The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-06-10

energy and delights withts picturesque and vivid il
Illustrations To crltlclse SO mastery and Justly re-
nowned work as "The History Of the Peninsuar
War; would be superhuous. With full acknow-
ledgment of Macaulay's marvellous brilliancy, i
may be doubted whether the great essayist could
produce so massive, SO scientific, and so original
history as Napier's Peninsular War. The siege OF
BadajoZ-the death of Moore at Corunna-the
battle OF Albuera-contain passages OF composition
whichare masterpieces OF epic prose-. Public cha
racters are painted with critical Skill and scenes
described with graphic force that neither Therry
nor Macaulay could excel, while in weight of mat
ter andln sustained energy of execution, the reader
is reminded of the stupendous work of Gibbon.
lsa very curious fact that, after the first vel
ume OF this noble history. was published, the late
John Murray, of Albemarle street, repented of his
house OF Boone then took up the offer of Colonel
Napier, and published the succeeding five volumes.
Never did any publisher make so great mistake
as Murray did then. But probably he was led into
1t by his toryism which was alarmed by the hber-
alism of Napier
Besides the history of the war, Sir William
Napier has written 1.-The Conquest of Scinde,"
and vast number of articles and pamphlets in the
reviews. One OF his most remarkable articles is a
slashing review IN the Edinburgh Rcrietc, tor
1885, IN which he gibbets TO public scorn Mr.. Car
rick Moore's miserable memoir OF his illustrlous
brother, Sir John Moore. The reviewer was in
dgnant at the wretchcd attempt OF his author, and
Indignantly winds up with the question, " Cain |!
Cain where is thy brother - In the same arti-
Gle, al page IL, the writer casually chances at his
early life in Kildare. ''We ourselves were then
very young," he says, but being connected with
the army, we were constantly amongst the soldiery,
and we well remember with Indignation the tales
of lust, and blood, and pilage, perpetrated on the
Irish peasantry, and recorded by themselves
When young man. Sir William Napier possess
ed extraordinary activity and it is told of him that
he could jump his own height in standing leap.
His regiment was the gallant l3d, and he was Sc
yerely wounded at the battle of the Goa, his arm
having been amputatcd by the late Surgeon La
merte, of Cork. Some few years since gardener
was excessively insolent, at Bath, to Sir William
Napier and his son, (who is dumb, but most in
telligent and handsome young man,) when, with
his one arm. Sir w. Napier knocked the gardener
down. On the case being brought before the ma
gistrates, no fine was inflicted, as it was thought
the gardener deserved his punishment. Sir VIM
Napier married Caroline Fox, neice to the great
Thus the Napier family independently of its own
ancient descent, is connected by marriage with the
ducal houses of Richmond and Leinsier, besides
the Illusrious house of Fox. The sons of the his
torian of the pennsular war can thus boast that
they have in their veins the blood of Charles the
Second, King of England, and the family blood Of
Charles, the great king of all wings, past, present,
and TO come.