BEN 



be fairly made, and is only amufing to tlie imagination. If 

 there had been more frequent rehearfals of the mifcrer; in 

 eight real parts by Leo, which Anfaiii had performed 

 in 1781 at the Pantheon by more than forty voices, it may 

 be fuppofed, from fuch movements as were correftly ex- 

 ecuted, that the effect of the whole would have been 

 wonderful ! but Leo lived in a more polifhed age, and 

 was gifted, not only with patience, but with tafte and 

 genius. 



BENFE', in Geography, a fmall idand of Africa, on the 

 river Sierra Leona, where the Engli(h liad formerly a faftory 

 and a fmall fort, which was taken by the French in 1 704, 

 and razed to the ground. 



BENFIELD, or Benfei.den, a town of France, and 

 principal place of a diftricl, in the department of the Lower 

 Rhine, fcated on tlie 111 ; 4^ leagues fouth of Strafourg. 

 N.Iat, 48° tx'. E. long. 7° 45'. 



, BENFIOL, a mountain of Scotland, in the ifland of 

 Coll. 



BENG, a name gi',-en among the Mahomedans to the 

 leaves of hemp formtd into pills or conferve ; the ufe of 

 ■wliich, as well as opium, the more rigid Muffulmen efttem to 

 be unlawful, though not mentioned in the Koran, becaufe 

 they intoxicate ai.d dillurb the underftandmg, as wine does, 

 and in a more extraordinary manner. Thefe drugs, however, 

 arc row commonly taken in the Eail ; but thofe who are 

 ■ addicted to them are generally regarded as debauchees. 



BENGAL, in Geography, the mod eaftern province of 

 the empire of Hindoilan, lying on each fide of the G.inges, 

 and bounded by Afam, Bootan, and Bahar on the north, by 

 Bahar, Berar, and Oriffk on the weft, by Oriifa and the bay 

 of Bengal on the fouth, and by the mountains that feparate 

 it from Caffay, Aracan, and the Birman dominions on the cad 

 and fouth-eaft. It ext-.nds from about 2 i" 30', to about 26° 

 40' N. lat. ; and from about 86", to about 92° 30' E. long, 

 but its boundaries are not accurately afctrt?.incd. About 

 50 miles beyond TacriaguUy, which is the termination of a 

 ftupendous range of mountains, that accompanies the courfe 

 of the Ganges from the weft, thefc mo'intains begin to form 

 the norLhern boundaiy of Bengal on the we'tern fide of the 

 Ganges ; and from hence another range of mountains ftiikes 

 from the fouth, but in a curve fivtlling wtftward, wliich termi- 

 nates within fight of the fea, about 30 miles from Ballafore. 

 To the nortli thofe mountains divide Benga' from the fouthern 

 divifion of Bahar ; and to the fouth they fcem to be the na- 

 tural reparation of Bengal from OrifTa. Eaftward the pro- 

 vince of Bengal extends as far as Rangamatty, a tov\ n be- 

 longing to the kin^ of Afam, and feated on the river Bur- 

 rampooter. The fea-coafl of Bengal, between the mouth of 

 the river Hoogly and that of the Ganges, extends from eall 

 to weft 180 miles; and the whole is a dreary inhofpitable 

 fhore, which fands and whirlpools render inacceffible to fliips 

 of burden. For fevcral miles within land the country is in- 

 terfecled by numerous channels, through wliich both rivers 

 difembogue themfelves, by many mouths, into the ocean ; 

