BENGAL. The province of Bengal is poor in mineral productions. The hills in SiDiet produce iron ore. Iron is made at Punduah by a curious process, which at once smelts the ore and renders it malleable. Granular iron ore of the fineness of sand is washed clean and mixed with water into a soft mass ; bits of reed, sticks, or leaves are then dipped in it, and take up as much as they will hold, and these, when pretty dry, are thrown into the top of a small clay cupola furnace and melted. It appears from this de tail that the ore must possess a great degree of purity. The ore might be collected in large quantities, and as limestone of good quality and coal are found in the same range of hills the smelting might be easily effected. Some petroleum springs exist in the same district. Coal is abundant also in the Jungle Mahals, whence it can be easily conveyed to Calcutta in the rainy season, down the Dummoodah river. Coal and iron ore are both of them procured in Birbhoom, and iron works have long been carried on there by the natives. Extensive forests occur in the neighbourhood of these works, and the smelting is performed by means of charcoal.
The external commerce of Bengal is of great magnitude In the year 1831-2, under the regulated commerce during the existence of the trading privileges of the East India Company, the amount of the imports into Bengal (exclusive of the trade with China) was close upon two millions sterling ; of the exports about 3,380,0001. The imports, by the year 1812, rose to nearly 6,000,000/., and the exports to more than 8,000,0001. In 1846 -the number of British ships entered inwards at Calcutta was 1080, of foreign ships only 99; in the same year there cleared out ward 725 British ships, and 111 foreign ships: The whole of these vessels had an average tonnage of about 300 tons.
A considerable part of the trade between Bengal and China is carried on from Calcutta. The most valuable part of this trade as re gards its amount, is the shipment of opium. It formed more than one half of the value of the cargoes sent from the different presiden cies to China, but the recent treaties with that country have considerablyaltered the trade in that article. The present value of opium ex. ported from India amounts to upwards of 3,500,0001. The other principal articles shipped from Bengal to China are saltpetre, pearls, carnelians, coral, woollen and cotton manufactures of Europe, and rice.
The trade of Bengal with Er gland com prehends an immense variety of objects. The principal articles of import are various metals, foreign wine and spirits, beer, woollen and cotton cloths, cotton yarn, glass, and hard ware ; in return for which the exports are, silk and silk manufactures, indigo, sugar, salt petre, and lac-dye. Of these articles indigo is by far the most important, its value being equal to nearly one-half the total exports to Europe from the province. It is principally cultivated in Moorshedabad, Nuddea, and Jessore in Bengal, and Tirhoot in Baba; where there are altogether from 300 to 400 factories in operation. The cotton exported ,s not so much from Bengal as from other provinces. With the exception of the dis tricts on the eastern frontier, silk is grown in every part of the province of Bengal, and forms a considerable part of its exports ; nearly the whole quantity of raw silk that is shipped is sent to England, which likewise receives more than half of the silk fabrics exported from the province. Saltpetre is
another article of importance. Nearly seven eighths of the whole quantity shipped from the province come to Great Britain. This branch of trade is valuable, from its furnishing a material part of the freight of homeward bound ships, the weight and bulk of saltpetre being great in proportion to its money value, while the opposite condition holds with re gard to the greater part of the productions of India.
From France Bengal receives wine and brandy; the returns are principally made in saltpetre and indigo. To Portugal cotton piece-goods form the principal export ; the imports consist almost wholly of bullion and wine. A large part of the trade of Portugal with China has been carried on intermediately through Calcutta, where the Portuguese traders take in opium and cotton, the returns for which go direct from Canton to Portugal, or to the transatlantic possessions of that country. A trade nearly similar in its cha racter has been kept up between Bengal and Brazil, since the political separation of the latter country from Portugal. The United States of America take from Bengal silk, piece-goods, and indigo, with some other arti cles of Indian produce to a small amount ; and send in exchange specie, metals, manu factured goods, and ice.
Bengal exports to Java piece-goods and opium, and receives in return copper, Banat tin, pepper and spices. To Manilla cotton piece-goods are sent ; the returns are copper and silver from the South American mines, and a few trifling articles of fragrant woods and spices, the produce of the Philippine isles. From the Coromandel coast thank shells are brought, to a considerable value. These shells are employed by the Hindoos in their religious worship, and are cut into brace lets or worn round the ancle : payment for them is usually made in rice, and European goods. Ceylon supplies Bengal with cocoa nut oil, coir, a few pearls, some spices, and chank-shells; in return for piece-goods, sugar, silk, and rice. Teak timber, sandal-wood, coir, cocoa-nuts, and drugs, are received from Malabar ; which takes in payment piece-goods, metals and British woollens, with dates, raisins, coral and pearls. From the shores of the Persian Gulf Bengal receives Persian copper, almonds, dates, coffee, gums, pearls, coir, cocoa-nuts, pepper, and bullion ; the re turns are made in cotton piece-goods, silk goods, indigo, sugar, and grain. With the Mauritius, Bengal exchanges rice for pepper and spices. With the Moluccas and other eastern islands Bengal carries on a consider able trade. From the Burmese empire Ben. gal imports timber, gold and silver treasure, wax, sapan-wood, ivory, and drugs ; and ex ports thither British cotton goods, grain, in digo, sugar, and opium.
It is expected that a few productions from this far distant region will grace the Indus trial Exhibition of 1851.