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MANUAL OF THE NILAGIEI DISTRICT. 



CHAP. XII. 



Recent 

 History. 



Ootacatnand 

 constituted a 

 Military 

 Bazaar. 



Lord Elphin- 

 stone at 

 Kaity. 



respects is inferior to that first proposed. Meanwhile the 

 progress of the country was undoubtedly greatly retarded. It is 

 possible that Lord Macaulay^ who then guided the legislation of 

 the Indian Empire, and who does not appear to have been very 

 favorably impressed with the Nilagiris/ which he visited in 

 1834, may, on general principles, have thwarted the accomplish- 

 ment of the wishes of the Madras Government. 



Sir Frederick Adam submitted, and orders were issued on 16th 

 July 1837, abandoning the scheme and constituting Ootacamand 

 a mihtary bazaar. This Governor took considerable interest in 

 the Hills and the people, and it was during his time that the 

 Government first fixed the assessment to be paid for lands taken 

 up by settlers, and virtually acknowledged the rights of the Todas 

 to the plateau — a policy that was approved by the Honorable 

 Court of Directors in their despatch 10th April 1839, though 

 qualified by the remark that they desired to " reconcile the 

 interests of both parties,'' i.e., Europeans and Natives. To this 

 day do Government pay to the Todas yearly compensation for 

 the lands of the Ootacamand cantonment, excluding the mand 

 reserves, amounting to Rupees 162-10-1 — an undying witness 

 to a policy, perhaps too generous, but comparing favorably with 

 that which in 1862 deprived the Badagas of their immemorial 

 right to obtain land under patta, compelliug them equally with 

 European settlers to purchase it under the Waste Land Rules. 



Sir Frederick Adam resigned the Governorship of Madras 4th 

 March 1837, and was succeeded by Lord Elphinstone, who held 

 office till September 1842. 



He, like his predecessor, took great interest in the Hills, and 

 during his time, though the policy adopted in regard to the 

 rights of the hill people was rigorously assailed, it remained 

 unchanged as long as he held office- It was in his reign 

 that the coifee industry first began on the eastern slopes, and 

 other agricultural enterprises which have not been equally suc- 

 cessful. He fixed his residence at Kaity, taking possession of 

 the Government Farm buildings, and acquiring the land, which 

 had been taken up for the farm in rather an irregular manner, in 

 due form on a ninety-nine years' lease from the Badaga pattadars, 

 paying them heavy compensation for their losses from the previous 

 occupation, and a good price for the long lease. He expended 

 considerable sums of money in building a large country house and 

 laying out the grounds ornamentally, furnishing it in a style quite 

 new to Indian experience. After he left the country the property 



1 He occupied Woodcock Hall when he joined Lord William Bentinck at Ootaca- 

 mand. 



