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OUR PORTRAIT GALLERY.-NO. L.

LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR CHARLES JAMES NAPIER, G.C.B.

Ir patrician blood, if ancestors, distinguished by intellectual and physical accomplishment, could add merit to one who has worked out for himself a high place in Eastern history, we might claim both for the subject of this memoir.

Sir John Napier, of Merchistown, was descended from that son of the Earl of Lennox whose acquisition of the name Napier is recorded in a wellknown chivalric tradition. How much he benefited science by the invention of logarithms-how far he was in advance of the science of that day-we need not now insist.

Francis, the sixth Lord Napier, and sixth in descent from Sir John, married a native of this city. His son, Colonel George Napier, the father of Sir Charles, was one of the most powerful and active men in the British army, and many marvellous feats, proving his agility and strength, are recorded.

Colonel Napier married Lady Sarah Lennox, daughter of the second Duke of Richmond. Through this lady, Sir Charles Napier is nearly related to the Duke of Leinster, who is the grandson of Lady Emilia, the sister of Lady Sarah Lennox. The eldest son of this marriage, Charles James, was born 10th of August, 1782.

The present is not the only occasion upon which we have found it our duty to claim as an Irishman an individual, the "accident" of whose birth has occurred out of the Green Isle. There are circumstances in connexion with a man's life that stamp his country more unequivocally than this casualty-more especially his residence in childhood and boyhood-the seat of what we might term his instinctive feelings, habits, tastes, and associations, from their early imbibition, then growing and strengthening with his growth and education, until at length they afford the stamp of character, which justifies the attachment of a

"Local habitation and a name."

Fortunately, it rests not with us to establish this point, as, despite of all our faults, and all the vituperation heaped upon this country, Napier, so far from availing himself of the opportunity thus offered for repudiating us, prides himself on being an Irishman.

Colonel Napier, our hero's father, was a man of strong mental powers, of strict or rigid principle-possessed an intuitive knowledge of war, confirmed by an extensive experience, having served in the American campaign in 1777. He was on Lord Moira's staff in the Duke of York's expedition, and was selected to take the command of the 102nd, or Londonderry Regiment, on its being raised.

Charles was born at Whitehall, in London; and when between two and three years old, his father removed his family to Castletown, in the county of Kildare, where he resided for four years. From thence he removed to Celbridge-the house at present occupied by Mr. Maunsell where he resided for several years. This house he fortified, and opened as a place of refuge to the inhabitants of Celbridge during the panic attending the rebellion of '98; and as several doubtful parties claimed protection, he adopted the idea of placing them in the windows to receive the fire of the rebels, at the same time keeping them under cover of the fire of those upon whom he could rely. His precautions, however, deterred the rebels from their meditated attack on that occasion. Colonel Napier held the office of Comptroller of Army Accounts in Ireland, for several years, during Lord Cornwallis's administration, and died in 1804.

Young Napier received his education from this stern old soldier; and judging from his success, and that of his brothers in their after career, his father was quite as competent to this task in the literary* and general education he imparted

Sir William Napier, the gallant and accomplished historian of the Peninsular War, was his third son; Captain Henry Napier, R.N., Author of the Florentine history, his fourth son.

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to them, as in the knowledge of war. A delicate child, he was reared with dif ficulty; but, like Nelson, he gradually acquired strength and firmness. Although he never assumed a very robust make, yet he early exhibited that nervous elasticity and activity, indicative of great powers of endurance, and aptitude for physical exertion. In January, 1794, before he had completed his twelfth year, he obtained a commission in the 33rd regiment.

A soldier almost from his cradle, he acquired the art of working on a soldier, by appealing to the higher instead of the lower feelings of his nature; and on this system he has since invariably acted. At this period of his life he enjoyed peculiar advantages, as the advice and example of his father (no ordinary man) must have much contributed to form a character capable of preserving rigid discipline, while beloved by his men.

Napier first served in the Irish rebellion in 1798, and was aide-de-camp to Sir James Duff, commanding in Limerick, in 1800. He again served in Emmett's rebellion, in 1803. While acting on the staff at this period, a circumstance occurred which may be recorded. Whilst in coloured clothes, occupied in making a reconnoisance in the neighbourhood of the Phoenix Park, a selfimportant civilian of some note observed him, and coming up, questioned him authoritatively as to his occupation. Napier's efforts to satisfy him not proving satisfactory, he was taken into custody as a rebel spy, and he, with his portfolio, &c. were seized, and carried in triumph to the Royal Hospital. We may imagine the horror and dismay of his captor, on young Napier desiring the guard to relieve the gentleman from his load, and show him the shortest way out of the premises, humorously humming after his discomfited assailant the well-known lines of the smuggler's song:

"Your permit, why not show it before?'

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Because it came into my nob, sir,

That as waiting for me on the shore,

Your worship was wanting a job, sir.'

In 1804, he obtained a company in the 50th, with which he served for many years, and in which he much distinguished himself. He obtained his majority in 1806, and, as major, commanded the 50th all through Sir John Moore's retreat, and at the battle of Corunna. Here the career of Major Napier was nearly closed.

