DACCA, the capital of the above district, a large city, and for eighty years the capital of Bengal, of which it is still the third city in point of extent and population. It is situated beyond the principal stream of the Ganges, on the northern bank of a very large branch of that river, called the Boor Gunga, or Old Ganges, at the distance of a hundred miles from the mouth of the Ganges. Its position is admirably well adapted for inland trade, as the river which flows past it communicates with all the other inland navigations by a direct course. The present town covers a great deal of ground, extending four miles along the bank of the river, though it is not of proportional breadth. The houses of the wealthy are built of brick, but there are many thatched houses, with very narrow and crooked streets; the bazaars are only tiled or thatched; and as every vacant spot is covered with trees, the town looks from a distance like a grove. The ancient citadel was situated on the western side of the town; but it is now in ruins, great part of the wall having been washed away by the river. An extensive and magnificent palace, built by Azim Ushaun, Aurungzeb's grandson, who resided here towards the end of the seventeenth century, is also in ruins.
Owing to the irresistible effects of British competition, the manufactures of Dacca are at this time scarcely deserving of notice; but here were formerly manufactured the most beautiful muslins, which were exported to all quarters of the world, and which had long been famed for their delicacy and beauty. The spinning of the thread was carried on with wonderful nicety. The operation was performed with the fingers on a fine steel spindle by young women, who could only work during the early part of the morning while the dew was on the ground; for such was the extreme tenuity of the fibre that it would not bear manipulation after the sun had risen. Such was the skill of the darners that they could remove an entire thread from a piece of muslin, and replace it by one of a finer texture. From their wonderful fineness these muslins were called Abrawan, or "flowing water," and Shabnam, "evening dew." The same violent heats do not prevail here as in Benares, Patna, and other places in Bahar. This is owing to the low lying situation of the surrounding country, which is always covered with verdure, even during the dry months.
Dacie. The unhealthy season is in autumn, from the 20th of August to the 10th of October, when the rivers and inundation are subsiding. During the remainder of the year the city and its vicinity are salubrious and pleasant, though the climate is more relaxing than that of the northern provinces.
Dacca is comparatively a modern city, its name not being mentioned in the Ayen Aeberry, nor by Ferishta. The houses being formed of combustible materials, it suffers frequently by conflagrations. Dacca still continues very populous. The number of its inhabitants has been estimated at 66,989, of which number 31,429 were Brahminists, 35,238 Mussulmans, and 322 Armenians and others; the whole residing in 16,279 houses. Distance from Calcutta, N.E. 150 miles. Lat. 23. 43.; Long. 90. 25. (E. T.)