COLONEL BRIGGS. 33 



officer put in his place. The difficulties and real hardships 1829. 

 (for he was then ill) which Col. Briggs underwent during this 

 time were communicated to his sympathising nephew and 

 friend in England, who gave what help he could by calling 

 the attention of the Directors of the Company to the case. 

 Nothing could be done, however, and Mr. James Mill 

 writes, 'From all I hear, I believe Col. Briggs' friends 

 have reason to rejoice in his dismissal.' 1 



The session of 1829-30 began nearly as the last 



1 Dr. Briggs' ghost story, well known in the Madras Presidency 

 ninety years ago, was one of the best authenticated incidents of the 

 kind I ever heard. I give it here as it was told me, first by Mr. 

 De Morgan, who heard it from his mother ; afterwards by General 

 Briggs, who had it when a young man from Sir John Malcolm. His 

 father could not be induced to speak of it. 



When my informant was a very young infant, Dr. Briggs, who was 

 quartered with his regiment somewhere (I forget the place) in the hill 

 country, used to hunt once or twice a week with the officers and others, 

 whose custom it was to breakfast at each other's houses after the sport 

 was over. On a day on which it was Dr. Briggs' turn to receive his 

 friends, he awoke at dawn, and saw a figure standing beside his bed. 

 He rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was awake, got up, crossed 

 the room, and washed his face well with cold water. He then turned, 

 and seeing the same figure, approached it and recognised a sister 

 whom he had left in England. He uttered some exclamation, and 

 fell down in a swoon, in which state he was found by the servant who 

 came to call him for the hunt. He was of course unable to join his 

 friends, who, when at breakfast on their return, rallied him on the 

 cause of his absence. While they were talking he suddenly looked up 

 aghast and said trembling, * Is it possible that none of you see the 

 woman who stands there ? ' They all declared there was no one. ' I 

 tell you there is,' he said. ' She is my sister. I beg you all to make 

 a note of this, for we shall hear of her death.' All present, sixteen in 

 number, of whom Sir John Malcolm was one, made an entry of the 

 occurrence and the date in their note-books, and by the first mail 

 which could bring the news from England the sister's death at the 

 time was announced. She had, before leaving this world, expressed a 

 wish that she could see her brother and leave her two young sons to 

 his care. Dr. Briggs was a man of great nerve and courage, and one 

 to whom the idea of a spirit's appearance would, until that time, have 

 been utterly ridiculous. The death of General Briggs some years 

 since, at the age of ninety, makes it allowable to publish the story, 

 which, however, he gave me for the purpose forty years ago. 



D 



