Part of Fort William and the Hooghly, Calcutta

This unusual view is taken from within the new Fort William, looking south-westwards over the Water Gate, with the Hooghly River to the right. The British were anxious that this great structure should not be so easily overwhelmed as the old Fort William in 1756, so sited it in the middle of a great esplanade, and seem to have discouraged views of its interior and fortifications. William Hodges was allowed to sketch the view of the town from the Water Gate for his great oil of 1781; the Daniells did not include the fort in their set of aquatints although it appears in William Baillie's 1794 set of Calcutta views.
For further information on the building of the new Fort Willliam see J.P. Losty; Calcutta City of Palaces, London, 1990, pp. 35-39.