Page:History of India Vol 7.djvu/282

 230 FIRST SETTLEMENTS ON THE MADRAS COAST in the preceding volume. It contained, however, a little island formed by two channels of the Cooum backwater —a swampy tidal patch, about four hundred yards long by one hundred broad, which could be defended against the attacks of predatory horsemen. Mr. Day built a wall round this river-girt ait, with a fort in its north- ern corner, and laid out the enclosure in lanes or alleys. As only Europeans were allowed to live within the walled isle, it became known as White Town, while the weaving hamlets which grew up outside, under the shelter of its guns, were called Black Town. The whole was included under the name of Madras. The English had from the first secured their posi- tion by grants from the superior inland kings, while the Dutch preferred the facile support of the petty coast rulers, who more resembled their island chiefs in the Spice Archipelago. An English merchant pene- trated to Golkonda as early as 1617, and in 1634 the importance was recognized of keeping " a continual residence " there, in order " to have an able man at all times so near the king's elbow.' ' In 1645 the sovereign of Golkonda renewed the grant for Madras, and thus gained the good-will of our young settlement in his struggle with the feudal fragments of the Vijayanagar Empire. But two years later a terrible famine added to the calamities of the perpetual war between the Mos- lem Court of Golkonda and the Hindu coast chiefs. Trade -came to an end, and our Surat factory had to send round a ship with provisions to save the Madras settlement from starvation. The Golkonda king, per-