A veil of mist fades away as it approaches the coast of Bengal. In the rising dawn, the country of tigers and Maharajas awakes to the call of the Muezzin of Dhaka. In the surrounding affluent villages the rhythmic clackety-clack of the looms already fills the alleys of Jangalbari, Bajitpour and Sonargaon. Caravans slowly roll towards India carrying among their loads trunks of Jamdani, “jewel” cloths for the Mogul Emperor.
The bay of Calcutta welcomes “Colbert” vessels chartered by the Compagnie Francaise des Indes Orientales. The burning piers are frantically busy. The ships holds are being filled with “Muslin” and other finest Bengal fabrics. Within a few months the silks and cottons, some more precious than the others, will sparkle like a thousand fires at the court of Louis XIV. The whole of Europe praises the skill of the weavers of Dhaka and is overawed by the