The Response

The first part considers the official relief effort following the intervention of the lieutenant governor of Bengal, Sir Richard Temple. Temple’s instructions to local officials were framed in strict free trade terms, their aim being to minimize interference with the market and restrict government spending. Temple sought to justify this response by reference to the situation on the ground, but was badly mistaken as to how far the cyclone-affected areas could recover without government help. The second part examines responses to the cyclone by other groups, including missionaries, landlords, the middle-class public, and the Bengali press.