Official report on the medical topography and climate of Calcutta : with brief notices of its prevalent diseases, endemic and epidemic / by James Ranald Martin.

Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Official report on the medical topography and climate of Calcutta : with brief notices of its prevalent diseases, endemic and epidemic / by James Ranald Martin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    the 11th and 12th of October 1737, there happened a furious hurricane at the mouth of the Ganges, which reached sixty leagues up the river. There was at the same time a violent earthquake, which threw down a great many houses along the river side in Golgoto (i. e. Calcutta) alone, a port belonging to the English, two hundred houses were thrown down, and the high and magnificent steeple of the English church sunk into the ground without breaking. It is computed that 20,000 ships, barks, sloops, boats, canoes, &c. have been cast away : of nine English ships then in the Ganges, eight were lost and most of the crews drowned. Barks of sixty tons were blown two leagues up into land over the tops of high trees ; of four Dutch ships in the river, three were lost with their men and cargoes; 300,000 souls are said to have perished. The water rose forty feet higher than usual in the Ganges.”—Gentlemans Magazine for 1738-9. Construction of In 1742 was began the ditch round Calcutta, intended at the time as tlic Tvltilicircittci Ditch in 1742. a defence against the incursions of the Maliarattas. It never completely invested the town, but, in so far as it went, the work may have had the effect of draining the grounds to the north and east, though for purposes of defence it could not have proved of much use. The construction of roads was early recommended by the Home Government, in order as they said, “ to see through your bounds into the country of the neighbouring zumeendars, who attacked you some time before, as to facilitate the march of your soldiers when necessary to sup- port your outmost outguards, and prevent private robberies.” These prudent instructions do not appear to have been followed. Modern Calcutta We may in reality then, date the origin of Calcutta from the year 17f56, when the reconstruction of the city commenced, after its cap- ture and destruction by Suraj-ud-doulah; at which period, according to Orme, there were but seventy houses belonging to the English. What are now called the Esplanade, Fort William and Chowrin- ghee, were so late as the above year, a complete jungle, interspersed with huts, and small pieces of grazing and arable land. The Old Fort and Clive Street, then and for many years afterwards, compre- hended the whole of Calcutta, Clive Street being the place of all business.