121 
1893.] 
C. R. Wilson — Topography of old Fort William. 
The East Gate and 
the east side of the 
fort. 
It now remains for me to speak of the east side of the fort. The 
central line of the east gate is 427 ft. from 
the comer of the north-east bastion, the posi- 
tion of which was fixed by Mr. Bayne in 1883. 
the gate measures internally 20 ft. from north 
to south and 36 ft. from east to west. The east face measures exter- 
nally 26 ft. 6 in. Its salient angles B B’ O', B' O' 0 are angles of 120 
degrees. The walls are 4 ft. thick. The south wall of the gate O' O x 0 2 
was pierced by a drain which was met at an angle by a second drain 
running north-east. 
On each side of the east gate there ran a double row of arches 
A X B X , A 2 B z , and CfD^ 0 2 D 2 , parallel to the east curtain wall AB, OB. 
The space between the curtain wall and the line of arches next to it 
(i. e. between AB and A l B l and between GD and was divided up 
by cross walls into chambers. The second row of arches A^B^, C Z D Z 
supported the verandah or piazza which extended on each side of the 
gate before the ranges of chambers. 
As regards the rooms to the north of the gate between the east 
curtain and the line of arches A^^ there is 
little to say. Wells’s plan shows that the first 
cross wall occurred after the fifth arch. The 
arches thus cut oh were left open to the verandah and formed the 
north court of guard. But the whole interest of these investigations 
centres in the topography of the range of rooms on the other side of 
the gate where were situated the court of guard, the barracks, and the 
Black Hole spoken of by Orme and Iiolwell. There is no doubt about 
the position of the curtain wall (CD) and the parallel lines of arches 
within it ( 0 [B., C z Df). They have been traced out from the east 
gate right up to the north face of the General Post Office. The curtain 
wall GD is 3 ft. 9 in. thick. The foundation wall which carried the 
first line of arches G i B l is 2 ft. 9 in. thick, that which carries the 
The rooms north 
and south of the gate. 
second line of arches 
wall and the wall O^D^ 
CtjBg is 2 ft. 3 in. thick. Between the curtain 
a distance of 14 ft. 1 0 in. and between the 
curtain and C 3 D 2 a distance of 31 ft. 3 in. from inside to inside. The 
wall Cy) 2 meets the wall X> 3 ® 3 at a distance of 162 ft. from the centre 
of the east gate. So far the topography of this part of the fort is per- 
fectly clear. 
There is, however, considerable difficulty in determining the posi- 
tions of the cross walls which sub-divided the 
The cross walls g e k e t wee n CD and G l D l into rooms. Here, 
south of the gate. ^ j noticed beforG) Wells’s plan is quite inac- 
curate. It shortens the distance between the east gate and the south-east 
J. i. 16 
