one of the largest and most splendid cities of Asia, the modern capital of Hindustan, and the seat of the supreme government of the British in India. It is situated on the left bank of the river Hooghly, which forms the western channel of the Ganges, and is distant by the river's course about one hundred miles from the sea. The country from the mouth of the Hooghly to Diamond Harbour is dreary in the extreme; the banks of the river are high, and the adjacent land on each side, which is perfectly flat, forms a complete wilderness of timber and brushwood, the haunt of tigers and other beasts of prey. Advancing up the river the scene gradually improves, the country becomes more and more cultivated, the shipping and the bustle on the river increase, and the beautiful country seats on its banks announce proximity to the capital. The city, with its numerous spires and other public edifices, presents at a distance a striking appearance, and on landing the magnificence of the buildings commands the admiration of all strangers. The town extends along the left or eastern bank of the river for the distance of four miles and a half, having an average breadth of about a mile and a half, and covering an area of eight square miles. Near the landing place, called "Old Fort Ghat," is a large square, each side measuring above two hundred and fifty yards. The middle is occupied by a fine tank or open reservoir of water for the supply of the town. This square forms the centre of what is properly termed the town or business quarter of Calcutta, in contradistinction to the fashionable or court end, Chowringhee, containing the residences of Europeans, and of natives of distinction. To the north along the bank of the river, lies the Black Town, which is occupied entirely by natives.

About a quarter of a mile to the south of the commercial quarter, and opposite to Chowringhee stand Fort-William and the barracks, which form on this side a great ornament to the city. The intermediate space, which is an extensive open plain, is termed the esplanade. The citadel of Fort-William, which was begun by Lord Clive in 1757 after the battle of Plassey, is the strongest and most regular fortress in India, but the works are so extensive that they would require at least 9000 or 10,000 men, with 600 pieces of cannon, to defend them. On the west of the esplanade stands the Government-house (erected by the Marquis Wellesley), which is the largest and most splendid building in Calcutta. It is the residence of the governor-general, where he holds levees, and transacts all the government business; it also contains magnificent apartments for public entertainments. The custom-house faces the river, and forms part of the west side of the great square. It is built upon the site of the Old Fort which was taken in 1757 by Surajah Dowlah. Near to it is the famous Black Hole, which is now converted into a warehouse; and before the gate stands the monument which has been erected as a memorial of the unfortunate persons who perished there. It is surrounded by an iron railing, but since it was struck by lightning, it has been allowed to go to decay. In front of the custom-house is the quay, which is of essential service to the numerous ships which there load and unload. The other public buildings are, the town-hall situate on the esplanade, built in the Doric style of architecture, and containing public rooms which, though handsome, are too confined for the climate, and for the number of the inhabitants; the supreme court of justice; the Mohammedan and Hindu Colleges; La Martinière (an educational institution supported by funds bequeathed by General Claude Martin, originally a common soldier in the French army, but subsequently a major-general in the East India Company's service); the Ochterlony monument raised in honour of Sir David Ochterlony, and designed in the Saracenic style of architecture as indicative of the high estimation in which the general held the followers of Islam; Metcalfe Hall, erected by subscription as a public testimonial to the character of Lord Metcalfe. At the S.W. angle of the fort is a ghat formed to perpetuate the memory of James Prinsep, one of the most eminent men of his age; and a little beyond is the monument raised to commemorate the victories of Mahanapore and Punnar, and constructed from the cannon captured on those fields. St Paul's cathedral is a fabric recently erected through the exertions and munificence of Bishop Wilson, aided by a pecuniary grant from the East India Company. Of places of worship 167 are devoted to the Hindu religion, and 74 to that of the Mohammedans. The Chinese have a temple, and the Jews a synagogue. There are three Baptist chapels, and two belonging to Independents not Baptists. There is one Greek and one Armenian church, and five Roman Catholic chapels. Of those connected with the national churches of Great Britain, the Church of England has eight, the Established Church of Scotland one, and the Free Church of that country one.

