Job Charnock would pass through the area of Batanagar; there was a large tree under which he would rest and smoke his hookah. Many traders would gather in the shade of that tree. So enamored was he by the shade of that tree that he decided to establish his factory right there. The three villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata were bought outright and began to be settled. Later, for the sake of trade, people of various races came and settled, and gradually Calcutta grew into a bustling city.

The city of Calcutta began in the year 1689. Three years later, Job Charnock died. At that time, the Maidan and Chaurangi were jungles. Where the Permit Office now stands, there was once a fort, and the place now called Clive Street was where all the trading took place.

Earlier, Calcutta was plagued by terrible epidemics, so much so that the English, to ward them off, would gather every year on the 15th of November and recite their Tuesday prayers together.

One of the chief virtues of the English is that wherever they live, they keep the place exceedingly clean. As Calcutta gradually became tidier, the incidence of disease also steadily declined—but the Bengalis, even after all this, refuse to understand. To this day, there is such a ditch near Lakshmipati’s house that the stench makes it unbearable to go near!

The administration of Calcutta’s goods, courts, and criminal justice—these three responsibilities—used to rest on a single Englishman. Under him served a Bengali official, and this Englishman was called the ‘zamindar’. Later, to curb the excesses of various courts and the growing influence of the English, a Supreme Court was established; and the duties of the police were separated and began to run smoothly. In 1798, Sir John Richardson and others were appointed as Justices of the Peace. Afterwards, in 1800, Mr. Blacquire and others were assigned to that post.

The orders of those who became Justices of the Peace were enforced throughout the land. Those who were only magistrates, and not Justices of the Peace, needed the help of the local court to issue orders beyond their own jurisdiction. For this reason, many magistrates in the mofussil have recently become Justices of the Peace.

It has been about four years since Mr. Blacquire died. People say he was born of an English father and a Brahmin mother. He received his early education here, and later went to England for further study. When he was appointed Police Magistrate, his authority shook the very city of Calcutta—everyone trembled in fear. After some time, he gave up the work of investigation and arrests, and focused solely on adjudication. He was a master of judgment, for he understood the language, customs, and all the subtle nuances of this country—he knew the criminal law by heart, and having served as an interpreter in the Supreme Court for many years, he had acquired excellent knowledge of how to conduct a case.

Time flows like water—before one