20 Remarks on the Sequel to the [Jan, 



ance with the spirit of the ancient Hindoo laws, which gave to the king 

 a direct interference in the commercial affairs of the state. " In com- 

 mercial affairs the king," says Heeren, " was permitted to exercise an 

 extraordinary degree of influence. He might absolutely forbid the expor- 

 tation of merchandize, or reserve the whole monopoly to himself. He 

 issued ordinances relative to the buying and selling of goods ; he regulat- 

 ed the price of the market, and received as his customary dues five per 

 cent, on the profits of sale."* The mart of Vicramapura stood in a part 

 of Bengal, which, from its numerous navigable rivers, possesses great 

 facilities for inland trade. Situated at the confluence of the large rivers, 

 which proceed from Sylhet, Assam, and Rungpore, and having a direct 

 communication with the Bay of Bengal, this place was no doubt the 

 centre of an extensive trade, which yielded, in the shape of customs and 

 imposts on its merchandize, a considerable portion of the royal revenues 

 of the Rajahs ofBanga. Sir W. Jones alludes to a town situated on an 

 island at the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, which derived 

 its name from Lacshmi, the goddess of wealth, f and which may, there- 

 fore, be considered as identical with the Lakhi bazar of Vicramapura. 

 There are no traces of this mart now to be seen, but from the names of 

 several places in the vicinity of Rampal, as Sanchacara-bazar, or shell- 

 cutters' bazar, Pan-hatta, or betel-leaf market, Recabee-bazar, &c. it is 

 probable that this spot was the site of a city in former times. From 

 the appearance which the country presents, it is further probable that 

 this city was not built in a compact form, but consisted, like all Hindoo 

 towns in the lower part of Bengal in ancient times, of detached groupes 

 of houses erected on elevated portions of ground interspersed with gar- 

 dens, fields, and creeks, — constituting paras, or separate municipal divi- 

 sions assigned to people of different castes and trades. J Wilford refers 

 to this locality a town, which, he says, was called Antibole by Ptolemy, 



* Heeren's Asiatic Nations, Vol. III. C. II. p. 349. 



f Sir W. Jones's Works, Vol. VII, p. 383. 



% In the lower part of Bengal there appear to have been comparatively few brick 

 buildings in ancient times. The expense of erecting durable structures of this kind 

 must have been considerable, as the only lime that was procurable here was made 

 from shells gathered on the drying up of the marshes in the cold season. All the 

 very old mosques in Sonargong and Vikramapura were built with shell-lime, which 

 from its great purity and whiteness, is said to have been made from cowries. — The 

 houses were constructed of bamboos and straw, and in making buildings of this 



