CALCUTTA. 



Calcutta, costed a jemmaatdaar, or Serjeant of ili- Iiduri.,' 

 ^ *-v and promised him a thousand rupees, if In- woiil ' 



mm- one half of them into a separate .ip.u 'un-nt. 

 Tiu- soldu-r, allured by the offer of luch i r- ward, 

 immediately retired for the purpose of obtainm, 

 mission from the Soubah, but the tyrant was asleep, 

 and no person dared to disturb his repose. Despair and 

 district ion now sei/.cd upon these miserable sufferers. 

 A profuse perspiration overspread every individual, 

 and this was attended with a raging thirst, which 

 increased in proportion as the body was drained of 

 its multure. In vain they stripped themselves of 

 their clotlus; in vain they sat down upon the ground, 

 ut i-vtry hat in motion to produce a refreshing 

 undulation. Many of them falling down, were instant- 

 ly suffocated or trodden to death. A difficulty of res- 

 pintion succeeded, and every surviving victim gashed 

 for breath. New efforts were made to break open 

 the door, but in vain. Execrations and abuse was 

 tht poured upon the guard, with the hope of pro- 

 voking them to fire into the prison. Their suffer- 

 ings now became intolerable ; and the cry of " water ! 

 water !" issued from every mouth. The jemmautdaar 

 was even touched with pity at their distress, and 

 ord -red some skins of water to be brought ; but, the 

 only way of conveying it being through the bars of 

 the window, in hats, and every one struggling for 

 a share, the greatest part of it was lost. While those 

 who stood near the windows catched a little, none 

 reached their companions at the other end of the pri- 

 son, who besought them, in the most moving strains, 

 to send them some relief. The water, however, in- 

 stead of allaying the thirst of those that received it, 

 only heightened their delirium, and enraged their im- 

 patience for more. A horrid scene of confusion en- 

 sued. Such as were at a distance, rushed towards 

 the window, crying out for water. In the contest, 

 many were pressed down and trampled to death. The 

 barbarians without laughed at their miseries, and as 

 they supplied them with water, held up lights to the 

 bar^ that they might enjoy the inhuman pleasure of 

 seeing their hapless victims contending for the bane- 

 ful indulgence. It was about eight o'clock when 

 they were first entombed in this infernal place ; and 

 before eleven, one third of them had perished. Mr 

 Holwell, who found himself so closely wedged up by 

 the pressure towards the window, as to be incapable 

 of motion, beggedi as the last token of their regard, 

 that he might be allowed to retire from the crowd 

 and die in peace. Even here respect was shewn to 

 his rank and character. The pressure was removed, 

 and he retired to the farther end of the prison, where, 

 seeing many of his particular friends lying dead, he 

 laid himself down among them, and recommended his 

 oui to heaven. His thirst, however, grew insup- 

 portable, his difficulty of breathing increased, and he 

 was seized with a violent palpitation. He forced his 

 way back to the window, exclaiming, " Water, for 

 God's sake !" His wretched companions again gave 

 way, and manifested a proof of tenderness and at- 

 tachment to his person, that could scarcely have been 

 expected in such dreadful circumstances. *' Give 



dim water," they cried; and though raring in ago- <J*leotta. 

 hem would touch it until hi- had drank. -*V"~" 

 .; somew'. d, the palpitation crated; 



hut finding tliat water increated rather than dimi- 



1 In , thirst, he abstained from it, ai.d mm 

 ed his mouth by sucking the per-piration out ut hit 

 shirt-sleeves, < . the drops as they fell from 



his head and face. * The rest having alto discovered 

 the pernicious effects of water, now grew clamorous 

 for " air ;" and the mot opprobrious abuse was re- 

 peated upon the Soubah, his officers, and the guard, 

 in order to force them to nrt. A general prayer 

 was then dirtcted to hraven to put a period to their 

 misery. They now began to drop on all sides. Ma- 

 ny died standing, being upheld by the crowd arouod 

 them ; and the steam which arose from the living aa 

 well as the dead, was so pungent and insufferable, 

 that all who could not approach the windows were 

 suffocated. Mr Holwell had again retired ; and 

 stretching himsel c by thr aide of the Rev. Mr Jcrvis 

 Bellamy, (who, with his son, a lieutenant, by dead 

 in each other's .inns), where he remained deprived of 

 sense, and to all appearance lifeless, until day-break. 

 Being then discovered by his surviving friend , hr waa 

 removed to the window, where the Fresh air revived 

 him. The Soubah having been at last informed of the 

 havoc which death had made upon his miserable vic- 

 tims, sent to inquire if the chief waa still alive, and 

 upon Mr Holwell being shown to the officer, an or- 

 der ca -.-.' immediately for their release. Of the J46 

 that entered alive, 23 only returned, and most of 

 them in a high putrid fever. Even their deliverance, 

 however, was dictated not by pity, but by avarice ; 

 for the Soubah had received intimation that Mr Hol- 

 well knew of a considerable treasure which was se. 

 creted in the fort ; and it was for the purpose of 

 questioning that gentleman upon the subjrct, that 

 he summoned him into his presence. Mr Ht-iwell, 

 however, solemnly declared that he knew of no such 

 deposit ; but the inhuman tyrant would give no ere- 

 dit to his protestations, and ordered him, together 

 with three of his friends, to be loaded with fetter*, 

 and conveyed to the Indian camp, about three miles 

 distance. Here they lay all night, under a heavy 

 rain, and were marched back next morning to Cal- 

 cutta, exposed to the scorching beams of a tropical 

 sun. They would infallibly have sunk under their 

 affliction, had not nature expelled the fever in large 

 painful boils, which overspread almost the whole 

 body. In this condition, they were carried in aa 

 open boat to Moorshedabad, the capital of Bengal, 

 about 100 miles up the Ganges, where, after endu- 

 ring the most cruel and opprobrious treatment, they 

 were set at liberty, through the mediation of the 

 Soubah's grandmother. When the order was given 

 for their release, some of the courtiers represented 

 to the Soubah that Mr Holwell was still able to pay a 

 considerable ransom ; he replied, with some marks of 

 compunction, " if he has any thing left, let him 

 keep it : his sufferings have been great ; he shall 

 have his liberty." Having laid Calcutta ia ruins, 

 and dispersed its inhabitants, the Soubah stationed a 



In his despair of obtaining water, this unfortunate gentleman, we are told, had attempted to drink his own urine, 

 found it intolerably bitter ; whereas, the moisture from his body was soft, refreshing, and pleasant. 

 VOL. V. PART I. 2 O 



