CALCUTTA.
FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA--STATE OF SOCIETY--
MERCANTILE CHANGES--UNPLEASANT CLIMATE--SIGHTS
AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA--IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT
AND NAVIGATION--CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE--PILOT
SERVICE--CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES--RIVER STEAMERS.
In 1829, I visited for the first time the far-famed city of Calcutta,
and have since then paid it four visits. So much, however, has been
written about the "City of Palaces," that it must be nearly as well
known to the English reader as London itself; and I shall therefore say
less respecting it.
The feeling I experienced on first making the land at the mouth of the
Hooghly, was extreme disappointment. To a stranger coming, as I did,
from Java, Singapore, and Penang, nothing can have a more dreary and
desolate appearance than the land about and below Kedgeree. The very
sight is almost enough to bring on the ague; and the abominably filthy
water of the holy stream heightens the feeling of disgust. From Kedgeree
to Diamond Harbour, the view on the low banks of the river improves but
little. Above Diamond Harbour, the river banks are somewhat higher,
buildings are more numerous, and the country appears more cleared and
brought under cultivation. On arriving at Garden Reach, the stranger may
begin to imagine that not wholly without reason Calcutta has acquired
the proud title of the "City of palaces." From the lower part of this
Reach, on the right, the river bank is laid out in large gardens, each
with a handsome mansion in its centre; and the whole scene speaks of
opulence and splendour. Of late years, these magnificent residences have
been much neglected, and what was once the most fashionable part of the
suburbs, has been nearly deserted by the great folk. The reason assigned
for this, is, that the river, in very wet seasons, overflows its banks,
breeding malaria and fever, from which, at the time of my second visit,
the inhabitants suffered not a little. For a year or two, these mansions
stood empty; but, when I last saw them, in 1840, they were nearly all
occupied by mercantile men, who find them pleasant retreats from the
bustle of the city, and seem willing to brave the chance of fever. On
approaching the head of Garden Reach, the stranger all at once beholds
Fort William and the town of Calcutta spread out before him; and a
splendid view it is. Should he arrive in the month of November or
December, he will behold, perhaps, the finest fleet of merchant shipping
the world could produce. Here are seen, besides the flag of Old England,
those of America, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Arabia. I must
not forget to mention the floating taverns or large passenger ships,
which carry home from twenty to forty passengers every voyage; and
besides the fleet of large ships, the river presents steamers,
pleasure-boats, and native craft of all sorts and sizes, from the gay
_budgerow_, to the wretched and more than half rotten _dhingy_. The
scene has, however, its drawbacks. The stranger is shocked and disgusted
at the sight of some half-dozen dead bodies floating down the river, in
all stages of decomposition, some with a vulture perched on them,
gorging himself as he floats down the stream on his hideous raft.
Government has placed people above the town, for the express purpose of
sinking dead bodies and similar nuisances; but they have not succeeded
in effecting their object The last time I went up the river, four human
corpses passed my boat between Kradd's Dock and Colvin's Grant, a
distance of two miles.
Nothing strikes the stranger, on landing for the first time in Calcutta,
so much as the extraordinary aggregation of palaces and mansions,
ordinary dwelling-houses, warehouses, shops, bazaars, stables, huts, and
hovels, all mingled together in glorious confusion, a few streets
forming the only exception. This is a great eye-sore even to the old
resident. I know no part of the world where society is divided into so
many ranks and classes as it is here, nor where pride and pomp hold
their heads higher. To hear some of the great ones of this city talk,
you would think they had sprung from a long line of princely, or, at
least, of noble ancestors. It is often observed, however, that they
seldom or never mention their immediate progenitors, nor the whereabouts
of their birth-place, which, in nine cases out of ten, would be found to
be some humble cottage on the bank of a modest brook in England, or burn
in Scotland. The more obscure or lowly their origin, the more difficult
of access they are generally found. The real gentleman is easily
discovered by his superior breeding and genuine urbanity.
In former days, a young man arriving at Calcutta as a writer, had no
difficulty in raising money by borrowing from some wealthy _circar_; and
many of those very young men are still hampered with debts they can
never pay: though high in office, and enjoying large salaries, they are
tied to the country by their creditors, to whom they are obliged to give
a large portion of their earnings. Times have now changed, and the
native has learned from dear-bought experience, that the European is not
always so worthy of confidence as he at one time thought him.
