46 PICTURES AND PEN-PICTURES

boatmen who ply their crafts along the canals that
link the busy ports of the east coast to Madras—
artisans who struggle the entire day to earn a few
annas for their livelihood*

In 1611 the first Dutch factory in India was
established at Masulipatara; this port was, for decades
to come, a great centre for the export- of India's spices
and textile products. After the Dutch, the French came
to power; then Clive came upon the scene. Vizagapatam
was raided by a local chief who appealed to Olive
for support against the French, and Olive was quick to
seize the opportunity thus presented to him. An
expedition which had come into the Northern Circars
under orders from Olive, inflicted a defeat on the superior
French force» Bussy and Lally were engaged at
Madras; Masulipafcam was poorly defended, and the
storming of the town by Colonel Forde resulted in the
complete conquest of the Northern Circars.

Masulipatam slowly dwindled in importance as
Bezawada rose in prominence. Twelve miles inland to
Bundar (Masulipatam) is this busy trading town of
to-day. Freight boats, coastal craft, and railway
waggons bring and take away goods to and from
Bezawada. Through the town flows the Krishna river,
for Bezawada m a busy junction of railways and
waterways: from here the Buckingham Canal flows
towards Madras, and the Bundar Canal joins Bezawada
with Masulipatam,

Everywhere in the Delta are vast fields of crops—
rice, lentils, maize—and plantations of tobacco and
sugar-cane. In fact, the entire Krishna District is fertile*
Sometimes, right. in the midst of the fields^ the. canals