Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1890-01-18 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

DEATH OF LORD NAPIER OF MAGDALA.  After three days' illness from influenza, Field. Marshal Lord Napier of Magdala, Constable of the Tower, died .on Tuesday afternoon at his tow': residence, 63,etaton.square. The noble lord wee quite well on Satniday but, late in the day, caught a slight chill, tehlich proved to be an attack of influenza. During the elening there were many callers at the Tower, under thp_ ipipression that the Constable resided .there. Immediately the death became known, Mr. Penrose, Chief Warder of the Towpr, iecei ved instructions to prevent any music being ticiayetil, and all flags wero lowered. Robert Cornelis Napier watiebern on December 6th, 1810, at Ceylon, and had, therefore, just entered upon his 80th year. His father,..a 'Maio( ri the Royal Artillery, died before the future Feeldtlarslattwas two years old. His mother was a Miss Carringitokro, Barbadoes, whose family springs from Carynet6nl in Cheshire. Young Napier was educated at the Military College, Addiscombe, and received his first commission in the Bengal Engineers in the reign of George IV. in 1826. He served with distinction through the Sutlej campaign, by which he gained Ms majority, and what was more important, the appointment, at the hands of Sir Henry Lawrence, as Director of Engineering in Lahore. When the mutiny broke out the attached himself to the armyof Sir Colin Carepbelf, api greatly enhanced his reputation by his skill in direbeing the operations during the siege of Lucknow. Fo'r rheee aejvices he was created a Knight Commander of tAie and received the thanks of Parliament. Sir Robert Napier commanded a division on er Hope Giant in the Chinese War, and was present at the taking Of Pekin. For the next four years he occupied feat at the India Council in succession to Sir James °dram, a,post which he vacated on being named Conitnitnfler in Chief in the Bombay Presidency in 1865. t Hie, services in China procured him for the second time' the „ilonour of the thanks of Parliament. In Octobet, 1867, Sir Robert Napier was selected to command the Expedition despatched to Abyssinia to procure the release of the English missionaries and others held in confinement by King Theodore. Leaving India upon December 21, he shortly occupied Goorn Goorna, and marched upon Antal°, one of the principal towns in the province of Tigre. fficulties now began to reduce the speed of the advance. The preeiseming of the expedition depended for the most part, upon arrivals by sea and from the coast by mules. Complications arose from the action of the Viceroy of Egypt, and the national hatred between the Abyssinians and the Turco - Egyptians was .didtstted for the time against the English troops. Sir‘Robert triumphed over every obstacle. The Viceroy recalled his soldiers; and the construetion of a railwey expedited the communications between the Iked Sea and the English , commissariat in the field. The natives shewed themselves not unfriendly to the invaders, and aided them in their march upon the mountain fortress of Magdala to which Theodore had retired. They provided elephants for the carriage of the Armstrong guns, and Antalo was reached on March 12th, Much precious time was now lost from the unexpected difficulties of the route in the heart of the mountains in an unknown country. The British soldiers came in sight of their destination early in April, and on the 10th of that month encountered and defeated King Theodore's army, which numbered 10,000 men, with 26 guns. Magdala was entered on April 13th, 1868. The Negus, abandoned by his soldiers - and attendants, committed suicide by blowing out his brains. The British General released the prisoners, who subsequently returned to Europe, destroyed the city and fortifications of Magdala, and received the submission of the children and widow of the Negus. The wicTow died shortly afterwards. Theodore's crown and Royal mantle were found and beought home as- a present to Queen Victoria. The expedition commenced its return journey on April 18th, and re-embarked in the Red Sea in the following month. Upon July 2nd, 1868, the gallant General made a triumphal entry into London. For a third time he received the thanks of Parliament, was created a Peer with the title of Lord Napier of Magdala, was granted a pension of £2,000 for two live; and received the Freedom of the City Of London, with a sword of honour. To Lord Napier the command in Chief Of Ole Army in India was entrusted in 1870. Six years later he was tnade Governor of Gibraltar, and on his retirement from that position in 1882 he was created a Field Marshal. In 1878, before the Berlin Congress, when fears were entertained of a war with Russia, Lord .Napier was se,lected as the Commanderin-Chief of the British expecliOinary force, but happily the issue of the Congretisobvisted the necessity of taking the field. In 1879 'Lord Napier represented this country as Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Sp:tin at the marriage of the late King to the present ,ieen-Regent. On that occasion he received the Grand Cordon of Cantles 111. In 1886 the noble and gallant Lord was appointed Constable of the Tower  Lord Napier married in IS4O the eldest daughter of Dr. Pearse, of the East India C'ompany's service, by whom he had three sons and three daughters. She died in 18-19. Hissecond wife was a daughter of Mejor General E. Smyth Scott, RA., whom he married in 1861, and who bore the deceased peer six sons and three daughters. The successor to the title is his eldest eon, Colonel Robert William Napier, formerly of the Bengal Staff, but now retired, who was born in 1845, and married in ISBS a daughter of Lord Macdonald, and widow of Captain Lanham, of the Grenadier Guards.