The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-08 00:00:00

" Your sons are brave fellows, , and an honour to the
army. Having such sons, I am aware you expect to
hear of those misfortunes which I have so often had to
communicate to you ; and,..notwlthstanding your affec-
tion for them, you have so just a notion of the value of
the distinction they are daily acquiring for themselves,
by their gallantry and gmid condact, that these misfor-
tunes do not make so deep an impression on you."
That noble lady was the mother of Sir George Napier_
—(Loud cheers.) He was the officer who within these
sixteen months, was four times wounded. His brother
Charles was wounded along with him, on the first, and
his brother William, on the second of these occasions.
Happy sons ! who had such a mother, to train them up
in the path of glory, and to do their duty to their country.
Happy, happy mother! who had such suns, to profit by her
instructions, and to be proud of. And thrice happy
country! which possessed, among its sons and daughters,
such a mother.—(Loud cheers.) The eldest of the
sons is Sir Charles. I do not know where he first com-
menced his career of glory, but I shall begin at Corunna,
where he fell, actually covered with wounds, at the head
of the 50th Regiment, after having displayed such despe-
rate valour, that his conduct, on that occasion, excited
the highest admiration, and gained him the esteem, and
lasting friendship of two of the bravest soldiers, and
greatest generals, in the French army—Marshals Soult
and Ney. Having recovered from those wounds, he went
on, from field to field, gaining honour, and reputation,
and shedding his blood, until the British army reached
the Pyrenees.--s-(Cheers.) His country then called for
his services elsewhere, and, but that the overwhelming
victory at Waterloo, the intelligence of which reached
England at the same time, swallowed up everything else,
the victory which Col. Charles Napier achieved in North
America, would not have passed unnoticed by his country-
men.. I need say no more of the early career of this gal-
lant officer. After going through almost incredible dan-
gers,ltied receiving wounds, after which it is wonderful
that life could be preserved, he has, in his old age, at a
period of life when others, who have not been exposed to
the fatigues and wounds to which he has been, gene-
rally seek for repose from active service, gone to a dis-
tant country and dangerous climate, and there he has, in
the two great actions he has fought, shown all the gallan-
try, daring, and dash of youth, combined with the highest
military. science, as a General, and talents as a states-
man, and achieved for himself the well-earned title
of the Hero of Sinde.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) The
other, and youngest brother, the Gallant General Wil-
liam Napier, fought. through the whole of the Peninsu-
lar war. Few were the actions which occurred in
which he was not concerned, and in many he was
wounded. And his wounds were so severe, as to have
deprived his country of the use of his arm. But, al-
though . thus disabled in body, he has not been idle
in the service of his country ; he called forth, and
-applied, the great, talents and resources of his mind;
and he has prodUCed a " History of the Peninsular
War," which must always form part of the hbrary of
every officer who is desirous of studying his profession,
and which must be read by every civilian, who wants to
know what a battle is.—(Cheers.) I rose, gentlemen,
intending to propose the health of Sir Charles and Wil-
liam Napier ; but, gentlemen, althougN we ta-ve alreadys
drunk the health of our illustrious guest, don'tfylesrt think
it would be hard to separate the three brothers ?—(Loud
cheers.) I see you agree with me. Let us, therefore,
drink to the health of the Three Gallant Brothers, whose
names were constantly associated together in the Penin-
sular army—" Charles, George, and William Napier."
—(Cheers.)
Sir GEORGE NAPIER said—Gentlemen, I really hardly
know what to say ; but my Honourable Friend has paid
so many compliments to my family, that it is abso-
lutely incumbent on me to say something in return.
You have done me the honour to drink my health
again, together with my brothers'. I shall say
nothing more, however, of myself ; but though it
may appear vain in me, I will be vain enough to
say a few words about my brothers. Gentlemen—
we were reared together—we have fought and
bled together—we have slept in the same cloak,
and until now, we have never been separated. One of
theme as you are aware, was in command at Meanee and
Hyderabad, where I know from others how he had dis-
tinguished himself ; for he is far too modest to speak of
his own merits. Gentlemen, if ever there was a man
in the world, who had the feelings of a soldier, my
brother, Charles is , that man. His sole object in life
has
_been the army, He entered it at fourteen years of
age; he is now sixty-two' and during all that time, he
has never been six months on half-pay.—He has been
in every campaign, and in most of the great actions
that have been fought in the Peninsular war,—what ho-
nour and what gallantry he has shown in action, it is not
for me to say; it is known by all, even from the youngest
drummer in the army to the Puke of Wellington, at its
head. He has lived now to go to India, after fighting
for his country in every part of her Majesty's dominions;
and there he has achieved those two splendid actions, of
which we have lately had accounts.—(Hear, hear.)
