Barrackpore

Barrackpore, or Barrackpur, a subdivision and its capital, in Bengal, on the Hooghly, 16 miles N.N.E. of Calcutta. The Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal has a residence here, as have many Europeans, owing to the healthiness of the climate. The cantonments, established in 1772, probably gave the place its name, and are occupied by a strong force. The mutiny of 1857 first broke out in them. Hindus make up half the population, the rest being Mohammedans and Christians.