This book deals with the British settlement at Fort St. David from 1690 A.D. and its subsequent development into a centre of great commercial importance. The emergence of Devanampattinam (Fort St. David) and Cuddalore port town into a military and administrative centre in the eighteenth century, rise of New Town of Cuddalore in the mid-nineteenth century and growth of Cuddalore and Fort St. David as urban entities due to trade in textiles, governmental and municipal administrations are elaborately discussed in this work.
Commercial rivalries among the Europeans, especially between the English in Cuddalore and the French in Pondieheny, ultimate victory of the English over the French, maritime trade, spread of western education and its impact on the inhabitants of Cuddalore in effecting attitudinal change and modernization leading to the urbanization of Cuddalore form the central theme of this study.
Town planners, Administrators, Municipal Authorities, Engineers and Research Scholars working on urbanization may find it a useful book of reference.