the unseen world and other essays-第44章

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t　of　each　meal；　and　not　to　open　it　till　the　butler　brought　him　word　that　the　plate　was　safely　locked　up。〃　And　for　a　long　time　nearly　all　traffic　ceased　upon　the　imperial　roads。

This　state　of　things；　which　amounted　to　chronic　civil　war；　induced　Lord　Cornwallis　in　1788　to　place　the　province　under　the　direct　military　control　of　an　English　officer。　The　administration　of　Mr。　Keatingthe　first　hardy　gentleman　to　whom　this　arduous　office　was　assignedis　minutely　described　by　our　author。　For　our　present　purpose　it　is　enough　to　note　that　two　years　of　severe　campaigning；　attended　and　followed　by　relentless　punishment　of　all　transgressors；　was　required　to　put　an　end　to　the　disorders。

Such　was　the　appalling　misery；　throughout　a　community　of　thirty　million　persons；　occasioned　by　the　failure　of　the　winter　rice…crop　in　1769。　In　abridging　Mr。　Hunter's　account　we　have　adhered　as　closely　to　our　original　as　possible；　but　he　who　would　obtain　adequate　knowledge　of　this　tale　of　woe　must　seek　it　in　the　ever　memorable　description　of　the　historian　himself。　The　first　question　which　naturally　occurs　to　the　readerthough；　as　Mr。　Hunter　observes；　it　would　have　been　one　of　the　last　to　occur　to　the　Oriental　mindis；　Who　was　to　blame？　To　what　culpable　negligence　was　it　due　that　such　a　dire　calamity　was　not　foreseen；　and　at　least　partially　warded　off？　We　shall　find　reason　to　believe　that　it　could　not　have　been　adequately　foreseen；　and　that　no　legislative　measures　could　in　that　state　of　society　have　entirely　prevented　it。　Yet　it　will　appear　that　the　government；　with　the　best　of　intentions；　did　all　in　its　power　to　make　matters　worse；　and　that　to　its　blundering　ignorance　the　distress　which　followed　is　largely　due。

The　first　duty　incumbent　upon　the　government　in　a　case　like　that　of　the　failure　of　the　winter　rice…crop　of　1769；　was　to　do　away　with　all　hindrance　to　the　importation　of　food　into　the　province。　One　chief　cause　of　the　far…reaching　distress　wrought　by　great　Asiatic　famines　has　been　the　almost　complete　commercial　isolation　of　Asiatic　communities。　In　the　Middle　Ages　the　European　communities　were　also；　though　to　a　far　less　extent；　isolated　from　each　other；　and　in　those　days　periods　of　famine　were　comparatively　frequent　and　severe。　And　one　of　the　chief　causes　which　now　render　the　occurrence　of　a　famine　on　a　great　scale　almost　impossible　in　any　part　of　the　civilized　world　is　the　increased　commercial　solidarity　of　civilized　nations。　Increased　facility　of　distribution　has　operated　no　less　effectively　than　improved　methods　of　production。

Now；　in　1770　the　province　of　Lower　Bengal　was　in　a　state　of　almost　complete　commercial　isolation　from　other　communities。　Importation　of　food　on　an　adequate　scale　was　hardly　possible。　〃A　single　fact　speaks　volumes　as　to　the　isolation　of　each　district。　An　abundant　harvest；　we　are　repeatedly　told；　was　as　disastrous　to　the　revenues　as　a　bad　one；　for；　when　a　large　quantity　of　grain　had　to　be　carried　to　market；　the　cost　of　carriage　swallowed　up　the　price　obtained。　Indeed；　even　if　the　means　of　intercommunication　and　transport　had　rendered　importation　practicable；　the　province　had　at　that　time　no　money　to　give　in　exchange　for　food。　Not　only　had　its　various　divisions　a　separate　currency　which　would　pass　nowhere　else　except　at　a　ruinous　exchange；　but　in　that　unfortunate　year　Bengal　seems　to　have　been　utterly　drained　of　its　specie。。。。。　The　absence　of　the　means　of　importation　was　the　more　to　be　deplored；　as　the　neighbouring　districts　could　easily　have　supplied　grain。　In　the　southeast　a　fair　harvest　had　been　reaped；　except；　in　circumscribed　spots；　and　we　are　assured　that；　during　the　famine；　this　part　of　Bengal　was　enabled　to　export　without　having　to　complain　of　any　deficiency　in　consequence。。。。。　INDEED；　NO　MATTER　HOW　LOCAL　A　FAMINE　MIGHT　BE　IN　THE　LAST　CENTURY；　THE　EFFECTS　WERE　EQUALLY　DISASTROUS。　Sylhet；　a　district　in　the　northeast　of　Bengal；　had　reaped　unusually　plentiful　harvests　in　1780　and　1781；　but　the　next　crop　was　destroyed　by　a　local　inundation；　and；　notwithstanding　the　facilities　for　importation　afforded　by　water…carriage；　one　third　of　the　people　died。〃

