UNDER A CLOUD. 169 



Government of India, and this was the answer 

 forwarded by Colonel Birch to the Adjutant- 

 General on December 22, 1855 : " I am directed 

 to acquaint you, for the information of the com- 

 mander-in-chief, that the Most Noble the Governor- 

 General in Council concurs in opinion with his 

 Excellency that further proceedings on the point 

 [of Hodson's accounts] are unnecessary, and his 

 lordship in Council would accordingly allow 

 Lieutenant Hodson to receive the acquittance, and 

 thus close this harassing and painful business." 



The final decision upon Hodson's case was thus 

 reported to the Court of Directors by the new 

 Governor - General, Lord Canning, on March 13, 

 1856:— 



" Your honourable Court will observe that we 

 have felt compelled to place Lieutenant Hodson at 

 the disposal of his Excellency the commander-in- 

 chief. 



"After having given our attentive consideration 

 to all the circumstances connected with this case, 

 we have, in concurrence with the o|)inion of his 

 Excellency the commander-in-chief. General Sir W. 

 Gomm, K.C.B., decided that as Major Taylor, the 

 officiating commandant of the corps of Guides, was 

 willing to grant an acquittance to Lieutenant 

 Hodson on all points connected with his accounts, 

 further proceedings in the matter were unnecessary, 

 and we have accordingly allowed that officer to 

 receive the acquittance, and have thus closed this 

 case. 



By this time Taylor's full report had been laid 

 before the Chief Commissioner, Sir John Lawrence, 

 who forwarded it in due course to Simla. No 



