344 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



H. Daly and Sir C. Gough had stated at the time, 

 that immediately on Hodson's death a guard had 

 been placed over his effects until they were removed 

 to the quarters of General Napier, who has declared 

 that there was nothing in his boxes but what an 

 officer might legitimately and honourably have in 

 his possession. 



It is amusing, though not a little sad, to mark the 

 perverse ingenuity with which some of Hodson's 

 detractors have twisted the most harmless incidents 

 of his career into the clearest evidences of wrong- 

 doing. We have seen, for instance, how the Cow- 

 house affair became transformed into an absurd 

 fable of ill-gotten gains. Not long before his death 

 Hodson had applied to the paymaster. Captain F. C. 

 Tombs, for two months' pay for his regiment. 

 General Mansfield, then chief of the staff to Sir 

 Colin Campbell, had sanctioned the application. At 

 Hodson's request the sum of Rs. 60,000 was paid to 

 him in the shape of bills on Calcutta, for which at 

 that time there was a great demand among the 

 up-country bankers. " That they were duly paid," 

 writes his brother, " all allow. ... It is perhaps 

 needless after this to say that it can be proved that 

 no such sum came into the hands of his bankers at 

 Calcutta or was found by his executors." 



Nevertheless, a story had been set on foot, and 

 for aught I know is still current, to the effect that 

 Hodson remitted to Calcutta a very large sum, 

 amounting to some thousands of pounds. 



With the arrears of pay and batta due to Hodson 

 at the time of his death his executors were enabled 

 to pay off all outstanding claims against his estate. 

 " When this was done," writes the Rev. G. H. 



