18 S3.] Discussion on Mr. Bayne's paper. 9 



experience found that in tliis country official memory may be set 

 at from six to eight years. It might be remembered, perha2)S, who had 

 been Governor-General or Governor for a longer period, but certainly not 

 who had been Members of Council ; and, having resided himself for about 

 sixteen years in the city of Bombay, he had found himself about the oldest 

 inhabitant, and had become a referee on such points. In order to prevent 

 such ignorance in future, he had while in the Government of that Presi- 

 dency prepared inscriptions showing when and in whose governorship each 

 of the new public offices had been sanctioned, commenced, and finished, 

 wlio prepared the design, for what purpose the building was erected, who 

 was the engineer who superintended the work and who was the Public 

 Works Department Secretary, what it had been estimated to cost, and 

 what was the actual outlay. All this was cut on a marble slab, and insert- 

 ed in the entrance hall. He therefore strongly recommended the Society 

 to address the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, and urge the necessity of 

 making the few further inexpensive searches recommended by Mr. Bayne, 

 aud the erection of the necessary tablets, showing where the original bas- 

 tions and the Black Hole were situated. lie felt sure the present Govern- 

 ment would not object or think, as a former had done about forty or fifty 

 years ago, that the English prestige would be impaired thereby — a fancy 

 which had caused them to remove the monument originally erected to 

 mark the spot, and this so effectually as to render the finding of any trace 

 of the marble tablets which had been placed on the two sides impossible. 

 He hoped Mr. Bayne would kindly draw up a memorandum showing what 

 was wanted, and he felt sure his friend, Mr. liivers Thompson, would 

 accede to the wishes of the Society. He was glad to see His Excellency 

 the Commander-in-Chief agreed with him on this point. He then put the 

 proposition, and the meeting carried the vote of thanks to Mr. Bayne by 

 acclamation. 



Mr. Blanford expressed the pleasure he had experienced in listening 

 to the very interesting discoveries described by Mr. Bayne. Some 

 years since attention was diawn by Dr. Norman Chevers to some arches 

 whicli were a remnant of the buildings attached to the old fort, and still, 

 he believed, to be seen in the compound of the New Post Ofiice. These 

 were described by Dr. Chevers as probably a portion of a cloister which 

 ran round inside the curtain of the old fort, and, in that gentleman's 

 opinion, it was the space corresponding to one of the arches of this cloister 

 which had been enclosed by walls and formed the Black Hole of history. 

 The monument which recorded the names of the victims of the Black 

 Hole formerly stood at the N. W. corner of Tank Square on the spot 

 now occupied by a fountain. This appeared to be the site of the ravelin 

 shown on Mr. Bayne's plan. 



