370 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



for the money, and further, as the reason of this, that it had 

 not been the custom to pay anything to the Pathans of the 

 neighbouring districts or belonging to countries beyond our 

 border, on account of previous deductions for half -mounting. 

 I do not wish to leave the subject unnoticed, but I must 

 allow that I have not carefully examined this point. I 

 have, however, held conversations with Major Lumsden, 

 Lieutenant Godby, and the pay jemadar on the subject, and 

 the result is a belief that, as a rule, all classes were con- 

 sidered entitled to these balances, but that they were not 

 unfrequently withheld if a man's character was bad, or if he 

 had injured his arms, or asked for his discharge improperly. 



47. With regard to estates, the system that had always 

 prevailed in the regiment was that any sums accruing on 

 such accounts were paid into the chest in ordinary course of 

 account, and only paid out again on a clearly established 

 claim by an heir ; while all unclaimed sums, though con- 

 sidered to be entirely the property of Government, remained 

 in the undefined balance of the chest. This, in fact, had 

 been the mode in which all money due to Government had 

 been treated in the regiment from the first, and it would 

 have been right to have mentioned this when these cases, 

 and those of forfeited pay, were brought to the notice of the 

 Court. 



48. Of the fine cases five were civil, inflicted in due 

 course ; three had never been inflicted ; and five were 

 military, and had been realised — two from bazaar-men and 

 three from soldiers, if I remember right, from sowars who 

 had brought their horses back from furlough in bad con- 

 dition. At present, if this happens, a man is put on dis- 

 mounted pay, which is much the same thing. 



49. With regard to the whole number of cases mentioned, 

 I may say that where Lieutenant Hodson's statements in 

 reply refer to the accounts, they are borne out by the facts. 

 Of scenes and events I have no knowledge. 



50. But my particular business is with nine cases of 

 claims, or asserted claims, for arrears of current pay or 

 excess deductions therefrom. Of these, four were incorrect. 



