Vai-yuen-fu, 2nd Dee.
My pear Mx, Mvrnneap,—1 left Tientsin, where I wrote to you last, on the Sth Nov., reached Vai-yuen-fu on the 24th, saw the Governor on the 29th, and I now give you what information I have gathered concerning this year's famine in Shansi.
But first of all you will be glad to hear that Mr. Turner is better and has even resumed his work of distribution in T'ai-yuen-fu. Mr. Hill had left for the South of the province a week before I arrived.
When I left Shansi three months' ago, it was reported that the crops had failed owing to the lateness of the rain in several tens of the counties (Chow-biens) in the South, but in the Northern part of the province, where the crops are later, there was every prospect of a good harvest. Shortly after I left, however, a fall of a foot of snow made a harvest of ten parts into one of six parts, or in other words injured it 40 per cent. "The extreme North of the province is said to be well off; the central part where T'ai-yuen though better than last year, is still suffering very severely. The price of wheat is even higher than last year. To meet the general distress, the three kitchens opened by the authorities in the suburbs last year have not been stopped at all, and will have to be con tinned until next spring, at least. Local relief will be given in others biens of this central district during the winter months. But the greatest distress is in the Southwest of the province, Ping-yang-fu, Pu-chow-fu, Kiang-chow and Kwei-chow. Last year there were 87 biens to be relieved, and the Governor, who received us kindly, says
his year again. For this purpose the no less than 56 have to be relieved Emperor has granted 1,200,900 tow (shih er wan tan) of grain from Shantung, and Tls. 200,000 of silver for the expense of transportation. The Governor says. that one million Taels more is required before all of it cam be brought over! To raise this million Taels tivo plans are on foot; one is to obtain further subscriptions from the other provinces, and the other to borrow money from native merchants so as to slide over the present difficulty.
The expense of transport sounds enormous, but the inquiries I male and the proclamations I saw on the way bear it out, as follows:—The grain is transported through Chihli Hwai-lu, a city on the West border of Chihli, and thence by the usual means of donkeys, mules, camels or carts to the South of Shansi. The cost of we per catty from Hwai-lu to Pingig-fu, a distance of about 1,006 li, is 48 cask, not to speak of the many Wei-ynens who must be looking after its safe tr port. Proclamations of the rate of carriage frum place to place are put up for the' information of the people and to prevent corruption. At the above rate the trans-for of 1,200,000 tow (reckoning each tow 14 catties) is $06,400,000 cash, and as the rate of silver ranges from 1,000 to 1,400 per Tael, according to the places exchanged at, it would amount to Tls. 672,000. But this is only the expense of carriage on the middle portion of the journey; there is besides the transfer at both ends, one front Shantung across Chihli, and the other from Pin; -fu to the different distressed districts, making altogether 1,000 li more. If we double the 000 taels, which is not quite necessary, as transfer through Chihli is mach cheaper, we find the Governor's estimate to be but too accurate after all. And the Government cumot tg more economical with present means and plans. Thave known merchants being compelled to pay twice the Government rate of ear-rine more than once, in order to. have their goods carried across some parts of the journey. Government grain is carried when no better busines be got. But there is a custom of seizing the beasts of burden for Gorernment service, or of compelling them, to pay so heavily for exempt tion as to frighten people from taking their beasts near the borders of Shansi. How far this produces the higher rate of carriage Tam not able tu say.
Besides what is provided by the Government, grain is bought in all directions by the grain merchants. Much passes down from the North of the province through Tai-yuen-fu by carts and camels chidly, also by mules and donkeys to some extent, and occasionally by a few barrows through some parts of the journey. This and what was raised by great Imdowners supply the markets tolerably well. Some of the richer people have clubbed together to fetch grain themselves from a distance, so these require no relief, But there are others who depend entirely on charity for their very lives. In the south the majority of the poor perished altogether last winter In one hien out of $6,000 getting relief only 20,000 remain, and other biens are even worse, Many who had land either sold it or mor Lit. It was mortgaged at the rate of 20 cash per mow, and neither of these classes were able to raise crops for themselves So now these are driven to take the place of the poorest of last. year, and with in at five times its stai rate their case is indeed most desperate.
As to foreign distributors two will pro-ably remain in wen-fa and one or two more will yo to the South as soon as the money arrives from Tientsin. I had the impression when I wrote to you last that relief would only be needed in December, January and February, but in the South, where we shall distribute the bulk of our relief, it will be needed more or less to the end of May, for the wheat crops carnot be ripe earlier, and to help for two or three months only when the price of grain is so high is altogether inadequate.
I remain, your faithfully,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.