His Excellency the Viceroy of India resided on Thursday afternoon, the 14th of january, at a crowlled meeting at the Dalhousie Institute, Culcuttu, convened by the Sherif' of Calcutta, with the object of establishing a fund for the relief of the sufferers from the famine: His Excellency was accompanied on the platform by Sir Alexander and Lady Mackenzie, and the Ladies Elizabeth, Christian, and Veronica Bruce. Having regard to the limited capacity of the Institute hall, precautions had to be taken to prevent over-crowding, and, elaborate police arrangements were made to maintain order. Fully an hour before the time appointed for the meeting, crowds of people had gathered in the vicinity of the Institute, and at one time the pressure for admittance to the hall was so great that Sir John Lambert, who was one of the first arrivals, had himself to intervene to prevent an accident. Eventually after order was restored, everything went smoothly, and on His Excellency's arrival, he was received at the entrance by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Lambert, and the Sheriff of Calcutta, and conduczer to the dais. Proceedings d were immediately opened by the Sheriff, who declared the meeting open, and, on the motion of Maharaja Sir Jotendro Mohun Tagore, seconded by Mr. C. H. Moore, His Excellency the Viceroy was asked to take the Chair. The two resolutions dealing with the immediate object of the meetin; as well as the vote of thanks to His Excellency for presiding, were carried with acclsmotion, and an examination of the subscription-list on the table showed that over a lakh of rupees had been subscribed on the spot, His Excellency, wheen rising was received with cheers, spoke as follovs—Your Honour, your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,—We are met this afternoon nder circumstances which I believe to be unprecedented. It is not that meetings have not been held before in Calcutta and elsewhere arising out of the distress of the people, and for the purpose of calling to their aid the generosity of the charitable. If for twenty years the necessity has not arisen, I venture to say that none of these who have been responsible for the Guvernment, none of those who, officially or unofficially, have studied the condition of the people of India, can have failed to recognise that in' any single year, the spectre of famine might present itself at our doors. The interest with which we watch the labours of the able gentleman at the head of our Meteorological Department, testifies to an ever-present anxiety. Nor is this occasion unprecedented because of the criticism which the Government has encountered, or even of the nature of that min. Governments are made to be criticised, and, for inv part, I have always thought that fair and honourable criticism affords valuable assistance which no Government can despise. (Applause.) But where I think this occasion has no parallel, is the wide field over which our operations must extend. The meetings in Madras in 1877, in Calcutta in 1874, had to deal with distress which could not well have been more acute in the important areas affected; but never before has the appeal for help come from so many directions. I hold in my hand telegrams from all the Heads of Local Govern-
this movement, and promising their ready ments, expressing their cordial approval of ce-operation. This movement may, therefore, well be termed a national one, and I appeal to all that, with that fact before us, minor controversies should cease. Whatever differences of opinion may have existed, henceforth let us have no gaps in our ranks, Tam emboldened to say this fo you Teoauea but face the future as one man. (Applause.} know I am repeating the desire of one, whose merest wish will have more weight than any words of mine, Iam permitted to announce that Her Majesty the Queen-Empress has been graciooty leased to become Patron of this fund. (Applause.) It is her wish that its operations should be conducted on broad and imperial lines, and that fact unites us with our fellow-subjects in all parts of the world, in one undivided and indissoluble phalanx. (Applause.) It may be, nay it must be, to all of us a matter of regret that the sufferings of her Indian subjects must mingle with the memories of the sixtieth year of Her Maesty's glorious reign; but if that is now inevitable, at afl events there can be nothing more entirely consonant with the spirit of her reign, than the charity and good-will, imperial, all-embracing, which is the lesson our Sovereign has taught us. (Applause.) I am reluctant to detain you at any length, but I think it incumbent on me to say a few words about the objects of the fund it is proposed to institute, and the means by which they may be attained. I can quite understand that it is not easy for those unacquainted with the system under which the Government works to appreciate the distinction drawn between the obligetions lying upon Government, and the objects to which, with the concurrence and co-opera tion of Government, charitable funds may be devoted. The Government system, and the principles on which it rests, are no new that even that number may be doubled or trebled. That means a failure of crops and distress which is most grievous, but it also means that these millions of people are, by the action of Government, saved from what without it would only too probably have been death by starvation. Moreover, it is necessary not only to provide for large numbers, but to do so in a way that will meet a very rapid and sudden increase, Last week's return of persons relieved, showed an increase in the single district of Allahabad from 40,000 to 98,000. Let any one attempt to realise what is implied in providing the whole machinery of Famine Relief
one single district, and he will admit that for 60.000 additional people in a. week, in we havea right to feel some confidence in a system which possesses such powers of expansion, and to desire to retain its action unimpeded. If, then, Government is to maintain its relief works by which the population, as a whole, can be kept in good condition, its poor-houses for the more destitute poor, its gratuitous relief for the feeble and dependent, I hear it again asked, what is private charity to do? I think, if you will look to the definition of the objects which we have drawn up, you will find that through them all we invoke the exercise of individual. effort. It is by the work of individuals, officials and non-officials, of men and women working among those who know and trust them, that we can hope to discover where comforts beyond the subsistence ration become necessity, where domestic privacy conceals misery and starvation, where we can do something to make up to the orphan for the loss of a father's care, to the honest man of an independence he valued well-nigh as highly as his life. (Applause.) This is a work thoroughly in accord with the best traditions of Indian cbarity—a charity which has carried us through many a time of peril, and only fails us when under severe pressure the sources on which it ordinarily depends run dry. Indian charity has not now been inactive, and in many cases what we have to do is to supplement and encourage its work. There exist in many centres local Committees which will be the backbone of any organisation that we now create. They heve been working in concert with the Local Governments, and their number can, I doubt not, be increased, if need be. I' cannot too strongly impress upon you my sense of the importance of Jaying the full responsibility for the actual administration of charitable funds, on those who are in a position to act with knowledge of the local circumstances. Any attempt at minute control over all India from one centre, will result in Inmentable ful therefore, earnestly hope th ance with the scheme of organisation which: will be submitted to this meeting, the for-motion of Provincial Committees will follow closely on the formation of the Central Committee here to-day; and that the principles of action being once laid down the Provincial Committee will be allowed the amples discretion in the management of their own funds. Those funds will consist, in the first place, of all subscriptions which the donors desire should be exclusively devoted to their own province, and in the second place, of the proportion of the general fund which may be allotted to things, discovered by us for this emergency; the province by the Central Committee. weinberit in them the labours of generations The General Fund should consist of the of statesmen, and the experience of men money entrusted to the Central Committee, who have grappled with the foe and have either by those in India who desire to give overcome him. They originate, I think, help wherever it is most required, or by in the fact that it is impossible to predict those in England and elsewhere who cannot of any single year that famine will not from so great a distance determine them-come, or the magnitude of the disaster selves where the great need may be. I feel when it does come. That means that an certain that this division and definition of adequate organisation must be ready before- duties from the first will promote efficiency hand to cope with it; and obviousl: no and prevent waste. The Central Committee organisation can be continuously ready to in the collection of subscriptions, and.in the cope with an Indian famine, except one for determination of their allocation, will have which Government makes itself responsible. enough to do to tax the energies of the most The numbers alone make anything else devoted workers, and a duty which only impracticable. We read of 1} millions of body of a representative character, with the people being on relief works, and we know; fullest sense of its responsibility, can ade-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.