About three miles below Calcutta, on the opposite side of the river, and in a beautiful situation, stands the botanic garden, giving to a bend of the river the name of Garden Beach. It contains a splendid collection of plants from every quarter of the globe, and is laid out with great taste, but more with a view to practical utility than scientific arrangement. Horse-racing having been discouraged by government, the course, which was to the south of the town, is now converted into a ride; but the practice still continues at Barrackpoor, sixteen miles higher up the river, where the fashionable society of Calcutta assemble to partake of the amusement. The south side of the Tank Square is occupied by Writers' buildings, which make but an indifferent appearance. They form the residence of the civil servants of the Company who have newly arrived from Europe, and who are students at the college of Fort-William. The private houses in Calcutta, in the central part of the town, are built mostly after the European fashion, but modified to the nature of the climate, and to the magnificence of eastern manners. At Chowringhee, in a line with Government-house, is a range of elegant buildings ornamented with large verandahs, and another at right angles with it, formerly occupied by native huts. These houses are built of brick covered with a species of stucco called chunam. They are all separated from each other, every one having attached to it a considerable piece of enclosed ground, in the middle of which it is situated. The approach is by a flight of steps under a large portico. The architecture is Grecian, and the profusion of columns, porches, and verandahs, gives to these buildings the air more of palaces than of private houses. To this part of Calcutta, the Black Town, which extends along the river to the north of Calcutta, forms a striking contrast. It is built after the model of Indian towns, is very large, and swarms with inhabitants. The streets are exceedingly narrow and crooked. Of late years, however, this quarter of the town has been greatly improved both in appearance and in salubrity; the streets have been widened and properly drained, and ponds have been filled; a large surface of stagnant water has been thereby removed, the exhalations from which were prejudicial to health; and the houses have been rendered less combustible by the substitution of tiles for thatch.

Calcutta is the great emporium of India. By means of the Ganges and its tributary streams it has an uninterrupted water communication with the whole of the lower provinces of Bengal, and also with the fertile territory subject to the jurisdiction of the lieutenant-governor of Agra. Being thus advantageously situated for commerce, it trades extensively with almost every country in the world, and numbers of vessels of every form and description are constantly arriving in or departing from the river, which in the vicinity of the town presents the busiest scene imaginable. Numerous dockyards have also been established, in which are built vessels of great burden and of admirable construction. Indigo, sugar, cotton, rice, opium, silk, and saltpetre, are the staple commodities of export. Those of import are British cotton goods, salt, copper, iron, and hardware.

The commerce of Calcutta has for a long period of years enjoyed the advantage of a bank, called the Bank of Bengal, established by government authority, and carried on under government inspection. Various acts have at different periods been passed by the government of India for its regulation; the last bears date the 18th March 1839, and took effect from the 1st May following. By this all previous charters and acts, except so far as continued by the new act, were cancelled and repealed; the capital stock previously fixed at 75 lacs of rupees was increased by one half; the nature of the transactions in which the bank might engage was prescribed, and the conditions and limitations under which its business was to be conducted were laid down. The stock is divided into shares of 4000 rupees, or quarter shares of 1000 rupees each; and a portion is and always has been held by government.

The educational institutions in Calcutta are numerous. Of these the principal are the Madrissa or Mohammedan College, founded by the British government in 1781, with the view of gratifying national predilections, and thus to gain over the learned and influential classes, and further to secure a regular supply of Mohammedan officers for the courts of law; the Sanscrit College, for which a handsome building has been erected, founded in 1821 for similar objects with respect to the other great division of the population, the Hindus; the Hindu College, established originally by native subscription, chiefly for the instruction of Hindu youths in the English language and the literature and science of Europe; Bishop's College, founded for the purpose of instructing native youths and others in the doctrines and discipline of Christianity, in order to their becoming preachers, catechists, and schoolmasters, under the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In 1823 a committee of public instruction was formed, who were authorized to exercise superintendence over all government seminaries, and to give an impulse as well as a judicious direction to efforts made for diffusing instruction among the native population. Subsequently the committee merged into a council of education, which still exists, but acts materially under the direction of the government. Under the patronage of a society of European ladies, native schools for girls, with female teachers, were established in 1821; and there is a female normal school, superintended by a committee, of which Mrs Mackenzie, well known in the literary world, is honorary secretary. Mr Bethune, for some time legislative member of the council of India, also established a female school, which subsequently was transferred to government. There are two schools for the education and maintenance of the children of Europeans in the military service of the Company, one for the children of officers, and the other for those of the privates. The charitable institutions are numerous: among these may be noticed St James' Schools, instituted by Bishop Middleton; the European Female Orphan Asylum; the Benevolent Institution, designed for the instruction of indigent Christian children; the Free School; the Church Missionary Alms-Houses; the Lepor Asylum; and the General Assembly's Institution. There are several literary and scientific societies. The Asiatic Society, inaugurated under the patronage of Sir William Jones, still continues its sittings and the publication of its transactions, containing much interesting and curious matter relating to the history, literature, languages, and antiquities of Asia.

A census of the population taken in May 1850, by order of the chief magistrate, gives the following results:

| Class | Number | |------------------|--------| | Europeans | 6,233 | | Eurasians (the progeny of European fathers and native mothers) | 4,615 | | Armenians | 892 | | Chinese | 847 | | Asiatics | 15,342 | | Hindus | 274,335| | Mohammedans | 110,918|

413,182

The occupations of these various classes are nearly what might be expected in the luxurious capital of a great empire, and in so great an emporium of maritime commerce. Public officers, lawyers, physicians, merchants, and their families, make up the bulk of the British inhabitants. The natives and foreigners of respectableability are mostly engaged in trade, or live upon their property; and the lower classes are principally composed of retail dealers, mechanics, and servants.

