Page:On the Coromandel Coast.djvu/42

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the Company, and there was no room for the King's troops within its walls.

The commencement of the nineteenth century saw the power of Tippoo broken and the "Tiger of Mysore" him-self slain. Tippoo's death put an end to all fear in the hearts of the inhabitants of Madras. They might build their garden houses where they pleased without a thought of fleeing to the fort for protection. Roads were made, avenues of trees were planted, and beautiful gardens were laid out with the lavish expenditure that marked a time when Englishmen looked upon India as their home for the best part of their lives.

In the midst of these luxurious homes a spot was selected for the cathedral, and a park-like enclosure was made and planted with trees. The money was raised partly by private donations; but the greater portion was the result of a lottery, a method which would not meet with the approval of the Government nor of the ecclesiastical authorities in the present day.

Public lotteries, which were then legal, were started by private enterprise in Madras in 1795 as a means of providing money to support charities the Male Asylum and others connected with St. Mary's Church in the fort. Government imposed one condition upon the promoters, but otherwise did not interfere for the first few years. A certain portion of the sum was to be set aside for the repair of the roads and bridges of Madras by which the natives and the Europeans would equally benefit. These ventures were called "the Male Asylum and Road Lotteries," and they speedily sprang into popularity with all classes.

Between 1795 and 1805 fourteen lakhs of rupees were raised, of which thirteen lakhs went in prizes and one lakh in charity. In 1805 the management grew beyond the capabilities of the few private individuals in whose