New-York daily tribune., 1854-03-29
SLR CHARLES NAPIER. cOMWAYDER.yv
CHEF or TIE BALTIC FLEET

y q Il
lays the BIitkh Ministry were determined Al ls,. -.
earnestly into the contest With Russia II vas ,be ,o,,
ment OF &c Admiral Sir Charles Napier 10 tho conn,.
Of the Baltic Geet THREE weeks ago Lord Elsob,,,,s
remarked with great truth that the real battle r,,. =
fought in the Baltic and not in he Black Sea" Tbs 90,
era opinion is iha, Napier Of all ren nos IN hs B,t,,
service is the best qualified the chief cornnanA in 49,
rew Battle Of the Baltic TIE ony Admiral whose e,,,
in any wsy approximate to his is the veteran Earl Of Ds.
dcnald better known perhaps, by his earlier tile of I-I
Coehene which he bore during bis gssnt exploits e,,
NJ rcing nearly hsfs conirry ,o during the war wS
Napoleon the struggle for independence by tho Sp.,i,
Provinces OF South America and at late da.e In tie m
vice Of Greece Lord DundOnad It Is said was .axoa,
lead the Baltic feet in the coming contest but the Bses,
Government have wisely abandoned tho extremely absurd
practice of allowing seniority override other qasae.
tons and the fact thai his ordshp is in his seventy naA
year having been born in no was properly taken Is
sufficient obstacle to his employment in scye sa,vioe
Sir Charles Napier bimselfs 6S years oil but his stroa,
constitution sound heath personal activity and ,emaer.s
habits give him the sppeGrsnce Of being many yesr,
Younger
Tho Napier fsmiy as gr ally distinguished itself during
tie lat rty years One OF tbe th y ne old solder
the late S Cherries James Nsper the hero OF the wsr in
Snte in 1919 the first British General who ever nsersi
in bis dispatches the OF private soldiers who had
ngusls ed themselves in battle Another Napisri the
subor If the History OF the Wag in the Peninsula whh
Of Itself a monument Of his industry 10 collecting facts
his skl in arranging them end bis eoquenccn cOnlsnsng
diem into as eloquent and cleer narrative has ever
handed down great deeds in fitting language A third
Napier who 6ed in China in 1884 selected account
Of his ssescous shrewdness 70 discharge difficult di,b
matte duties there Ohers ofthe family have served nhs
srrny al # them with d estirciion.
N,,.r -rorTc,f off 9Th ,rd Naniar AZ
Murclis.on in the County of Stirling Is Scot by birh
md lineage Bonn on the 9th OF March 1856 he entered
the British NAVY as volunteer before be fourteen
md hes been over fifty four years in the From NJ
vtmber 1880 he served VOLUNTEER and was mSisa'
midshipman in March, 1902 In November sos hebe
came lieutenant; in Morch 1907 he was made acting CON
mandr of the brig Pultusk and w4s placed In Au,us
lsCs in command Of the Recruit brig Of Is guns in which
he fought and put to flight French corvette with m,a
metal and mon His own mipuast was shot away aai
though he was severely wounded, zone shot breaking bis
thphJ refused 10 ltaye the deck until the enemy hsi
shetr,d or lie had reached the rank Of captain Of h.
feet in 1902 and assisted in the reduction OF the Island
Martinique An important position, called Fort Edward
had TO be secured and in open day and the fro Of tie
ercmy he headed a small fororn hope" Of fva men, with
whom lie landed scaled the walls snd planted the union
flag on the ramparts He assisted also in the capureOt
he dIIaupot French seventy four aud pla,ed "a
command Of his prize with the rank Of st captain This
YVES at the age of % and he had fairly worked himself up
to this rank without family influence political interest
In 1910, when there literally being no Fronch iee,hs
naval service nearly ended, Capt Napier went ohs
Pennsuaos volunteer and fought with the courage which
has emRonily distinguished him in several battles there
with Weliugtons soldiers In 1873 employed the et
pedon fitted out in Sicily he assisted in taking the Island
Of Ponza in the face Of greatly superior resistory force
the King Of the Two Scies appointed him Cavaere %
Ponza in acknowledgment OF this exploit Soon after h
services in the expedition against Alexandra procured hin
particular notice in the dispatches In June 1915 the
Euryalus which he then commanded was paid Oh, and
Capt Napier was made a Companion Of the Bath.
Fourteen years of inactivity followed From 1899 10
1892 he wos employed to command the rgato GaaNa
He resigned bis appointment in order with permission from
tie BIitish Government 70 succeed Admiral Sartoruss
commander of Don Podros Portuguese feet fle defeia
The more numerous feet OF Don Miguel of Cape st. Vim
cont whereby the Crown Of Portugal secured for the
lately deceased Queen Donna Maria For this vicoryh
wos created noble of the Kingdom OF Portugal b7ths
TIE of Count Cape St. Vincent and obtlinod tho Grand
Cross OF the Order of the Tower and Sword At the din
nor given 70 lin the 7th Of tbs month by the Reform
Club in London, Sir Charles Nepors services in aidOi
Tie cause Of Liberty IN POrtuga! thus graphically
sketchCd by Lord Palmerston In the yesr 1888 wdsn
he Paonty volunteered TO the cause Of the Queen
Of Portugal against tbe entertainments and usurpltOn
Of Don Miguel and to defend constitutional rights and
Liberties against arbitrary power he took the command
of modest feet Of higates and corvottes and wilhelm
command OF that little squadron, he captured usdrOaS
far superior force including two line of battle ships on
Of which my gallant friend himself was the first TO board
have been told further that while hanging in the sbrou
trying to getonth the deck he poked by Portuguese
mix ry lcaff Of
al here today But there was On that occasion another
Characteristic trait Of the coonoss Of my gallant friend
for when he had scrambled the deck and was calling
those who Rad possession OF II 10 surrender POhd
guege officer ran ull drive o. him to run him through
by gallant friend quietly parred the thrust and NOT
troubling himself to deal otherwise with bis Portuguese
ossailant, he merely gave him hearty kick and sent
" him tumbling down the bGtchway"
nrepyng this speech Sir Chas Napier said that Lord
Palmerston had errOneousy spoken Of him the Gra
man to board the Portuguese line ofbate ship" that"
said Sir Charles not the fact a. had been ever
wiling could lot have done so having the care Of the
whole squadrC on my hands The men who we're the
fr. to board we're my gal ant friend Captain Wilkinson
and my who was bst in the Ayenger To them alone
is due the glory of that action The officer thus ALLUDED
to was Sir Charless only
Lord Palmerston mentioned another circumstance res
Ted 10 him by the late Lord William Russell who tod
ne, ssid he that day he heard that my gallant
friend was in the negborhoOd of the fortress of Valencia
Portuguese fort at considerable distance from hs
squadron lie ard Col Haze went to see and be told ne
that he NOT long before be saw mao dressed ins
very easy way followed by fellow with two muske.s %
bis shoulders They TOOK him at first for Robinson ca
soe but they aseertaned !. was my gallant friend
isnd marine following him Well said he, NspiS,
" what are you doing here! The answer vas I'm g,ng