MAD 
In 1805, fo completely changed the face of the fnore, that 
the water-gate, which had before been at fotne diftance 
from the beach, was walked by the furf. A canal has 
been cut from Fort George to Pulicat, about lixteen miles 
to the northward, whence the inhabitants of Madras are 
fupplied with charcoal and other neceflaries. 
Madras is divided into the White Town and the Black 
Town. The firft of thefe, known in Europe by the name 
of Fort St. George, is inhabited only by the Englilli. The 
fort lies north-north-eall and fouth-fouth-welt, in the 
middle of the White or Engliffi Town. It is a regular 
fquare, ab.out one hundred yards on each fide. The White 
Town is about a quarter of a mile in length, and half as 
much in breadth. North of the fort are three ltraight 
ftreets, and on the fouth an equal number. The houfes 
are flat-roofed, built with brick, and covered with a plafter 
made of fea-fhells, which no rain can penetrate. The 
walls are thick, and rooms lofty; but few of them ex¬ 
ceed one floor, though Come are railed a floor above the 
ground. Oppofite to the weft gate of the fort is a bar¬ 
rack, for lodging the company’s foldiers when off guard; 
and adjoining to this a very convenient hofpital. At the 
other end of the barrack is a mint, where the company 
coin gold and filver. There is a town-houfe, where the 
magistrates aflemble, and in which courts of juftice are 
held. The whole is encompafled with a ftrong wall of the 
lame ftone with that ufed for building the fort. This is 
defended by batteries, baftions, half-moons, and flankers; 
the whole being mounted with about two hundred pieces 
of cannon, and three mortars, including the guns on the 
outworks, befides field-pieces. Round it, on the weft fide, 
is the river, by which and a battery it is defended. South 
of the White Town is a little fubur'o, the refidence of the 
black watermen, who are its foie occupants. This con- 
fifls of little low thatched cottages; and beyond it is an 
outguard of blacks, to give notice of any danger. Indeed 
it cannot be well attacked, except on the fouth and north 
fides; for,.towards the fea, the (well and furges area per¬ 
fect fecurity. Madras is now, perhaps, fays major Ren- 
nell, one of the bed fortreffes in the poffeffion of the Bri- 
tifh nation ; and, although not fo regular a defign as Fort 
William in Bengal, yet, from the greater facility of re¬ 
lieving it by fea, and the natural advantages of ground, 
which leave the enemy lefs choice in the manner of con¬ 
ducting his attacks, it may, upon the whole, be deemed 
at lead equal to it. 
The naval hofpital is a large and handfome building, 
with an excellent garden. On the top is a large platform, 
where convalefcents take exercife and enjoy frefli air, with 
the view over all Madras, to the (hipping in the roads. 
There is a rope-walk attached to the hofpital; but it 
■wants air, and is rather (hort; it however furnifhes employ¬ 
ment for the invalids. The garden, which Dr. Anderfon 
planted as a botanical garden, af a vaft expenfe, is now in 
a fad ftate of ruin. Here is a kind of palm, from which 
an excellent fago is made: it is alfo valuable on account 
of the black fibres furrounding the trunk at the infertion 
of the leaves, which afford a cordage for (hips, faid to be 
Stronger and more durable than that made from any other 
vegetable fubftance. Alfo the nopaul, a kind of prickly 
pear, on a fpecies of which the cochineal infeft lives, and 
which is now cultivated in Madras as an efculent vege¬ 
table : it was brought here merely as a curious exotic, but 
was difcovered by Dr. Anderfon to be a valuable anti- 
fcorbutic, and has fince been ufed in all men-of-war on 
the Indian ftation, which are now almoft free from that 
dreadful malady the fcurvy : the nopaul keeps frefli, and 
even continues to vegetate, long after it is gathered ; it 
makes an excellent pickle, which is now iffued to the (hips 
of war. 
The language fpoken at Madras by the natives is the 
Talinga, here called Malabars. The men-fervants are all 
Hindoos; but the women are moftly Portuguefe. The 
palankeen-bearers are called bho'is, and are remarkable for 
' VOL. XIV. No. 957. 