When I saw those accounts, gentlemen, believe me when
I say I gloried more in my brother's victories than I
could have done if they had been my own. Gentlemen,
I have lived with that brother since my infancy, and we
were never separated till now.-e(Cheers.) The Chair-
man has kindly mentioned an anecdote relative to a
mother, than whom there never was a better. My fhther,
my grandfather, my great-grandfather, and my great-
great-grandfather, were all soldiers ; and my mother,
above all things, wished us to pursue their steps. After
sixty, she became quite blind, and could not distinguish
her sons by sight, yet nothing could daunt her spirit, and
she continued to encourage us in the path of honour.
When I came home after the affair of Cuidad Rodrigo,
she said to me—" I Would
rather have my son with that
empty sleeve, than anything else in the world." Gentle-
men, my brother William, the historian of the Peninsular
War, is as brave, and kind, and high-minded a man as
ever lived; and I believe that every man who reads that
history will acknowledge that he has done justice not
only to his brethren in arms, but to a gallant enemy.
He has gathered the materials for that history from two
great sources; and, although some of the statements in the
third volume have been cavilled at, and supposed not to
be correct, yet, Gentlemen, the two great sources from
whence he obtained his information, were far beyond
suspicion—they were the Duke of Wellington and Mar-
shal Soult. I mention this circumstance, because- it 'll-
lustrates a curious fact, connected with that history.
What first gave rise to my brother's intention to under-
take that work, was the publication of a book, containing
some strong reflections against the character of a man
upon whom I look back with the same feelings that I en-
tertain towards my own father. Entertaining feelings
similar to mine, my brother reviewed that book ; and, in
doing so, brought forward the beautiful character of the
man who bred us all, and took care of him when he was
wounded—of the man who, after having nobly served his
country, was raised, at the age of forty-eight, to be Com-
mander-in Chief of one of the bravest armies that ever
left the British shore, with which he traversed the Penin-
sula, from the heart of Spain to Corunna—General Sir
John Moore.—(Loud cheering.) That man owed his
advancement to nothing but th'e sword he wore. He was,
as you are aware, the son of Doctor Moore, the author of
" Zeluco." The Doctor gave him a good education and
left him to his own efforts, and with his sword alore,
John Moore placed himself at the head of the British
army—no easy thing at that time. Of the military cha-
racter of Sir John Moore, it is sufficient to quote the
words of his Grace the Duke of Wellington, when an ef-
fort was made to create a party feeling against Sir John.
The Duke spurned it, as he would everything that is
mean, and said, " Sir John Moore never committed a
fault, and I appreciate him as he was—the best of British
soldiers." To the example and encouragement of Sir
John Moore I owe more than I can express. I was his
aide-de-camp—l was by his side at Corunna—l saw him
killed—l have got the sash in which he fell ; it is at pre-
sent in the possession of Sir Henry Hardinge, but I hold
it most dear, as a relict that shall be bequeathed to my
children after me. Sir J. Moore's- army underwent
great sufferings, but it did wonders ; and, wherever my
brother William's history goes, I trust it will clear
the character of that great and good man, so worthy
of all honour. I mention these things, gentlemen,
in order to show you the manner in which we were
brought up. Gentlemen, under Sir John Moore, we
were taught to support the character of our own
army, but to entertain no antipathy to the
brave enemy who fights us fairly and honourably. As a
noble instance of this feeling. I would ask, is there any-
thing in history equal to the reception which Marshal
Soult, when in England, received from the Duke of Wel-
lington? I know Soult from two causes. After the
battle of Corunna, my brother Charles was reported to be
killed. I returned to the field. I turned over many
bodies ; I searched every hospital, but I could not find
him. At length, I heard that he was wounded, and taken
prisoner. He was shot through the body—he was shot
through the leg—he was cut by a sabre, almost from
ear to ear—and one of the enemy was just about
% to drive his bayonet through him, when a French

drummer interposed, and saved his life. When Mar-
shal Souk learned the circumstance, be ordered the
drummer to be rewarded on the spot, and wrote to
Napoleon, stating the circumstance, whotio his credit
be it spoken, ordered that drummer to receive the Cross
of the Legion of Honour.—(Cheers.) The sequel was
remarkable. Years after that, my brother William
had to defend the bridge at the Coa, with the 43d. The
French cline down impetuously, and the fight was_
furious. I have seen the bridge, gentleman; and it is
