The Sun.
London, England, 1821-10-06 00:00:00

16th instant, of your letter of the 22d May last, in Which you
convey to my the rlnvzh'itians.,6l the Society upon the subject of
my letter of the 16th November, 1818; and while I admit the
satisfaction which I have derived on public groiinds, from the
ready adoption of a plan, which being framed with a view to
the advancement of true religion, will, it is hoped, have the
blessing of God, I am bound, in justice to my personal feelings,
to acknowledge the high honour conferred upon me by the So-
ciety's unequivocal expression of their favourable opinion and
confidence ; it is also highly gratifying to me to learn from an-
other quarter, that the Society for Promoting Christian Know-
ledge, to whom, in conformity with your second resolution, the
plan was submitted, have as cordially approved it, and voted,
in like manner, £5OOO in furtherance of the object. •
I have now the pleasure to acquaint you, for the information
of the Society, that through the favour and distinguished
liberality of his Excellency the Marquess of Hastings, I have
obtained from the Supreme Government, a piece of land as a
site, which; in reference to the purpose contemplated, is.nat sur-
passed by any other whatever; in truth, it is the spot to which my
attention was strongly directed before I had ventured to indulge
the hope of obtaining it ; the papers inclosed will convey to you
some idea of its locality and form ; it has not yet been accii-
zately surveyed, but it will be found, I believe,.to contain about
twenty English acres ; its distance from Calcutta is hardly
three miles, and yet, by being on the opposite side of the river,
which is much wider than the Thames at Westminster, but
without any bridge, the College will afford to the Students all
the privacy and retirement which can be desired; at the same
time it will be aconspicuous object, presenting, itself to the no-
tice of our countrymen on their first approach to this capital. I
have every reason to hope that the situation will be' found
healthy ; that side of the river is generally preferred, and you
will observe that the College grounds will be open to the south,
the river in that reach lying nearly east and west. The benefit
of this position will be evident, when it is recollected, that dur-
ing the hot season, from March to September or October, the
wind blows-constantly from the southward. Close adjoining to
the westward,ia. the Honourable Company's botanic garden,
and to its beautiful and aleitly walks on the banks of the river
the Professors will, no doubt, have free access, with the further
advantage, in case of sudden illness, of medical aid close at '
hand, in the superintendant of the garden ; nor is it, perhaps,
to be altogether disregarded in an Establishment of this sort,
that the scenery is such:as to gratify and soothe the mind ; di-
rectly. in front of the College will be a fine expanse of water, on
which vessels are continually passing to or from Calcutta, and
on the opposite bank is the line of villas which adorn the garden
reach. .The ground slopes gently on both sides of the piece of
water, which is laid down on the eastern side of the plan ; and
this water, while it will be ornamental, will serve also as a drain;
and it can never stagnate, as it communicates with the river by a
sluice, so as to receive a fresh supply at every influx of the tide.
It may also be expected that the College Chapel will afford an
opportunity of attending the service of the Church to several of
the residents on that side of the water, who are at present pre-
cluded from it by the difficulty of crossing the river; they will
still, indeed, be at some distance, but by many, it may be
hoped, this will not be reg.arded. The Company's Solicitor
has been with me this morning to confer with me on the sub-
ject
of the conveyance ; a grant of the land either directly to the
Society, or to myself as their trustee, as may be found most
advisable will be completed without delay, and a counterpartshall be forwarded by the first opportunity.
But while I congratulate the Society on this highly prospe-
rous commencement, I must infbrm you, that the sum which I
mentioned in my letter of the 16th of November, 1818, as pro-
bably sufficient for the erection of the College, is found, on in-
euiry; which I could not so properly make at that period, to be
inadequate, although I am not yet enabled to state precisely
what will be required ; I haVe, however, requested an eminent
architect to furnishine with an estimate, and I will take case
that. economy be observedao far as may be cquipatible with the

.....
The person with whom I am about to contract, has the repu-
tation of being the ablest builder in Bengal ; and a militay'
gentleman, one of the Inspectors of Goveniment Buildings, will
from time to time report to me on the progress and execution of
the work : greater precaution,., therefore, is not possible. The
Buildings will consist of a Chapel, a Hall, and a Library, all of
them 60feet in length ; and a eentral Building containing stair-
cases, the whole measuring iv; l'ect, and forming the main
Building fronting the river: the two wings will be 150 feet each
in length, and II feet deep, containing accommodation for three
Professors, married ; one (newly arrived) Missionary, married ;
one Missionary, unmarried ; and 20 Students ; and proportion-
ally more Students, if any of the Professors and all the Atis-.
sionaries be single men. One or two rooms may also be ap-
pointed for lectures. A range of offices will be detached. The
Printing -house is not included ; but it will not be immediately
required ; there will be room in College to carry on the printing
for a year or two probably after the College is. opened. The
appearance of the whole from the river will be very striking ;
and such as the first Collegiate Institution founded in this coun-
try ought to exhibit.

It is not easy for the Society to estimate too highly, with re-
ference to the object, the value of the land (about 20 acres), of
which the Grant is inclosed. In point of situation it is every
thing that could be desired; and the builder assures me thata
firmer and drier spot is no where to be met with. The Khararia
mentioned in the Grant' is a quit-rent to the Government, of
little amount, and certain. The clauses of resumption, the So-
clay will perceive to be reasonable, and necessary on the part
of the Company ; 'and avy cannot operate, except in circum-
stances which would remitr the estate no longer of any use to
the Society.

I rejoice to hear that the contributions-raised by the King's
Letter. have been so. considerable ; and I have no doebt.tliat,
when the College is actually built and known to be in opera-
tion, it will find abundant support: