70 



The Neilglierry Mountains. 



[No. 34, 



parative absence of crime in the hill district generally, that of the 

 Sebundy or rural police. 



There are no manufactures carried on on the 

 Manufactures. Neilgherries, unless a few earthen pots made by 



the Kothers, and principally at a village near Soloor, to the west- 

 ward of Mootenaad, may be called by that name. From the great 

 command however of water power all over the Hills, and especially 

 near the summits of the passes or ghauts/many of the products of 

 the plains requiring to be wrought by heavy ortsteadily driven ma- 

 chinery, such as cotton for yarn, oil seeds, &:c., might, no doubt, be 

 profitably converted from the raw state on the Neilgherries, or on 

 their lower slopes. The wheat raised on them might also be ground 

 into flour by machinery turned by water, very economically ; and it 

 seems strange that at the present time, although a large quantity of 

 flour is consumed in the settlements, and considering how many Eu- 

 ropeans who must have some knowledge of ordinary machinery are 

 resident on the Hills, not one flour mill is in existence, all the wheat 

 being ground by manual labour in the common ancient.native mill of 

 two circular stones, the lower fixed and the upper one^revolving. 



^ , , , No capital to any extent is invested at the 



Capital employed. ^ 



present time except in mulberry and cofl'ee plan- 

 tations, the amount of which I have no means of ascertaining, and in 

 house building in the cantonment, which is not considerable. The 

 return on the latter investment appears to be about 15 per cent. 



Imports following articles are imported into the 



Hill district from the adjacent provinces of Ma- 

 labar, Mysore, and Ooimbatore : 



Sugar, Turmeric, Oils, Arrack, 



Salt-fish, Oocoanuts, Almonds, Dried Fruits, 



Sheep, Bullocks, Poultry, Gunpowder, 



Sulphur, Lime, Furniture, Artificer's Tools, 



Gram, Raggee, Chollum, Betel Nut, 



Ghee, Spices, Limes, Native Peas, 



Cotton Cloth, Salt, Tobacco, 



and of European articles: wines and spirits, wearing apparel, cam- 

 brics, woollens, flannels, muslins, shoes, books and stationery, earth- 

 enware and glass, hardware, groceries, beer and porter, candles, and 

 all kinds of supplies for the table. 



