[105] road is formed in its stead, with nor the light airy elegance of the trees planted on each side, which Mussulmaun buildings at Luckwill ultimately add much to the now. beauty of the town. known who gave the fatal wound of Hyder were plain in the exIt is still un- Tippoo were handsome, but those The public apartments of to the Sultaun : the invaluable treme. string of pearls which he wore The zenanas of both were round his neck was the prize of the soldier, but it has never been produced or traced. He had been inany years collecting this; always taking off an inferior pearl, when he could purchase one of more value. extremely bad. each of a quadrangular building, two stories high, with verandahs They consisted all round, opening into the centre. Some of the rooms were large, but unornamented, and the pillars were of wood. I had seen several genWe walked along the rampart mediately after they were quitted tlemen who had entered them imfor a little distance to the south- by the females, and they assured ward, where the fortifications are me that they were in as dirty a state as strong, as they are weak on the as I now found them. The lamps banks of the Cauveri. Were it had been placed in niches in the of importance to render Seringapa- walls, and the oil from each had tam a place of strength, the works been permitted to run down to the proposed by the French ought floor, forming a black stripe the to be carried into effect; but the whole way; and the wooden pillars time is arrived when the British in the largest rooms, and in the can, in India, never have to de- verandahs, had lost their colour by fend themselves against a regular grease and dirt. besieging army. advisable that, as a military depot, tales have given us of these seIt is certainly from the description which Eastern How different Seringapatam should be enough to resist any sudden attack spect they seem to have been more strong cluded apartments! In another refrom the native powers, which it faithfully described; for it was now is, without alteration. numerous and large buildings which had The evident, the females here confined it contains, have given it the preference as a magazine over Bangalore, where the expence would have been very considerable in erecting them. I doubt, however, whether this would not have been repaid by the additional salubrity of Bangalore: Seringapatam is far more healthy; and without the town, particularly toward the lower part of the island at the Lolbaug, fevers are frequent. Seringapatam is much inferior to any capital which I have visited in India: the palaces of the Sultaun have neither the imposing massive dignity of the Hindoo architecture, en view, at least, the forbidden males. been removed from Seringapatam, these these buildings are appropriated to public purposes. Hyder's palace is the residence of the surgeon; his zenana an European hospital. Tippoo's zenana is a barrack for the artillery; his private apartmments are occupied by the resident, and his public by the European troops. These buildings have externally a heavy appearance, from the want of windows; but the view from them has been much improved by the English, who have opened a space to a temple of Shri Runga, which has a handsome effect, from having a choultry in front, and a lofty tower of the Tanjore style of architecture. On the left is the ancient palace of the Mysore Rajahs, and on the right are the ramparts, with their avenues of young trees. I next visited Tippoo's arcenal, which was formerly a choultry and pagoda annexed to the Rajah's palace. The architecture of the whole is massive, and much more ancient than the other buildings. The pillars are square, and covered with sculpture; but the spaces between have been filled up to adapt it for its present purposes, which renders it difficult to examine the work. Here are vast quantities of matchlocks, spears, cresses, nairknives, and chain-armour belonging to Tippoo, but which are useless to the British, and only valuable as old iron. These could be sold to the natives; but in the rebellious state of Malabar, they would probably soon be used against the sellers, and are therefore prudently retained. The most singular articles are several pieces of artillery cast by Tippoo, and ornamented with the figure of a tiger devouring the head of an European, an emblem of the fero city of the tyrant, and his implacability towards his Christian enemies. There is now here a considerable magazine of European muskets and field-pieces. The palace which adjoined was in ruins, and has been totally removed to make way for a manufac ture of gun-carriages, which was established in 1802, under the direction of Captain Scott. Formerly these were purchased at Madras by contract: the Rangoon teak was used, which is of an inferior quality, and the workmanship was in general so bad, that a few months' service rendered them useless.