Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/741

* MADBAS. 659 MADRAS. tlie percentage of these being less than in the provinces to the north. Madras contains over one million Christians, or more than one-half of all the Christians in British India. Most of the peo- ple live in rural villages; Madras (q.v.), the ''a pita 1 and the third largest city of India, is the only place that attains any great magnitude. Its population in 1901 was 509,000. Edicatiox. In 1896-97, 822,853 pupils at- tended the schools and educational institutions, which was over 15 per cent, of the children of school age, whereas the corresponding per cent, a decade earlier was only 10.6. Only about one- seventh of the total attendance were female. The public primary schools contained 617,886 pupils. English is taught throughout the public system. GovEUNMEXT. The Governor and administra- tive council of two members receive their appoint- ment from the Crown and serve for five years. To these are added other members (not to exceed 20) to constitute a legislative council. The addi- tional members are appointed by the Governor, but part of them are nominated by the Madras corporation or other official bodies. Each of the 22 districts into which the province is divided is ad- ministered by a collector and inferior officers. Un- like other provinces, the districts are not grouped into commissionerships. Local government is more iiighly developed than in the other provinces. There are district and subdistrict boards and vil- lage committees. In the fiscal year 1897-98 the Imperial net revenue amounted to 7,304,601 tens of rupees, the provincial to 2.811,486, and the local to 1,049,068. while the corresponding figures for expenditure were Rx. 3,371,870, Ex. 2,811,684, and Rx. 1,048.870. The most important source of receipts is the land revenue. History. Anciently the province was divided into several kingdoms, of which the chief were Telingana on the northeast, Karnataka on the west, and the Tamil principalities of Pandya, C'hola. and Chera in the south. Splendid archi- tectural monuments, stone and brass inscriptions, and imaginative traditions attest their former existence. Authentic history begins with the Mohammedan invasion of the fourteenth century, when Ala ud-Din conquered the kingdoms of Karnataka and Telinga. After the Mohammedan evacuation the native dynasty of Vijaynagar dom- inated until 1565, when it was overthrown by the Deccan Mohammedans : later the country again became divided into principalities, of which the more prominent were the Carnatic, Mysore, and Tanjore. After the first visit of Vasco da Gama in 1498, Madras was one of the principal battle- grounds of the Portuguese. Dutch, French, and British in the struggle for supremacy. MADRAS'. A seaport city, capital of the Province of iladras, British India, situated on the Coromandel coast of the western shore of the Bay of Bengal, 835 miles southwest of Calcutta, and 640 miles southeast of Bombav: latitude 13° 5' X.. longitude 80° 16' E. (Map: India. D 6). It is the third city in size and importance nf India, and has railroad and telegraphic com- nnmications by the main systems with the prin- cipal towns of the Empire, but although much has been done to improve its harbor facilities, it is no longer a port of call for the principal Euro- pean lines of ocean steamers, owing to the in- security of its harbor. The city and its nine suburbs cover an area of 29 square miles, ex- tending along the coast for nine miles and inland for nearly four. Centrally situated on the shore is Fort Saint George, strongly fortified and gar- risoned by European and native troops and con- taining the council house, civil and military offices, and Saint Mary's, the oldest English church in India, dating from 1078. Adjoining the fort on the north is the commercial district of Black Town, a low-lying, poorly built, and densely populated quarter, covering an area of a square mile, protected from inundation by a strong sea wall. Here are situated the mercan- tile establishments, the Bank of Madras, the Post Office, and the old High Court, now occupied by the customs offices, its tower with a modern installation serving as the lighthouse for the harbor which extends along the larger portion of the water front of Black Town. To the south and rear of the fort is the island, formed by the encircling Cooum River, containing barracks and forming an extensive military parade and recrea- tion ground. It connects by bridges on the north with the People's Park, and on the west and south with the residential sections, where are situated the handsome Government House, the clubs, marine parade, the Chepauk Park and buildings, the Scotch Church of Saint Andrew, the fine university buildings, and the native hos- pital. On the Mount Road, commanding a mag- nificent view of the city and its vicinity, is Saint George's Cathedral, containing several beautiful monuments by Chantry and Flaxman. Other noteworthy features are the Xew Law Court buildings in a Hindu-Saracenic style of architec- ture, opened in 1892, the new Law College, the Christian College buildings. Pacheappah's Col- lege and hall, the memorial hall, the grand ar- senal, with an interesting militarj' museum, the observatory founded in 1792, which gives stand- ard time to all India, and several native mosques and temples. The southernmost extension of Madras is the old Portuguese town of Saint Thome, near the Adyar River, with the ancient Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Thome, said to contain the remains of Saint Thomas. There are several charitable and benevolent institu- tions, and Madras is noted for its educational establishments, which include the university, founded in 1857, colleges of agriculture, of engi- neering, medicine and law, a teachers' college, six missionary colleges. Victoria Technical Institute, a Government school of arts, a valuable museum, libraries, zoological and botanical gardens, and literary and scientific institutions. The city's affairs are administered under .a charter of 1884. by 32 commissioners, eight, in- cluding a salaried president, being appointed by the provincial authorities and twenty-four being elected by the ratepayers. Madras has under- gone much modern improvement : it has a good reservoir water supply, conveyed from a distance of seven miles, and a sewage farm disposal sys- tem, and is lighted by gas and electricity. Harbor works, commenced in 1875. were constructed after much difficulty, and consist of two breakwaters, respectively 3907 and 3726 feet long, inclosing a large water area fronting Black Tovn. Pas- sengers are now enabled to land in comfort with- otit the former perils attendant on a passage through the notoriotis Madras surf, but during the cyclones of the monsoon periods the harbor is unsafe for large ships, which seek the open sea on receipt of meteorological warnings; nu-