456 



BENGAL. 



"Bengal. 



C'ilies. 



Popula- 

 tion. 



payment, "old, silver, ivory, gum lac, and silk. 

 These two branches of maritime commerce have been 

 entirely abandoned to the natives, for particular rea- 

 sons ; namely, the fatality of the climate of the Mal- 

 dives to Europeans, and the regulations of the sove- 

 reign of Asam, restricting the right of importation 

 into his dominion* solely to the Bengalese. 



A very considerable branch of trade is carried on 

 by the Europeans in Bengal, in furnishing the rest 

 of India with opium, which is produced in Patna, on 

 the upper Ganges, in greater abundance than in any 

 other part of the wor'd, and which is exported in an 

 unprepared state, scarcely possessing the tenth part 

 of the virtue of purified opium. Rice is exported to 

 Ceylon, cottons to Malabar, and silk to Surat ; from 

 which is usually brought, in return, a considerable 

 quantity of raw cotton, to be employed in the Ben- 

 gal manufactures. Rice, gum lac, and cottons, are 

 sent to Bassora, receiving in exchange, dried fruits, 

 rose water, and gold ; rice and sugar, to the coast of 

 Coromandel, generally paid for with specie ; a varie- 

 ty of rich merchandise to Arabia, receiving in return 

 gold and silver. These branches of trade, though 

 passing chiefly through the hands of Europeans, and 

 carried on under their protection, are not always 

 solely on their account, but frequently in conjunc- 

 tion with Gentoo, and especially Armenian mer- 

 chants, great numbers of whom, since the revolutions 

 in Persia, have settled upon the banks of the Gan- 

 ges. 



The principal manufactures and articles of trade 

 which Bengal could furnish to the merchant in great 

 abundance and perfection, are cotton piece goods of 

 various descriptions ; calicoes, a name applied to se- 

 veral kinds of cloth, to which no English names have 

 yet been affixed ; pack-thread, woven into sack-cloth, 

 and employed as clothing by the mountaineers ; cot- 

 ton canvass, flannel, and blankets ; dimities of various 

 kinds and patterns, and cloths resembling diaper and 

 damask-linen ; wove silk taffeta, plain and flowered ; 

 tissues, brocades, plain and ornamented gauzes ; a 

 mixed cloth of silk and cotton ; filature silk, and 

 tessaor wild silk ; grain, sugar, tobacco, indigo, salt- 

 petre, hides, gums, liquorice, ginger, and a great 

 variety of medicinal and dyeing drugs. The articles 

 which are most in demand in Bengal, are japan cop- 

 per, tin, lead, pewter, sandal and sapan wood, all 

 kinds of spices, and a variety of European commo- 

 dities. 



Bengal and its dependencies contain five large, and 

 as many smaller cities ; forty large towns, and a great 

 number of smaller but not inconsiderable towns ; the 

 chief of whicli are mentioned in the common maps of 

 the country, and need not be enumerated here. 



From the want of public registers, the amount of 

 the population in the provinces of India cannot be 

 very exactly ascertained ; but various calculations, 

 formed on different data, coincide in estimating the 

 inhabitants of this presidency at more than thirty 

 millions, of which Bengal Proper may be allowed to 

 contain more than one-half. From the fertility of 

 the soil, and the slender vegetable diet required by 

 the natives, it has been computed, that on the same 

 quantity of land in Bengal might be maintained four 

 times the number of people that can be done in 



Great Britain ; and that this province, if brought Bengal. 

 fully into a state of cultivation, could support more ^~~ """ - 1 

 than double its present number of inhabitants. Of 

 this population, about four-fifths consist of native Hin- 

 doos, and the remainder of Moguls. The Moguls 

 are the descendants of those, who reduced the whole 

 empire of Hindostan about three centuries ago, and 

 were originally natives of Tartary. In the eastern 

 districts of Bengal they are nearly as numerous as the 

 Hindoos. They are of an olive colour, with feature 

 resembling the European. They are all Mahomme- 

 dans, and hold the idolatry of the Hindoos in so great 

 abhorrence, that, even under the protection of the 

 East India Company, there arc frequently very bloody- 

 feuds between these two classes of subjects. The 

 Hindoos are slender, handsome, and well made, re- 

 sembling Europeans in stature, of a dark brown co- 

 lour, and sometimes a yellowish complexion, with hair 

 black and uncurled. Most of them shave their heads ; 

 eradicate the hair from every part of their bodies ; 

 and go almost naked, with only a piece of linen round 

 their middle ; but those of a higher rank are accus- 

 tomed to wear turbans, and a dress of white cotton, 

 which reaches from the shoulders to the feet. The 

 dress of the women consists of drawers, a loose coat, 

 and a piece of cotton cloth thrown over the shoulders. 

 Their head is uncovered, and their hair fastened up 

 behind. They are fond of loading every part of their 

 body, their hair, arms, legs, fingers, toes, and even 

 nostrils, with all kinds of ornaments. 



Four different European nations have formed esta- European 

 blishments in Bengal for commercial purposes ; viz. 5C ' ^~ 

 the English, French, Dutch, and Danes. The Da- 

 nish settlement, Serampore, extends about two miles 

 on the eastern banks of the Ganges, and is of very in- 

 considerable breadth ; but, though a small territory, 

 is of considerable value to the northern country. It 

 is completely surrounded by the British dominions ; 

 has no fortifications except a small battery for sa- 

 luting ; and, on the late dispute with the northern 

 powers, a party of Seapoys took possession of it without 

 the least resistance. The French settlement of Chan- 

 demagore, and the Dutch one of Chinsura, are more 

 extensive than the Danish ; but, from the larger es- 

 tablishments kept up, have never been equally advan- 

 tageous, and have always cost more than what they 

 produced. When the East India Company appro- 

 priated to themselves the opium and salt-petre trade, 

 to prevent any competition in the market, they agreed 

 to allow a certain quantity annually to the Danes, 

 French, and Dutch, at a specific price, on condition 

 that they should not purchase any from the natives. 

 These treaties, however, were not renewed with the 

 French and Dutch, on the late peace ; and they 

 seem to have considered the surrender of their settle- 

 ments, without that advantage, as a very useless gift. 

 The English established a commercial intercourse 

 with Bengal at a very early period ; and made a set- 

 tlement on the river Ganges in the beginning of the 

 17th century. Their first factory was at the town 

 of Hoogly ; but in 1689 it was removed to Calcutta, 

 which is about 26 miles farther down the river. By- 

 means of their fort and garrison, they protected, 

 from the demands of the rajas, their trading vessels, 

 which came down from Patna ; but in the beginning 

 7 



