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

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 efforts, 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 admiral
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.