When I first knew Calcutta, some half-dozen mercantile firms swayed the
trade of the place, and carried every thing before them. Their influence
with the monied natives was great, and their command of ready cash was
proportionably large. This led them into all sorts of wild speculations,
and ultimately proved their ruin, the whole of these houses having
failed (if my memory does not deceive me) before the end of 1832. In
spite of these failures, (which ruined hundreds of widows and orphans,)
the confidence of the natives was not utterly shaken till very recently,
when another batch of similar misfortunes took place, in which many of
the old hands were concerned under new firms. This has entirely broken
up the system, and scattered the commerce of Calcutta among numerous
smaller establishments, setting the wits of the native capitalist to
work to find other employment for his cash. Many of them have entered
upon the opium trade, principally as speculators on the spot, who buy at
the public sales, and re-sell at a small profit; preferring this to
running the risk of the China market. Previously to the mercantile
break-up just mentioned, the members of the leading firms were, with few
exceptions, as exclusive in their society as the leading civilians:
their fall has upset these lofty pretensions, and the mercantile society
of the place is much improved in consequence.
For the hospitality of Calcutta I cannot say much; nor do I know a place
where a friendless stranger landing without good introductory letters,
would meet with a more chilling reception. I do not speak from
experience, having fortunately been properly provided with credentials;
but I do not say it without good authority. Of the hospitality of the
military gentlemen of the Presidency, and especially of the Dum Dum
Artillery, I have pleasure in reporting more favourably. Calcutta has
its theatre, its clubs, its races, and its fox-hounds. On the
race-course may be seen some fine specimens of the Arab horse, small
compared to the English racer, but unsurpassed for spirit and symmetry.
Its amusements and attractions, however, are so outweighed by its
wretched climate, that I would rather pass my days growing sugar in
Singapore, than live amid all the splendour of this proud city.
From April to October inclusive, the weather is oppressively hot, with a
closeness in the atmosphere that renders respiration difficult, and
existence, without a punkah, almost insupportable. I have sat for days
suffering from the heat, and longing for sun-set in hope of relief which
never came; for, even through the long night, the thermometer did not
fall one degree. This extreme heat is occasionally relieved by a
thunder-storm accompanied with a deluge of rain, which clears the
atmosphere, cools the burning soil, and renders breathing an easy
process. The European inhabitants have many ways of rendering the
interior of their dwellings cooler than the external air; but, with all
their means and appliances, they are generally terribly exhausted before
bed-time comes. During this period, the European lady suffers more than
the gentleman, and, by the time the cold weather approaches, looks
haggard and woebegone. Children also suffer much during the summer. In
November, the weather becomes cool, and people begin to think of balls
and other gayeties. The winter, however, is not, in my opinion, a
healthy season, as the bills of mortality will indicate. A heavy fog
then settles over the city and neighbourhood every night, through which,
at sun-rise, one can hardly see ten yards, producing not a bracing cold,
but a chilling damp. This does not last all day, for the heat is severe
from ten A. M. till three P. M., even in mid-winter. The lower class of
natives suffer much, and great numbers die during this season of the
year, as they are very careless, bathe in the river daily as usual, and
are too poor to make any change in their dress, which is far from
sufficient to protect them from the damp nights. The wealthier native
wraps his shoulders in an ample cashmere shawl; but even he leaves his
legs and the lower half of his person with only summer clothing.
During the autumn, Calcutta is a very gay place, and makes up for its
dullness during the summer. This is the season for horse-racing,
hunting, shooting, and theatrical amusements, into which the numerous
indigo-planters who come to town from their plantations about this time,
enter with spirit, if the crops have been good and prices fair.
Among the sights in and around Calcutta, I would recommend the visiter
to make a point of seeing, the Mint, the native Bazaars, the Dum Dum
Artillery Station, the Ishapoor Gunpowder Manufactory, and Mr.
Wakefield's farm at Acra. I mention these as having been myself
gratified with examining them. The Mint is, perhaps, the finest in the
world. Captain (now Colonel) Forbes, who kindly shewed me over every
part of it, said, I think, they could turn out 500,000 coins in
twenty-four hours. In the different bazaars, the stranger will find the
most extraordinary collection of commodities, Indian, European,
American, Chinese, and of other countries, that he could ever have
conceived. The zeal of the different vendors in crying up and bepraising
their own goods at the expense of their neighbours, will amuse him,
while he will feel not a little surprised at the cheapness of many
European articles, such as crockery, millinery, hosiery, &c. &c. Should
he be a military man, his visit to Dum Dum will delight him, that
station being the head-quarters of the Bengal Artillery, and its
officers are celebrated for their kindness and hospitality to
strangers. With my visit to Ishapoor, I had every reason to be pleased.
