General direct," said Damzè. "His Lordship
is a near connection of mine."

"I am perfectly aware of that," said Mr.
Revenue Board. "But it is my intention to
submit my case to his Lordship through
Mr. Bommerson, the Lieutenant-Governor
of these Provinces, officially; and, if his
Lordship's opinion should be adverse, I shall
have my appeal to the Court of Directors,
amongst whom (thank Heaven! ) I have
several relations and warm friends."

"And you will write, I hope, my dear,"
said Mrs. Revenue Board, "to Sir John
Bobgrouse, who is the president of the Board
of Control, and whose secretary married your
first cousin — recollect."

"We can write, too," said Mrs. Lieutenant-
Colonel Damzè.

"You may write to anybody you please,"
said Mrs. Revenue Board, defiantly and
contemptuously; "but you will remember that
the point between us is this, that even if
your husband, in consequence of having got—
no matter how — a C.B.ship, has the right to
precede my husband, a civilian of twenty
years standing, whether you have the right
to precede me? That is the question, and
I hope, Revenue Dear, you will not fail to
raise it."

In truth the question was submitted
in all its bearings for the consideration
of the most noble the Governor-General
of India; who, declining to take upon
himself so fearful a responsibility, referred
the matter to the Home Government.
Leadenhall Street had something to say to it, and
so had the Board of Control. While the
case was pending, the newspapers in every
part of India literally teemed with letters
on the subject, and their editors were
invited to give their opinions thereon. Only
one of the number was weak enough to do
this, and bitterly did he repent of his
rashness; for, having decided in favour of
the C.B., and of Mrs. C.B., he lost (so he
confessed to me) no less than six-and-
twenty civilians, each of twenty years standing
in his subscription list. For more
than eighteen mouths, this precedence
question formed a leading topic, not only in the
public prints, but in private circles. It
became, in short, a perfect nuisance. At
length, the decision of the Home Government
came out to India; but, alas! they
had only half done their work! They had
given C.B. the precedence over the civilian of
twenty years standing, but had been silent
about their wives! So, the matter was
referred back. A clerk in the Private Secretary's
office told me that he was occupied for
three hours in copying only the Governor-
General's minute on the Court's despatch
which was a very lengthy one, and signed by
the chairman for himself and the other
directors, whose names were given in full.
He further informed me that the whole of
the documents, connected with this weighty
affair, would, if put into type, form a volume
five times as bulky as Sir William Napier's
Conquest of Scinde.

How the matter was settled eventually,
I do not know; for, when I left India, the
question had not been decided. On the great
point, when it was referred for a second
time to the Home Authorities, there was a
difference of opinion between the Court of
Directors and the Board of Control, and a
long correspondence ensued on the subject
between each of these departments of the
Indian Government and the Governor-
General, who was required to have the case
laid before the Advocates-General of the
Supreme Courts, at the various Presidencies.
These gentlemen differed one with the other
in their views of the case; each alleging that
the point lay in a nut-shell, and was as clear
as possible. For all I know to the contrary,
it may be in the nut-shell at this moment.
Both, Lieutenant-Colonel Damzè, and Mr.
Revenue Board, laid cases before the
Calcutta barristers, who pocketed their fees,
and laconically expressed their opinions,
respectively, that the parties who consulted
them were in the right, "there could be no
doubt on the point," they said. Damzè sent
a copy of his case, and the opinion of his
barrister thereon, to Revenue Board, who
rather triumphantly returned the compliment.
I regret to say, that this contest
engendered in Agra a great deal of what is
called bad blood, and induced many ladies
to descend to very unseemly personalities.
For instance, Mrs. Damzè, one evening at
the band-stand told Mrs. Revenue Board,
that when she (Mrs. R. B.) returned to
England, she would have no rank at all, as
her husband was not an esquire even — but a
"mister" in his own country. To which
Mrs. Revenue Board replied:

"And you, pray? Is not your husband in
the Company's service?"

"Yes," rejoined Mrs. Damè ; "but you
forget the C.B.!"

Let us now return to the Honourable
Lieutenant Infantry. When that officer
came up, and led away Lady Gallopaway
to supper, Damzè was overheard to say,
"I'll take the shine out of that young gentleman;"
and if taking the shine meant constantly
bullying the subaltern, Damzè certainly
kept his word. And when the next
hot weather came, and the Lieutenant wished
to accompany his sick wife to the Hills,
Damzè, when he forwarded the application
for six months' leave of absence, wrote
privately to the Assistant Adjutant-General,
and recommended that it should not be
granted. The honourable subaltern,
however, was rather too strong for his colonel, in
the way of interest. Presuming on the
acquaintance which existed between his
father and the commander-in-chief, he wrote
a letter to that functionary, and a few days
afterwards found himself in general orders.