idely read,--so widely, indeed, that there is no need for us to
repeat its story here, or to give an abstract of its contents. Hodson
was a man worth knowing, and his letters show him to us as he was.
The special qualities of which Englishmen are proud, as the traits
of national character, belonged in an uncommon degree to him. He was
eminently truthful, staunch, and brave; he had a clear eye, a strong and
ready hand, cool judgment, stern decision, and a tender heart. He might
have borne the old Douglas motto on his shield.

He was trained under as good teachers as a young man ever had. At Rugby,
under Dr. Arnold; then, for a year or two, living among the ennobling
associations of Trinity College; then at Guernsey, as a young soldier,
under Sir William Napier; then in India, with James Thomason,
Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Provinces, one of the best rulers
that India ever knew, "_facile princeps_ of the whole Indian service";
and finally passing from him to serve under Sir Henry Lawrence, the
noblest soldier of India, a man for whom common words of praise are
insufficient,--Hodson had an unrivalled set of masters, and his life
proves him to have been worthy of them.

The British rule in India is of such sort as to test the qualities of
its officers to the last point. If they have anything good in them, it
is sure to be brought into full action. Such responsibilities are thrown
on them as at once to stimulate them to exertion of their best powers.
Men who in the ordinary fields of work might remain all their lives mere
commonplace mediocrities, under the discipline of Indian service, find
out and show their real value. The Indian mutiny exhibited how common
the rare qualities of foresight, energy, and enduring courage, and the
still higher qualities of submission, patience, and faith, had become
among those against whom the natives rose like a flood to overwhelm them
in destruction. The little bands of English at Cawnpore, at Lucknow, and
at many a less famous station, stood like rocks against the dashing of
the storm. The qualities that enabled them to win the admiration even
of their enemies, and to call forth the respect and the sorrow of the
world, were the result, not of sudden stress, but of long and habitual
training. The reader of Hodson's memoir will gain a knowledge of the
processes by which such characters are developed.

The letters which make up the larger part of this book are written
with animat