around.  M. d’Albert says that these houses were large and convenient, but chiefly of one story only, built along avenues of fine trees, or along the handsome quay.  D’Albert also mentions a chapel in the Fort,[13] the churches of the Jesuits and the Capucins, and some miserable pagodas belonging to the Hindus, who, owing to the necessity of employing them as clerks and servants, were allowed the exercise of their religion.  In his time the Europeans numbered about 500.  There were besides some 400 Armenians, Moors[14] and Topasses, 1400 to 1500 Christians, including slaves, and 18,000 to 20,000 Gentiles, divided, he says, into 52 different castes or occupations.  It is to be supposed that the European houses had improved in the thirty years since d’Albert’s visit; at any rate many of those which were close to the Fort now commanded its interior from their roofs or upper stories, exactly as the houses of the leading officials in Calcutta commanded the interior of Fort William.  No other fact could be so significant of the security which the Europeans in Bengal believed they enjoyed from any attack by the forces of the native Government.  The site of the Fort is now covered with native huts.  The Cemetery still remains and the Company’s Tank (now known as Lal Dighi), whilst Kooti Ghat is the old landing-place of Fort d’Orleans.

As regards the European population at the time of the siege we have no definite information.  The Returns drawn up by the French officials at the time of the capitulation do not include the women and children or the native and mixed population.  The ladies,[15] and it is to be presumed the other women also, for there is no mention of women during the siege, retired to the Dutch and Danish settlements at Chinsurah and Serampore a few days before, and the native population disappeared as soon as the British army approached.  The Returns therefore show only 538 Europeans and 66 Topasses.  The Governor or Director, as already mentioned, was Pierre Renault:  his Council consisted of MM.  Fournier, Caillot, Laporterie, Nicolas, and Picques.  There were 36 Frenchmen of lesser rank in the Company’s service, as well as 6 surgeons.  The troops were commanded by M. de Tury and 10 officers.  There were also 10 officers of the French East India Company’s vessels, and 107 persons of sufficient importance for their parole to be demanded when the Fort fell.  Apparently these Returns do not include those who were killed in the defence, nor have we any definite information as to the number of French sepoys, but Eyre Coote[16] says there were 500.

The story of the siege is to be gathered from many accounts.  M. Renault and his Council submitted an official report; Renault wrote many letters to Dupleix and other patrons or friends; several of the Council and other private persons did the same.[17] M. Jean Law, whose personal experiences we shall deal with in the next chapter, was Chief of Cossimbazar, and watched the siege, as it were, from the outside.