Hooghly Mohsin College Know About Hooghly Mohsin College

Further is the Hooghly College, a fine doubled storied building within a large compound which is walled in on three sides and has the river on the east, the garden contain the plants which have been culotivated from the time when Dr Watt was professor of Botany here. The building as several large rooms, is one of which then is a valuable library, and a broad flight of steps down to the river. The College was established from the accumulated surplusf the Mohsin Fund, and according to a stone tablet in the Entrance hall was opened on 1st August 1836. The present building was occupied in 1837, having been bought with three bighas of land between March & July of that year. It was built by M.Perron, the French General of Scindia *(The Calcutta gazette of 10th October 1805contains and advertisement offering for sale "the house at Chinsurah now nearly finished built by the order of General Perron, leaving for Europe) who reside at Chandanangore for a year and ahallf (1803 - 1805) was purchased fr the Jogmohan Seal, who had brought it in execution of a decree against Babu Pran Kissen Halder. At last Pran Kissen Halder, the Zamindar came into the presence of that property. babu Pran Kissen Halder used to give nautches and entertainment, in it, and who in 1828 countributed Rs. 13000/- for the masonary bridge over the Saraswati Bridge at Tribeni. He was ultimately convicted of forgery and sentenced to transportation for 14 years. The Seal family of Chinsurah ( now represented by Babu Barajendra Kumar Seal. a retired District Judge has lent him money on mortgage of the house, and when it was sold at an auction sale of the Civil Court in 1834 bought it up. The Seals sold it in 1837 to government for Rs.20,000/-

The endowment left by Haji Mohammad Mohis (A.D.1732 - 1812 ) also played an important role in the spread of Education in the Hooghly District. During his life time he had founded a madrasa which after his death,was amalgamated with the Imambarah School started and maintain from the proceeds of the trust properties. Following mismanagement of the trust properties, Government took over the administration of the fund in 1832 and established the Hooghly Mohsin College in August 1836. It started with two Department English and Arabic, the formenr admitted students who had to passed the Entrance examination and the latter any Muslim for advance studies in Arabic, Persian and Islamic Theology and Law.Under the first regulation of the Calcutta University the college was affiliated upto the M.A and Law examination until 1916 when under the second regulation, allt eh post graduate classes were discountinued. ( See page 523 of Hooghly gazeteer October 1972).

The Mohammedan have a hostel in a large block south of the College, while the Hindu students live in a hostel, erected in 1903, on the extreme south of the maiden and in several hired houses near the courts.

The College ranked next in important to the Presidency College and among its alumni are men like that the late Mr Justice Dwarkanath Mitra and Mr Amir Ali. The Finance Committee of 1886 advocated its abolition, and in 1891, it was decide that, if possible the college should be handed over to local contract. This steps was not taken, last it was agreed tat in future the ftaff should consist entirely of men recruited in India. This decision was carried into effect 1896. In 1899 the memorial signed by large number of Zamindar, retired Government servents, the High Court Pleader and formern pupils,was submitted to Government requesting that some at least of the staff of the college might br member of he Indian Educational services. As result of this memorial, Sir John Wood burn, the then Lieutenant General order that arrangement should, if possible, be made by which the services of a member of the Indian educational services is a European officer with the degree of a English University should be made available for the post of the Proncipal. The Administration of the College is entrusted to a governing body with the Commissioner as the President and the Principal as Secretary. The fees are Rs.6/- a month, but a Mohammedan pay only half that sum, the balance being met from the Mohsin Fund.The College has a valuable library of old book. The number of Student of its rol on 31.03.1909 was 117