I not only saw the whole process of powder-manufacture on a very large
scale, but met with a hearty welcome from Major Timbrel, of the
Artillery, who at that time superintended the establishment. The river
scenery near Ishapoor is much superior to what it is lower down; and a
good view of the pretty town of Chinsurah,[16] on the opposite bank of
the Hooghly, is commanded from Major Timbrel's verandah. Acra farm is
situated some twelve or fifteen miles below Calcutta. I visited it as a
stranger, while waiting in a ship for the flood tide; and its proprietor
gave me a most hospitable reception. Mr. Wakefield has completely
established the practicability of curing meat all through the year in
this climate, so as to keep at sea for three years. He told me, he
killed 25,000 hogs per annum; and, on my asking whether he suspended
operations during the hot months, his reply was, "No, we go on at all
seasons." I can vouch for the goodness of the hams, bacon, sausages,
lard, &c. &c., which he exports, and shall be very glad if these remarks
should lead a purchaser to his door. The muddy creeks near Acra farm
swarm with alligators, (whether attracted by the smell of blood or not,
I cannot say,) and they occasionally become very troublesome. The day
before my visit, Mr. Wakefield had had a mortal combat with one sixteen
feet long, which he succeeded in destroying single-handed, and had
brought home in proof of his prowess.
[Footnote 16: Chinsurah was, until 1825, a Dutch settlement;
and we then obtained it and Malacca in exchange for
Bencoolen.]
One of the most remarkable objects in or near Calcutta, is the
celebrated Banian-tree in the East-India Company's Botanical Garden on
the banks of the Hooghly, immediately opposite Garden Reach. This tree
is, without exception, the most splendid vegetable production I ever
saw: and its immense size and great age may be judged of, when I
mention, that a friend in whom I place the utmost confidence told me, he
measured the circumference of the space it shaded at noon-day, and found
that, allowing eighteen inches square per man, there was sufficient room
for eighteen thousand men to stand under the shade of this venerable
patriarch of the forest. This could be effected, however, only by
removing the many stems of the tree which now occupy nearly the whole
space covered by the branches, and are so numerous and thick, that it is
impossible to trace the parent one. It is a mighty tree, and worthy of
the proud place it occupies in the first botanical garden in the world.
What a wonderful change a few short years bring about in these days of
improvement! When I first knew Calcutta, there was no such thing as an
overland conveyance for letters; and, as for sending a ship to China
against the monsoon, no one ever dreamed of it. The whole world is now a
witness of the regularity of the monthly communication with England
_viâ_ the Red Sea; and the passage to and from China is made at all
seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons and all other impediments.
The spirited owner and commander of the barque, "Red Rover," has the
credit of first shewing to the world, that the north-east monsoon in the
Chinese Sea was to be conquered by perseverance in a small vessel: his
success exceeded, I believe, his own sanguine expectations, and it is
pleasing to add, that he was amply rewarded in a pecuniary point of view
for his exertions. His example was soon followed by other parties
connected with the opium-trade; and the communication between China,
Calcutta, and Bombay is now regularly kept up all the year through, by
as fine a fleet of clippers as ever rode the sea, commanded by men who
appear to defy the weather. They make their passages in a wonderfully
short period of time, and stand high in the opinion of the mercantile
community of India. They are well paid, as they deserve to be, for the
trying work they have to go through; and many of them have recently
returned to their native country with comfortable, if not ample
independencies.
Another improvement of great importance to the trade of Calcutta, is the
facility with which powerful steamers can now be procured, to tow ships
up and down the Hooghly. Any one who has gone up and down this river,
must be aware of the dangerous nature of its navigation, owing to the
many mud banks, shifting sands, and very rapid current; and must be
sensible of the comfort of having a powerful steamer towing ahead. The
saving of time by leaving the port under steam, is immense. I remember,
on one occasion, overtaking, in thirty-six hours from town, two ships
that had left three weeks before us. The number of lives saved every
year by these steamers, is beyond calculation. This is now so well
understood, that passengers make a point of ascertaining whether a
steamer is to be employed, before taking their passage in any ship; and
the under-writers willingly contribute towards the expense thus
incurred, considering themselves as repaid by the great saving in what
is called "River Risk."
