APPENDIX. 331 



and barren ; but, further up, the banks are covered with cocoa-nut, 

 palmyra, and other palms, from under which native mud-huts 

 are everywhere peeping out. Boats loaded down by the head in 

 a curious manner were crossing and passing up and down, and as 

 we approached the city the most prominent feature for several 

 miles were brick-kilns, impressing the beholder with the idea that 

 very extensive building operations must be going on. I found, 

 however, that they not only used brick for the purposes that we 

 do, but that the bricks are again pulverized after biu-ning and 

 xised for making mortar, there being no good natural sand for that 

 pui"pose. There is also a large quantity of brick used for paving 

 sidewalks, courts, etc. 



The population of Calcutta, including both native and foreign, 

 is estimated at about five hundred thousand. The European 

 part of the city has wide, spacious streets and squares, orna- 

 mented by many statues and monuments, and, being the seat of 

 the Anglo-Indian government, many fine public buildings are 

 located here. Along the water-front are fine accommodations for 

 shippers, and here one sees moored at all times a large fleet of 

 steamers, besides numbers of the finest and largest class of clipper 

 sailing vessels. Formerly the accommodations for shipping were 

 quite insufiicient and insecure ; but some years ago, after great 

 loss had been incurred from the visitation of a typhoon, the con- 

 trol of the harbor and other matters pertaining to shipping were 

 transferred from the municipal authorities to a " Port and Harbor 

 Commission," consisting of eminent mei'chants who were chiefiy 

 interested in having adequate facilities provided. Upon this 

 commission was conferred the right to issue bonds for the con- 

 struction of new accommodations, to collect all port and wharf- 

 age dues, and under its direction the present fine facilities were 

 soon provided. Probably no port in the world now possesses 

 more convenient and economical accommodations for shipping than 

 does Calcutta, and this under gi-eat natural disadvantages. Across 

 the river is the suburb of Howrah, which is the terminus of the 

 East Indian Railway, which furnishes accommodation with Central, 

 Northei-n, and "Western India. The native part of Calcutta has 

 wide streets, but they are lined with a dirty, tumbledovm class of 

 dwellings, not much better than the mud huts of the native villages. 



