This morning after breakfast the anchor was raised and we started on our progress up the river at ¾ hour past 9 of the morning. Sometime before noon a large steamer was observed in the distance coming up behind us, at first conjectured to be the Oriental, and as time advanced, ascertained to be that vessel. The banks of the river were covered with vegetation, which as we advanced higher up the river became more luxuriant and diversified, and of a character somewhat between that of the Nile and Ceylon. Handsome residences near the river bank came into view after we had passed Diamond Harbour which is about one third of the way up from Kedjeree: these like the Calcutta houses generally had a general European aspect but were always furnished more or less with verandahs; the windows also were larger and had always Venetian blinds, and the roofs were flat, with a balustrade all round.
The Oriental had been gaining upon us, and, as we approached Moyapore passed us so near that we could see and distinguish our two passengers who had left us, the one at Aden, the other at Galle. Waving of hats and handkerchiefs testified to mutual recognition. The beauty of the scenery increased as we continued our progress; the passengers partook of a hurried dinner an hour earlier than the usual time and at a quarter past 4 o’clock the Bentinck stopped at Garden Reach, where the Oriental had arrived about 20 minutes before.
Very shortly afterwards a letter was put into my hand from the gentleman to whom I was going, by a clerk in his establishment, who had come to take me to town. My luggage was placed in the boat by which he had come on board, and after being conveyed on shore by means of it we drove to town in a car, a distance of 1 ½ or 2 miles. We passed numerous natives walking along the road: palanquins and various kinds of horse conveyances, - buggys, garrys, and I know not how many other names called crossed our path, as well as bullock carts. As we approached our journey’s end we first passed Fort William, a low fort , I believe of great strength commanding the river and surrounding country with a pretty extensive grass flat around it, the , the Esplanade or Maidan as it is usually called: then turning off from the river parallel to which we had hitherto ridden, we passed along the road in view of various large public and private buildings, and in a short time, driving along one side of Tank Square arrived at the house of the firm to whose care I was consigned ,where I was received with a cordial welcome by the head of the firm at Calcutta, Mr Thompson.
The road along the river by which I had come called ,for part of the way at least, “The Strand” and is the favourite resort about sunset for the beauty and fashion of Calcutta ,being crowded with carriages of all descriptions , as I saw three nights afterwards- (the evening previous to the day on which I am now bringing my journal to a conclusion): the English aristocracy in vehicles of the greatest elegance, ladies and gentlemen, the ladies often with no other headdress than their hair, military officers, Sikh princes, wealthy Jews from up country, the comparatively fair and wealthy Parsees and the dark Hindoo baboos or gentlemen , children of the coloured races or the fair skinned progeny of European parents with their attendant ayahs ; in vehicles of all varieties of form with the Hindoo drivers and the Hindoo attendants standing behind or hanging on in a ay one would suppose more curious than comfortable , constituted a spectacle of no small interest to the stranger suggestive of many thoughts. Alongside of the carriage way is a grassy road for those who prefer riding on horseback and railed off from this is a walk for pedestrians bordering the Esplanade.
That part of the road which turns away at right angles from the river passes in front of some of the largest public buildings of Calcutta, amongst which were pointed out as amongst the most conspicuous some churches, the town Hall, and above all others Government House. In passing this two lofty arched gateways presented themselves on the roadside forming entrances to the House or palace as it might more properly be called: each of these was surmounted by a figure of a lion carved in stone, on the head of which stood the ungainly figure of an adjutant, a bird of the crane kind, one of the scavengers of Calcutta. These birds are fond of perching themselves upon elevations seeking the summits of the highest buildings. Plenty of crows were also flying about, which serve the same purpose of devouring carrion.
On the greensward in front of these buildings stood a lofty column erected to Sir David Ochterlony, from which it is said, and excellent view of the town may be obtained. On visiting the Maidan in the evening of my arrival, taking not the Strand but a road which leads through the middle of the Esplanade, we found it occupied by many others taking their evening ride or walk, there being few carriages here but numerous equestrians and pedestrians. While walking through the field I was surprised by a loud ringing or singing noise which surrounded me on all sides and on enquiry found that it was occasioned by frogs which are found here in great abundance.
I have forgotten to mention previously, that when at Galle we met with some new fruits, and our table was supplied with them more or less freely till we arrived at Calcutta. There were the juicy but insipid water melon requiring sugar to make it palatable; the shaddock somewhat like an orange but not yet ripe and juicy enough ; oranges themselves with green skins , having the same fault ; plantain similar in taste and flavour to a soft and very high flavoured pear, considered a very safe fruit; the mango frequently stated to be the most delicious of fruits but with which I was disappointed, as the flavour appeared to me to partake of that of the carrot and was not good unless the fruit was quite fresh; and finest of all in my estimation the pineapple, though considered less wholesome.
Before I left the Bentinck when near Garden Reach I had to change my dress to the skin being in a state of greater perspiration than I had been in during the voyage. I found the temperature of the house at Calcutta also very sensibly greater than ever I had experienced on board, a drier and more scorching heat reminding me of a laundry with the process of ironing carrying on at an extreme rate or the casting room for a brass foundry; and I felt the effects of it during the three or four afternoons which elapsed after my arrival and writing this in a degree of prostration greatly exceeding anything I had experienced during the voyage.
