Bangladesh District Records Dacca District Vol.I (1784-1787)

Abstract

Why this book of historical documents ? Our intention is to provide students, researchers, general readers with the very basic raw materials of history. To readers it gives an opportunity to consult the original sources of history-and draw their oWn conclusions about the events, institutions and ideas without their dependence on other people’s interpretations. Thus they can afford to remain completely free from the influence of those historians who tend to distort facts to please their own fancies and eccentricities. We are, however, aware that the documents embodied in this volume alone cannot supply the seekers of .historical truth with all the necessary information. Together with other cross sources and artifacts these documents may at .best provide significant links with the events. It is the credit of the Company’s Government that they had meticulously preserved the proceedings of their day to day administration, particularly the official correspondence that passed between the Central Government and the local authorities. The correspondence between the Dacca Collectors and other authorities are now preserved at the Dacca Secretariat Record Room. The documents in this volume are selected from the copy books of correspond6nce preserved at the Dacca Secretariat Record Room. In making selections of documents I was always confronted with the most difficult task. For, records are so voluminous and so varied in nature that it was really difficult to decide w h a t to select and what not .to. But I have always tried to select only those documents which throw light directly or indirectly on the spirit and motives of Government policies, social and economic problems of the district. Records were copied in verbatim. The language was not modernized by making necessary alterations in punctuations, spellings a11^ sentence'structure. ‘Sic’ within parenthesis has been ySed where meaning of any individual word or sentence seemed too confusing or misleading. The object behind was to provide the historical researchers with the ‘untouched’ original sources and the linguistic researchers with the samples of eighteenth century English in India. For this work 1 wish to acknowledge my greatest indebtedness totne University Grants Commission for funding the Project. Without the Commission’s generous grant this multi-volume project would never have been materialised. The late Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury and Professor A. B. M. Habibullah, the former Chairmen of the UGC, had taken very active interest in this project. I express my utmost gratitude to both of them. I am equally grateful to all the Research Assistants whose services to the success of this project cannot be measured in words, particularly the] services of Mr. Ratan Lai Chakraborty whose attachment to this project was no less sentimental than mine. My departmental colleagues were always eager to see this work come out as quickly as possible. I sincerely thank all of them for their good wish and co-operation. I am also deeply indebted to the staff members of the Dacca Secre' tariat Record Room. I thankfully remember the service of Mr. Sirajul Huq Mia who was so kind to type all tne volumes of the project. Last but not the least I am thankful to the Dacca University authority for sponsoring this project and publishing the multi-volume report. I hope the publication of the remaining volumes will be expedited.