sums
which every governor-general has laid out upon public works, and in
improving and adorning the city: the Marquis Wellesley, in particular,
expended lakhs of rupees in this way." The account which he gives,
however, from a Mahommedan writer, of the disputes with the Mogul
government which led to the transference of the British factory and
commerce from its original seat at Hoogly to _Kali-kata_,[10] or
Calcutta, differs considerably from that given by the British
historians, if we are to suppose the events here alluded to (the date
of which the khan does not mention) to be those which occurred in 1686
and 1687, when Charnock defended the factory at Hoogly against the
Imperial deputy, Shaista Khan. Our traveller's version of these
occurrences is, that the factories of the English, which were then
established on the Ghol Ghaut at Hoogly, having been overthrown by an
earthquake, "Mr Charnock, the head officer of the factory, purchasing
a garden called Banarasi, had the trees cut down, and commenced a new
building. But while it was in progress, the principal Mogul merchants
and inhabitants laid a complaint before Meer Nasir, the _foujdar_,
(chief of police,) that their houses and harems would be overlooked,
and great scandal occasioned, if the strangers should be allowed to
erect such lofty buildings in the midst of the city.[11] The complaint
was referred by the foujdar to the nawab, who forthwith issued orders
for the discontinuance of the works, which were accordingly abandoned.
The Company's agent, though highly offended at this arbitrary
proceeding, was unable to resist it, having only one ship and a few
sepoys; and, in spite of the efforts of the foujdar to dissuade him,
he embarked with all his goods, and set sail for the peninsula," (qu.
Indjeli?) "having first set fire to such houses as were near the
river. At this time, however, the Emperor Aurungzib was in the
Carnatic, beleaguered by the Mahrattas, who had cut off all supplies
from his camp; and the Company's agent in that country, hearing of
this, sent a large quantity of grain, which had been recently imported
for their own use, for the relief of the army. Having thus gained the
favour and protection of the Asylum of the World, the English were not
only permitted to build factories in various parts of the country, but
were exempted from the duties formerly laid on their goods. Charnock
returned to Bengal with the emperor's firman; and the nawab, seeing
ho