132 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



can go and take refuge whenever the weather is hot 

 at Peshawar. On October 7 he writes from Kus- 

 sowlie to congratulate his old friend the Kev. F. A, 

 Foster on his promotion to the living of Saxby. 



" I know the neighbourhood, my father's brother, 

 who lives at Goole on the Humber, having intro- 

 duced me in 1833 to the banks of that muddiest 

 of rivers and its Danish associations. Curiously 

 enough, your letter reached me just as I also had 

 attained the great object of my ambition in 

 India, the command of the corps of Guides. The 

 Governor- General gave me this distinguished com- 

 mand in the most flattering manner, in acknow- 

 ledoment of services durino; the last war in the 

 Punjab, although I am unprecedentedly young (in 

 the service ! !) for such a command. I obtain the 

 command of 900 men (a battalion of infantry and a 

 squadron and a half of cavalry) with four European 

 ofiicers. To make it a more decided compliment, 

 one of the oflicers is my senior in the army ! 

 and men twice and three times my standing were 

 desirous of the post. 



"My good wife," he adds, "and I have been 

 separated for some time, with only an occasional 

 ' lucid interval ' for a day or two. I am tied to this 

 hill by my official duties, but it disagreed so much 

 with her that I was obliged to send her to Simla — 

 thirty-five miles off. She is now quite well — thank 

 God for her — and rides her fifteen miles before 

 breakfast without fatigue ! We hope to set out for 

 Peshawar (500 miles ofi", and neither roads nor rail- 

 roads ! !) in a few days." 



The military secretary to the Punjab Board had 

 just been off'ering to exchange appointments with 



