Page 247 - Eye of the beholder

COUNCIL HOUSE CALCUTTA [II, ORIENTAL SCENERY, 3] JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 1798 AQUATINT WITH HAND-COLOURING
By the end of the 18th century, Calcutta had become a flourishing city with many neo-classical public buildings flanking the north side of the Esplanade. The Council House was erected in 1764, and served originally both for the meetings of the Company's Council, which ran the affairs of Bengal, and also as the Governor's residence. It is the principal place at the Presidency of Bengal, where the affairs of the English east India Company were transacted. Public institutions along the Row include the new Court House, Supreme Court, old Government House and Council House was demolished in 1799. The house with pillars namely the Accountant General’s Office has a verandah or an open corridor, a model of building meant for utility in tropical climates. The roofs of the houses in Calcutta were generally terraced, which was used as a promenade for walking by family members at the time of sunset. This part of the city was also illustrated in the early views of Calcutta.
It has the view of a busy street, dominated by colonial buildings on the right side. At the extreme right can be seen native Indian leading a horse and in front of him are three men with bare upper bodies and carrying guns that rest on their shoulder. The two buildings one fronting the street and the other behind within the same premises has interesting architectural details. The latter building is one storied and has large green coloured wooden slat windows crowned by a circular arch and ending with a parapet wall, comprising of cement balusters that encircles the terrace. The former building is also one storied and has a simple parapet wall enclosing the terrace and similar green wooden slat windows, with the exception that the round arch within which the windows are framed has at its centre a prominent key stone. Different in its treatment are the corners or the angles of the walls of this building, which are reinforced with stone slabs placed adjacent to each other and one above the other, in a typical characteristic of Palladian buildings ubiquitous in Britain. In front of the high fence wall fronting these two buildings can be seen two men riding elephants at right, and the elephants are goaded to move fast by an Englishman, identified as such as his footwear is distinct and his head is shielded by a cap. To the right of the elephants can be seen the bullock cart and behind it three women carrying water pots and a child amongst them. Towards the centre is a rider on the horse and towards the left a group of men loading bundles on the back of the bullocks’.
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