E.—THE TOPOGRAPHY OF CALCUTTA.
One of the chief difficulties in tracing the various localities of old Calcutta is the extent to which the river-bank has altered its shape and position, so that where in Orme’s day was water, there are now streets and squares. It is still possible, however, to discover some of the old land-marks, although the Fort William of the text must not be sought for on the site of the present one, for that was built by Clive where the hamlet of Gobindpur had formerly stood. The Post Office marks the spot occupied by the original Fort William, and the site of the Black Hole (the discovery of which in 1883 is recorded by Dr Busteed) is marked by a stone bearing an inscription. The Park or Lal Bagh is the present Tank Square or Dalhousie Square. The site of the church is thought by some to be occupied by St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, while the Old Cathedral (St John’s) marks the site of the burying-ground mentioned in the text. The present Government House covers, so far as can be determined, the site of the old Company’s House. The gaol, says Broome in 1850, “was about the site of the present Lall Bazar Auction Mart.” The present suburb of Hastings stands on the site of Surmans, and the ground between it and the city proper, now occupied by Chauringhi and the Maidan, was still a marshy jungle even at the end of the last century. The Chitpur Road, an old native pilgrim-way, marked the division between the English and native quarters of the town, and the Marhata Ditch followed the course of the present Circular Road. Further information on this interesting subject may be obtained from Dr Busteed’s book and Sir William Hunter’s ‘Gazetteer of India,’ art. “Calcutta.”