Page:Twelve men of Bengal in the nineteenth century (1910).djvu/252

220 in Bengal can show so long and distinguished a record of public usefulness and benevolence. Tracing back its origin to the legendary days of King Adisur, it claims descent from one of the five Brahmin priests whom that king sent for from Kanouj to restore Brahminism in Bengal. From the earliest days of recorded history, the family has held a prominent position, famed for its learning, its wealth and its integrity. Settled for many generations in Jessore, the first to take up his permanent residence on the banks of the Hooghly was Panchanana, who was also the first of his family to receive the title of Thakur, which his descendants in its corrupted form of Tagore have ever since continued to bear. It was in Govindpur, one of the villages destined later to develop into the great city of Calcutta, that Panchanana settled, a choice of domicile that was to prove fortunate for his family in the next generation. Here he first came into close contact with the English and, eager to obtain the advantages that close association with them promised, he secured the appointment of amin of the 24-Perganas for his son Joyram Tagore. It was a responsible and important post in those days, involving the conduction of all the settlement operations in the district as well as the collection of the revenue. The capture of Calcutta by Seraj-ud-dowlah threatened to overwhelm the rising family fortunes, all their possessions being lost during the Mussulman occupation