120 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



George H. Hodson "that they never heard any 

 intimation of the sort, nor did his brother-in-law, 

 the Rev. J. Knox Marshall, with whom to the 

 last he most constantly corresponded in England." 

 Mr Knox Marshall well remembers " the way in 

 which Sir Henry used to write respecting your noble 

 and distinguished brother. Among the many whose 

 character for honour, bravery, and courage those 

 trying times developed, no one stood higher, few 

 so high."^ 



That Hodson's " unscrupulous character came out 

 at every step " of the Kashmir tour must be re- 

 garded as a flight of pure fancy on the part of a 

 writer who goes out of his way to asperse the char- 

 acter of a man whose worst failings sprang from 

 no sordid or ignoble source. 



In this connection I may refer again to the 

 testimony of his old schoolfellow, Mr Thomas 

 Arnold : "I firmly believe that the charges and 

 imputations which have been heaped upon his 

 memory are for the most part false. AVhen he is 

 accused of peculation, falsification of accounts, mis- 

 appropriation of funds, &c., I should oppose, unless 

 evidence much more damaging than has yet been 

 brought forward can be produced, an unhesitating 

 negative. I do not believe that Hodson was capable 

 of base or ignoble acts. He had an honest and 

 upright nature." ^ That Hodson was the " soul of 

 honour " has always been the settled conviction of 

 that other schoolfellow. Mr F. A, Foster, with 

 whom he corresponded nearly to the last. Such 

 evidence to early character counts for much when 



^ Hodson of Hodson's Horse. 



2 Passages from a Wandering Life. By Thomas Arnold. 



