England and India: A Record of Progress During a Hundred Years 1785-1885

About The Book: In this book explained in England and India a record of progress during a 1785-1885 the current year has been a cause for celebration throughout the British Empire. However, in India, it has been a year of immense suffering since the country came under British rule. A devastating plague has nearly wiped out the population of a province's major cities, an earthquake has destroyed towns and villages in another province, and a widespread famine, the largest in Indian history, has ravaged the entire country. These events are not isolated incidents but part of a recurring cycle of calamities that have plagued India throughout the 19th century. While famines are now a thing of the past in Western Europe, India has experienced distressing famines every generation or roughly every 20 years. The year of Queen Victoria's accession witnessed a severe famine in Northern India, claiming millions of lives. The following 20 years, starting with the Indian Mutiny, were marked by three major famines: in the North-West, Orissa, and Behar. The year when Queen Victoria assumed the title of Empress of India saw an even more devastating famine in Madras, resulting in the loss of five million lives in Southern India.