The river between Garden Reach and Calcutta covered with vessels of all kinds steamers, merchant ships ,native boats for conveyance of produce ,smaller boats for passengers ,lying in the stream or drawn up on the beach. I observed particularly a handsome pleasure boat belonging I was told to the Governor General.
I had a pretty good view of the town from the roof of the house which I occupied. The appearance is peculiar, very different from that of an English town. It appears as an extensive assemblage of large square lofty houses with numerous windows generally covered with green venetian blinds, sometimes with wooden verandahs projecting outside the wall. Often again the fronts or ends presented only rows of pillars, the spaces between which were occupied by venetian blinds. These constituted the front of the verandah, there being inner walls behind these forming the walls of the rooms, furnished with glazed windows as well as blinds, both windows and blinds, generally, I believe opening like French windows.
These verandah fronts I at first mistook for unglazed windows, as at Madras, not being then aware that there were windows behind them. The houses are all built of brick plastered over with a kind of cement composed of pounded bricks and mortar called puckau and whitewashed or coloured like yellow sandstone , in imitation of stone buildings. They are all flat roofed with balustrades round the top. They are of large size and the apartments have much loftier ceilings the stairs are consequently long. In size they are I should say at least four times as large or even more then the houses which would be occupied by the same people in England, arising of course from the necessity of plenty of air space in so hot a climate. The windows and blinds during the hot season are kept open during the night and closed by day. Punkahs are suspended in the principal apartments- in the offices, dining rooms and even in the bedrooms.I have described the punkah as I saw it in the Bentinck when I came on board at Suez; here, on shore they are much larger, consisting generally of a rectangular stiff frame with a fringe at the bottom, and as they are suspended from a great height they have a long swing and produce a very agreeable effect.
Each large house stands separate from the others surrounded by its own grounds, occupied by outhouses such as the kitchen , servants houses, stables etc with sometimes ground planted with trees ,shrubs , and in the outer parts of the town sometimes a very good garden . The whole inclosure is called a compound, and seen from an elevation the whole town appears as if compounds of these large houses mixed everywhere with trees, the prospect being very pleasing. A closer view however displays something more; in the limited space which I have as yet seen there are numerous streets like those of eastern towns in general ,narrow, crooked and irregular ,sometimes puckau built of one or two stories sometimes small one story huts composed of bamboo, closely packed together, shops or workshops being almost entirely open in front these streets are hidden by the lofty three story houses and trees in a view from an elevation, at least at this quarter of the town where most of the English population reside.
The streets, so far as I have seen, are unpaved and have no foot pavement. From this circumstance but more from the heat of the climate and the position occupied by Europeans in the social scale here, there are very few pedestrian English. All in any circumstances keep a conveyance, and those who from circumstances are not possessed of a horse conveyance, if they go out during the day take a palki (palanquin). People of lower rank make shift with an umbrella, the natives also often carrying these. I have seen neither donkeys nor camels on the streets and elephants are not allowed in the town, as they frighten the horses.
The natives are everywhere walking about in great numbers, one can scarcely say in all varieties of costume, from the cooly with the piece of cloth wrapped round his loins (a cooly being a porter and the equally scantily clothed bhistie or water carrier with his boar skin slung over his back full of water by whom the inhabitants are supplied with water from the various tanks about the town, to the Baboo or native gentleman fully robed in white muslin. Comparatively very few women are visible and few even of these are good looking. They are dressed as I have described those at Galle, or rather, more fully-more approaching European costume; but only the poorest or most degraded walk the streets, those of higher ranks being more secluded, the finest looking being therefore little seen. The men are generally small in stature, thin shanked and not of very good figure, though there are also some neat and well made men, and others tall, or stout or both. Their colour generally is dark brown with a considerable degree of black; altogether darker than I had anticipated.
But of all things that which struck me most was the distinction between the two races, the Indian and European. The great mass of the population- the people of the country everywhere were to be seen walking on foot in their native land, whilst the white skinned strangers, insignificant in numbers rolled about in their carriages with their wives and children. It is true that in the evening the number of these out enjoying themselves was the very reverse of small; on the contrary the drive was crowded with carriages. Yet knowing that here were congregated in by far the largest proportion the British population of India, the distinction between conqueror and conquered was very marked, and the comparatively small proportion of the coloured races in carriages made this even more striking, for many of these were foreigners and one could not help observing that the vehicles of the native baboos were generally of an inferior and more shabby description. I had never seen, in so marked a manner the distinction between the Saab or Lord and the Bunda or slave-, and the observation was suggestive of much to think about.
But this journal was intended only to be a record of first impressions, and now instead of being the passing observer of objects and events with which the progress of, or the brief intervals in a rapid journey brought me in contact, I was about to become a resident, perhaps for some years, in a country and amongst a people altogether new to me. In such circumstances if life be spared, I can scarcely fail to make observations and draw conclusions, liable to be changed it may be many times before more permanent ones are arrived at: it would scarcely be worth while to record today what might be altered tomorrow and therefore, here I shall bring my journal to a close. If what has been written affords any pleasure or gratification to those for whom it was written, the few friends who take an interest in the writer, he will consider himself well rewarded for his labour
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