Page:History of the Armenians in India.djvu/15

 helped to stimulate my antiquarian proclivities, I decided upon preparing a brief historical sketch in English of the various Armenian colonies in India. In January 189s I l^ft for Hyderabad (Deccan), visiting Bombay en route. During my short stay I copied all the inscriptions in the Armenian churchyard and the old cemetery at Bombay, and also some sequestered ones at BycuUa, its suburb, in the compound of a private dwelling-house.

On returning to Calcutta shortly afterwards, I had the happiness of forming the acquaintance of Mr. C. R. Wilson, M.A., Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy and Logic in the Presidency College, Calcutta, and Secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in connection with the valuable discovery referred to on pages 39 to 41, which had aroused his antiquarian enthusiasm. I may mention that he took the keenest interest in the excavation of the Old Fort of Calcutta in 1891, and took pains to locate the exact site of the historical Black Hole. The result of his discoveries will be found in an appendix to the latest edition of Newman & Co.'s Handbook to Calcutta, I am glad to embrace this opportunity of cordially thanking the erudite professor for his valuable assistance; for he was pleased to place at my disposal certain valuable extracts from the early records of the Hon'ble Elast India Company which are preserved in the ar- chives of the East India House in London. These extracts, now published for the first time, are of inesti-