Mr. Eustace Smith tried on Friday week to obtain a
Commis- sion of Inquiry into the expenditure on the famine in Behar. • His allegation was waste, and he was partly supported by Sir George Campbell. The general sense of the House was, however, against him, and after a frank speech from Lord G. Hamilton, he- was defeated by 149 to 46. There can be no doubt that there was some waste in meeting the famine, which was expected. to spread much further into Bengal Proper than it did ; but the waste was inseparable from an effort never made before, and its result was complete success. No future famine will be met in the same way, the whole history of the affair showing that the real difficulty is transport, the people being able to buy the food, if it only can be carried to the spot, and inquiry would have no effect, except to place most energetic and successful men, who fought the famine as they were ordered to fight it, and fought it success- fully, in the position of men under trial. We might as well inquire into the waste on the Irish famine.
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