Fine contemporary map of Calcutta, illustrating the City at the time of the Siege of Calcutta.

The map includes 14 points of interest relating to the Siege.

The map is extremely rare -- this being the first example we have ever seen on the market.

There would seem to be 2 versions of the map, this being the one with P. Haas Sculp. at the bottom right corner. The two would seem to be different copper plates, both rare on the market.

The Siege of Calcutta

The Siege of Calcutta was a battle between the British East India Company, and Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal in India. The Nawab aimed to recapture the city of Calcutta from European control, after tensions had risen due to the East India Company building fortifications in case of French attack as part of the Seven Years' War.

The British were unprepared for the attack on June 20, 1756. Fort William, which contained the entire European population of the city, fell almost immediately, leaving the city in Indian hands. Many of the British prisoners were held in a prison called the 'Black Hole' shortly afterwards, with many deaths.

Mughal Library