hardly wider than this table. Again and again the
assault was renewed • and you may judge of the
fierceness of the conflict, when I state, that out of
the hundred men of which my brother William's com-
pany consisted, he lost sixty. A fresh column of
the enemy came down—a drummer, as wis common
at the time, at their head shouting " Vive Ent-
pereur They were driven back, and the drummer fell
among the dead. After the action, we went up to the
spot where the drummer lay ; he wore the cross of the
Legion of Honour ;—that drummer proved to be the man
who saved my brother's life.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
Gentlemen these are anecdotes of the war, which show
you what the feelings of soldiers are. You will never
find the brave soldier cruel to his enemy, or quarrelsome
with his friends. And, as lam story-telling, there is
another anecdote connected with the Peninsular war,
which, in reference to this principle, I may also mention.
When-Marshal Soult quitted Corunna, the gallant Ney
was left in command. He sent for my brother, who was
still a prisoner, and placed him in comfortable quarters.
He also appointed an aide-de-camp to attend upon him,
a Frenchman, who spoke English well. In -the mean
time, the news had got home that my brother wail killed,
and the family went into mourning. My poor mother,
however, said she never would believe it ; and she gave
the War Department no rest, until Lord Mulgrave, who
was at the head of it, sent a sloop of war to Corunna,
commissioned to ascertain' the fact. One morning, the
aide-de-camp came running in to my brother, and said
an English vessel had arrived in the harbour. It was
not known for what purpose she had come, but the kind-
hearted fellow went to Ney, and begged that my brother
might be allowed to go home in her. Ney answered,
6- No; I cannot let:him ; Major Napier must remain."
The aide de-camp returned, and informed my brother
of the ill success of his attempt. " Well," said my
brother, " of course I must submit ; my mother will
at least hear that I am alive." Again the aide-de-
camp went to Marshal Ney, and again he was refused ;
but still he persevered in pleading for my brother's
release.(Loud cries of " Hear, hear," and cheers.)—
At last he said, " Ah! Marshal, Major Napier has a
mother, and if he does not return, his mother will die!"
The Marshal paused a moment, and, turning to him, said
--" Go, tell Major Napier he is free, on one condition :
—that if the Emperor refuses to sanction this release,
he will join me again on his parole." To this, of course,
my brother gladly consented ; and, on waiting on the
Marshal, he was asked if there were any of his people
whom he would wish to take with him ? My brother said,
there were some forty or fifty women, who had been left
behind. These Ney ordered to be immediately released,
and, turning to his aid-de-camp, added, "See that every
soldier and every woman gets two Spanish dollars a-
piece to take them home."—(Loud cheers.) I was about
to mention some particulars with regard to my brother as
an historian. When I was in Paris, Marshal Soult gave
me a dinner—not on my account, but as the brother of
the historian—at which a number of Spanish, Portuguese,
and other foreigners of distinction, were present. Mar-
shal Soult then addressed himself to me on the subject of
the work, and said—that, when my brother first wrote to
him, requesting information from sources which he had
at his command, he was by no means disposed to accede
to the request, and wrote a cold letter in reply, stating
that he had a journal of his own, but that he did not see
how the conduct of the French could be impartially re-
presented by a foreigner. " Your brother," said " Sault,
" wrote in answer, that his object in asking for the in-
formation, was for the purpose of writing an impartial his-
tory, and that, therefore, if there were any inaccuracies,
I must not attribute them to him, but to the want of suffi-
cient information. I took no further notice of the matter;
but after a time, a letter came to me froin your brother,
stating, that in his researches, among other documents,
he had found a lot of letters belonging to Joseph, King of
Spain, accusing me of wanting to throw off my allegiance
to France. Ile said he had read them over, and found
-that thkcontained grave, accusation; against me ; but,
before published them, 'he sent them over for my;pe-
rusat, in order that he might publish, itt the same time,
any defence that I might wish to make. When I read
this, I said—this must be a gallant soldier and a good
man. And I immediately sent him a quantity of papers,
and my own journal, and told him that I committed the
whole to him, because I knew they would be used by him
as an honourable man and a brother soldier." On this-
noble conduct, on the part of Marshal Soult, I need make
no remark. Our great Captain showed the feelings he
entertained towards him on his recent visit to England.
