The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-02 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1853.

M. ANTOMARCHI, if we remember rightly, or,
at any rate, one among the historians of the Cap-
tivity at St. Helena, mentions the fact that, on
the eve of NAPOLEON'S death, a Comet suddenly
made its appearance. A similar circumstance is
recorded by the Roman historian as having been
observed the night before C.,ESA R'S assassination.
It does not necessarily follow that because we
mention incidents like these that therefore we
must inevitably be regarded as superstitious.
Occurrences of this character need not per-
versely be passed by as altogether frivolous.
It may be permitted to us, at least, to enumerate
them whenever noticed, as coming within the cate-
gory of curious or eccentric phenomena. In this
manner, perhaps, it may be deemed allowable, if
we venture for a moment to direct public atten-
tion to a somewhat startling coincidence.
On reference to Sir WILLIAM NAPIER'S histori-
cal narrative, descriptive of the conquest of Scinde,
and of its subsequent administration by his illus-
trious brother, the victor over the Beloochees--it
will be observed, that at the period of Sir CHARLES
NAPIER'S first invasion of those territories, a large
comet abruptly shone in the heavens. Afterwards,
upon the same great Captain's advance upon the hill
tribes of Bhoogtee, another comet was remarked in
the sky like an oriflamrae. " Again, as thousands in
this country have recently become aware, another
Large comet was first witnessed with the naked
eye on Sunday evening the 28th ultimo—the
night before the hero's dissolution. Whatever sig-
nificance there may be in this really singular co-
incidence—whether or not the threefold circum-
Mance is entitled to one moment's consideration—
it is at least remarkable that the two former
of these celestial appearances should have been long
ago deliberately recorded by the Annalist, and
'that the crowning one by which they have within
'the last few days been followed, should have been
imultaneous with the death of the Conqueror of
'the chivalrous Ameers and their redoubtable
Melooche.es.
ciztliaAßPLEPsilY_,Aphiewev.er, for the reputation of Sir
three comets tc; it needed not the appearance of
hoiaremind the world of the actual
splendour of
career, or of the real greatness
of his character,i achievements
are by this time fully-
recognised. Hista7ements, indeed, consti-
tute the noblest attestien:—achievements which
have added to the
possessions
oof his country a
province as large as an Epean
achievements which have already beeKninengdgroamv—ed upon the adamantine tablets of history,: whose by the
iron
greatest of our military annalistrs
will not speessdilto
and luminous stylus bears a Zemblancel
the pen than to the sword ! It
be forgotten how remarkable are the records assoY
elated with that one memorable life, records datin.,
from the 10th of August, 1782, the day of CireaLs's
JAMES NAPIER'S birth, and the 29th of August,
1853, the day of his dissolution. It will long be
cherished, we believe, even in the recollection of
an unadventurous age and of a commercial popu-
lation—the memory of the scenes traversed
during those seventy-one years, from the moment
when the child left his birthplace at Whitehall to
the moment when the veteran expired at Oak-
lands, near Portsmouth. The glory of his life,
of this we are satisfied, will not shine the less
brightly because he appeared in the throng of
historical events, when the maritime fame of
England was in a measure monopolised by NEL-
BON, and its military fame by WELLINGTON. The
reputation of Sir CHARLES NAPIER need not pale
even before the' renown of those heroic content-
raariese His fortunes were none the less re-
. rkable because of the test of that formidable
Juxtaposition. And this because his character
was as 0_ - •
riganal as it was heroic—because his
sive—
genius
was as independent
and because his as it was comprehen-
achievements were in their
as
Splendour
wonderful
were wholl as in their singularity
tjhing surely out of the
commori",
the *inning
of that great battle of me an
han two thou-
February; 1843, when, withleee' on
the
17th of
sand men (1,600 in the asigress a:
Englishmen), Sir CHARLESe' SeP°Ys and
NAPIER routed an
army of 35,000 Beloochees ! Again, it was
something to engage our " special wonder," his
subsequently making a campaign in sixteen days,
during which, with 5,000 men, he defeated up.