Extraordinary Adventures.
Perhaps the human mind can have no entertainment at once more congenial and more useful to it, then such stories as compose the following article; stories of extraordinary distresses, and wonderful deliverances. In the former part our humanity is cultivated; in the latter is inspired a spirited hope and a trust in Providence, which may enable us to act with resolution in the trying emergencies of life. They have the effect which Aristotle attributes to good tragedy, in correcting the passions by terror and pity. They give us striking examples of the resources in which ingenious distress is fruitful; and instances as remarkable of magnanimity and virtue, sometimes even in rude minds, and where it might least be expected. For these reasons we have not confined ourselves wholly to the publications of the last year, for narratives of that kind, but have collected from those of the preceding, such as we thought most memorable.
A genuine narrative of the sufferings of the persons who were confined in the prison called the Black Hole, in Fort William at Calcutta, in the kingdom of Bengal, after the surrender of that place to the Indians in June 1756, from a letter of J. Z. Holwell, Esq. to William Davis, Esq.
The ill conduct of Drake, the late governor of Calcutta, who had, among other things, unjustly imprisoned a very considerable merchant of the country, whose name was Omychund, and who was a Gentoo, having drawn the resentment of the viceroy upon the factory, he marched against it in person, with a very considerable force, and laid siege to the fort.
Drake, who had brought on this misfortune, no sooner saw it approach, than he deserted his station, and left the gentlemen of the factory and the garrison to shift for themselves. As soon as Drake was gone, Mr. Holwell, from whose letter this account is taken, took the command upon himself, and resolved to defend the place as long as he was able. This voluntary opposition of Mr. Holwell incensed the viceroy against him; and, supposing that he would not have undertaken a work of supererogation, attended with such fatigue and danger, upon disinterested principles, he made no doubt but that there were very great treasures in the fort, in which he was deeply concerned as a proprietor; he therefore pushed on the siege with great vigour.
A very good account of the whole transaction is given by Mr. Holwell himself, in the following manner.
"The suba, or viceroy of Bengal, and his troops, were in possession
