the unseen world and other essays-第45章

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ore　them　was　likely　to　be　the　life…and…death　struggle　of　the　Southern　Netherlands；　they　knew　that　there　was　risk　of　their　being　surrounded　so　that　relief　from　without　would　be　impossible；　they　knew　that　their　assailant　was　one　of　the　most　astute　and　unconquerable　of　men；　by　far　the　greatest　general　of　the　sixteenth　century。　Therefore　they　proceeded　to　do　just　what　our　Republican　Congress；　under　such　circumstances；　would　probably　have　done；　and　just　what　the　New　York　Tribune；　if　it　had　existed　in　those　days；　would　have　advised　them　to　do。　Finding　that　sundry　speculators　were　accumulating　and　hoarding　up　provisions　in　anticipation　of　a　season　of　high　prices；　they　hastily　decided；　first　of　all　to　put　a　stop　to　such　〃selfish　iniquity。〃　In　their　eyes　the　great　thing　to　be　done　was　to　make　things　cheap。　They　therefore　affixed　a　very　low　maximum　price　to　everything　which　could　be　eaten；　and　prescribed　severe　penalties　for　all　who　should　attempt　to　take　more　than　the　sum　by　law　decreed。　If　a　baker　refused　to　sell　his　bread　for　a　price　which　would　have　been　adequate　only　in　a　time　of　great　plenty；　his　shop　was　to　be　broken　open；　and　his　loaves　distributed　among　the　populace。　The　consequences　of　this　idiotic　policy　were　twofold。

In　the　first　place；　the　enforced　lowness　of　prices　prevented　any　breadstuffs　or　other　provisions　from　being　brought　into　the　city。　It　was　a　long　time　before　Farnese　succeeded　in　so　blockading　the　Scheldt　as　to　prevent　ships　laden　with　eatables　from　coming　in　below。　Corn　and　preserved　meats　might　have　been　hurried　by　thousands　of　tons　into　the　beleaguered　city。　Friendly　Dutch　vessels；　freighted　with　abundance；　were　waiting　at　the　mouth　of　the　river。　But　all　to　no　purpose。　No　merchant　would　expose　his　valuable　ship；　with　its　cargo；　to　the　risk　of　being　sunk　by　Farnese's　batteries；　merely　for　the　sake　of　finding　a　market　no　better　than　a　hundred　others　which　could　be　entered　without　incurring　danger。　No　doubt　if　the　merchants　of　Holland　had　followed　out　the　maxim　Vivre　pour　autrui；　they　would　have　braved　ruin　and　destruction　rather　than　behold　their　neighbours　of　Antwerp　enslaved。　No　doubt　if　they　could　have　risen　to　a　broad　philosophic　view　of　the　future　interests　of　the　Netherlands；　they　would　have　seen　that　Antwerp　must　be　saved；　no　matter　if　some　of　them　were　to　lose　money　by　it。　But　men　do　not　yet　sacrifice　themselves　for　their　fellows；　nor　do　they　as　a　rule　look　far　beyond　the　present　moment　and　its　emergencies。　And　the　business　of　government　is　to　legislate　for　men　as　they　are；　not　as　it　is　supposed　they　ought　to　be。　If　provisions　had　brought　a　high　price　in　Antwerp；　they　would　have　been　carried　thither。　As　it　was；　the　city；　by　its　own　stupidity；　blockaded　itself　far　more　effectually　than　Farnese　could　have　done　it。

In　the　second　place；　the　enforced　lowness　of　prices　prevented　any　general　retrenchment　on　the　part　of　the　citizens。　Nobody　felt　it　necessary　to　economize。　Every　one　bought　as　much　bread；　and　ate　it　as　freely；　as　if　the　government　by　insuring　its　cheapness　had　insured　its　abundance。　So　the　city　lived　in　high　spirits　and　in　gleeful　defiance　of　its　besiegers；　until　all　at　once　provisions　gave　out；　and　the　government　had　to　step　in　again　to　palliate　the　distress　which　it　had　wrought。　It　constituted　itself　quartermaster…general　to　the　community；　and　doled　out　stinted　rations　alike　to　rich　and　poor；　with　that　stern　democratic　impartiality　peculiar　to　times　of　mortal　peril。　But　this　served　only；　like　most　artificial　palliatives；　to　lengthen　out　the　misery。　At　the　time　of　the　surrender；　not　a　loaf　of　bread　could　be　obtained　for　love　or　money。

In　this　way　a　bungling　act　of　legislation　helped　to　decide　for　the　worse　a　campaign　which　involved　the　territorial　integrity　and　future　welfare　of　what　might　have　become　a　great　nation　performing　a　valuable　function　in　the　system　of　European　communities。

The　striking　character　of　this　instructive　example　must　be　our　excuse　for　presenting　it　at　such　length。　At　the　beginning　of　the　famine　in　Bengal　the　authorities　legislated　in　very　much　the　same　spirit　as　the　burghers　who　had　to　defend　Antwerp　against　Parma。