 and the iflands formed by thefe channels are covered with 

 thickets, and occupied chiefly by beafts of prey. According 

 to Acbar's divifion, Bengal is one of the eleven foiibahs, or 

 provinces, of Hindoftan proper ; and its government ex- 

 tended to Cattack or Cnttack, and along the river Maha- 

 nuddy, as the foubah of OiifTa appears not to have been 

 formed at that time. The Biitifli nation polfefs, in full 

 fovereignty, the whole foubah of Bengal, the great ?ft part of 

 Bahar, and certain diftricls of Oriifa, comprth-iidiDg 149,217 

 fqnare Britidi miles, and, with the aJd'tion of Benares, 

 1 62, coo fquare miles, or 30,000 more than are contained in 

 Great Britain and Ireland; and the number of inhabitauts 



BEN 



has been eftimated at nearly eleven millions. But by fume 

 later computations tiie number has been found to be murh 

 more confiderable. From iiclual furveys in different dillrias, 

 in wliich the land occupied in tillage has been diftingui(ln.d, 

 from that occupied by water or warte, and for which latter 

 an allowance has been made of one-fourth of the whole fur- 

 face, it appears, that the uncultivated land in Bengal amounts 

 to about 31,331,499 acres; and that thefe cultivated acres 

 require 5,265,432 tenants: adding to thefe the artificers and 

 manufa(Jturers, in the proportion of about \ i to 40, we fhall 

 have 6,718,514 heads of famihes, at five perfons each; 

 whence the whole num.ber of inhabitants will be 33,590,770. 

 By other efti mates the population has been computed at more 

 than 30 millions. If to thefe be added about i8 or 20 

 millions for the population of the Britifh pofTcffions in the 

 Myfore and Carnatic, tVie dominions of the Eaft India Cc.t.- 

 pany, will contain a number amounting, probably, to not 

 lefs tlian 50 millions. With a due encouragement of induf- 

 try, the prefent population is thought fufficient to bring into 

 tillage the whole of the wafte lands of Bengal and Bahar. 

 The country of Bengal, independent of Bahar and Oriffa, 

 is fomewhat larger than Great Britain. Tlie revenue of 

 Bengal is rated in the Ay in Acharee, towards the clofe of 

 the l6tli century, at 149* lacks of rupees ; under Aurung- 

 zcbe it is ftatcd by Mr. Frafer, in his " Life of Nidir 

 Shah," at 131 lacks; in Sujah Cawn's nabobflvp, A.D. 

 1727, it amounted to 1425 lacks; in 1778 to 197 lacks, 

 net revenue. The total revenue of Bengal, Baliar, Oriffa, 

 and Benares, belonging to Great Britain, together with 

 the fubfidy from the nabob of Oude, is computed bv Mr. 

 Rcnnell at 4,210,000!. fterling ; the expence of collection, 

 military and civil charges, &c. amounts to 2,540,001.; 

 whence he infers that the clear revenue is 1,670,0001. Tiie 

 natural fituation of Bengal is fingularly happy with refpeil 

 to fecurity from the attacks of foreign enemies. On the 

 north and eaft it has no warlike neighbours ; but it is 

 guarded by a formidable barrier of mountains, rivers, or ex- 

 tenlive waftes, towards thofe quarters, if fuch an enemy fhould 

 ftart up. On the fouth is a fea-coaft guarded by fhallows 

 and impenetrable woods, and with only one port, and even 

 that of difficult accefs, in an extent of 300 miles. It is only 

 on the weft that any enemy is to be apprehended ; and even 

 there the natural barrier is ilrong ; and with its population 

 and refources, aided by the ufual proportion of Ericiili 

 troops, in addition to the Sepoy cllablilliment, Bengal might 

 bid defiance to all that part of Hindoftan, which might be 

 d.ipoied to become its enemy. 



The Englifh eftabliihed a commercial intercourfe with this 

 country at an early period ; and the Engllfli Eaft India com- 

 pany (reeCoMP.VNv) made afcttkraenton the river Ganges, 

 in tlie kingdom of Bengal, probably in the formerpart of the 

 17th century. Their hrll factory in that kingdom \rns at 

 the town of Hoogly, on arivtr of the fame r?.m.e, about 26 

 miles above Calcutta. About the year 16S9, the company, 

 for their greater convenience, removed to Calcutta, on the 

 fame river, where they built the fort, named Fort WiUiam, 

 which they ftill poffefs. Their fort and garrifon were de- 

 figned for the proteflion of their vefiels that came down from 

 Eatna, laden with piece-goods, raw fiik, and faltpetre, which 

 were the principal ft:iple commodities of Bengal; otlierwife 

 the rajas, whofe dominions lay on that river, and who were 

 either tributaries to, or powerful governors under, the Mo- 

 gul, were apt to niake, and fometimes did adually make, ar- 

 bitrary demands cf duties for pafiing that way. However, 

 it was in the reign 01 Feiokfere, grtat-grandfon of Aiirung. 

 zcbe, who was depoied in 1717, that the Englifh Eail India 

 company obiauicd the famous " lii man," or grant, by whieh 



their 