The British merchants form a most respectable class, and contribute essentially to the prosperity of the settlement. Many of them are possessed of large fortunes, and live in a style of suitable splendour. The Armenians are the most numerous body of foreign merchants in Calcutta. They trade extensively to all parts of the East, are uncommonly diligent and attentive to business, and are considered to have a more minute intelligence from foreign ports than any other body of merchants. The native bankers, agents, and money-dealers, are numerous. Though formerly timorous, the Hindu now adventures in almost every species of mercantile speculations; and goods belonging to native merchants, to the amount of several millions sterling, are generally lying for sale in the warehouses of Calcutta. The native merchants of an inferior class engross nearly the whole of the retail trade of Calcutta, under the titles of Banians, Sircars, and other appellations. In the transactions of usury these men are watchful and acute beyond even those engaged in similar pursuits in the west.

The English society in Calcutta is of the best description, and numerous fêtes are given during the cold season, which lasts from September to April, on a splendid scale, by the governor-general and other public functionaries, as well as Calcutta, by private individuals. There is a theatre, chiefly supported by amateur performers; and public concerts are given, also supported by amateur talent. The usual mode of visiting is in palanquins, but many of the British have carriages adapted to the climate; and the breed of horses having been greatly improved, it is the universal practice to drive out between sunset and dinner. It is only during the cold season that it is possible to venture abroad in the heat of the day, which, in the rest of the year, is devoted to repose. The hot season begins in April. Every day the heat increases until the middle of June, when the periodical rains begin, which last till August. The weather then being extremely close, is more oppressive and more unhealthy than before. The mean temperature is about 66° in January, 69° in February, 80° in March, 85° in April and May, 83° in June, 81° in July, 82° in August and September, 79° in October, 74° in November, and 66° in December. The annual fall of rain during six years, commencing with 1830, averaged sixty-four inches.

Calcutta is about to be lighted with gas, a company having been formed for the purpose. Further improvements may be anticipated. The present mode of communication between Howra, on the opposite bank of the river, and the metropolis, is by ferry; but Howra has been selected as the locality for the terminus of the East India railway; and upon the opening of the first section, which is now complete, greater facilities will be required, as well as of access from Howra as of egress from the city in the same direction. Various contrivances have been suggested, but it is obvious that any expedient will be inadequate until the Hooghly shall have been spanned by a substantial bridge in the immediate vicinity of the terminus.

It was in the last year of the seventeenth century that the East India Company obtained from Aurungzebe, emperor of Delhi, the grant of several villages scattered over the site now occupied by the city of Calcutta. To this locality the Company's factory was removed from the town of Hooghly; and the necessary works of defence being raised, the new settlement, named after the reigning king of England, received the name of Fort-William. One of the villages, transferred to the British, was called Calcutta, and hence the appellation by which the metropolis of India has been since known. Such at no distant period was the lonely origin of the seat of government, whence a foreign nation now gives law to the whole of India.

In 1752 a ditch was dug round a considerable part of the town, as a barrier against the incursions of the Mahrattas. The trade of Bengal alone supplied rich cargoes for many ships annually, besides what was carried on in small vessels to the adjacent countries. It was this flourishing state of Calcutta which probably induced the nabob Surajah Dowlah to attack it in the year 1756. Having had the fort of Cossimbazar delivered up to him, he marched against Calcutta with all his forces, and invested the place. Disgusted, and the cowardice of some whose efforts ought to have been exerted in defence of the settlement, facilitated the triumph of the nabob. It being resolved to remove the females to a ship lying in the river, two civil servants of the Company, named Manningham and Frankland, volunteered to superintend their departure, and having thus effected their escape refused to return. The governor, Mr Drake, followed their example; and in the conduct of affairs, Mr Holwell then assumed the first place by unanimous consent, Mr Peake an elder member of the council foregoing his claim. Ultimate success was hopeless, and the defences were constructed only to afford opportunity for an escape to a ship in the river. But this hope failed—the ship, through the unskillfulness of the pilot, having run on the ground. Signals were then made, and constantly repeated, to the vessel in which the previous fugitives had found safety, but without effect. The result was not only the fall of the place, but the capture of its unfortunate inmates. A hundred and forty-six of these were forthwith consigned for the night to a horrible dungeon, only about eighteen feet square, from which only twenty-three came out alive in the morning. The injuries which Calcutta suffered at this time, however, were soon repaired. The place was retaken by Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive early in 1757; Surajah Dowlah was defeated, deposed, and put to death; and Meer Jaffer succeeded him in the nabobship. Since that time the immense acquisition of territory by the British in this part of the world, and the constant state of security enjoyed by this city, have raised it to its present prosperity and splendour.

Fort-William stands in Long. 88° 25'. E., Lat. 22° 33'. N. (E. T.)