Navy.
Cities and
Towns.
Calcutta. .
Taiic.e aiifl fitoplieity.I .-ChriMan.charity, and the mutual benefits of fo-
ciety, with;,what o.ui:' immortal poet -ftyles the milk of human kindnefs,
•^g h tp fc e a /upplant a dreary fuperftitiOn. which eftranges 1 man from
man, and is aeco.mpanied, even in its priefts, byprabtices the moft degrading.
to human nature/»'.
The, military eftabliffiment in Bengal is always.refpe&ablé, but varies
.accordrag to the fituation of affairs. The Britifh troops areTupported
M S n a t i v e ,mi}itia? w h o , are acctiflomed to have numerous
idle .-followers, fo that the effeólive men feldom conftitute more than a
quarter of the nominal army. A force of twenty thoufand Britifh
foldiers .might ptobahly.encounter and vanquifti two hundred thoufand
hla^ks o/'pindops. . The deeffive battle.of'Plafley, which fecured to us
th.p pofleffion ;of thefe opulent provinces,, was gained by the formidable
array. of nine hundred; Europeans.-3. It would fecmingly be no difficult
acquifition, and might prqye.^oft falutary for the tranquillity and hap-
pineis of the Hindoos, if their whole; extenfive country ^ i ^ fuBjéSèd
to th f Britifh potycr. • Toyrthefe. fobjeas. of .the wife Bramins are of all
nations the moft,Hq%ab'Ie r and political freedom is tö thöm 'fe'tfh-
known as re 4 pr,a$iqal j » ^ 9W ^ .^Ltbfi|'.teaèket:& In human affairs
the fmaller evil is commonly the foie object of preference, u n
vStmm qf eonfidorable force might.be equjpped, and the fhips con-
ftriiaed o f . teak wood, as it is fuppofed to furpafs any others'iiydu-
ratiop. L
-The chief city .of Bengal, and of all the Britifh pbffeffions m Hin-
ffoftan, is Calcutta; which is faid to contain not lefs than h a lfa milhbn
pffoplp., The; latitude ia 220 33' north j and the longitude 88°.2.8'
«aft from Greenwich.
■ “ Generally fpéaking, the defeription o f óhè lüdfah ritmis a deftription
of all ; .they being all b u ilt on-one plan, With exceeding narrow, ton-
« l l f p -, ^ 3 m M m ¥ ü i »
T ' l 5 r ’ V" 372:'th: ,r liiÜê M , i human.facrifices ! Yet tlieh'.cruel
3 TOntor ^ «^ n e v e r be fàcnficéd-l'eicebt bu fbt'Wnwâï t l of '
3 Renncll, scv.
fined,
faultyand crookedïhfëëts";^ th 'ü ta incredible number éffefëiWèirfs ana Cities ak»
ponds, and a great manf1'gardens,‘ihtérfpfètf^T A few of fhe^rééts Towns,
are paved' with brick. The' homèk are vMouöy°bünt‘:n' fbffié o f
bricky others with*' mud, and a Mil |réatër 'pr^SoMórl'With. fraffibbqs-
and mats-, and- thefe different kind's!ófÈftbrrè£'ftattfiirig'intermixed With
eafch other, form a rriotfey appéafahce r thbfe dfthd latter binfflfe itiYa?- .
riably:öfivon.é ftoty j- - and' cóvethd -With5 c 'TEbfè5w b t ic k ‘ fdclbfh
exceed two flberè,'and!ha?vè! fiat/tè'rfacèd' fób’fsï !b TRd'fwbfdrmer daffé^
far’out-nutaibef'We ^a-ftp WHich^ aré'-èftfeh'-fb* fhinfy'EStirêiécb that fircsr
which d-ften. happen, dér net fometimés mëètfwi^h-fhè b^ffiM'dicra o f f
brick^hotffè' throügh a Whole'ftréet.
« Calcutta'isl, mq/aft; an1 exception to this' ruis of buildih'g'fbythhfp
the quarter’ inhabited by th e 'E n p fh is compofed entirely of brM&-
btiiiddügs,'‘riiany of which have riibffe'fhe apjJea&nèé ofpal&bes1 th&h Bf
private'houfès : but'thfe'remaindër öf the 'dty, arfd hy i&Uclr the'gre'ateft
part, is built as I have defcribed' the cities in-general tö "be. Within thel:
twenty;;br: twenty-i?ylr’ years;i Calcutta ha's1 he-éh ;wbndeffully rm'pTbyed^.
both in appéar’ance' ahd in the falübrity bf its -air : ior the ft^cets have
héén properly drained^ add' the pöhös filled up ; thereby femqvmg a
vaft' furface of fta^nant -watef, the ekhklli'tMs'fr'bhi which were j>ar-
tichlaVly'hurtfur. Calcutta ïi welf knoWh 4ö h e 1 tffe'^ein^bHü^ofHênV
gal, and the feat of the'GbverabWGenetd' of firdia1: 11 It ih a vbry^extfetf-
five and populous city, ' beirig ' fuppofed: a t prèférit tb' cotif^ln at léaft-
•500,000 inhabitants. I ts local fituation 'is 1 n'brfsfortühUte! ‘’ fb i it Has
fome extenfive muddy lakes; and a vaft fordft, elerffe to‘ it. It^jtertiark-;
able that-the Englifli.have been more inattentive thah oBier'Éurópé'an
nations* to the natural advantages o f fituation':ih thèif fqMgfi ’ fettle-
mehts; -Calcutta is fituated on the weffiem arm of the Ganges, at
about dnêhundredm||| froni the fëapand .thé frvèr is naVigabté up to
the town, for the largeft fhips' that vifit India/ It is a modfcfii city,
•having fifen on the file of the village of GoVmdpbut, ab'ólit ninety years
kgbv It has a citadel^ fuperidf in evéry point, as it regards ftrength --
and correctnefs of defign, tóJafey fortfefs'in India but °h tp^exlenlive
* Surely not more tfoay the Patch. It antes ftoui imitation o f ihe htef-in their
- tries, whfle 1» hot' countries .die..fituatiohs .ffiouidhfi’.'fiigh.
a féal©