THE FAMINE IN ASIATICTURKEY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 186, 6 August 1880, Page 4

THE FAMINE IN ASIATICTURKEY.

MOTHERS SELLING THKIR CHILDREN. " In a private letttr Mr Tristam Ellis gives do appalling account of the Bcenes of famine he had just witreeßed in tho course of a jouraey from Diarbekir to Bagdad. Writing from the latter city to a friend -in London, ha Bft j, 6 : — '-At Mo&ul I found the famine worse than ever. Peopio wera cbntinutslly dying in the Btrcrets, anu raothers selling their children for slaves or even worse purpoaes. It was very common to see men and childreu, a mere heap of bouoe, lying neked in toe

street, covered with the flies they were too weak to brußh sway. And worst of all, little dying children were hired by professional Kepgars for (he purpose of exciting cbari<y. and were exhibited naked in tbe bazaars. I found one poor little baby nbout four years old, quite dead, and tbe woman who was begging for something to j>ive it, was not aware tbnt it was co ! Bread, upon whioh tho people usually live, and which is worth generally about per pound, wos then selling for more than & hhilling. The people would have died wholesale, had it not been for the rcot of a sort of thistle (hat the spring weather had caused to come up, and that is very ecible, ttn) of course can be got for tbe trouble of collection* The ground for miles round the town wes all dug up by the people for this root, nnd while they dug one saw them eating the grass and weeds round about as well, I don't tlnnk I ever saw so mauy thin people at once in all my Hfo befoie. A contrast to them were the rich mufti end kadi of the town, who were as fat and round as usuiil end did nothing to relieve tbe distress around. In fact, moet of them bad large stores of grain themselves (hat they were keeping back till the price should become still higher. The Government had ordered the stores lof private individuals to bo opened, and the grain sold by euction ; but os (he principal stores were held by the Government officials, only small stores belonging to people who had put by enough to set themselves and families through tho f&n>iiie were opened ; these people were, therefore, reduced to beggary, and tbe famine scarcely relieved.. Tho chow of crops wns very pood, bat no ruin had fallen for some tiroe in Ibat district (rather a contrast to what 1 hud just been passing through) i,nd preat fears were entor tamed of aaoiher failure of crops thio year ; so the prices were etill going up and up. One day even bread was quoted at a puce eqoal to 2s a pottud, but two days with raiu jusi at the ri»<ht time caused the price to fall to 6) in one cay, showing ihe shareholders b&d got f i ightened, and put a lot into tho market at once."