a seaport-town of Hindustan, in the British district of Malabar, presidency of Madras. It was formerly an extensive and magnificent city, but now exhibits few vestiges of its original splendour. It was at this city that Vasco de Gama arrived in May 1498, ten months and two days after he had departed from Lisbon, being the first place in India visited by any European navigator. It then contained several stately buildings; and among them a Brahminical temple, not inferior to the largest monastery in Portugal. The town stands on the sea-shore in a low and sheltered situation, and its streets are narrow and dirty. It is however populous, and though there is neither river nor haven, and ships are compelled to anchor in the open sea, it is nevertheless the seat of considerable trade. The port is frequented by vessels from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, which return with freights of rice, cocoa-nuts, pepper, ginger, and sandal-wood. In 1510, the Portuguese, commanded by Albuquerque, attacked Calicut with 3000 troops, burned the town and plundered the palace, but were finally repulsed and fled to their ships after sustaining heavy loss. Shortly after they concluded a peace with the zamorin, who permitted them to erect a fortified factory here. This town was taken in 1773 by Hyder Ali, who expelled all the merchants and factors, destroyed the cocoa-nut trees, sandal-wood, and pepper vines, that the country, reduced to ruin, might present no temptation to the cupidity of Europeans. In 1782, the troops of Hyder were driven out from Calicut by the British; but in 1782 it was taken and destroyed by his son Tippoo, who carried off the inhabitants to Beypore, and treated them with detestable cruelty. In the latter part of 1790 the country was occupied by the British; and under the treaty concluded in 1792, whereby Tippoo was deprived of half his dominions, Calicut fell to the British, and was formally incorporated with their dominions. After this event the inhabitants returned and rebuilt the town, which in the year 1800 consisted of 5000 houses. Distant from Bombay S.E. 566 miles; Mangalore, S.E. 130; Madras, S.W. 335. N. Lat. 11° 15', E. Long. 75° 50'.

CÁLIDASA, an Indian poet, whose drama, Sacuntalá, was first made known to Europe by Sir William Jones' translation, published at Calcutta in 1789. The discovery of a Sanscrit copy of this poet's works in the Royal Library at Paris, published in 1832, showed that the drama translated by Jones was from the interpolated and corrupted text, which has long been circulated in Bengal. Several other poems by Cálidasa have since been published; all of which show an elevation of sentiment, and purity of feeling, rarely seen in Asiatic poetry; while his fervid descriptions and vivid imagery have procured for him the highest admiration in California, the East.