Asiatic Gallery, BAKER STREET BAZĀR, PORTMAN SQUARE. GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF HINDOSTĀN, DISPLAYING THE SCENERY OF THE HOOGLY, THE BHĀGĪRATHĪ, AND THE GANGES, FROM FORT WILLIAM, BENGAL, TO GANGOUTRĪ, IN THE HIMALAYA. BY [Illustration] _Visitors to the Diorama are allowed to inspect_ THE MUSEUM. London: PUBLISHED AT THE ASIATIC GALLERY, BAKER STREET BAZĀR. _Price One Shilling._ Entered at Stationers’ Hall. THE DIORAMA OF HINDOSTĀN Has been Painted by Mr. PHILIP PHILLIPS; The FIGURES and ANIMALS by Mr. LOUIS HAGHE; The SHIPPING by Mr. KNELL. The whole of the Scenes of the Diorama have been arranged by Lieutenant Colonel LUARD, from his own original and unpublished sketches, taken during a residence of fourteen years in India; aided by the kindness of friends, who have placed at his disposal the original sketches of The late Sir CHARLES D’OYLY, Bart., The late JAMES PRINSEP, Esq., The late Captain PRINSEP, The late Colonel EDWARD SMITH, Major WHITE, WILLIAM PRINSEP, Esq., GEORGE CHINNERY, Esq., WELBY JACKSON, Esq., and the Author of “Wanderings of a Pilgrim, during Four-and-Twenty Years, in the East.” LIST OF PLATES. NO. PAGE 1 Fort William, Bengal 9 2 Prinsep’s Ghāt 11 3 The Fakīr 16 4 Barrackpore 24 5 The Elephant Establishment 27 6 Sīckrī-Galī 32 7 The Foolish Fakīr 35 8 The Minarets 42 9 The Satī 58 10 Hurdwar 62 11 Simla—The Conical Hill 65 12 Gangoutrī 67 INTRODUCTION. In the month of October, 1589, a body of English merchants addressed a memorial to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth, requesting licence to equip three ships for the purpose of trading to the East Indies: this request appears to have been favourably received, and in 1591 the first English commercial voyage was commenced in three vessels. It proved a disastrous one; but considerable experience was obtained, and the ardour of the English merchants was but little damped by the result.