54 



THE MADRAS HARBOUR. 



III. 



THE MADRAS HARBOUR. 1 



A harbour on the Eastern Coast of India has been a 

 desideratum for a long time, and it is only now that this want 

 is on the point of being supplied. 



There is no doubt a general opinion that the formation of 

 a harbour at Madras is a difficult undertaking, and that 

 opinion, as a whole, is correct, though the difficulties are of 

 a kind probably different from those which uninformed 

 persons would have imagined. 



Some of the earliest and most serious difficulties arose from 

 the fact that though there was a general unanimity in 

 favour of Madras being provided with a harbour, there was 

 a very great diversity of view as to the particular way in 

 which the harbour would be of use. The sentiment of 

 humanity is strong in mankind, and many persons pictured 

 to themselves a harbour as a safeguard against the harrowing 

 scenes which from time to time occurred of ships driven on 

 shore during cyclones, and dashed to pieces, with the loss of 

 their crews, almost within arm's length of the spectators, who 

 were powerless to help them. This to the unlearned lands- 

 man seems a conclusive argument ; but what do the sailors, 

 the persons most interested, say ? A large proportion, perhaps 

 the majority, of sea captains say, " Oh, in a cyclone the 

 harbour is no place for me, with its crowd of shipping and 

 inevitable collisions ; let me get to sea and give the land a 

 wide berth, or if that cannot be, I will take my chance of 



1 The substance of the following paper was originally delivered as a 

 popular lecture at the Governmpnt Central Museum. It is now reproduced 

 with some additions and alterations. 



