There are two other matters which must be mentioned before this Chapter is closed, although they do not concern the exterior or the interior of the Building and they are

In regard to the former there can be no doubt that it has come down from the days of the three Serampore Missionaries as it is altogether unique. The flagon is more like a jug of the present day and is very heavy. It is very large and was evidently designed to meet the requirements of a large Church. The sketch on the previous page shows it off.

The tradition regarding it is that it was given to Dr. Carey by Government for use in the new Chapel after the Chapel was opened to condone for the part taken by the Magistrate in hindering the erection of the building. It is a very handsome and valuable Communion Set, in fact so much so that it so attracted the attention of the Hon'ble Mr. John Wanamaker when in Calcutta in 1902 that he had a replica set made from it by Messrs. Solomon and Co. for which he had to pay over Rs. 800. The various articles are of pure silver. It is a duplicate of the set presented by the East India Company to St. John's Church, of which there is a sketch in the Rev. Mr. Hyde's book, The Parish of Bengal.

The entries in the Minute Book about the introduction of the Harmonium are about as interesting as those about the introduction of punkahs, and about seven years also intervened before the Church agreed to the proposal. Here are the entries:

24th August 1854.-It was decided to send a Circular to all the members relative to the suggestion to introduce a Harmonium into the Chapel.

21st September.-The greater number of members being against the introduction of a Harmonium it was allowed to lie over.

26th June 1861.-It was determined to submit to the whole Church by Circular the proposal to introduce a Harmonium, towards the purchase of which Rs. 525 had been promised, and unless two-thirds of the members supported the proposal it would be rejected.

24th July. The voting being in favor of the introduction of the Harmonium, one was presented to the Church by the principal subscribers.

This Harmonium, which is still in the Parsonage and is very sweet-toned, did duty till 1885 when the following entries occur.

18th February 1885.-It was decided to collect money for the purchase of a new Harmonium for the Chapel to replace the one that had been in use 25 years.

25th March. It was reported that a new American Organ had been purchased for Rs. 550, and this instrument is still in use so that it also has held out very well.

THE PARSONAGE.

In May 1886, Mr. Dear sent sufficient money and timber to construct a South verandah to the Parsonage, but the construction of a two-storeyed bathroom at the West end of the house was deferred. Jhilmils were subsequently put to the above South verandah by the Pastor years afterwards.

In 1907 the Pastor had the floors of the lower rooms and verandahs all raised and some were laid with patent stone and others with marble tiles so that it has a very pretty appearance. There is, however, no electric installation.

CHAPTER XLIX.

THE COOLY BAZAR (OR HASTINGS) CHAPEL.

COOLY BAZAR is a Suburb of Calcutta. It is said that it derived this name from the number of coolies employed in the construction of the present Fort, which took several years to complete. These coolies formed a regular village down there. In course of time a Government colony was formed consisting chiefly of Warrant Officers and Conductors of the Ordnance and Commissariat Departments, and, in addition, there are now men nected with the Harbour Master's Department. This suburb is now generally known as Hastings owing to its proximity to Hastings Bridge, which was built in 1833 and is so named in honor of the Marquis of Hastings.

con

At the very outset of the work started by the missionaries in Calcutta, some of the members of the Church and adherents lived there. They used to have meetings in each other's houses, or attend those at the Fort, or even come to Calcutta; and the missionaries and the Native Preachers used to go and conduct services there.

The Rev. Wm. Robinson used to do so once a week, but it was probably in a private house as no mention is made of even a Bungalow Chapel, as those structures were termed in those days.

But by degrees the numbers residing at Cooly Bazar increased so that it was only in the usual course of things that on the 11th August 1842, some of the members expressed a strong desire to have a small Chapel erected there for the accommodation of the members and others resident in that vicinity. A Sub-Committee was accordingly appointed to report on the desirableness and practicability of the scheme. This Sub-Committee comprised Messrs. May (better known as Captain May), Mendes, Hassell, Floyd, Page (afterwards Rev. J. C. Page), Reid, Burgess and Ryper.

The Sub-Committee apparently did not lose much time in the matter, for, on the 21st of the same month, a meeting was convened to consider their report. As this report was favorable and encouraged the Church to proceed, they were requested to make the necessary arrangements for erecting a Chapel. On the 8th September 1842, the Sub-Committee asked the Church to advance them Rs. 200 as a loan until the necessary funds for the erection of the Chapel could be realized by an application to the public and this was agreed to. On the 5th January 1843 Mr. Page resigned the Office of Secretary to the Sub-Committee.

As matters were advancing we find that on 12th February 1843, the following gentlemen were requested to act as a Committee to conduct the services at Cooly Bazar, viz., Messrs. Gray, Irvine, Mendes, Floyd, Hassell, Mendies, Thompson, D. H. Chill, P. Anslam, Thomas, DeMonte, Shem and Ram Hurree and of these Mr. Floyd and Mr. Chill were requested to converse with the Independents about their Chapel at Cooly Bazar and report to the Church. On the 9th March it was stated that the building of the Chapel was commenced.

At this stage it becomes necessary to give details of the work that was being carried on by the Independents in Cooly Bazar and the following details are taken from the Calcutta Christian Observer of November 1856 in which it is stated that their labors commenced in the year 1830 when the Rev. James Hill, Pastor of Union Chapel, established a week-day service, which was conducted in the house of a Mr. James Hill. A small bungalow was afterwards rented for the purpose of Divine Worship. As the congregation continued to increase in the year 1837 a Bungalow Chapel was erected. This being a frail and inexpensive building in the year 1843, the Rev. J. H. Parker with the co-operation of the residents and others, began to take measures for erecting a pucca Chapel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the Independents at the very time (1843) that the Baptists were erecting a pucca Chapel also conceived the idea of constructing a pucca Chapel to replace their

Bungalow Chapel of 1837 and thus the two Denominations at one and the same time were engaged in raising funds for the construction of pucca Chapels. The Baptist one was opened on the 2nd November 1843, while the Independent one was not opened till the 1st January 1847.

But we have gone too far and must retrace our steps a little.

On the 11th August (1843) it was reported that the building of the Cooly Bazar Chapel was completed, so the Committee was instructed to inspect the building and prepare for the day of opening. It was accordingly settled on the 5th October that the Chapel should be opened (D.V.) on the first Thursday of November which was the 2nd of that month.

The following account of the opening of this Chapel at Cooly Bazar is taken from the Calcutta Christian Observer of January

1844

:

NEW CHAPEL AT COOLY BAZAR.

2

A very neat Chapel, and a School-house in connection with this Church has been recently erected in the Cooly Bazar, where there is a prospect of much usefulness among the natives. The Chapel was opened on Thursday the 2nd November, when an appropriate sermon was preached by Sujaat Ali in Hindustani. The Rev. Messrs. Leslie and Pearce were present and the attendance was very numerous, so that many were compelled to stand outside the building. The Chapel, School-room and Teacher's house have cost about Rs. 1,200, towards which the Jubilee Fund Committee kindly contributed Rs. 300. (This was the amount the Church had raised in 1842 towards the Mission Jubilee Fund.) The remainder has been obtained from various Christian friends, through the exertions of the members of the Lall Bazar Church. To all these dear friends our best thanks are presented, whilst our earnest prayer is that this new effort to extend the means of grace may be crowned with the Divine blessing. A collection was made which realized Rs. 81."

Miss Gonsalves, the oldest member of the Church, recollect being present at that opening service, and a gentleman still living who was born in Cooly Bazar, remembers being taken when a small boy by his father to that Chapel. His father being connected with the Ordnance Department resided at Cooly Bazar at that