The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-15 00:00:00

COMMODORE NAPIER

Of the heroic services of the brave and daring Charles
Napier, no statement can be so interesting or so characteristic
as his own, contained in his address to the burgesses of Ports-
mouth, at the election of 1833 :
,` in the course of my canvass (said the gallant officer), I
have been asked who I am ? I'll tell you. I am Captain
Charles Napier, who, 25 years ago, commanded the Recruit
brig, in the West Indies, and who had the honour of being
24 hours under the guns of three French line-of-battle ships,
flying from a British squadron, the nearest of which, with
the exception of the Hawk brig, was from five to six miles
astern the greatest part of the time. I kept flying double-
shotted broadsides into them. One of these ships, the
Hautpolt, only, was captured by the Pompey and Castor,
the other two escaped by superior sailing. Sir Alexander
Cochrane, my commander-in-chief, promoted me on the
spot into her. At the siege of Martinique, the JEolus,
Cleopatra, and Recruit were ordered to beat up in the
night, between Pigeon Island and the Main, and anchor
close to Fort Edward. The enemy, fearing an attack,
burned their shipping. At daylight in the morning it
appeard to me that Fort Edward was abandoned ; this, how-
ever, was doubted. I offered to ascertain the fact, and with
five men I lauded in open day, scaled the walls, and planted
the union jack on the ramparts. Fortunately I was undisco-
vered from Fort Bourbon, which stood about 100 yards off,
and commanded it. On this being reported to Sir Alexander
Cochrane, a regiment was landed in the night. Fort Ed-
ward was taken possession of and the mortars turned against
the enemy. lam in possession of a letter from Sir A. Coch-
rane, saying that ' my conduct was the means of saving
many lives, and shortening the siege of Martinique,' 1 had
once the misfortune of receiving a precious licking from a
French corvette; the first shot she fired broke my thigh, and
a plumper carried away my mainmast. The enemy escaped,
but the British flag was not tarnished. On my return to
England, in command of the Jason, I was turned out of
her by a Tory Admiralty, because I had not interest : but,
as I could not lead an idle life, I served a campaign with the
army in Portugal as a volunteer, when I was again wounded.
At the battle of Busaco I had the honour of carrying off the
field my gallant friend and relative, Colonel Napier, now
near me, who was shot through the face. Busaco was not
the only place where he shed his blood ; at Corunna he was
left for dead ; but, thank Go 4, he escaped with six wounds.
On my return to England I was appointed to the Thames, in
the Mediterranean ; and, if I could bring the inhabitants of
the Neapolitan coast into this room, they would tell you that
from Naples to the Fare-point, there was not a spot where I
did not leave my mark, and brought with me upwards of 100
sail of gun-boats and merchant vessels. I had the honour of
running the Thames and Furieuse into the small mole of
Ponza, which was strongly defended; and before they could
recover from their surprise, I captured the island without the
loss of a man. I was then removed to the Euryalus, and had
the good fortune to fall in with two French frigates and a
schooner. I chased them in the night close into Calvi, in the
island of Corsica, passing close under the stern of one,
plumpering her as I passed : and though we were going eight
knots, I tried to run aboard of her consort, who was a
little outside, standing athwart my hawse; the night was
dark, the land close, and she succeeded in crossing me,
but I drove her ashore on the rocks, where she was
totally wrecked, and her consort was obliged to anchor
close to her. The Euryalus wore round, and got off,
almost brushing the shore as she passed. These ships
were afterwards ascertained to be armee en flute, mounting
22 guns each, and the schooner 14. From the Mediteranean
I was ordered to America ; and if my gallant friend Sir
James Gordon was here he would have told you how I did
my duty on that long and arduous service, up to the Potomac.
He would have told yeti that in a tremendous squall the
Euryalus lost her bowsprit and alt her topmasts, and that in
12 hours she was again ready for work. We brought away a
fleet from Alexandria, were attacked going down the river
by batteries built close to what was the residence of the great
Washington, and I was again wounded iq that action in the
neck. On the peace taking place, I went on half-pay, where
I remained till I was appointed to the Galatea, which ship I
commanded for three years on this station ; and I hope and
trust that I have faithfully done my duty during that period
to my King and country."

ln addition. we may mention, that in 1533 Captain Napier
succeeded Admiral Sartories in the command of Don Pedro's
fleet, and achieved a signal victory over the more numerous
and powerful squadron of Don Miguel, which the gallant
Englishman, with his British followers, captured at a single
blow, by boarding. He now commands the Powerful, of 84
guns, with the rank of Commodore, on the Syrian coast. This
intrepid and enterprising sailor is the eldest son of the Hon.
Charles Napier, R.N., of Nlerchistonn-hall, in the county of
Stirling ; was born on the 6th of March, 1786, and married
widow of Lieutenant Edward Elers, R.N.

TO MESSRS. X.','ALLAN, REIMARS, BROWN, AND
THE CHURCHWARDENS OF ST. MARK'S.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,—As you were the medium of con-
veying to my hands a flattering testimonial from the congre-
gation of St, Mark's, permit me to return My thanks, through
you, for their kind consideration, and for this proof 9f their
apl
pfreoebl
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panied. At the same time, lam bold to say, that I will give
place to no pastor in the gospel folds, in my earnest desires
, in labouring to the
for the external interests of my flock,
best of my ability for their spiritual good, in endeavouring to
set before them the whole counsel of God, and " to give them
their portion of meat in due season." But Ido not mean,
when I say this, to arrogate to myself any superior intelli-
gence, zeal , or amount of labour, in the discharge of my duties ;
nor to a conclusion personally favourable to myself from the
spontaneous offering of the congregation : if the kind feelings
of the church have been favourably evidenced in my case, to
God be ascribed all the glory ! Nor does it follow that other
flocks may not feel equally attached to their respective pas-
tors, although circumstances may not have favoured a similar
mode of develope.42kent. In fact, wherever the gospel is sim-
ply and faithfully.;prezaed, it will be its own witness in the
corresponding fruits and behaviour of the people ; and it is
to that blessed gospel alone,ano.9o to any personal feelings,
that I attriknite this expresSion of at4chment from the flock
that j %owe, to their unworthy pastor,
B. A. MA HALL.
Dec. 12,181,

The mahogany coffin whs,4i enclosed the remains pf Na-
poleon at St. Helena, and which was evchanged for the ebony
one brought from France, was cut up by order of the Prince
de Joinville, and distribnted in pieces to the offiee,rs and
men of the Belle Poule and Favorite.