The Press. — London, England, 1854-05-27 00:00:00

, t I \ 3 t NOTES ABOUT THE NAVY. No. VII.—"OLD CHARLEY'S" EXPLOITS. [Concluded.] ON the bloody field of Busaco a spectator might have observed a wounded British officer carried to the rear. Amongst those assisting in his removal might be seen a rather strange figure of the amphi bious kind, looking pugnacious enough, but with a certain something in his air and manner suggestive of salt-water associations. His dress and language told of one who did not belong to the regulars under Wellington. The wounded man was the late General Sir James Charles Napier, Governor of Scinde, and the other was the present Admiral Sir Charles Napier! For after coming home to England in the Jason frigate in 1809, Napier did not get another ship at once. Sooner than be idle he went off to the Penin sula and joined the army as a volunteer, and was again wounded in a skirmish—a proof of the re markable energy that animates this bold-hearted officer. In 1811 he went afloat again, having obtained an appointment to the Thames, of 32 guns. From that time until the close of the war in 1815 Napier was employed in various kinds of active service, and dis tinguished himself in several boat actions. He was chiefly engaged off the coast of Italy. In 1811 he carried the heights of Palinuro, storming them in gallant style at the head of a mixed party of soldiers and sailors. On the 2nd of November in that year he destroyed ten gun-boats, and so signalised himself by coolness and "discretion" that he got the special thanks of the admiral on the station, the late Lord Exmouth. In 1812 he attacked and took the port of Sapri, captured twenty-eight vessels laden with oil, in doing which (there is now no harm in ob serving) he obtained the aid of "the Pilot sloop," as is acknowledged in the London Gazette for 1812. More might be said here on certain fighting that took place at Sapri, but it is the events in the life of Napier, and not of any other person, that are here noted. In 1813 he took possession of the island of Monza, and he was promoted to the EuryaluB, 36 guns. In the following winter he drove on shore in Calai Bay the Balleine, French store-ship. He then went with a fleet of transports to North America, and took part in the expedition against Alexandria ; and his services on that occasion are recorded in the Gazette, in which the officer in command (Captain Gordon) said that he owed Captain Napier more obligations than he could express; and in other enterprises at that time he was also conspicuous. But a long interval of rest was now before him. The war closed. The Euryalus was paid off in June, 1815, when Napier was made a C.B. He did not go afloat again till 1829, when be was appointed to the Galatea, in which, until 1832, he performed particular service. He had resided near Portsmouth for several years, and was felt to be quite " a cha racter." At the Reform Club dinner Lord Pal merston alluded to some of the gallant officer's pecu liarities, and his readiness for turning his hand to everything. The following anecdote of him (taken from an old letter) is very much in keeping with his style : " He is certainly quite a character, and one or two anec dotes I have heard concerning him may amuse you. I before mentioned the little attention he bestows on dress : h is s.►id that, when standing for the boroughof Portsmouth, one of his opponents styled him the gallant and ragged candidate :' he felt this aspersion on his apparel so much, that th• next day at a meeting he actually appeared in a pair of clean and whole inexpressibles ; but the novelty of the thing was such that he could not help alluding to it himself, and he opened his address to the meeting by, ' Gentlemen, my opponents called me ragged : I have therefore, as you perceive, put on a pair of clean and new breeches, that they may no longer have this subject to harp on.' He used frequently at his country residence near Portsmouth to be annoyed by nightly depredations on his poultry-yard, and made use of the follow►ng curious expe dient to intimidate those who took such liberties with h►s ducks and geese. He killed a pig, and at night, after everybody had retired to bed, he took the blood in a basin, and sprinkled it across the yard and on the palings which formed the boundary of it ; then returning to the house, and undressing, he gave the alarm that he heard somebody about the premises, and, seizing a pistol, ran out, and after crying out Stop, or I'll shoot you, by G—d!' he let fly, and the person who was in the secret, and was concealed on the other side of the fence' immediately roared out most lustily, and, taking a circuit, returned unperceived to the house—all the inmates of which were by this time on the move : a lantern was pro cured, the track of blood was followed to the extremity of the yard, and all were astonished at the quantity the thief must have lost in crossing the palings over which he es caped, at least mortally wounded. This story of course got wind, and so far produced the desired effect, that since the admiral's poultry have never been disturbed by their former nightly visito►s. You may rely on thi3 being