CHAPTER VIII EARLY HISTORY; BENGAL AND THE BAY
" Thus the midday halt of Charnock— more's the pity ! Grew a city." Kipling, Departmental Ditties. A Tale of two Cities.
The Company's first factory in that part of India, which until 1 912 was under the Government of Bengal, was at Patna. It was started by Robert Hughes, on 3rd July, 1620, and closed on 13th Sept., 1 62 1. Hughes was one of the Factors sent from Surat to Agra, whence he went on to Patna ; and the estabhshment of this early factory had no connection with the Bay, or with the gradual settlement of the Enghsh in Bengal proper.*
Foster f gives the following account of the first Enghsh visit to and settlement in Orissa. In the spring of 1633 two Enghsh merchants, Cartwright and CoUey, and six Enghsh sailors, among whom was WiUiam Bruton, quartermaster of the Hopewell, who pubhshed an account of the journey, { left MasuUpatam in a country ship for the northwards. On Easter day, 21st April, they reached " Harssapoore," or Harispur, in the Mahanadi delta. Cartwright and the other Enghshmen started on 27th April for Cuttack, to visit Agha Muhammad Zaman, who had lately suc- ceeded Baqir Khan as Subadar or Viceroy of Orissa. From him they obtained, on 5th May, a parwana to trade free of custom, and to build houses and ships. They returned to Hariharpur, half- way between Cuttack and Harispur, and summoning the other Englishmen from Harispur, proceeded to build a factory at Hariharpur. On i6th June, Cartwright and two others started for Balasore, leaving in charge at Hariharpur CoUey, who died there on 25th Aug. The factors at Masulipatam, where John Norris was
- Foster, English Factories in India, 1618-21, pp. xxiii, xxiv.
f Ihid. 1630-33, pp. XXX, xxxii.
t See note to Chap. V, The Legend of Gabriel Boughton.
