The Portland daily press., 1896-05-06
SCENES IN iNDlAs NOTED CITY.
An Americans Impression of Calcutta and
Its NeighboraOod.

Calcutta Letter to tho Baltimore Sum-
Calcutta (taking it's name from the
ancient shrine of the goddess Kali) is
situated Fabout ninety miles from the
mouth of the Hoghly River, and, as the
navigation of this stream is attended
with many dangers, expert pilots, who
are at the head Of their procession, and
who draw large stipsnds, are employed
to guide ell steamers Cup and down the
ri YER.
The chief peril is known as "Jamea
and Mary" (from the name of a ship
that was wrecked at this point some
years ago), and the shoal thrown up by
two tidal currents meeting the broad
stream Of the Ganges causes, at low wat
er, frightfui Trip" which has often
torn the steering gear of ship to pieces
and flung her broadside on the sand
Even the best pilots do not dare to pass
this place at night time, ana must seek
to cross it as nearly as possible at high
water.
Nearer the mouth of the river Is
Saugor Island, where the Ganges runs to
sea out of the great delta formed by her
own flood and that of the Brahinapootra,
and am told that the forests of this
lonely place abound with tigers of a
largo and ferocious kind.
1t has been little over 200 years since
the East India Company first establishe
Its factory at Calcutta and on the Gath
OF August. 1890. the English flag was
hoisted by the noted Job Charnock.
Twenty years afterward its population
was only 1000, and now it is not very
far from 100000.
The Calcutta Of our day is modern in
all of its improvements. and the famous
Black Hole, the Maratha Ditch and other
historic spots that we associate with the
names of Charnock, Hamilton, Give
and Warren Hastings have lost their
identity, and the ground that witnessed
scenes that thrilled the world is covered
by magnificent public buildings.
The Government House, a noble pal
acres, with central building, contains
handsome suites of reception and enter
tanning rooms, conpected By galleries
with four outlying blocks, in which are
the private apartments of the Viceroy and
his household. the Town Hall
the Legislative Council Chamber,
the High Court, the Treasury, and the
| the Imperial Museum, the Geological Gar
dens, and the Fort william are all evil
dences of British influence, which has
shaped the appearance as we'll az the gov
| ernment vf Calcutta according to the no
tion OF John Bull.
The most noted antiquity in the city,
| perhaps, is the Kali Chat, where Kali,
or "the Black One" who is supposed to
| be furious goddess, h1deous in features,
dripping with blood, with necklace OF
human skulls has held her shrine and
greeted her worshippers for ages past
| She is thought to send pestilence and
| famine, and, as she is only appeased by
blood, during the fearful famine in 1866,
| human heads decked with flowers were
found before her altar.
This is the only place of public wor-
ship for Hindus In Calcutta, and on re-
| ligious festivals thousands of natives re-
pair to the shrine of Kali, sacrifice goes
| on continually, and CHATS and tanks are
crowded with bathers.
| In this connection allow me to speak of
the burning CHAT OH the banks of the
| Hooghly, where the Hindus oremats their
dead.
The pyre is laid in dry wood, mingled
| sometimes with sandalwood for it's fra
GRANGE. The corpse Is placed at full
length on the pile, and covered over with
more wood, the head and feet only being
visible. Passages from the sacred books
are read by the officiating priest The
eldest son OF nearest relative, having
walked three times around the pyre,
b ind y, txua or+ l.
body is reduced to ashes, which are cast
into the river. AS we watched the smoke
ascending from several pyres, the rela-
tives of the dead solemnly and quietly,
with bowed heads stood nearby.
In my walks I visited noble speci-
men of the banyan tree. 1t sends down
aerial roots, striking into the ground,
make fresh branches and rootletS, until
a colonnade of living pillars is formed,
oanopied with a roof of green.
The name of this tree is aswattha, and
| an old writing says that he who knows
the aswattha knows human life, for the
| tree is an emblem of the life of man,
| who, growing to maturity in the air and
sunlight Of the sense-world, throws forth
ever and ever new roots to bind himself
more and more to the earth and its al
| lurementS. "-
| These wonderful outspreading banyan n
trees adorn many of the private grounds
in and around Calcutta, and in their re-
freshing shade the family can be seen
during the pleasant days gathered about
| the lunch table
The Botanical Gardens, which are sit
uated beyond the village Of Seebpur, on
the bank Of the Ganges. contain, perhaps,
| the finest banyan tree In the world.
| Noarly every American and English
school child is neutrality-suspicious. picture
of this superb tree, and it is regarded the
greatest glory Of these famous gardens.
A Though 1t Is only 100 years old, Its
trunk is more than 30 feet in circumfer
snoe, and over 300 air roots have descend
ed to the earth from Its mighty linn bs,
Its outside measurement is more thar
! 500 feet in circumference.
Those who are interested In archaeolo
gy will visit. with interest. the valuable
contents Of the Indian Imperial Museum
which was founded by the Asiatic Socie
ty, whose journals are the source from