a true bill, as I heard him relate it himself as a good joke." \ "rte THE PRESS. But the time was at hand when he was greatly to distinguish himself. He was appointed to command the Portuguese fleet, in succession to Admiral Sar torious, and v/ith inferior forces he attacked and almost annihilated the Miguelite fleet in 1833. The style in which he performed this exploit was of the most " dashing " kind. At a single blow he finished the civil war. He was made a Portuguese viscount, and a large subscription was raised in England for the purpose of presenting him a testimonial. Of Napier's appearanse at that battle a graphic account is given in a letter from Lisbon, written a few days after:— Admiral Napier (now Viscount St. Vincent) is for the time the ' Lion ' of Lisbon, and his new and well-earned honours have in no way deprived him of his former energy and activity, nor improved his taste in point of dress, in which he is as great a sloven as when he appeared on the hustings at Portsmouth. 1 was told by a person who saw him immediately after he took possession of the Rainha that when on the quarterdeck of that vessel, with his naked cutlass in his hand, rigged in his round jacket and broad brimmed hat, and covered with blood and brains, he looked more like a leader of banditti than anything else : but this only goes to prove that the coat does not make the man. Apropos of the boarding of the Rainhu: the two officers who were first in performing that gallant exploit, Captain Beeves, the admiral's flag-captain, and Captain Charley, his son and aide-de-camp, are both recovering from wounds they got on that occasion. The former received three severe ones; Captain Charley, including some slight bayonet thrusts, was wounded in no less than twelve dif ferent places ; he is, however, again on his legs, and in the command of one of the finest vessels in the fleet, the Eliza corvette, of twenty-six guns. On the boarding of the Rainha, one of the most conspicuous parts was played by a negio of the name of Wilson, a man of immense muscular power, which he exerted with no small effect, cutting down indiscriminately every Miguelite he came across, whether armed or disarmed : in this amusement he is said to have destroyed twenty or thirty, until his officers put a stop to the butchery. Barreros, the Miguelite commander of the Rainha, was unquestionably a brave fellow ; but, if report speak true, proved himself to be possessed of more courage than honour. It is said that, after making every effort to save his vessel, he went with a light to the maga zine, with the intent of blowing her up, but was prevented from executing this project by the interference of some of his own people ; that on his return on deck he met with Admiral Napier, to whom he gave himself up ; but, on the latter turning his back, that Barreros seized a pistol and snapped it at him, which being perceived by some of the Pedroites, he was immediately run through the body, and thrown overboard. Be this as it may, he was certainly killed in the action, and his ship, bearing still honourable marks of resistance, is now in the Tagus, about to undergo the requisite repairs : her name has been changed to the St. Vincent, in commemoration of the place where the action was fought." On account of his wounds received in early life Napier had been made an out-pensioner of Green wich with eighty pounds a year as a plaster for his lame leg. In January, 1837, he was awarded the captain's good-service pension ; and in 1839 he was appointed to the Powerful, 84 guns, serving in the Mediterranean, on board of which he hoisted his flag as commodore. He then became second in command to Sir Robert Stopford, and increased his well-earned fame. He landed at D'Jouvine in the September of that year, and defeated a body of the enemy. On the 27th of that month he bombarded and stormed the strong town of Sidon, with a force of about nine hundred allies and five hundred Turks, and took prisoners the whole of its garrison. On that occasion he placed himself at the head of the British Marines and broke into the castle. In October he routed a large portion of the enemy, under Ibrahim Pacha, posted in the mountains near Beyrout, which had consequently to surrender, and, by his bold e ff orts, within a month the whole of Lebanon was freed from its invaders. He next co-operated in the famous attack on St. Jean d'Acre, along with the gallant Stopford, and finally made a convention with Mehemet Ali. For - sis services in that war Napier was made a K.C.B. ; included in the thanks of' Parliament; the Emperor of Russia (the fact is rather curious now) presented him with the cross of the Order of St. George; from the Emperor of Austria he got the Order of Maria Theresa; and he received the insignia of the Red Eagle of Prussia. It is not difficult from a retrospect of Napier's career to form a judgment of his character. Like every eminent professional, he is open to particular criticism, and, without petty cavilling, it would be possible to take objections to some portions of his career. But facts refute detractors, and perhaps some of the best of the admiral's triumphs have been over his