16 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



make his mark among scholarly English exponents 

 of Greek and Latin classics. Writing on March 

 31, 1841, to Hodson's father, Mr Blakesley takes 

 occasion to express " the pleasure which I received 

 from hearing that, although not successful in his 

 late contest for the Bull Scholarship, he was among 

 the very first of the candidates, and produced a very 

 strong impression in his favour. 



" From the opportunities I have had of forming 

 a judgment as to his attainments, I feel that his 

 friends will be quite justified in expecting from 

 him, should his health (as I trust it will) hold, a 

 distinguished university career ; and I have, more- 

 over, no fear that in his case, as sometimes un- 

 fortunately happens, intellectual attainments will 

 be unaccompanied by moral habits." 



One of Hodson's collesfe friends was Mr G. 

 Chance, afterwards a police magistrate in London, 

 who has kindly favoured me with a few reminis- 

 cences of Hodson's life at Cambridge. 



" It seems only a few years," he writes, " since 

 we were at Cambridge together. He was a genial 

 and excellent companion, and beloved by his friends. 

 He was a member of the 2nd Trinity Boat Club, 

 and pulled, I think, No. 3 in the first boat, of which 

 I was stroke. He and I on one occasion rowed a 

 pair-oar match against his cousin William Atkinson 

 and the late Sir M. Thompson, chairman of the 

 Midland Eailway Company, in which we won. He 

 was remarkable for his activity : some of us used to 

 scour the country, leaping gates and ditches, and in 

 these feats of agility he and F. Strickland, another 

 Eugbeian, were pre-eminent. I in common with 

 every one else followed his splendid achievements 