— Captain Scott has instructed the natives in the working of the wood, iron, and brass, that is required. Every thing is done in one building; and although so short a period has elapsed since the commencement of the establishment, the manufacture is already advanced to a great degree of perfection. From the firmness of the teak wood, which is procured in the forests about forty miles from Seringapatam, they are enabled to give a lightness and elegance to the workmanship,without injuring its strength. The expence is still doubtful; but Captain Scott informed me, that he did not think it would exceed the former plan of purchasing by contract. If the first cost should even be greater, I think it will be advisable to continue the manufacture, as the additional price would be fully compensated by the greater durability of the materials. I was astonished that the natives could have been taught a new manufacture in so short a period. The highest credit is cer tainly due to Captain Scott for his exertions. DESCRIPTION 慈者 DESCRIPTION OF CALCUTTA. [From the same.] THE HE town of Calcutta is at present well worthy of being the seat of our Eastern government, both from its size, and from the magnificent buildings which decorate the part of it inhabited by Europeans. The citadel of Fort William, com menced by Lord Clive immediately after the battle of Plassey, is a very fine work, but greatly too large for defence. The esplanade leaves a grand opening, on the edge of which is placed the new government house, erected by Lord Wellesley, a noble structure, although not without faults in the architecture; and, upon the whole, not unworthy of its destination. The sums expended upon it have been considered as extravagant by those who carry European ideas and European economy into Asia; but they ought to remember that India is a country of splendour, of extravagance, and of outward appearances: that the head of a mighty empire ought to conform himself to the prejudices of the country he rules over; and that the British, in particular, ought to emulate the splendid works of the princes of the house of Timour, lest it should be supposed that we merit the reproach which our great rivals, the French, have ever cast upon us, of being alone influenced by a sordid, mercantile spirit. In short, I wish India to be ruled from a palace, not from a counting-house; with the ideas of a prince, not with those of a retail dealer in muslins and indigo. On a line with this edifice is a range of excellent houses, chunamed and ornamented with ve randalis. Chouringee, an entire village of palaces, runs for a considerable length at right angles with it, and, altogether, forms the finest view I ever beheld in any city. The Black Town is as complete a contrast to this as can well be conceived: its streets are narrow and dirty; the houses of two stories, occasionally brick, but generally mud, and thatched, perfectly resembling the cabins of the poorest class in Ireland. Twenty years ago, during a famine, the population of Calcutta was estimated at 500,000. I have little doubt that it now amounts to 700,000. The most remarkable sight of the kind I ever beheld, was the throng that fills these streets in an evening. I drove for three miles through them without finding a single opening, except what was made by the servants preceding the carriage. The Strand in London exhibits nothing equal to it, for the middle is here as much crowded as the sides. In the year 1742, the Mahratta ditch was commenced, to protect the inhabitants from the incursions of that power, then ravaging the whole of Bengal, and besieging Aliverdi Khan in his capital of Moorshadabad. It was intended to surround the whole of our territories, a circumference at that time of not more than seven miles; yet now it scarcely forms the boundary of this capital of our Eastern possessions. The first fort was erected here in 1696. Our factories were then at Hoogly, but were moved two years afterwards. This little furt, which fell through the cowardice of its governor, and the the want of military knowledge in the remaining officers, into the hands of Seraja - ud - Dowlah, in 1757, is now used as a customhouse; and that spot, which could then hold our trade, our military stores, and a great part of the inhabitants, is now too small for the convenience of our revenue officers. The black hole is now part of a go-down, or warehouse: it was filled with goods, and I could not see it. A monument is erected facing the gate, to the memory of the unfortunate persons who there perished. It also records the infamy of those, who, by removing their ships from the vicinity of the fort, left so many brave men at the mercy of a madman. The air of Calcutta is much affected by the closeness of the jungle around it. The natives have formed a complete belt, which commences near the town, and extends in every direction full four miles deep. This is planted with fruit-trees, and is completely impervious to the air. The country is a perfect flat, every where intersected by nullahs, and here and there a small lake, rendering the plantation more insalubrious. Lord Wellesley has made one or two wide roads through the middle, which, I am informed, has sensibly improved the atmosphere. More ought to be made, and, if possible, the marshes should be drained; this would improve the roads, which, in general, are very bad, impeding the conveyance of provisions to market. The place is certainly less unhealthy than formerly, which advantage is attributed