86 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. { APRIL, 
To this list should be added (as is evident from certain remarks of 
Mr. Torrens) a complete series of the minutes of the Governors of 
Chinsura. Mr. Torrens says“ The latter must undoubtedly, I 
think, have been of very considerable historical importance ;” and 
I venture to believe that the Society will agree with me that some 
of the series described in the accompanying list may probably be 
found to be of very high scientific value. The Government of His 
Majesty the King of the Netherlands is well known for its liberal 
encouragement of science; and it is very probable that, if the So- 
ciety should think the matter of sufficient importance to warrant 
its being mooted, copies of the more important documents trans- 
ferred from Chinsura, might be obtained without much difficulty 
from the Record Department at the Hague. 
It may be worth while here to add a brief account of the circum- 
stances of this transfer—an account which I have gleaned from the 
Records of the Judge’s Court at Hooghly. It may be remembered 
that, at the time when Chinsura and other Dutch possessions on the 
Continent of India were exchanged for the British settlements in 
Sumatra, in 1824, a Dutch Officer (named the Fiscal) at Chinsura 
was, under the terms of the Treaty, taken into British employ, ap- 
parently to protect the interests of former Dutch subjects. Many 
of the old Dutch Records were retained in his custody; possibly 
all were so retained, but on this point I have not been able to ob- 
tain certain information. On the death of this officer in 1852, the 
Government of Netherlands’ India expressed a wish ‘to be fur- 
nished by an early opportunity with the Dutch Records appertain- 
ing to the late office of the Fiscal of Chinsura.’”’ After some cor- 
respondence, the Governor-General ordered, on the 31st Dee. 
1853, that all records possessing any general historical interest 
should be sent to Calcutta to be handed over to the Dutch authori- 
ties ; all records having only local importance, and generally all 
those in Bengali, being retained in the Judge’s office. 
With regard to the contents of the more important records 
enumerated in the appended list :— 
No. 57 isa book containing a Note of Warren Hastings on the 
capture of the Fort and Town of Chinsurain 1781. This may 
very possibly prove to be merely a copy of, or an extract from, a 
ee 
