408 



MANUAL OF THE Ntl.AGIRI DISTRICT, 



CHAP. XX 



Postal 

 Department 



Number of 

 letters 

 received and 

 despatched. 

 Revenue. 

 Coonoor and 

 Kotagiri. 

 Wellington. 



South-East 

 Waindd. 



Old postal 

 route of the 

 Hills. 



Tonga. 



Rates for 

 passengers. 



The number of covers i-eceived for delivery on an average at 

 present in the season is 2,000 daily, and out of the season 700. 

 . The despatch is nearly the same as the receipt. 



The net revenue derived by this office yearly may be estimated 

 at 68,000 rupees. 



The Coonoor and the Kotagiri Post Offices were the next 

 opened ; but the exact dates are not known. 



The Wellington (then called Jackatalla) Post Office was opened 

 in the year 1855. 



In the South- East Wain^d, which now forms a portion of 

 Nilagiris, there are five Post Offices : — Gudaliir (opened in the 

 year 1867), Guynd (1870), D^vdla (1874), Cherambddi (1874), 

 and Nellak6ta (1877). 



Prior to the opening of the railway the mails were conveyed 

 to Ootacamand via Mysore and Segur Pass by dak runners. 

 The road establishment then consisted of 26 runners and 2 mail 

 overseers. The mails are now conveyed by rail up to Metta- 

 pollium, and till lately from thence by runners. The distance 

 from Mettapollium to Ootacamand is 25 miles. There were 9 

 stages and 54 permanent runners ; during the season the num- 

 ber of runners was more than doubled. The whole distance was 

 run in 5 hours 10 minutes up-hill and 4 hours 30 minutes down- 

 hill. 



The runners establishment between Ootacamand and Metta- 

 pollium was abolished on the 9th November 1878, from which 

 date the mails (both letter and banghy) have been carried by 

 tongas similar to those used in the Simla and other ghdts in 

 Northern India. The runners establishment on an average costs 

 Rupees 650 per mensem, for which sum the agents of the Tonga 

 Company have taken the contracts to convey the mails. The 

 time allowed for the up journey is 5 hours 30 minutes and the 

 down journey 4 houi's 45 minutes, the distance between Ootaca- 

 mand and Mettapollium being 34 miles. 



A Tonga carries three passengers. The rates are as follows : — 



Beturn Tickets hy Pair Horse Toyiga. 



FS. 



Mettapollium to Ootacamand and back, or vice versa, per seat. 30 



Do. to Coonoor do. do. 18 



Coonoor to Ootacamand do. do. 12 



V'p Journey. 



Mettapollium to Ootacamand, per seat 



Do. to Coonoor 



Coonoor to Ootacamand 



20 

 14 



8 