to the filling up of the tanks in the streets, and the clearing more and more of the jungle; but, in my opinion, it is much more owing to an improved knowledge of the diseases of the country, and of the precautions to be taken against them; and likewise to greater temperance in the use of spirituous liquors, and a superior construction of the houses. Consumptions are very frequent among the ladies, which I attribute, in great measure, to their incessant dancing, even during the hottest weather. After such violent exercise they go into the verandahs, and expose themselves to a cool brecze and damp atmosphere. A quay has lately been formed in front of the custom-house, and promises to be a great improvement. Many objections have been made to its erection, probably by interested persons. It is asserted that vessels cannot lie close to it with safety, as a north-wester, or gale from any quarter, may drive them against it; but it is obvious that the same force would drive them on shore, were the quay out of the way. The expence of unshipping the ladings was enormous, and will be completely obviated if the plan of embankment is carried the whole length of the town. This is now in agitation, and I hope will be resolved upon. It has been said that sand will accumulate against it, which seems to me an extraordinary idea, since I conceive the current will not fail to keep it clear, and that the only danger is of its being undermined. An extension of the custom-house itself, and of its establishment, will soon be necessary; at present the delay is considerable, from the vast increase of traffic. Since I left Calcutta in March, the iron rails round the governmenthouse have been finished. The space now to be cleared will cer tainly have a noble effect; and the writers' buildings being newly repaired, form a good object from the the end of the street that leads from the northern front. These buildings would have been bought by government for the purpose their name imports, but too much money was asked for them. The society of Calcutta is numerous and gay; the fetes given by the governor-general are frequent, splendid, and well arranged. The chief justice, the members of council, and Sir Henry Russel, each open their houses once a week for the reception of those who have had the pleasure of being presented to them. Independently of these, hardly a day passes, particularly during the cool season, without several large dinner parties being formed, consisting generally of thirty or forty: the convivial hospitality which prevails on these occasions, would render them extremely pleasant, were they more limited; but a small and quiet party seems unknown in Calcutta. A subscription assembly also exists, but seems unfashionable. It is, however, the only place of public amusement, and I see no hopes of any other being established; for the fashionable world of Calcutta is unfortunately so divided into parties, that it is improbable any plan of public amusement could be brought forward, which would not meet with opposition. It is usual in Calcutta to rise early, in order to enjoy the cool air of the morning, which is particularly pleasant before sun-rise. At twelve they take a hot meal, which they call tiffing, and then generally go to bed for two or three hours. The dinner hour is commonly between seven and eight, which is certainly too late in this hot climate, as it prevents an evening ride at the proper time, and keeps them up till midnight, or later. The vi auds are excellent, and served in great profusion, to the no small satisfaction of the birds and beasts of prey, to whose share a considerable proportion of the remains falls; for the lower order of the Portuguese, to whom alone they would be serviceable, cannot consume the whole; and the religious prejudices of the native servants prevent them from touching any thing that is not drest by their own cast. To this circumstance is to be attributed the amazing flocks of crows and kites, which, undisturbed by man, live together in amicable society, and almost cover the houses and gardens. In their profession of scavengers, the kites and crows are assisted during the day by the adjutant-bird, and at night by foxes, jackals, and byenas, from the neighbouring jungles. The wines chiefly drank are Madeira and claret; the former, which is excellent, during the meal; the latter afterwards. The claret being medicated for the voyage, is too strong, and has little flavour. The usual mode of travelling is by palanquins; but most gentlemen have carriages adapted to the climate, and horses, of which the breed is much improved of late years. It is universally the custom to drive out between sun-set and dinner. The mussalchees, when it grows dark, go out to meet their masters on their return, and run before them at the rate of full eight miles an hour, and the numerous lights moving along the esplanade, produce a singular and pleasing ef fect. It was formerly the fashion for gentlemen to dress in white jackets on all occasions, which were well suited to the country; but being thought too much an undress for public occasions, they are now laid aside for English cloth. The architecture of all the houses is Grecian, |