Sault travelled on the railroads and visited various parts
of the country, and my brother told me he never saw a
man who appeared so gratified with his visit as Soult
appeared to be; and the French Captain Rooy, who has
just left this port, told me that Soult declared that no-
thing could ever obliterate, till the day of his death, the
extraordinary kindness that had been shown him by the
Duke of Wellington, the British army, and the British
nation.—(Cheers.)—Be'fast Northern Whig.

VISITS of FOREIGN SOVEREIGNS.
(From the Naval and Military Gazette.)
The occasional visits of Foreign Sovereigns to this
country we consider, apart from the mere indulgence of
curiosity, events of the highest importance, not only
with regard to England, but to Europe generally. In
the first instance, they serve to abate or do away with
prejudice on both sides ; and we look on their frequent
recurrence as one of the principal causes why the ge-
neral dislike of foreigners, which Englishmen seemed to
imbibe with their mother's milk, has now almost entirely
disappeared. We recollect to what an extent this ani-
mosity against the French was carried daring our late
struggle" with that country ; and how much that feeling
was stimulated by every possible means, in speaking
and writing ; it was carried often to such excess as to
defeat its own purpose, and was partaken of not
alone by the ignorant and uninformed, but by per •
sons of rank and talent ; we even know instances of
officers in the service, who bore a sort of personal hatred
to the French ; among the foremost of these was the
great example of Lord Nelson. This sort of feeling
might be in a great degree praiseworthy during a
period of hostility, when we were struggling for
our very existence as a nation; but the glorious termi-
nation of the war, and the vast crowds of English who
flew to the Continent, very soon dispelled this dislike,
amounting to horror, which had existed against the
French in general. We have stated that Lord Nelson
participated in this sentiment—we believe, we may add,
Lord Collingwoocl, and one or two others ; but in the
navy there were very few opportunities of seeing the
better part of the French character ; in four cases out of
five, they had no communication with the officers of the
hostile nation, until they came on board their ships to
deliver up their swords, and then the generosity dis
played was all on the English side. Neither on the sea-
when ships come in sight, are there those pauses in hos-,
tility which are so frequent on shore, and where mutual
forbearance, unless in the moment of combat, tends to
give a more generous tone of feeling to those who are
opposed. The immediate vicinity of the advanced posts
of an army give frequent opportunities for acts of mutual
civility, and even kindness, in which the French officers
and their men appeared to great advantage ; in most
cases where our officers were taken prisoners, they were
treated like gentlemen. For these several causes, we
may say, that the ancient prejudice and dislike that used
to exist against the French in the abstract has entirely
died away; and we have only to regret that a reciprocal
feeling of good-will is not equally prevalent at the other
side of the Channel.

Although the Russians were the best and most suc-
cessful allies we ever had, their resistance and sacrifices,
made in 1812, having broken the second link of the great
chain that bound all Europe, yet since the peace of 1815
a growing prejudice has been fostered in this country
against that people and their Sovereign. The amount
of their military force was vastly exaggerated—they
were supposed to be bent on universal conquest—Con-
stantinople was to be the third capital—and the mere
report of the march to Khiva, and their ultimate sup-
posed view on our Indian possessions, sent many thou-
sands of our brave fellows to perish in the passes of
Affghanistan.