R A S. 73 
ftrength and fwiftnefs : they have a peculiar fong, or cry, 
with which they amufe themfelves on a journey ; at firft 
it founds like the expreffion of pain and wearinefs, but k 
prefently breaks out into founds of exultation. We do 
not meet with any banians at Madras, but there are a num¬ 
ber of hawkers who refenible the borahs. We often fee na¬ 
tives of Pondicherry, French converts, going about with 
boxes of lace and artificial flowers, made chiefly by the 
ladies of the decayed French families in that fettlement. 
There is fometliing in the gaiety in the French character 
that communicates itfelf to all around. You may fee a 
black man, from Pondicherry, handle a lace, a flower, a 
ribbon, with all the air of a fine gentleman, and in his 
rags (how more politenefs and gallantry than half our 
Madras civil fervants are poffeffed of. Befides thefe French 
pedlars, there are a fet of Mahometans, who go about 
felling mocoa (tones, petrified tamarind-wood, garnets, co¬ 
ral, mock amber, and a variety of other trinkets; and who 
are, in their way, as amufing as the Frenchmen. 
The manner of living among the Englifii at Madras has 
a great deal more of external elegance than at Bombay. 
The Pantheon contains, befides a ball-room, a very prettv 
theatre, card-rooms, and virandas. During the cold feafon 
there are monthly alfemblies, with occafional balls all the 
year, which are very well conduced. The Pantheon is a 
handfome building ; it is ufed alfo as a free-mafons’ lodge 
of modern mafons, among whom almoft every man in the 
army and navy who vifits Madras enrols himfelf. The. 
only other public place at Madras is the Mount Road, 
leading from Fort George to St. Thomas’s Mount. It is as 
fmooth as a bowling-green, and planted on each fide with 
banian and yellow tulip-trees. About five miles from the 
fort, on this road, (lands a cenotaph to the memory of 
lord Cornwallis. It coft an immenfe fum of money, but 
is not remarkable for good tafte. It is the faffiion for all 
the gentlemen and ladies of Madras to repair, in their 
gayeft equipages, to the Mount Road, and, after driving 
furiouflyalong, they loiter round and round the cenotaph 
for an hour, partly for exercife, and partly for the oppor¬ 
tunity of flirting and difplaying their fine clothes ; after 
which they go home, to meet again every day in the year. 
But the greateft lounge at Madras is during the vifitinp- 
hours, from nine o’clock till eleven, when the young men 
go from houfe to houfe to retail the news, a(k commiffions 
to town for the ladies, Sec. Sec. When all the vifitors 
who have any bufinefs are gone to their offices, another 
troop of idlers appears, dill more frivolous than the for¬ 
mer, and remains till tiffin, at two o’clock, when the real 
dinner is eaten, and wines and ftrong beer from England 
are freely drunk. The ladies then retire, and for the moft 
part undrefs, and lie down with a novel in their hands, 
over which they generally deep. About five o’clock the 
mailer of the family returns from his office; the lady 
dreffes herfelf for the Mount Road 5 returns, dreffes, dines, 
and goes from table to bed, unlefs there be a ball, when 
(he drefles again, and dances all night; and this, fays 
Mrs. Graham, is a fair, very fair, account o£ the ufual 
life of a Madras lady. 
The Black Town, more particularly called Madras, and 
fometimes the petah, was formerly quite open ; but, fince 
the year 1767, it has been furrounded with a ftrong wall, 
and a ditch full of water. The wall is of brick, feventeen 
feet thick, with baftions at proper diftances. On the weft 
is a river, and on the eaft the fea; north is a canal.cut 
from the river to the fea, which anfwers the purpofe of a 
moat on that fide. The town is a mile and a half in cir¬ 
cumference, and might be reckoned a ftrong place, with 
a garrifon proportioned to it; and attention lias lately 
been given to this, circumftance, fo that it neither wants 
men, nor (tores and provifions, for its fecurity and de- 
fence. The town is inhabited by Gsntoos, Mahometans, 
and Indian Chriftians, i. e. Armenians and Portuguefe, 
and alfo a number of Jews. The ftreets of the Black 
Town are wide* and flieltered with trees from the fun’s 
U heat,. 
