CALAIS, ST. 



CALCUTTA. 



.'i 



I by Boulogne. The town however bmi (till a considerable 

 in thi* traffic ; a* many as 53,864 traveller* to and from 

 IfswhlH [rod through Calais in 1850. The English and French 

 m*lsip** by the route of Calai*. Calai* is becoming a manufacturing 

 town, and mill* are encroaching upon the inner nunparU The 

 principal fabric U bobbin-net ; thU manufacture give* employment to 

 great number* in the town, the suburb of St-Pierre, and the Tillage* 

 of the neighbourhood. Other article* of manufacture are soap, straw 

 bnnneU. and leather. There are also itvarn flour and oil mill*, salt 

 and ugar-refineriea, and yard* for boat and ship-building. Tin- 

 herring and mackerel-fisheries giro employment to a good many 

 hand*. 



(IHtfioHUain ilf la Franet ; Macgrcgor's Slatutict.) 

 CALAIS, ST. [SARTIIF, Department of.] 



\TAYUD. [ARACJOX.] 



(VI. All: W v. formerly a town of Spain, was situated on the 

 south bank of the Ouadlana. In the middle age* the town was 

 tangly fortified, but i* now reduced to a single tower, with the 

 appellation of Calatrava la Vieja (Old Calatrava), in contradistinction 

 to the great convent (erected in 1214) for the military order called 

 Knight* of Calatrava, three league* from it, and named Calatrava la 

 Nueva (New Calatrava). 



CALCUTTA. th% capital city of Bengal, and the neat of the Hiipremc 

 government of Brit uh India, is situated on the left or east side of the 

 rirer Hoogly, in 28 23' N. lat, 88* 28' E. long. ; about 100 miles 

 from the sea. 



In tin 1 beginning of the last century Calcutta was only an insigni- 

 ficant village, inhabited by native husbandmen ; and a great part of 

 it* present site wa* completely covered with jungle. The proximity 

 of the low and damp region of the Sunderbunds, a woody tract con- 

 taining eight mouths of the Ganges, is necessarily unfavourable to 

 the salubrity of the city, which in still further impaired bv a dense 

 forest on the east, and some extensive muddy lakes on the south. 

 The English have somewhat mitigated this evil by draining off the 

 surface-water near the town, by filling up stagnant ponds, and by 

 clearing away the surrounding jungle to a considerable extent 



In 1098 the English factory was removed from Hoogly to this place, 

 then occupied by the village of Oovindpore, but in 1756 there were not 

 more than seventy house* in it occupied by Europeans. Sumja ud 

 Dowlah, the soubahdar, or viceroy of Bengal, attacked the place in 

 June 1756. On thi* occasion the factory was deserted by the governor, 

 the commandant, and many other of the European functionaries and 



On the capture of the place the English who had remained 

 to defend the factory were thrust into a small unwholesome dungeon 

 called the Black Hole, and of 146 individuals who were thus shut up 

 at night only 23 were found alive in the morning. In the beginning 

 of the following year a squadron consisting of five ships of war, 

 accompanied by 2400 troops under the command of Colonel Clive, 

 arrived in the Ganges from Madras and re-took the town of Calcutta, 

 from which the garrison of the soubahdar retired, after an attack of 

 only two hours' duration. The citadel, to which the name of Fort 

 William was given, wss constructed by Clive soon after the battle of 

 Plassey, fought in June 1757. This fort stands on the bank of the 

 Hoogly, about a quarter of a mile below the city, lie form is octa- 

 gonal ; five of the sides which arc towards the land are regular, and 

 three which front tho river have their lines varied according to local 

 circumstances. Fort William is the most regularly constructed 

 fortress in India. The works are low and mount 619 guns, and there 

 are but few buildings within the walls, which are so extensive that it 

 is said 10,000 men would be required to defend it in case of attack ; 

 the citadel contains accommodation for 15,000 : it is computed to 

 have cost in it* construction altogether two millions sterling, of which 

 one-half wan paid by Meer Jafflr. Its principal batteries are towards 

 the river, from which side only an attack is to be apprehended. The 

 space between the fort and the city, called the Esplanade, contains 

 the Government-House, built by the Marquis Wellesley, which in 

 the finest building in Calcutta ; it consist* of a centre with four 

 wings, one at each corner, connected together by circular passages. 

 The centre building contains two very fine rooms. The lower of these, 

 the hall, in paved with marble, and supported by Doric columns ; 

 over this is the ball-room supported by Ionic pillar*. The private 

 apartment*, the council-room and other offices are contained in the 

 wing* On a line with this building i* a range of magnificent dwell- 

 rag-bouse* with spacinu* verandahs. 



The town extends for above six miles in the direction of the rirer : 

 the average breadth is about two mile*. The part* in which Kuro 

 neans reside are mostly occupied by handsome detached houses, built 

 of brick and stuccoed with chunam, which gives them the appear- 

 ance of marble palace*. The principal square measure* 1500 feet on 

 Mb side, and in the mf 



wall 



le, and in the middle has a large lank, from which it takes it* 

 Phi. tank, which is 60 fret deep, i* lurrmmded by a handsome 

 and balustrade, and has steps in the interior reaching to the 

 During tin- administration of Lord Hasting* large sums 

 expended in improving the ventilation of Calcutta ; a street 

 fl feet wide was opened through the centre in ite longest diameter, 

 and several squares were made, which, like the one already described 

 have each a tank in the middle surrounded by planted walks. A quay, 

 Bed UM> Strand, between two and three miles long, wa* formed! 



