•of the manners of the inhabitants. I remember feeing at
Mr. Hodges a picture of a-fine country-feat. I took it for the
houfe of fome Englijbman of high rank in our own country,
till I fpied in-the grounds an elephant, which marked the place
it belonged to.
.N ew C i t a d e l , T he citadel was built immediately after the battle o f Plaffiy,
on a fcale fo large as to render it ufelefs. To garrifon it is required
an army fufficient to take the field, and face an enemy
■without the protection o f fortifications. The river has fize and
:depth enough to bring up to the very city ihips of any burden
which trade to India. But I do not read that Calcutta received
any infult by land or water till the year 1756, when it was taken
b y Surajab Dovclah, after a very flight defence, occafioned by
the weaknefs o f the garrifon, and the bafe defertion of the
place by the governor, Mr. Drake. The few who were taken
were, by the Nabob, ordered (in general) to be fecured for the
.night. They were by the unfeeling foldiery driven into a
common dungeon, which in one -of the hotteft nights o f the
f l iA q c H o le . -country produced the well known tragedy of the black bale at
.Calcutta; a hundred and twenty-fix o f the unhappy prifoners
perifhed before morning, among whom were feveral of the
gentlemen of the failory-. Surajab Dowlah had fondly flattered
himfelf with the certainty o f immediately expelling the Eng-
lijh out of Bengal, but he wanted the experience and the abilities
of his predeceflor. Surajab Dotvlab was ambitious, cruel,
avaricious, weak, capricious, and profligate. Colonel Clive was
ftent to retrieve the affairs o f the diitreffed colony. He embarked
at Madras with fuch forces as could be collected together,
ther, anchored in BaUfore road, and under the convoy o f Admiral
Watjon, made the fpirited refolution of inftantly failing
up the river, the Hoogly, and making an attack on the captured
city. No fooner were our ihips brought into adtion, and our
men landed, but Surajab abandoned the place; foon after his
camp was forced; the battle of Plajfey fucceeded, the tyrant
taken and put to death, and the vaft kingdom of Bengal became
the property of a company of Britifh merchants.
T h e .bulk of the inhabitants o f Calcutta are Indians from all In h a b it a n t s or
parts; their houfes are equally mean with thofe o f the natives Caicutta-
in the other cities of India, and built in the fame ftyle, but fuch
an emporium occafions it to be the refort o f people o f every nation
; here are found abundance o f the mongrel Portugue/e. I
believe they originated from fome banditti of that nation, who
for a long time infefted the Sunderbund, or rather its canals
and neighboring lea, with their piracies, they mixed with the
natives, and inereafed to a great degree.
T h e Armenians are a very numerous people, and the moil Armenia«.
commercial of the eafl. Shah Abbas, the great Sophy o f Perjia,
gave them their firft-importance. He colonized Julfa, the
great fuburbs of Ifpahan, with thirty thoufand of that nation,
who carried on the vaft commerce o f the empire, efpeeially that
o f filk. ‘Pournefort, (ii. 2 q 1.) who travelled- in 1700, gives a
very ample account o f them. The celebrated traveller, Chardin,
(iii. 77. 86.) is alfo very particular. In Toumeforfs time they
fettled in various parts o f Europe. They are fo numerous at
prefent at Venice as to have a church for their peculiar fer-
vice.