Considering that Calcutta Cathedral was built in 1840; that it was
designed by an Engineer officer, and not by an architect; that its
"Gothic" is composed of cast-iron and stucco instead of stone, it
is really not such a bad building. The great size of its interior
gives it a certain dignity, and owing to the generosity of the
European community, it is most lavishly adorned with marbles,
mosaics, and stained glass. It possesses the finest organ in Asia,
and a really excellent choir, the men Europeans, the boys being
Eurasians. These small half-castes have very sweet voices, with a
curious and not unpleasing metallic timbre about them. At evening
service in the cathedral, should one ignore such details as the
rows of electric punkahs, the temperature, and the dingy
complexions of the choir-boys, it was almost impossible to realise
that one was not in England. I had been used to singing in a
church choir, and it was pleasant to hear such familiar cathedral
services as Garrett in D, Smart in F, Walmisley in D minor, and
Hopkins in F, so perfectly rendered seven thousand miles away from
home, thanks to that excellent musician, Dr.
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