INDIAN FAMINES - Institute for Social and Economic Change

RECENT FAMINES.
notice. To it principally we are no doubt indebted
for the great pressure of English public
opinion upon the actions of Government during
the present famine. It is now known as the
" Orissa Famine," because that district suffered
most severely; but. the famine extended both to
the north in Bengal, and to the south in Madras,
where the district of Ganjam was affected. This
famine, generally speaking, differed from others
in Bengal. Previous to 1865, the crops in the
latter province had all heen good, or rather had
been fully up to the average, the rainy seasons
having never failed; nor can it be exactly said
that the rains failed in Bengal during 1865.
The normal quantity of rain fell, but it came at
abnormal periods; it came too early, and then
fell too profusely, and it ceased too soon. In
Orissa, the rainfall of the season was much below
the average, and ceased altogether in September.
In Ganjam, drought prevailed during
the latter part of 1865 and early months of
1866. In this latter district the rains of the
south-west monsoon almost wholly failed, and
little fell during the north-east monsoon-nor,
indeed, till the month of April 1866, when