KARIKAL, a French town and settlement in India, situated on the south-east coast, within the limits of Tanjore district, 10° 55' 10" N. lat., 79° 52' E. long., with an area of 52 square miles, and a population of 92,516. The site was purchased by the French from the Tanjore râjâ in 1738. It was captured by the English in 1760, restored in 1765, again taken in 1768, and finally restored in 1816. It formed the base of Lally’s operations against Tanjore. The town is neatly built on one of the mouths of the Kaveri (Cauvery), and carries on a brisk trade with Ceylon, Europe, and the French colonies, exporting rice, and importing chiefly European articles and timber. A chef de 1’administration, subordinate to the government at Pondicherri, is in charge of the settlement.