1806 Monthly Directory of Bengal with Civil and Military Lists.

The Monthly Directory; or, Civil and Military List of Bengal, for January, 1806; with an Appendix for the Year. No 17. 1806. James Leary [Calcutta] 1806. 1st edition 8vo.

[iv title page, contents list & appendix], 78pp Civil List, & Bengal Military Establishment, 46pp Appendix for 1806, 11pp Chronological E vents, chiefly relating to the East Indies, xxvii List of Europeans in Bengal not in the service of His Majesty or the Honorable Company, [xvi The British Indian Almanac for the Year 1806]. x Civil Index &  Military Index [the latcter incomplete, ending with Travers, Thomas. There are also 7 folding tables, Pay & Allowances of King’s Troops, Pay & Allowances Officers of the Bengal Establishment, Postage Rates from Calcutta, Charges for Dawk Bangies, Batta Table, Polymetrical Table, & Charitable Fund.  Contemporary half leather with marbled paper covered boards, re-cased with original spine laid down, the title page has an old strengthening repair with some loss to the lower two inches and old writing to the rest, old library stamps to title and contents pages [see provenance below]. A scarce example of an early Bengal Directory from the reign of George III. The company’s troops at this time included 8 regiments of Cavalry, 1 regiment of European Infantry and 27 regiments of Native Infantry. King’s troops serving there were: 8th, 24th, & 25th Light Dragoons, and 17th, 22nd, 53rd, 67th, & 75th Regiments of Foot. It is recorded in Graham Shaw: Printing in Calcutta to 1800 began publishing in 1792 and announced the first number of this Directory in September 1804.. He died after a long illness in February 1808 do this could well be the last edition.      feb8/1

Provenance: Old bookplate of the Society of Antiquaries with official stamp of Sale by the Council. Beneath that is an 1894 presentation label of George Edward Cockayne, F.S.A. Clarenceaux King of Arms and between the labels is an earlier, indistinct signature.