ilways,
the East Indian and Eastern Bengal, an uninterrupted and continuous
flow of an enormous amount of goods traffic from all parts of India
direct to the docks and alongside vessels waiting for cargo. Its great
importance and utility would have been further and greatly enhanced
had Government carried into effect the proposed and long-talked-of
scheme of a central station, the site of which, as far as I recollect,
was to have been to the north-east of Bentinck Street taking in a
portion of Bow Bazaar Street adjoining, and, extending in a northerly
direction, parallel to Lower Chitpore

Road. Of course all passenger traffic would have centred there, and
every one, leaving for home or up-country, would have driven to the
new station, and so have avoided the long unpleasant drive over the
bridge to Howrah on the one side and to Sealdah on the other. But like
many another proposed scheme that I have heard of in my time in
Calcutta it unfortunately all ended in smoke.

H.M.'s COURTS OF JUDICATURE.

Looking back to the time when Warren Hastings ruled over the destinies
of Bengal, there were then established in Calcutta two courts, the
Supreme Court of Judicature situated on the site of the present High
Court, and the Sudder Audalat or Appellate Court which was located in
the building at the corner of Bhowanipur Road opposite the Medical
Officers' Quarters which has since been converted into a Hospital for
European Soldiers. These courts were still in existence when I arrived
in Calcutta. The Supreme Court was ruled over by the Chief Justice,
assisted by two Puisne Judges appointed by the Government at Home, who
tried all criminal cases as well as civil suits on the original side.
The court house was a two-storeyed, white stuccoed building, having
much the same kind of appearance as a good-sized private dwelling with
a long verandah running the whole length of the south side facing the
maidan, supported by rather a conspicuous looking row of white
pillars.

[Illustration: _Photo. by Johnston & Hoffmann_ High Court, erected
1872.]

[Illustration: Small Cause Court]

The Sudder Audalat was a Court of Appeal for cases sent up from the
mofussil, and all the Judges were members of the Indian Civil Service
recruited from time to time from the various collectorates in Bengal.
When the High Court came into existence in the early sixties the
former mentioned court ceased to exist, and automatically became
merged into the