Without taking into account the circumstances under
which the present Czar assumed the reins of Govern-
ment, the unsettled state of Poland, and the vast extent
of frontier to be defended, he was held up as an unmiti-
gated tyrant, murdering and banishing the Poles, and
the persecutor of the Jews, out of mere caprice ; indeed,
these reproaches ran so high, that we had some slight
apprehensions that the Emperor, if he visited our shores'
might meet with some affront ; but the supposition was
an injustice to our countrymen, which one short week
was sufficient to disprove. Without waiting to scan the
conduct of the Emperor towards his own subjects, they
looked on him as the guest of their Sovereign and the
nation ; they received him with corresponding demon-
strations, and were perfectly gratified by the distin-
guished appearance, noble bearing, and princely munifi-
cence of their Imperial visitor.
If we were to take up causes of animosity or preju-
judice from past times, they might be brought to bear
against the respected Monarch who is still within our
dominions. During the long and ambitious career of
Buonaparte, the late King of Saxony was his most devoted
ally, and remained so until his own troops deserted him
at Leipsic ; but who would think of bringing that up
as a ;natter of reproach now-a-days against his suc-
cessor ? We simply see him as an honoured guest, and
the only remembrance is, that he reigns over a kindred
people, from whom we have derived much of our lan-
guage, institutions, and even the virtues in which we
most pride ourselves. Beside the pleasure and instruc-
tion foreign Princes receive on visiting our island, they
will be able to ascertain by their own eyes that, as long
as the nation is true to itself, and although not possessing
an army adequate to half the calls on it, Great Britain is
apt to be conclupred.

Amongst the conditions thus attached, according to
the ancient law, to precedents and to the law of 1825,
to the possession of the Orleans appanage, were
.the
three following : _

1. The Prince appanagist owed an allowance (legitime)
to his sons and brothers, and a dowry to his daughters
and sister. 2. If the Prince come, to the throne, his
appanage was united to the Crown domain, from which
it was not distinct before 1791. 3. This opened to -the
Princes, while it deprived of their claims on the ap-
panage, a similar claim for themselves and their de-
scendants on the domain of the Crown.

The law of January 15, 1825, formally maintained
these conditions and rights. The Revolution of 1830
brought about the application of the provision. The
appanage of Orleans was united to the Crown. The
younger Princes were thus deprived of' their claim or the
eventual succession, and this opened to them at the same
time a claim for compensation.
This was recognised and consecrated by the 21st ar-
tiele of the law (-f the 2d of March, 1832, which says,
" The dotation of the younger sons and of the daughters
of the King shall be fixed by special laws hereafter."
In these terms was drawn up article 20 of the Project
of Law on the Civil List, presented to the Chamber of
Depaties on the 3d of October, 1831, by M. Casimir
Perrier ; but in consequence of an amendment adopted
by the Chambers and sanctioned by the King, this
article, which became the 21st article of the law of the
2d of March, 1832, ordered definitively—
" In case of the inadequacy of the private domain pro-
vision (dotation) for the younger sons of the King, and
for the Princesses, his daughters, shall be ulteriorly re
gulated by special laws."
Thus, to admit the right of the younger sons of the
King, and of the Princesses, his daughters, to a provision
regulated by special laws, the law requires that the pri-
vate domain of the Crown is not sufficient for that pur-
pose.
But if this insufficiency exists, the right also
exists; provision for them is due, and ought to be pro-
vided for by special law.
Such is the right in this 'question—a right .fiarmally
established and consecrated by the old principles of the
monarchy, by the law of the 15th of January, 1825, and
by that of the 2d of March, 1832.
There is, then, when the question really arises, but
one fict.to examine—" are the private estates of the
King insufficient to make a provision for the Young
branches of his family?"
The attentive examination of this question will not
leave any doubt in this respect.
As Duke of Orleans, and before his accession to the
throne, the King found that, with respect to his paternal
possessions, the amount of debts inscribed and admitted by
the tribunals was thirty-one millions, while they were less
thin sixteen millions in value. It was only by devoting a
portion of the inalienable revenue derived from his here-
ditary property that he has been enabled, in the inter-
val of twelve or thirteen years, to succeed in accomplish-
ing a liquidation which imposes, even to the present
day, charges on his private domain.
The whole of the amount which the King, as D4e of i
Orleans, received as indemnity 5,000,000 f., in virtue of
the law of the 27th of April, 1825, has been absorbed' by
the completion and the embellishment of the Palais
Royal, now incorporated, and making part of the antient
apanage, on the property of the Crown.
