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COLD. 105
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The
question of climate is by no means an unimportant one, and has not
been overlooked by Mr. Brough Smyth. It is a factor known to exercise
an appreciable influence in all commercial undertakings in India, as,
for instance, the cultivation of tea in Assam :—
Though
the climate of the Wynaad has been represented as unhealthy, it is not
uncommon for Europeans employed in connexion with coffee gardens to
remain in the district with their families throughout the whole year.
Fever is prevalent in March, April, and May, and some of the residents
become seriously ill. But it must be borne in mind that a
coffee-planter who attends carefully to his business is subjected to
exposure to the sun during the hot months and to the heavy rains during
the monsoon. He has to walk or ride for many hours each day, when the
solar radiation is at its maximum, and during the monsoon his clothes
are rarely dry.
Kolar (or Colar) District.—The
Kolar district, situated in Mysore, is also at the present moment
attracting a considerable amount of attention in connection with its
gold. Unlike the Wynaad it does not appear to have been as yet
systematically explored by any geologist or mining expert, and my
information regarding it is therefore limited to what I have been able
to collect from notices in the Indian newspapers. However, the general
fact is known that the rocks are similar to those of the Wynaad,
belonging to the metamorphic series, but as to the abundance of quartz
reefs I have no information. As in the Wynaad, gold has long been
sought for by the natives in Kolar, and it is claimed for this area
that it was largely instrumental in supplying the wealth of Southern
India spoken of above. Indeed, it is stated that Hyder
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