MANUAL OF THE NILAOIRI DISTRICT. 31-7 



" ill regard to the respectability and good character of the CHAP. XIII, 

 individuals " who were to hold. PART II. 



Prior to the receipt of instructions from the Court of Directors revenue 

 the Madras Government had, in November 1828, at the request History. 

 of the military authorities, issued orders limiting the space to be 

 allotted to each dwelling-house, exclusive of the site of the ^^^ Madras 

 building and outhouses, to 2 cawnies (about 2| acres), the Government 

 area suggested by Sir Thomas Munro ; and had directed that all acquLS of 

 land in excess, enclosed or appropriated without permission of lands on the 

 Government, should be incorporated with the Circar land ; and ' ^" 

 further directed that all proprietors and intendingpurchasers should 

 take out grants from Government for their lands, "such grants 

 being subject to the fees levied on the issue of similar instruments 

 at the Presidency .'' Existing propi'ietors were allowed three 

 months for the purpose; intending purchasers until they began 

 the erection of their houses. Under orders issued about a fort- 

 night later, such occupants were required to pay the compensation 

 of 16 cantarai fanams, already mentioned, to the Todas, and to 

 Government quit-rent at the rate usually assessed on lands for 

 which Government grants were then issued. And as regards the 

 enclosures already made which exceeded two cawnies, it was ruled 

 that each case should be submitted for the orders of Government. 

 It was subsequently settled in 1831 that these grants were all to 

 be personal — no European hereafter, if purchasing the property 

 described in the grant, being permitted to occupy it without a 

 fresh certificate in his own name — and that it rested with Govern- 

 ment when issuing title-deeds for such grants to insert any special 

 conditions in the deed. In addition to this instrument the 

 Collector was to issue to the party a certificate of permission to 

 occupy the land. Later in the same year (1831) it was decided 

 that applications should be made to the Principal Collectors of 

 Malabar and Coimbatore, according as the land concerned was 

 situate in the Malabar or Coimbatore portion of the Nilagiris, 

 but the Officer Commanding at Ootacamand had a voice in the 

 disposal of lands in the cantonment. The ordinary rate of 

 quit-rent was 5j rupees or 1^ pagoda per cawnie, whether 

 within or without the cantonment of Ootacamand. This high 

 rate of Rupees 3-15 per acre was fixed in 1810 as the ordinary 

 quit-rent on lands held under Government grants in the 

 provinces ; in no case was the quit-rent to be less than 1 pagoda 

 (Eupees 3^) per cawnie {vide Note 1, page 269 ; also Note 4, page, 

 270, Maskell's Board's Circular Orders, 1855). The Govern- 

 ment further declared that the leases should, as at Madras, be 

 for an indefinite period, holding that the Bengal rules could not 

 apply " to the erection of dwelling-houses on small plots of 

 ground at a place where, from local circumstances, the acquisi- 