It was a matter of extreme importance to silence an advanced gun which was making great havoc in the English lines, and a shot from which very gun eventually struck down Sir John Moore. Napier, as one of Moore's majors, par excellence, advanced upon it. The ground was much broken, consisting of walled gardens, and byroads, with deep cuttings. In the heat of the combat, Napier had seized a musket, and gained a position, on which he stood firing and rallying his men, urging them to form for a rush upon the gun. Four only of his gallant 50th were able to reach him, so deadly was the fire to which they were exposed. Finding further attempt vain, and observing that he was cut off from his regiment by a party of the enemy who had concealed themselves in the village, whilst he passed, he called upon his little band to endeavour, with him, to cut their way through. Three were instantly cut down : the fourth was wounded, and called on Napier to help him. Napier, whilst assisting him, was wounded in the leg, having the fibula fractured by a musket-ball. He now relinquished his musket, and, using his sword as a support, endeavoured to regain his regiment. At this moment he felt a wound inflicted in his back by a soldier who had emerged from one of the houses. Turning rapidly round, he seized the musket of his assailant, which having struck upon his spine, fortunately did not penetrate deeply. Whilst struggling, several other soldiers closed in upon him; but, with a degree of activity almost supernatural, he managed to keep his close antagonist between him and his assailants, never losing hold of the musket. At length the unequal combat was terminated by a French soldier coming up with a short sabre, and felling him to the earth with a blow on the skull, which was supposed to have cleft it in twain. As he lay in this state, he was rifled by the soldiers with such ferocity, that they tore away a portion of his dress with his watch; and one, conceiving that he

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perceived some vitality remaining, was about to extinguish it, when he was rescued by the humanity of a French drummer, whose admiration had been excited by his bravery. While the French were carrying Napier to the rear, he in some degree recovered consciousness, and saw Hennessey, an Irishman of the 50th, one of the stragglers who had survived the murderous conflict, deep in the French position. coming all alone, with his musket at the charge, towards Napier's escort, with the full intention of rescuing his commander, or being himself killed. Napier at once ordered him to lay down his arms and surrender. "And for fwhat should I surrindher?" was the reply. However, the habit of obedience was too strong, and Hennessey merely vented his displeasure by letting the butt of his musket drop heavily on the drummer's legs, and pushing him away from beside Napier, determined, if he could not rescue, at least to carry his commander.

Soult, with the chivalric spirit of a great warrior, rewarded Napier's preserver, and treated himself with the greatest possible kindness. He avoided even sending him to France, to exempt him from the operation of Napoleon's inhuman system of refusing cartels, and recommended him to the consideration of his successor, Ney, who also dealt with him rather as a friend than a prisoner, permitted him to return to England on parole, and eventually procured his liberation by an exchange. His friends, however, were convinced of his death for upwards of three months after the battle of Corunna; they even obtained from the Prerogative Court administration of his personal estate; and the first intimation they had of his survival was the announcement of his arrival at Exeter, where they hurried to meet him, absolutely dressed in mourning, worn for his loss.

Not the least curious feature in the "hair-breadth 'scapes" he experienced in this battle, was the fracture of two of his ribs, which occurred early in the engagement without any assignable cause, but then supposed to be from the concussion of a cannon-shot. For his gallant conduct in this battle he obtained a medal-a reward then seldom given, and much prized. When his parole had expired, he served as a volunteer at the Coa, where two horses were killed under him, and at Busaco, where he was shot through the face, the bullet lodging behind the ear, and splintering the articulation of the jaw-bone. With this dreadful hurt, he made his way, under a fierce sun, to Lisbon, more than one hundred miles. He was also present at Fuentes, in the second siege of Badajos, and many skirmishes. He obtained his rank of lieutenant-colonel in the 102d Regiment in 1811, and went out to Bermuda in command of it. In 1813, he served in the expedition to Chesapeake Bay, under Sir Sidney Beckwith. At Craney Island, his regiment was very much cut up. Af terwards, he commanded at the affair of Little Hampton, which proved most successful. Having made every effort to reach Waterloo as a volunteer, he arrived from Ghent on the field the evening of the 18th, too late to take part in the battle, but he was present throughout the march upon Paris, and at the storming of Cambray. Returning from this campaign, the ship sunk off Flushing, and he saved himself by swimming. On his return to England, he entered the senior department of the military college as a pupil, and passed the first years of the peace in intense application to the acquisition of further knowledge of the arts of war and of civil government.

In the year 1823, he was appointed on the Ionian staff, and subsequently Lieutenant-Governor (or Resident, as it is termed in the Ionian Islands) of Cephalonia. Here he had, though under most adverse circumstances, some opportunity of displaying those talents for government, which he has since so usefully exercised in Scinde.

The circumstances of the Ionian Islands, on Colonel Napier's arrival there, singularly resembled those of Ireland a few years since. An active, intelligent, acute population, injured by centuries of misgovernment, had acquired habits of falsehood, fraud, and resistance to law; the feudal proprietary, of a race distinct from that of the population, possessed and exercised enormous influence over their tenants; the people, split into factions, hated their domestic opponents with bitterness, far exceeding any they could feel towards a foreign enemy; assassination was frequent-while the criminal, when convicted, was looked on rather as the victim of the injustice of the judge, or of the vengeance of some

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