Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/507

Rh their name of Nilagiri, nila (pronounced neela) meaning blue; and giri, (girrey,) mountain. By the English they are known as the “Neilgherry Hills."

The English for years had possession of Coimbatoor and Mysore, the provinces below the mountains, without suspecting the existence of the fair and healthful retreat that lay upon their blue tops. It was known, however, that tobacco was smuggled from the district of Coimbatoor across the range to the western coast, and that there must be a passable way over the hills. About thirty years since, two revenue officers resolved to follow these smugglers to their haunts. Climbing, with the help of guides, the steep and rugged path by which alone the mountains were then scaled, they at last reached the summit, and found, to their amazement and delight, a lovely country of hill and dale, pasture, woodland, and cultivated fields, spreading for miles before them. Invigorated by the cool air, and captivated with the scene, they reported the discovery in brilliant colours, and pioneered their countrymen to this truly charming retreat from the heat of the plains below.

While these mountains perform a most important part in the physical economy of South-