effects of these visitations which suggested the idea of constructing the anicut1[1] and induced the Government to face the expense which that project involved. Inundations from the sea have also caused much loss of life and property in the past, and so have cyclones, though no serious damage caused by either has been experienced for many years; and a fourth variety of natural disaster to which the delta is particularly subject is floods in the Gódávari river, which have not only been common in past years, but even nowadays, in spite of the utmost efforts, frequently cause considerable loss and hardship. The various occasions on which serious disaster or suffering has been experienced from these four different causes will now be shortly referred to.
Except for vague references by native historians, there is, as usual, no record of the famines which doubtless occurred before the days of British occupation. The first visitation of which particulars survive is that which desolated the Northern Circars in 1791-92. In January of the latter year the Board of Revenue said that the extreme drought had caused a large diminution of revenue and that 'though every alleviation in our power has been afforded by the suspension of duties on grain as well as on all necessaries of life, and every exertion is making by the Collectors to discover and distribute for the general consumption such grain as may be hoarded up by individuals for their private advantage, yet many of the poorer class of inhabitants are perishing from want.' Application was made to the Government to sanction the importation of rice from Bengal, and 'every effort seems to have been made by Government and individuals for affording temporary means of subsistence to the poorer class of people,' but in April 1792 the sufferings of the inhabitants still continued 'with little prospect of immediate relief.' Numbers had died and numbers more had emigrated; and the Board feared that the decrease of population and cultivation would long be felt.
At that time a large sum was due to pensioners in the zamindaris of Masulipatam; and Government ordered that any balance of this which remained unclaimed at the end of a month from the date of notice to that effect, should be devoted to relieving distress. Over 35,000 pagodas (Rs. 1,40,000)2[2] were applied to this purpose, and the children of the poorer families were collected and fed at the public expense. Large remissions were also granted to the zamindars and extensions of their leases were sanctioned.
