MANUAL OF THE NILAGirU DISTRICT. 279 



mountainous country situated centrally in the limits between the CHAP. XII. 

 countries of Malabai", Mysore and Coimbatoor, remarkable for their „ ~_ 

 extraordinary height, and for being inhabited by two singular tribes History. 



of people described to be dissimilar to the natives of other provinces 



in habits, manners, language and complexion, some notices of whom 

 are communicated in the memoirs of the Mysore Survey sent home in 

 ] 808, and in Colonel Wilks' History of Mysore.^ This tract contains 

 -PJi> miles of mountains and 250 of plain country, altogether 746 

 miles." 



A copy of this map I have not seen, but Colonel Cloete, Revenue 

 Survey, has courteously forwarded to me a copy of a map of the 

 hills east of the Paikare and Kunda rivers, prepared from surveys 

 from 1807-1814, that is, the Coimbatore portion of the Nilagiris, 

 the tract west of these rivers not having been surveyed till 

 1821-23 by Captain Ward. Four years, however, subsequent 

 to the despatch of the memoirs to the Honorable Court, we find Mr. Keys' 

 that a European surveyor ascended the hills under instructions ^^^' ' 

 from Mr. Garrow,- Collector of the Coimbatore District. The 

 name of this surveyor was William Keys.^ His first letter is 

 dated Tenad, 30th March 1812. On the 5th April he was at 

 Peranganad, and on the 20th idem at Malekota, or Kalhatti, 

 returning to Devanaikenkota on the last day of the month. His 

 report will be found in the appendix. I do not purpose to do 

 more than quote fi'om the letter forwarding the second portion, 

 leaving the reader to judge for himself of the first known essay 

 describing the Nilagiris. Mr. Keys writes in August : — 



" It will be unnecessary for me to observe to you, Sir, that in the 

 execution of this arduous duty, we have underwent considerable 

 difficulties, and experienced great inconveniences from the inclemency 

 of the climate, particularly of the Neelaghery mountains ; but not- 

 withstanding, I beg leave to suggest that I have made it my duty to 

 be very particular in exploring those parts, and I flatter myself that 

 the plan will be found an accurate and distinct delineation of them." 



Mr. Keys found '' no manufactures on the hills and much less 

 of trade," though this is hardly consistent with the details of 

 produce which he gives, and the fact that the Government at this 

 time derived a revenue of about 15,000 rupees from this tract. 



1 I have not been able to trace the reference. — Ed. 



2 It is noted that no reference is made to the Nilagiris, except the lowland 

 portion abont Devarayapatuam, in Mr. Hodgson's long and interesting report on 

 the revenues of Coimbatore, 10th September 1807 : but in the report of the 

 Coimbatore Commission to Lord William Bentinck, 18th May 1804, reference 

 is made to the rent of the hill villages. I would here note that the years 1803, 

 1804 and 1805 were marked by great deficiency in the rainfall. 



^ Another Surveyor, Jlacmahon, seems to have been on the hills about the 

 Bame time. 