I have heard many complaints against Dutch Custom-houses, but the
Customs in Calcutta, I can state from my own knowledge, are far more
troublesome and unreasonable. Go to any Dutch Custom-house in
Netherlands India, and produce your invoice through some known agent;
your goods will be cleared and passed without further trouble. At
Calcutta, no man's word is taken, but every package landed or shipped
must actually _pass through_ the Custom-house. Even opium purchased from
Government, and delivered to the purchaser from a Government warehouse,
is subjected to this annoying process. Surely the authorities might
allow merchandize purchased from themselves, and delivered from their
own premises, to be taken direct to the wharf, and put on board ship. A
Custom-house officer might accompany the drug, if it was deemed
necessary, and see it fairly afloat before leaving it. The present
arrangement involves a useless waste of the merchant's time and trouble.
The Semaphore established from Kedgeree to Calcutta, is of very great
advantage to the shipping interest of the place. Any vessel getting on
shore, or coming from sea in distress, can send intelligence of her
situation to town in fifteen minutes, and have a steamer down to aid her
in twelve hours.
It would hardly be fair to leave Calcutta without saying a word in
praise of the pilot service. The pilots here are paid by Government, and
are a highly respectable body of men: they enter the service when very
young, as volunteers, and rise by degrees to the rank of masters and
branch pilots, the latter being the highest grade. Branch pilots
generally command pilot brigs, which cruise off the mouth of the Hooghly
for the purpose of supplying vessels that come from sea with pilots to
take them up the river, and of taking the pilots out of ships bound to
sea. Master pilots, mates, and second mates are engaged in taking
vessels out and in, while the youngsters are employed in heaving the
lead, and studying the navigation of the rivers. The whole service is
remarkably well conducted. The work undergone by its members is very
hard during the south-west monsoon; and they are generally short-lived.
This may be easily accounted for, in such a climate, by their constant
exposure to heat and rain, to say nothing of gales of wind and frequent
sound duckings from the spray of the sea.
The natives of Bengal are not favourites of mine: they are much given to
lying and thieving, and are sad cowards. It is true, they are not
pirates, like the Malays; but this is owing, I suspect, to want of
courage, more than of inclination. A Malay servant, should his master
threaten to strike him, will say: "Cut my pay, sir, or turn me away if I
am in fault, but (emphatically) don't strike me." A Bengalee, under
similar circumstances, would cringe under his master's feet, _salaam_ to
the ground, beg to be whipped, but "Oh," would be his cry, "don't cut my
pay, sir." Nothing used to annoy me so much as this excessive servility
of the Bengalee servants: they will do any thing for _pice, pice_; that
word being repeated by them at least ten times oftener than any other
in their vocabulary. With all this, they are lazy, and require more
looking after than any other servants I know. They certainly work for
little pay, but that little is sufficient to supply their families with
the necessaries of life, and to leave a trifle to put by, if the head of
the family does not gamble. The palanquin-bearers are the most useful
men to a stranger: for thirty-five rupees (3l. 10s.) he will get a
palanquin and six men who will carry him all over the town, a whole
month, for that trifling sum; they will take him out in an evening, wait
patiently in the street till he is ready to return home, and be at his
door by six the next morning, ready to obey his orders. The _circar_,
too, is a useful character, but, generally, a sad scamp: he will conduct
the stranger all over this vast city, shew him where any thing is to be
had, pay his bills for him, and save him a world of trouble; which he
makes answer his purpose by deducting one _pice_, or about two per cent,
from every rupee you may order him to pay for you, and by charging a
_moderate_ per-centage on what he may be commissioned to procure for
"Master." It is astonishing how quickly these _circars_ find out when an
old customer or "Master" returns to Calcutta. I have been visited by
mine within an hour after reaching town. In one instance, I had come up
the river in an express boat, and had arrived as soon as the mail; but,
presently, in came Master's _circar_, bowing low, and "hoping Master
has had a pleasant voyage, and made too much money."
The mighty current of the sacred Ganges is now thoroughly conquered by
all-powerful Steam; and the Indian officer ordered up the river to join
his corps, can now perform in three weeks, the journey that, fifteen
years ago, would have taken him as many months. Never having travelled
in the river steamers, I can say nothing about the voyage; but, from
their being constantly filled with passengers and cargo, I presume they
give entire satisfaction. The fact of their carrying the European
traveller so much more rapidly than the native boats can do, through the
unhealthy Sunderbunds, is of itself sufficient to induce every wayfarer
to take advantage of them.