Oh, oh -- I think I made a bloomer. I didn't make myself clear when I wrote the following: **** The natives had sought and obtained the Company's permission to construct this ditch at their own expense, so that they could protect themselves from Mahratta looters. ***** (see my previous mail on this topic.) What really happened was like this: in 1742, Meer Habib joined hands with the invading Mahratta forces led by Bhaskar Rao and together they began to systematically destroy the Bengal countryside. Thereupon, the ''wretched inhabitants (locals) crowded into the foreign factories, and more especially to Calcutta, for protection from this storm, and the President [of the English factory] got permission of the Nabob to surround the Mahratta Company's territory with an intrenchment.'' THIS was the Ditch. NOW it is OK. Sorry for the confusion. ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India