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for food, their appearance certainly corroborated their statement of their need, and satisfied me that they were proper subjects of charity.

It is true that I heard of no case of death from starvation.  It is not probable that such casualties have occurred. For the credit of our government I hope not.  It would hardly be justifiable by the laws of humanity, to demand or await such conclusive evidence of destitution before relieving a needy and suffering people.

The class entitled to the charitable consideration of the Government, is composed of widows and children, and the old an infirm white and colored persons totally incapable of self-support.

The class is large. It is estimated that there are now fifteen thousand white families in the State, more or less destitute. In more than two thirds of these the father is dead. The average number of a family is four persons, and a fair estimate of children under ten (10) years of age is two to each family. In January last a report made to the State Legislature, showed there to be 12,530 destitute families, composed of 52,921 individuals. Of this number 20,792 were children under the age of fifteen. From data taken from provision returns in the office of Superintendents of Districts, it appears that of the white adults, applying for rations, a little less than four fifths were