been witnessed even by
the most painstaking of modern correspondents.
The famine continued throughout the greatest
extent of its area till the autumn harvest of
1838; but the Meerut and Rohilcund districts
were saved by a favoumble fall of rain in the
spring of that year.
Although Government in this famine would
not recognise a duty in providing for the helpless,
yet it set a noble example in the matter of
revenue remissions. In 1803, as already noted,
we not only did not recognise the policy of
remission, but actually increased the rate of
demand. 'Yith the commencement of the pressure
of want in 1837-38, Mr Rose, Collector of
Cawnpore, initiated the system of remission as
early as October, and the result was highly
satisfactory. It encouraged the people to look
after their fields, and prevented emigration-a
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