Pondicherry

Pondicherry, a French settlement on the Coromandel coast of India, 86 miles S. of Madras. The territory, which takes its name from the town, has an area of 112 square miles, and is divided into three districts. Pondicherry was utst occupied by the French in 1674, and has been four times besieged by the English; captured in 1793, it was restored in 1816. The native and European inhabitants occupy separate quarters; and the place is well laid out, abundantly supplied with water, and fairly healthy. It contains a cathedral, a college, and a residence for the governor, and is defended by a citadel.