THE DOUBLE COMMISSIONS 231
Major Carnac. be Appointed to act as ^-^^S^^^' i^:""^^ """^^ in the room of Lieutenant Britton as Adjutant to the Detachm .
A memorial by Breton about his rank, dated i6th Dec. 1776, contained in the Mily. Cons, of 26th Feb., 1777. two years before the date of the above order, says nothing about his ever havmg served as a medical officer. He was commissioned as Ensign on 22nd Dec, 1772, became Lieut, on 25th March, 1777. and Captain on 23rd March, 1781, and resigned in Dec, 1790.
Andrew Cranston, who, as weU as Balfour, undoubtedly held a combatant commission in addition to his medical warrant, entered as Assistant Surgeon in Oct.. 1769. received a commission as Ensign on 5th Oct., 1769, became Lieut, on 28th March, 1773, and died on 5th Sept., 1776, at Barhampur. In his case, therefore, the question of promotion never arose.
The only other cases in which medical officers can be shown with certainty to have held combatant commissions and medical warrants at one and the same time are those of James Ellis, and of two brothers. Charles and James Laird.
James Ellis went to India in 1758 as Surgeon's Mate of the StreatJiam, and after the loss of that ship was appointed in the same capacity to the Bengal Service from ist Nov.. 1759, was promoted to Surgeon less than two years later, on ist Oct., 1761, and after Crooke's death at Patna became Head Surgeon in Calcutta from 25th Nov., 1763. He became First Surgeon, vice Taylor, resigned, from 12th Feb.. 1771, and went home about April, 1774, but came out again about May, 1783, and succeeded Daniel Campbell as Surgeon-General. On the foundation of the Medical Board in 1786, he became its first President, with the title of Physician-General. He resigned on 24th Dec, 1789, and died on board the Burhidge, on his way home.
Among the Orme MSS. {Orme, Various, Vol. CXCVII, pp. 13 to 18) are preserved two copies of a memorial from Ellis, the first apparently in his own handwriting, recounting his services. The memorial is not dated, but from internal evidence appears to have been written after he went home in 1774. In this memorial he tells how he was sent on active service in Midnapur, received a commission as Ensign, and resigned it by the Company's rules on his promotion to Surgeon.
" This campaign was active and sharp, and the conduct of your memoriaUst was satisfying to the Commander, on whose recommendation
