Even the senior Ranee whose husband had brought himself into trouble by having at one time tried to create some friction between the sovereign and the minister had nothing but regard and kindness for Sashiah Sastri, as the following extract from a letter of Sashiah to Her Highness will show : "I never forgot your Highness' exceeding kindness towards me during my stay in Travancore as Dewan, now 19 years ago-a kindness which was exceeded only by that which was displayed when I took leave of your Highness asking free pardon for all faults which I might have committed in those troublous times, a pardon which was graciously and sincerely granted-a pardon without which I should have left Travancore with a heavy heart but with which I was able to bid adieu with a light heart and a grateful recollection." August of 1877 was the last month of his administration. Early in that month he left for Shencotta, a station in the state nearest to the adjoining British District of Tinnevelly, followed by the good wishes and sincere regard and esteem of all. From Shencotta he wrote to the Maharajah : "I beg permission to report to your Gracious Highness my arrival here last evening after a safe and pleasant journey. All along the road, signs of increasing prosperity manifested themselves at every mile and the nucleus of many a new village has been formed in tracts but a short while ago the home of the elephant and other wild beasts. The Cotarums and Chuttrams and Travellers' Bungalows which have been built in the last three years since your Highness' tour make travelling on this road easy and comfortable. Carts and passengers travel without fear day and night. Entering Shencotta plain, the smiling fields of paddy and dry grains presented a welcome sight and the people flocked round me, not with any grievances this time, but simply to express gratitude for all the good they have derived in various ways since your Highness' last tour to Courtallam, such as revision of assessment on ainzufti lands, abolition of petty taxes, repairs of tanks, &c. I intend to spend the few remaining days of my administration on Travancore soil and shall accordingly hold my Cutcherry here and only go to Courtallam for report at the Residency." He reached Trichinopoly by the end of August and settled there for the time being, ere he could select a place for permanent retirement. Thus closed one of the brightest chapters of his public career. Five years is a very short period -too short for any statesman to leave landmarks that can endure for all time. Still the country had fared happily during his administration; the finances had prospered; the tone of the Service with its attractions had been raised; new roads had been opened and villages had sprung up where before had been the home of wild beasts; petty taxes had been abolished; abuses in the Salt Department had been checked; the Padmatirtham tank had been cleansed, the Kachar channel renewed and a never-failing supply of pure water supplied to the palace and the town; the feeding houses had been improved while waste and plunder had been checked; and during the direst famine of 1877 the refugees from over the Ghauts had been welcomed, well-housed and wellfed; the cause of charity and religion had been vigorously championed; and in the several trying situations in which he found himself by virtue of his high office he had so conducted himself that without sacrificing principle he had conciliated all, and carried out his plans with matured and discerning foresight, so that to this day he is remembered as one of the wisest and most benevolent ministers that that country ever fortunate in her rulers and ministers has had. CHAPTER VIII. LEGISLATIVE AND OTHER WORK. For almost a year-from the close of August 1877 to August 1878-Sashiah lived at Trichy in a bungalow not far from the Kâveri, a lovely retreat embowered among mangoes and cocoanuts. In a letter he wrote to his late master soon after arrival at Trichy, he thus describes his new environments : "I beg permission to trespass on your Highness' valuable time and to inform your Highness that myself and family reached this place on Saturday last and made it our tempor-ary residence. The small bungalow which had the honor of sheltering your Highness on the last tour is at present my home and I therefore feel as if still under royal roof. At a distance of a few hundred yards the majestic Kâveri is flowing from bank to bank, its sweet waters carrying with them plenty and happiness wherever they reach. Still surrounded by your Highness' servants, wearing your Highness' clothes and eating your Highness'' annum,' enjoying health and leisure, I cannot but feel that I owe to your Highness. a debt of gratitude which I can never liquidate. The dry Taluqs in the District are badly off for rain. From Madura on one side, from Salem on another, tens of thousands of people have come to drink and live by the waters of the Kaveri and by such charities as they could get from people and from Government. The water famine there is greater than food-famine. All Tinnevelly and Madura and even this District are ringing with the praises of the hospitality of Travancore to the famine-stricken families who sought shelter therein." Sashiah was trying to get a house or site for a house at Kumbhakonam where he meant to settle permanently, as the town had the advantage of an easy drive to his native village. Meanwhile Trichy was his residence and the quiet life he led here had for him all the charms of a schoolboy's holiday. Writing to His Highness Mulam Tirunal, the present Maharajah of Travancore, then second prince, he says: "I have settled here for the present and live in a gardenhouse not quite 200 yards from the Kâveri, whither all my family (and myself occasionally) go to bathe every day—a luxury they have not enjoyed for many a year. This is a hot and dry place and the climate therefore suits me admirably. The Cantonment of Trichinopoly is the largest in Southern India and has very fine drives and one may go and return 10 miles or more morning and evening. I have just bought a horse which promises to turn out a good bargain. ...I have been enjoying my holiday very much in the silent company of my favourite authors and poets and in private correspondence. I have received letters from the highest in authority and from my old friends generally and they have been a source of great pleasure, since all, while regretting my retirement from Travancore State, think none the less of me." Between study and private correspondence he |