BABU SURENDRA NATH AS A JOURNALIST. 155 and in the following year he established another Branch i School at Howrah. Both the Branches are doing well especially the one at Howrah. Babu Surendra Nath inspects these Branches every week, and takes part in the work of teaching. The number of pupils in the Main Institution and the Branches come up to nearly 2500 — a number that might form a small Uni- versity by itself. BABU SURENDRA NATH AS A JOURNALIST.— ORIGIN OF THE BENGALEE NEWSPAPER. It was in the year 1861, as we have already said in a previous chapter in the life of Mr. W. G Bon- nerjee Barrister-at-Law, the Bengalee newspaper was first ushered into existence under the fostering care and management of Mr. Bonnerjee and Babu Bacha- ram Chatterjee. The late Babu Grish Chunder Ghose, a valiant knight of the pen in those days and a collea- gue of Hurish Chunder Mukherjee, conducted the jour- nal for a period of nearly eight years after which Babu Bacharam Chatterjee, the late Deputy-Magistrate Babu Tara Prosad Chatterjee, the late Babu Rajkristo Mukherjee m.a.,b.l., and a host of other writers wrote for the paper and kept it afloat for a time. But it was in the year 1878, Babu Surendranath cast a longing look on the field of journalism, and he was the right man for it. Never before his time," a man having the advantage of an English training in Britain itself had taken to Indian journalism and with such a marked success as fell to the lot of Babu Surendra Nath. The praiseworthy ambition of serving his mother-country in this capacity became predominant in his mind as he rose in popular estimation by his unique powers of oratory ; and a splendid opportunity presented itself in his way. He heard that Babu Bacharam was will- ing to make over his journal to any competent person