〃By　interdicting　what　it　was　pleased　to　term　the　monopoly　of　grain；　it　prevented　prices　from　rising　at　once　to　their　natural　rates。　The　Province　had　a　certain　amount　of　food　in　it；　and　this　food　had　to　last　about　nine　months。　Private　enterprise　if　left　to　itself　would　have　stored　up　the　general　supply　at　the　harvest；　with　a　view　to　realizing　a　larger　profit　at　a　later　period　in　the　scarcity。　Prices　would　in　consequence　have　immediately　risen；　compelling　the　population　to　reduce　their　consumption　from　the　very　beginning　of　the　dearth。　The　general　stock　would　thus　have　been　husbanded；　and　the　pressure　equally　spread　over　the　whole　nine　months；　instead　of　being　concentrated　upon　the　last　six。　The　price　of　grain；　in　place　of　promptly　rising　to　three　half…pence　a　pound　as　in　1865…66；　continued　at　three　farthings　during　the　earlier　months　of　the　famine。　During　the　latter　ones　it　advanced　to　twopence；　and　in　certain　localities　reached　fourpence。〃

The　course　taken　by　the　great　famine　of　1866　well　illustrates　the　above　views。　This　famine；　also；　was　caused　by　the　total　failure　of　the　December　rice…crop；　and　it　was　brought　to　a　close　by　an　abundant　harvest　in　the　succeeding　year。

〃Even　as　regards　the　maximum　price　reached；　the　analogy　holds　good；　in　each　case　rice　having　risen　in　general　to　nearly　twopence；　and　in　particular　places　to　fourpence；　a　pound；　and　in　each　the　quoted　rates　being　for　a　brief　period　in　several　isolated　localities　merely　nominal；　no　food　existing　in　the　market；　and　money　altogether　losing　its　interchangeable　value。　In　both　the　people　endured　silently　to　the　end；　with　a　fortitude　that　casual　observers　of　a　different　temperament　and　widely　dissimilar　race　may　easily　mistake　for　apathy；　but　which　those　who　lived　among　the　sufferers　are　unable　to　distinguish　from　qualities　that　generally　pass　under　a　more　honourable　name。　During　1866；　when　the　famine　was　severest；　I　superintended　public　instruction　throughout　the　southwestern　division　of　Lower　Bengal；　including　Orissa。　The　subordinate　native　officers；　about　eight　hundred　in　number；　behaved　with　a　steadiness；　and　when　called　upon；　with　a　self…abnegation；　beyond　praise。　Many　of　them　ruined　their　health。　The　touching　scenes　of　self…sacrifice　and　humble　heroism　which　I　witnessed　among　the　poor　villagers　on　my　tours　of　inspection　will　remain　in　my　memory　till　my　latest　day。〃

But　to　meet　the　famine　of　1866　Bengal　was　equipped　with　railroads　and　canals；　and　better　than　all；　with　an　intelligent　government。　Far　from　trying　to　check　speculation；　as　in　1770；　the　government　did　all　in　its　power　to　stimulate　it。　In　the　earlier　famine　one　could　hardly　engage　in　the　grain　trade　without　becoming　amenable　to　the　law。　〃In　1866　respectable　men　in　vast　numbers　went　into　the　trade；　for　government；　by　publishing　weekly　returns　of　the　rates　in　every　district；　rendered　the　traffic　both　easy　and　safe。　Every　one　knew　where　to　buy　grain　cheapest；　and　where　to　sell　it　dearest；　and　food　was　accordingly　brought　from　the　districts　that　could　best　spare　it；　and　carried　to　those　which　most　urgently　needed　it。　Not　only　were　prices　equalized　so　far　as　possible　throughout　the　stricken　parts；　but　the　publicity　given　to　the　high　rates　in　Lower　Bengal　induced　large　shipments　from　the　upper　provinces；　and　the　chief　seat　of　the　trade　became　unable　to　afford　accommodation　for　landing　the　vast　stores　of　grain　brought　down　the　river。　Rice　poured　into　the　affected　districts　from　all　parts；railways；　canals；　and　roads　vigorously　doing　their　duty。〃

The　result　of　this　wise　policy　was　that　scarcity　was　heightened　into　famine　only　in　one　remote　corner　of　Bengal。　Orissa　was　commercially　isolated　in　1866；　as　the　whole　country　had　been　in　1770。　〃As　far　back　as　the　records　extend；　Orissa　has　produced　more　grain　than　it　can　use。　It　is　an　exporting；　not　an　importing　province；　sending　away　its　surplus　grain　by　sea；　and　neither　requiring　nor　seeking　any　communication　with　Lower　Bengal　by　land。〃　Long　after　the　rest　of　the　province　had　begun　to　prepare　for　a　year　of　famine；　Orissa　kept　on　exporting。　In　March；　when　the　alarm　was　first　raised；　the