THE BENGAL FAMINE 1770

• Occurred under Governor Cartier-Hastings

• Partial failure of crops in Bengal in 1768

• Not a drop of rain for six months.

• Complete failure of the crops of 1769

• Outbreak of smallpox in Murshidabad.

• The price of grain rocketed in 1769

• Districts affected: Purnea, Nadia, Rajshahi, Birbhum, Pachet, northern and western parts
of Burdwan, Bhagalpur, Rajmahal, Hooghly, Jessore, Malda and the 24 Parganas. Purnea
district was the worst sufferer.

• ‘the famine’ continued for about twelve months

• One-third of the population of Bengal was said to have died in the Great Famine.

• Historians say The famine happened because the English Company along with the
Gomasthas (Local agents) controlled the Grain market. They hoarded good food to make
money for themselves. Around 120,000 maunds of rice were taken out of the regular
market, making prices go up. The Historians have accused the entire administration of
unfairly profiting from this.

• Adam Smith, a famous economist, wrote that a drought in Bengal could have caused a
shortage of food. However, he believed that the actions of the East India Company’s
officials, like imposing restrictions on rice traders, made the situation worse and turned
the shortage into a famine.

• The Famine of 1770 affected the economy of Bengal in diverse ways. By wiping out one-
third of the population, the famine left the land barren. As a result of large-scale desertion
of peasants, the land remained untilled. The famine ruined the zamindars and peasants as
well. The old revenue farmers were impoverished. There was alarming increase in the
depredations of the dacoits. The extensive jungles became an excellent refuge for the
fakirs and the sannyasis who carried on extensive depredations In Rungpore, Rajshahi,
Malda and other districts. The old social life was shattered by the famine. The dislocation
was so great that the lawlessness became widespread In the villages of Bengal. Despite
the outbreak of the famine, the government still collected taxes, and they actually
collected more money than before the famine. Muhammad Reza Khan was himself
 accused of great oppressions at the height of famine. There was no provision of any
agricultural loan (taccavi) under the colonial rule during the period of distress which used
to operate in the Mughal period.

• However, the economy of the English in Bengal was not affected because as we have
read above the government still collected taxes. Since, the government actually collected
more money than before the famine, the net collections of the Company for year 1771
exceeded even those of 1768.