CAPITAL OF CAS^^^^I^B 5!

Arcofc's historical niiporfcai^^tod the Madras
from mere villages into a ^^^^T^^^^ietropolis.
Around the solitary fort the ^^^^^^Ohennapatna
became Black Town that flourished into the George
Town of our day. Commerce developed, business houses
flourished, the population increased and, like Bombay,
Karachi, and Calcutta, Madras became an important
city. North, south, and west the city expanded;

communications and transport grew; for eight miles
inland there was bustle and life. Capital of the
Presidency, Madras grew into Greater Madras. Tram-
ways, buses, and suburban trains brought the farther
limits of Greater Madras within the reach of the
common man. Many of the colleges and private
residences moved, from the heart of the town to more
pleasant surroundings in the environs. From Black
Town to present-day George Town, how Time has
changed Madras!

In the street-names of George Town still linger the
vestiges of old Madras. China Bazaar Eoad was probably
the selling centre of goods imported from China,
Armenian Street got its name, perhaps, from a colony of
wealthy Armenian merchants that peopled this street;

and Coral Merchant Street was where those merchants
plied their trade. But the streets, too, have changed
their aspect since the days when Black Town was
the City and Fort St. G-eorge the settlement's defense
and administrative centre. From old drawings alone
can the mind picture someting of the changes that have
taken place.

Changes, however, seem to have been slower in
the corridors of Government Offices where peons in