personal adversaries. He unites the useful qualities of quickness in conception with the brilliant one of boldness in execution. In bravery he is abundantly endowed, and his courage is of the moral as well as of the physical kind. He showed high spirit in throwing down the gauntlet to all the red tapists of the Admiralty, and encountering the official cry which they raised against him. It was said that he had not " discretion ;" but the charge came badly from one who " would command the Channel Fleet at ten minutes' notice, or perform the operation for the stone,"-and who chalked up " No Popery on the wall, and then ran away." To the SATURDAY, incessant demand kept up by the gallant admi ra l to prepare the fleet, and make ready for the worst, we owe much obligation. Though a strong party man, he did not join in the cuckoo cry against the Derby Ministry: the gallant admiral knew too much of the mean motives that prevail amongst Marylebone politicians, and the representatives of the potboy interest, with its pewter patriotism and " half -and. half" knowledge of affairs. Nay, more, in plain words, he acknowledged the services of Lord Derby's Cabinet in grappling with the difficulties of the case, and in promptly proposing an increase of five thousand men for the navy, in despite of the clamours of Manchester. These are good traits of character, and exhibit independence and honesty. But his present position at the head of the Baltic fleet silences many of the small cavillings that have been made against him. Napier, like all his race, is a man of remarkable versatility of intellect. The United Service Museum contains a model for a ship executed by his hands. In 1830 he was engaged upon constructing the Sidon, a steam-frigate of 500-horse power. He has produced several literary publications illustrative of the naval profession, all of which indicate acuteness and closeness of observation. Amongst these are his " Remarks on Steam-Vessels " and on " Naval Architecture," and also his " Account of the War in Portugal." His reputation for fiery valour, his energy that knows no fatigue, and his bluff hearty manner, commend him to the respect of seamen, and secure their support, even though he be too much of a disciplinarian. There can be little doubt but that in the hour of trial he will be equal to the emergency. Sobered, but not subdued, by time, he is as brave as ever, while his reputation, great already, will serve as a check to any rash pursuit of glory, which would he foolish in one who would almost have more to lose by defeat than to gain by another victory. He is a brave old spirit, and every British heart ought to wish him well. PILOT. gad and Bastion. ON Saturday last the Queen's birthday was cele brated by a drawing-room, to which a throng of 1,400 members of the courtly world were gathered. In the morning Prince Albert was present at the guard mounting on the Parade at St. James's Park. The Commander-in. Chief, Lord Seaton, and a brilliant staff accompanied his Royal Highness. In the even ing the Queen and Prince visited the French Plays. On Monday afternoon her Majesty left London for Osborne-house, where the real birthday (Wednesday) was kept by a series of festivities of a domestic cha racter. The Queen will remain in the Isle of Wight for the ensuing week. BIRTHDAY BANQUETS were given on Saturday evening by nearly all the Ministers and officers of state. Among them were the Marquis of Breadal bane, Lord Chamberlain ; Earl Spencer, Lord Steward; the Premier, the Home Secretary, the Colonial Secretary, and Sir Charles Wood, President of the Board of Control. THE ILLUMINATIONS in honour of her Makiesty's birthday were on a scale of great magnificence. The deN ices were varied and extensive, and some of them of great beauty. THE royal birthday was celebrated at Windsor on Wednesday with salutes, peals of bells, illuminations, and a dinner of the leading townsmen in the even ing. THE DUCHESS OF KENT arrived at Osborne on Tuesday on a visit to the Queen. THURSDAY was the birthday of the Princes Helena, who completed her tith year on that day. THE Queen it is stated has taken a season ticket fc the Sydenbam Crystal Palace. A CABINET COUNCIL was held at the Foreign-officti Downing-street, on Wednesday afternoon. THE EARL,OF ROSSE, as president of the Royal Society, held his second soirée on Saturday last. It was honoured by the presence of his Royal High ness Prince Albert and a large attendance of scientific and literary persons. His lordship's next soiree will be on the 3rd of June. _ LADY ASHBURTON had an assembly on Saturday evening at Bath-home, Piccadilly. VISCOUNTESS COMBERMERE gave on Tuesday her first assembly for the season at the family mansion in Belgrave-square. THE COUNTESS CRAVEN gave a magnificent ball on Wednesday night at her new mansion in Charles street. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary honoured the reunion with their presence. THE marriage of the Earl of Durham and Lady Beatrice Hamilton, second daughter of the Marquis and Marchioness of Abercorn, and niece to the Duke of Bedford and Lord John Russell, took place on Tuesday atSt. George's, Hanover-square. The cere- mei