Here　we　have　a　vivid　representation　of　the　economic　condition　of　a　society　which；　however　highly　civilized　in　many　important　respects；　still　retained；　at　the　epoch　treated　of；　its　aboriginal　type　of　organization。　Here　we　see　each　community　brought　face　to　face　with　the　impossible　task　of　supplying；　unaided；　the　deficiencies　of　nature。　We　see　one　petty　district　a　prey　to　the　most　frightful　destitution；　even　while　profuse　plenty　reigns　in　the　districts　round　about　it。　We　find　an　almost　complete　absence　of　the　commercial　machinery　which；　by　enabling　the　starving　region　to　be　fed　out　of　the　surplus　of　more　favoured　localities；　has　in　the　most　advanced　countries　rendered　a　great　famine　practically　impossible。

Now　this　state　of　things　the　government　of　1770　was　indeed　powerless　to　remedy。　Legislative　power　and　wisdom　could　not　anticipate　the　invention　of　railroads；　nor　could　it　introduce　throughout　the　length　and　breadth　of　Bengal　a　system　of　coaches；　canals；　and　caravans；　nor　could　it　all　at　once　do　away　with　the　time…honoured　brigandage；　which　increased　the　cost　of　transport　by　decreasing　the　security　of　it；　nor　could　it　in　a　trice　remove　the　curse　of　a　heterogeneous　coinage。　None；　save　those　uninstructed　agitators　who　believe　that　governments　can　make　water　run　up…hill；　would　be　disposed　to　find　fault　with　the　authorities　in　Bengal　for　failing　to　cope　with　these　difficulties。　But　what　we　are　to　blame　them　forthough　it　was　an　error　of　the　judgment　and　not　of　the　intentionsis　their　mischievous　interference　with　the　natural　course　of　trade；　by　which；　instead　of　helping　matters；　they　but　added　another　to　the　many　powerful　causes　which　were　conspiring　to　bring　about　the　economic　ruin　of　Bengal。　We　refer　to　the　act　which　in　1770　prohibited　under　penalties　all　speculation　in　rice。

This　disastrous　piece　of　legislation　was　due　to　the　universal　prevalence　of　a　prejudice　from　which　so…called　enlightened　communities　are　not　yet　wholly　free。　It　is　even　now　customary　to　heap　abuse　upon　those　persons　who　in　a　season　of　scarcity；　when　prices　are　rapidly　rising；　buy　up　the　〃necessaries　of　life；〃　thereby　still　increasing　for　a　time　the　cost　of　living。　Such　persons　are　commonly　assailed　with　specious　generalities　to　the　effect　that　they　are　enemies　of　society。　People　whose　only　ideas　are　〃moral　ideas〃　regard　them　as　heartless　sharpers　who　fatten　upon　the　misery　of　their　fellow…creatures。　And　it　is　sometimes　hinted　that　such　〃practices〃　ought　to　be　stopped　by　legislation。

Now；　so　far　is　this　prejudice；　which　is　a　very　old　one；　from　being　justified　by　facts；　that；　instead　of　being　an　evil；　speculation　in　breadstuffs　and　other　necessaries　is　one　of　the　chief　agencies　by　which　in　modern　times　and　civilized　countries　a　real　famine　is　rendered　almost　impossible。　This　natural　monopoly　operates　in　two　ways。　In　the　first　place；　by　raising　prices；　it　checks　consumption；　putting　every　one　on　shorter　allowance　until　the　season　of　scarcity　is　over；　and　thus　prevents　the　scarcity　from　growing　into　famine。　In　the　second　place；　by　raising　prices；　it　stimulates　importation　from　those　localities　where　abundance　reigns　and　prices　are　low。　It　thus　in　the　long　run　does　much　to　equalize　the　pressure　of　a　time　of　dearth　and　diminish　those　extreme　oscillations　of　prices　which　interfere　with　the　even；　healthy　course　of　trade。　A　government　which；　in　a　season　of　high　prices；　does　anything　to　check　such　speculation；　acts　about　as　sagely　as　the　skipper　of　a　wrecked　vessel　who　should　refuse　to　put　his　crew　upon　half　rations。

The　turning…point　of　the　great　Dutch　Revolution；　so　far　as　it　concerned　the　provinces　which　now　constitute　Belgium；　was　the　famous　siege　and　capture　of　Antwerp　by　Alexander　Farnese；　Duke　of　Parma。　The　siege　was　a　long　one；　and　the　resistance　obstinate；　and　the　city　would　probably　not　have　been　captured　if　famine　had　not　come　to　the　assistance　of　the　besiegers。　It　is　interesting；　therefore；　to　inquire　what　steps　the　civic　authorities　had　taken　to　prevent　such　a　calamity。　They　knew　that　the　struggle　before　them　was　likely　to　be　the　life…and…death　struggle　of　the　Southern　Netherlands；　they　knew　that　th