. iteud. ii| r-bank along the ^ty. 1 his .may is 



40 feet above low-water mark, and i. furnished with many ghauta, 

 or broad flight* of stepa, which are useful for the landing of goods, 

 ami for the accommodation of the natives in making the frequent 

 ablutions prescribed by their religion. 



The principal public buildings, besides the government-house, are 

 the town-hall, the mint, the court* of justice, numerous Protestant 

 churches, a cathedral. Human Catholic chapels, a Greek and an 

 Armenian church, several Hindoo college* and pagodas and Moham- 

 medan mosques, and a Sikh temple. Then arc also the Ochterlony 

 monument; the Cossipore foundry ; the Asiatic Society's rooms ; <!, 

 Bishop's college, and numerous other buildings. On the south !<!< 

 of the town are an hospital and a jail. Tho quarter in which the 

 natives principally reside is to the north, Mid consists of narrow 

 street*, with lofty house* whose lower apartment* ar<> usually occupied 

 as shops or stores. The upper portions are pierced with loop-holes, 

 and the backs of the houses usually !'! <m tlr- ftn-ft. This quarter 

 swarms with inhabitant*. The total number of inhabitants in the 

 city and suburbs has never been regularly estimated; and several 

 calculations which have been attempted vary in their results between 

 82,000 and 2,225,000. There are no public registers of births, except 

 irregular ones under the orders of the superintendent of police, and 

 the memoranda of deaths noted at the burning ghauts of the Hindoos. 

 Of the Christians and Jews there is no enumeration. From careful 

 calculations prepared by Captain Birch in 1837 the population U 

 stated at 2-29,706 residents in the city, which added to the immense 

 numbers dwelling in the suburbs, who daily pour in vast crowds to 

 their occupations in the town, mubt make the whole nearly 400,000. 

 The population is divided into numerous classes, the Euraaions, or 

 progeny of white fathers and native mothers, the Portuguese, the 

 French, the Chinese (almost all of these are shoe-makers), the Arme- 

 nians, the Jews, the Moguls, the Parsees, the Arabs, the Birmeae, the 

 Madrasses, the native Christians, and the English. With so large 

 and varied a population, Calcutta present* at all times an animated 

 scene. The great mass of the population speak the Bengali language ; 

 and many, including the sen-ants attending upon Europeans, speak 

 the Hindustani also. 



The botanic garden, a splendid establishment of the East India 

 Company, is situated on the right side of the Hoogly, where that 

 river makes a bend, to which the name of Garden Reach has been 

 given. Above is an extensive plantation of teak, which wood does 

 not occur naturally in this part of India. The introduction of tin 

 species of tree U considered desirable, as ship-building forms on im- 

 portant branch of industry. On the right bank of the river, both 

 above and below as well as opposite to the city, there are several 

 private yards for ship-building. 



The soil in and about Calcutta in so deficient in water, that after 

 boring to the depth of 140 feet no springs have been found. The 

 city however is supplied with plenty of good drinking water from 

 numerous extensive ponds or tanks situated within and without it 

 The periodical rains annually fill them. Many trunks of trees have 

 been discovered 60 feet under the surface standing erect, with their 

 root* and branches perfect Thin ntrata of cool and blue-clay have 

 been met with between 50 and 60 foet below the surface. 



The external trade of the province being almost wholly carried on 

 at Calcutta, its nature and amount have been given in our description 

 of the province. [BENGAL.] The river is about a mile wide at high- 

 water, and trading vessels of the largest siie ascend as high as the 

 town. The attention of strangers is much excited on first visiting 

 Calcutta, by the number of vultures, kites, crows, and a species of 

 crane, which from its stately walk has received the name of ' adjutant' 

 These birds clear away the surplus food provided for Europeans, 

 which is thrown at night into the streets, as it cannot be kept in that 

 climate, and there ore few poor persons to consume it whose religious 

 prejudices will allow of their doing so. These scavengers are assisted 

 by numerous foxes, jackals, and wild dogs from the neighbouring 

 jungles, who prowl through the city at night, and whose mingled 

 bowlings produce a very mipleasiug effect Tho markets are abund- 

 antly supplied with gome, meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits, the 1 I 

 of which are sold at moderate prices. The game consists of wild- 

 ducks, teal, ortolans, snipes, hares, and venison. Among the fish in 

 lie mango fish which U described as a great luxury : it bos 

 derived its name from the fact of ite appearing in the river only nt 

 the season when the mangoes ripen. Fruit" are furnished in an 

 infinite variety, and of delicious flavour; pine-Apples, melons, man- 

 goes, oranges, guavas, peaches, loquat*, and strawberries are among 

 the more usual descriptions. The inhabitant* indulge largely in these 

 luxuries, and their pleasure is greatly enhanced by the abundant store 

 of ice always contained in the ice-house of Calcutta. 



The European inhabitants hsve established several institutions for 

 literary, scientific, and educational object*. The Asiatic Society, 

 formed l.y Sir William Jones, was founded at Calcutta in 1784. The 

 Metcalfe Hall for the accommodation of the Agricultural Society of 

 India, and the Calcutta Public Library, are of recent date. The theatre 

 was erected in 1841, after the destruction by fire of one built many 

 years ago. Among the institution* for promoting education are the 

 Biaho 



years ago. Among tl; 



lop's College, (bonded in I81. and the College c,f Fort Willi.-.m. 

 government establishment for the instruction of young men who hav 



