MANUAL OK THE NiLACURI DISTRICT. 291 



on many points, and the result of this disagreement was that CHAP. XU. 



advantag-e was taken of Mr. Sullivan's departure from the Hills ^ 



at the close of 1829 (he was succeeded by Mr. J. Thomas) to History. 



transfer the greater portion of the Nilagiri Taluk, including the 



portion below the ghats at the northern base of the hills, to 



Malabar ; Kotagiri and the adjoining portion of Peranganad 



alone remaining to Coimbatore, The transfer took place in 



January 1830. The ostensible reason was to check the smuggling 



of tobacco from Coimbatore across the range into Malabar, where 



there was a monopoly, the revenue in the latter district having 



been much affected by this illicit traffic. 



" A free transit of tobacco," writes Mr. Lushington, " being per- 

 mitted in every part of the Coimbatore District, a vast quantity of it 

 is brought up during the fair season and concealed by the Malabar 

 smugglers in different parts of the Neilgherry Hills adjoining the 

 Kundahs, which are in the Malabar District. On a favourable 

 opportunity the tobacco is conveyed to the low country by secret and 

 almost inaccessible paths down the Kundah mountains, the smugglers 

 keeping together in a large body on account of the numerous elephants 

 and tigers with which the forest is infested, until they reach the open 

 country of Malabar at the bottom, where they separate and disperse in 

 different directions." 



" The most obvious way of preventing this system of smug- 

 gling " was to transfer the Nilagiris to Malabar. The revenue of 

 the portion transferred was said to be about Rupees 9,000 only. 

 It was also thought desirable to place the two main passes under 

 one authority. The Collector of Malabar at the time was Mr. 

 Sheffield. Very shortly after this transfer it was found necessary 

 to retransfer that portion of Peranganad which had been trans- 

 ferred to the Collector of Coimbatore, including, subsequently, 

 the villages of Nellitore, Odantore, Velleru-Kambe and Anyur- 

 Kambe, in order that that officer might complete the Coonoor 

 Ghat, which had now been begun. The Collectors of Malabar 

 were allowed to please themselves regarding the retransfer of 

 the Devarayapatnam tract, north of the Nilagiris. 



Mr. Sullivan, however, did not permit his beloved hills to be Mr. Sullivan 

 transferred from the district he had ruled so long without P^'otests. 

 a severe struggle. He wrote a long and powerful minute on the 

 subject, and, though his arguments were not to prevail at the 

 time, twelve years later, during his term as a Councillor, they 

 did prevail as stated hereafter. It was during this controversy 

 that the contention in regard to the ancient dividing line of the 

 Coimbatore and Malabar Districts came prominently forward, 

 but it is not intended to sum up the arguments advanced on 

 either side. The determination of the Ggvernor in Council ^ 



Extracts, Minutes Consultation, 19th Febraarv 1830, No. 180. 



