MANUAL OP THE NILAaiRI DISTRICT. 385 



The arcliitecture of several of these buildings is in good style, CHAP. XVII. 



especially that of St. Thomas' Church, the Breeks' Memorial 



School, the Council Chamber, and the Pavilion. ties^and"* 



Much has been done in Ootacamand by means of local com- Stations. 

 mittees formed for the attainment of a special, sometimes a —societies. 

 purely temporary, object. To such agencies several of the 

 buildings above enumerated owe their existence, more especially 

 the hospital, the library, and the various churches and schools. 

 Among those now existing may be mentioned the Library, the 

 Hospital, and the Friend-in-Need Committees. 



The Public Gardens are noticed elsewhere. They belong to —the public 

 Government and are under the management of a Superinten- S^'^^'^^s. 

 dent who is directly responsible to the Commissioner. 



There are several hotels in Ootacamand, though no single hotel —hotels, 

 lias accommodation for more than a few families and single persons. 

 The principal are Sylk's, Longwood, Bishopsdown, Shoreham, and 

 Primrose House. The terms average about 6 rupees per diem, or 

 Rupees 150 a-month for a single person. 



The rent paid for houses is high during the season, ranging from —rente, &c. 

 about 75 rupees a-month for four-roomed bungalows to 300 rupees 

 for the largest houses. This rental, however, ordinarily includes 

 furniture, house rates, and the services of a house gardener. The 

 value of house property is however low when compared with the 

 rental. A house which would command a rental all the year round 

 of Rupees 100 monthly would probably not realize 10,000 rupees 

 if sold, unless the domain was large and the land good. This 

 position is partly due to the absence of capital in the place, the 

 changing character of the population, and also to the heavy cost 

 of repair ; many of the houses having, wholly or in part,, been built 

 of inferior materials, such as sun-dried brick and mud and poor 

 timber covered with coarse stucco, chunam being very expensive. 

 Some improvement however is taking place in building, especially 

 by the use of sheet iron for roof linings. 



The sketch of Ootacamand as it was in 1834, taken from —sketch of 

 Captain McMurdy's Views, will be of interest to those who know Ootacamand. 

 the town as it now is. The change is chiefly due to the growth 

 of Australian trees, which during the last few years have altered 

 the face of the station. The planting of the public grounds and 

 roads with ornamental exotics is much needed to relieve the 

 \ present monotony in the tone and tint of the foliage. The 

 : absence of avenues on the public roads is a marked feature in 

 the town. 



The picturesque little town of Coonoor lies at the head of the Coonoor— 

 /grand ravine and pass which bears its name; the ravine faces south- <^^2c"Pt»o"' 

 east, but a considerable portion of the town is situated on the 

 ' 49 



