iah Holwell, who remained
were compelled, after a short resistance, to surrender themselves to the
mercies of the young prince. The prisoners, numbering 146 persons, were
forced into the guard-room, a chamber measuring only 18 ft. by 14 ft. 10
in., with but two small windows, where they were left for the night. It was
the 20th of June; the heat was intense; and next morning only 23 were taken
out alive, among them Holwell, who left an account of the awful sufferings
endured in the "Black Hole." The site of the Black Hole is now covered with
a black marble slab, and the incident is commemorated by a monument erected
by Lord Curzon in 1902. The Mahommedans retained possession of Calcutta for
about seven months, and during this brief period the name of the town was
changed in official documents to Alinagar. In January 1757 the expedition
despatched from Madras, under the command of Admiral Watson and Colonel
Clive, regained possession of the city. They found many of the houses of
the English residents demolished and others damaged by fire. The old church
of St John lay in ruins. The native portion of the town had also suffered
much. Everything of value had been swept away, except the merchandise of
the Company within the fort, which had been reserved for the nawab. The
battle of Plassey was fought on the 23rd of June 1757, exactly twelve
months after the capture of Calcutta. Mir Jafar, the nominee of the
English, was created nawab of Bengal, and by the treaty which raised him to
this position he agreed to make restitution to the Calcutta merchants for
their losses. The English received L500,000, the Hindus and Mahommedans
L200,000, and the Armenians L70,000. By another clause in this treaty the
Company was permitted to establish a mint, the visible sign in India of
territorial sovereignty, and the first coin, still bearing the name of the
Delhi emperor, was issued on the 19th of August 1757. The restitution money
was divided among the sufferers by a committee of the most respectable
inhabitants. Commerce rapidly revived and the ruined city was rebuilt.
Modern Calcutta dates from 1757. The old fort was abandoned, and its site
devoted to the custom-house and other government offices. A new fort, the
present Fort William, was begun by Clive a short distance lower down the
river, and is thus the second of that name. It was not finished till 1773,
and is said to have cost two millions sterling. At this time also the
_maidan_, the