Besides this, without speaking of the charges of the
Royal Family, which are provided for by the Civil List,
the expenses imposed upon the King for the maintenance
of the Royal Family have increased, and are increasing,
day by day.
It is more than a century since the Duke of Orleans,
the ancestor of the King, was invested, during the mi-
nority of his nephew, the King Louis XV., with the
regency of the kingdom, who not only constantly re-
fused to take anything from the revenues of the State,
finding that his personal property and his appanage was
such as to permit him to abstain from doing so, hitt be
constructed at his own cost, during the regency, the
canals of Orleans and De Loing, and contracted, for the
purpose of accomplishing these great works, consider-
able debts.
The King, as Duke of Orleans, and as heir to the
Regent, has liquidated, since his return to France in
"1814, the last portion of these debts ; and to meet the
expenses of the Crown and of his family, which his
civil list and his private revenue united are not isuffi-
cient to cover, the King has been obliged for Some
years to pledge to the proper department (la Caissje des
Depots et Consignations)* the remainder of the revenue
of the property on these canals which were made by the
Regent Duke of Orleans at his own charge,
No personal prodigality is proved, either in the admi-
nistration of the civil list, or the private property of the
King, nor is there any confusion.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Adelaide, hisbla-
jesty's sister, has given him, and continues to give) him
every day, marks of a devotedness and of generosity
almost without example, even in families united by the,
most intimate and tenderest ties. .
At the same time, to meet the expenses to which his
Majesty is exposed as a King and as a father, his, Ma-
jesty has been obliged, and is obliged, to contract debts
which increase every day, which oat into his private
property, the only patrimony hitherto of the yonnger
Princes, his sons, and the Princesses, his daughters)
Such is a condition of things, contrary -to the prin-
ciples of justice, to the dictates of policy, and to the dig-
nity of the country, as well as that of the Crown.
In strict right, and in the terms of the law, el:low-
naents are required and are due to the younger Pr nees
and to the Princesses of the Royal Family, for his' Ma-
jesty's
private property is insufficient to provide for em.
It is contrary to equity that the younger sons o the
King and his daughters should be deprived of rights in
consequence of his Majesty's accession to the throne
which would have belonged to them if the King had re-
mained Duke of Orleans and that the elevation of their
elders, and the aggrandisement of their house, should
inflict on the junior branehea of the Royal Family such a
serious disadvantage,
It is the dictate of a foreseeing policy, and the perma-
nent interest of the State, that the whole Royal Family
should be strongly constituted, and that the junior
branches should always be maintained on a level `with
the rank which they occupy around the throne which
they ought to support, and to possess which eventually a
right is attributed to them.
In short, the honour of the country and the Throne
requires that the calumnies propagated by their common
enemies should receive a solemn contradiction.
That this grave question-may be properly submitted to
the consideration of the Chambers, it is requisite that all
our good citizens, and upright and sensible men, should
be enlightened as, to the truth on this subject, and should
agree in dissipating the cloud of gross errors, and of
perfidious •falsehoods, accumulated with so much care,
to obscure, in the eyes of the country, the right and the
facts of the case. We often say in France, "If the
King knew all." The Government of the King says,
to-day, " Would that Franee heard the case." France
only wishes that the Royal Family shall preserve, under
our constitutional monarchy, the rights and the station
which are legally guaranteed to the family of the Die
of Orleans.

COMMITMENTS FOR ARSON, A
The following prisoners have oeen committed to the
Castle during the week Xll charges of arson, viz :
Robert Murrell, Jolkr, Robinson, Samuel Baker, Joseph
Dorrall, and tieorge Fairhead, by J. S. Tharp,
and J. Donede, Esqrs., charged with having, on the 14th
inst.,- at Snailwell, unlawfully set fire to a haulm rick
the property of Jam Os Gittns, whereby the said rick,
together Kith two barns, three lodges and other pro-
perty atlioinmg were destroyed. The above five men
are railway labourers and strangers to the county.—
,
William Fuller and Robert Munson; of. Thirwell, la,
bourers, by the same magistrates, charged with having,
on the Bth instant at Burwell, unlawfully set .fire to a
certain stack of straw, whereby a barn and other-build-,
ings adjoining the property of Charles Phillips, gent.;
were destreyed.—Essex Herald.
-;o(1