MANUAL OF THE NILAQIRI DISTRICT. 37 



most of tlie information furnished with their letter, 24th CHAP. IV, 

 December 1832, was Dr. Baikie, and the general results of his PART I. 

 intelligent and indefatigable labors will be found in the chapter climate^ &c. 



of his book devoted to the climate of the Nilagiris. 



They concurred in the opinion that there were " no grounds 

 for anticipating from such an establishment^ any results of much 

 importance, in a financial or political point of view, if indeed its 

 maintenance should not be attended with positive loss/' and, 

 further, that, while the medical reports generally represent the 

 climate in the most favorable point of view, "they tend to 

 show that it is not well adapted for the cure of those chronic 

 diseases attributable to a tropical climate which chiefly lead to 

 ineflBciency, and consequently to discharge from the service or 

 transfer to the invalid or pension establishments/' 



The Board, however, passed over in silence Dr. Baikie's 

 scheme, to which reference is made in a later chapter, for the 

 location of fresh recruits and European regiments on the Hills — 

 a scheme which has already been partially carried into effect by 

 the establishment of the depot at Wellington, and which bids 

 fair to attain, as time goes on, a more complete development. 



In addition to Dr. Baikie's book, already referred to, published 

 in 1833, and the report on the meteorology of the hills by 

 Mr. Dalmahoy, the most important papers on the subject of 

 the climate and meteorology subsequently given to the public 

 were — a report by Dr. Birch {Madras Journal of Literature and 

 Science, 1838, No. 20), a paper on the medical topography of 

 the Hills, published by Government, with similar reports on the 

 Ceded Districts and Coorg in 1844 ; a paper in the selections of 

 Government papers on " Our Marine and Hill Sanitaria " 

 published in 1860. In Major Ouchterlony's Survey Report 

 (1847) will also be found many valuable observations on the 

 subject and some important tables. The latter chiefly apply to 

 Kotagiri. A pamphlet was published by Mr. Pachman in 1850, 

 and another in 1870 by Dr. Mackay. Both of these contain 

 valuable information. 



The climate, or rather climates, of the Nilagiri Hills — for that 

 of each hill and valley seems to vary according to its exposure 

 to the monsoons, its elevation, or other local causes^ — may be 

 generally described as for the greater part of the year dry, 

 bracing, and exhilarating, and more equable than those of 

 Europe ; the maximum range of the thermometer being only 



* Invalid Depot. 



^ This is curiously illustrated by the fact that whilst 31'45 inches of rain fell 

 It jat Coonoor in October and November 1875, only 1671 inches fell at Wellington 

 in the same months, though only two miles distant. 



