The principal scientific and literary societies of Calcutta are the Bengal Asiatic Society. founded in 1784 by Sir \V. Jones. possessing a fine library.
and a valuable and extensive museum; the Be thune Society, for the promotion of intercourse between European and native gentlemen: the Dalhousie Institute, for the literary and social improvement of all classes of the community; the Bengal Social Science Association. The Uni versity of Calcutta was founded in 1857, on the same basis as the London University, and exer cises functions over Bengal, the Northwest Prov inces, Oudh, and the Central Provinces. Col leges have been instituted to prepare intending students. Other educational institutions are nu merous in Calcutta. There are an engineering college and four Government colleges. The prin cipal places for religious instruction are Bishop's College, intended chiefly for the education of missionaries and teachers, and the institutions of the Established and Free Churches of Scotland for the same purpose.
The communications of Calcutta afford great facilities for its extensive commerce. There are several lines of railway connecting it directly with Khulna in the delta; with Goalanda, an important centre of steamship traffic on the Brahmaputra; with Darjiling in the Himalayas, and with Diamond Harbor and Port Canning. The lines to northwest India and to Bombay start from Howrah, on the opposite side of the Hugli. Calcutta has telegraphic connection with the principal towns of India and communicates with Europe by several lines. Continuous communi cation. greatly facilitated by the Suez Canal, is kept up with Great Britain by numerous well appointed steamers and sailing vessels. The river adjacent to the city varies in breadth from a quarter of a mile to nearly a mile. There are dry docks and wet docks. The city has water communication in three directions—to the east by various rivers leading to the Brahmaputra ; to the north by the Hugli and the Xadiya rivers leading to the Ganges; to the west by the Mid napur Canal. The port has excellent anchorage and is the lowest of several seaports on the Hugli, which is navigable by vessels. The port extends for about 10 miles along the river and is somewhat less than 2 miles in breadth at its broadest part. the area being about S square miles, and comprised for the most part between the rivers and the circular road, a spa cious roadway which marks the landward bound ary of the city proper. Beyond this road there lie extensive suburbs, the chief of which are Chit pur.on the north ; Nundeu Baugh,Bahar-Simleah, Sealdah. Entally, and Baliganj, on the east ; and Bbawaripur, Allipur, and Kidderpur, on the south. The municipality of Howrah, situated on the opposite side of the river and connected with Calcutta by a pontoon bridge. contains the salts,g.olahs or warehouses of the Government. ex tensive manufactories, dock ship-building establishments, and the depot of the East India Railway.
One-third of the whole trade of India passes through Calcutta. The exports are jute, opium,
cotton, rice, wheat, sugar, indigo, coffee, tea, saltpetre, linseed. shellac, buffalo-horns, hides, castor-oil, cutch, gunny bags, etc. As a central depot for the richest parts of India, Calcutta has an extensive inland trade. The principal in dustrial establishments include sugar-refineries, cotton-manufactories, flour, saw, and oil mills, and ship-building docks. Several newspaper: are published. There are a few banks and numerous insurance and other companies, with a chamber of commerce. Living is comparatively cheap, and most of the luxuries of life, as well as its neces saries, are to be had as readily as in most Euro. pean towns. The annual fall of rain averages 64 inches; the temperature in the shade ranges in July from 7S' to R7°, and in December from 60° to 79°. In 1837 the population of the town proper amounted to 229,700; it had increased by ISS1 to 612.3u7; in I391 to 861,764, with sub urbs (excluding Howrah, which had 116,606) ; and in 1901 to 1.121,700, when Howrah also had 157,850. Besides these, thousands of the 3,500,000 who sleep at night in the surrounding districts at Ilugli and the twenty-four suburban Parga nas flock during the day to Calcutta on foot, by boat, or by railway, to their daily toil. The inhabitants are mostly Hindus and Aluhamme dans. The Christians number only about 30,000. There is a considerable number of Europeans and of Eurasians, with some Armenians, Greeks, Jews, I'arsees, and neg•oes. Calcutta was the birthplace of 'William Makepeace Thackeray.
Calcutta was founded by Governor Charnock in the year 1686, by the removal hither of the fac tories of the East India Company. In 1700 three villages surrounding the factories having been conferred upon the company by the Emperor of Delhi, in recognition of a present made to Azim, a son of Aurungzebe, they were forthwith forti fied and received the name of Fort William in honor of the reigning King; but the place was subsequently termed Calcutta, the name of one of the villages. In 1707 Calcutta had acquired some importance a, a town, and was made the seat of a presidency. In 1756 it was unex pectedly attacked by Surajah Dowlah, the Nawab of Bengal, and compelled to yield after a two days' siege; 146 men fell into the enemy's hands, and these were cast at night into the notorious 'Black Hole' (q.v.), only 23 surviving the hor rors of that night. The city remained in the hands of the enemy until eight months after wards, when Clive. in conjunction with Admiral Watson, recaptured the place, and afterwards concluded peace with the Nawab. Soon after this. and subsequent to the decisive victory of Plassey, the possessions of the East India Company were greatly extended by means of grants made by the Emperor of Delhi, and Calcutta once more resumed its career of progress and prosperity, Consult Stevens, "The Port of Calcutta," in Vol. XLV1 I., Society of Arts Journal (London. 1S99 : Stevenson, "Calcutta," in Outing, Vol. XXXI. (New York, 1900).