t where the Empire
Theatre is built. In the very early years it was a favourite boarding
house known as 13, Chowringhee, and was always full of young people;
latterly it was, I think, occupied by Colonel Wilkinson,
Inspector-General of Police, who married a daughter of Dr. Woodford,
Police Surgeon, all of whom were well known in Calcutta society. I
must not forget to say that these two houses formed a _cul-de-sac_ and
that on the other side as far as I remember was bustee land. I have
also an indistinct recollection that the right-hand side going east
from Chowringhee Road as far as the gateway of Gartner & Newson's old
establishment was the northern boundary-wall of the compounds of the
three boarding houses in Chowringhee kept by Mrs. Monk prior to the
formation of the Grand Hotel and in which they became subsequently
incorporated.

THE GRAND HOTEL.

The nucleus of this very imposing structure consisted of five houses
facing Chowringhee, inclusive of the three just referred to and two to
the south, Nos. 16 and 17, which are clearly shown in the photograph.
The former is the present main entrance to the hotel in which are
located on the ground floor a billiard saloon, bar and lounge for the
convenience of people attending the Theatre Royal, and No. 17 stands
further to the south at the extreme south-west end of the hotel next
to Mitchell & Co.'s shop. These two houses were once occupied by an
institution called the Calcutta Club, and were connected with each
other by a plank bridge. The members of the club were merchants,
brokers, public service men and sundry. It was quite a nice sort of
place, in some respects similar to the Bombay Club, and was managed by
Colonel Abbott, father of the late F.H. Abbott, Superintendent of the
Horticultural Gardens, Alipur.

[Illustration: _Photo. by Bourne & Shepherd_ Grand Hotel.]

[Illustration: The five houses in Chowinghee that formed the nucleus
of the Grand Hotel.]

[Illustration: _Photo by Johnston & Hoffmann_. W. Leslie & Co's
premises, Chowinghee]

[Illustration: W. Leslie & Co.'s premises, Chowringhee _Photo, by
Johnston & Hoffmann, Calcutta_.]

It carried on for some considerable time after my arrival, but
eventually there was a split in the cabinet and it was wound up. The
houses were afterwards, I think, let out in residential flats and
boarding houses, and at one time No. 16 was converted into the Royal
Hotel by Mr. Jack Andrews, former proprietor of old Spen