Tamil Nadu Timeline

DiplomacyEast India Company rule

First emigrant ship from Madras reaches Mauritius

· Port Louis

Britain allowed emigration from Madras to Mauritius again in December 1842, and the first ship from Madras reached the island in April 1843.

Indian indenture started in 1834 when the Atlas sailed to Mauritius; the scheme reached Madras in 1837, but emigration was later halted because of abuses. On 2 December 1842 the British Government lifted the bar, allowing emigration to Mauritius from Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The first vessel from Madras docked at Mauritius on 21 April 1843. In later years indentured workers from the Madras Presidency also went to Natal, Fiji, the Caribbean and other colonies, giving rise to Tamil communities throughout the British Empire.

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