NAPIER, Sir CHARLES, K. C. B., English admiral, was cousin to the hero of Scinde and the historian of the peninsula war. His father was the hon. capt. Charles Napier, R. N., second son of Francis, fifth lord Napier. lie was born March 6, 1766, at the family seat, Merchistouu Hall, in the co. of Stirling. At 13, he went to sea as a naval volunteer. In 1808. he received the command of the Recruit, 18 guns, and had his thigh broken by a bullet. He kept up a running fight, in his 18-gun brig, with the rearmost of three French line-of-battle ships, the 1:111autpoult, which escaped from Guadelonpe, and was thus instrumental in her capture. This obtained him it post-cap taincy; but being thrown out of active service, he served ashore as a volunteer in the peninsular army, and was wounded at Busaco. Commanding the Thu uu8 in 1811, he inflicted an incredible amount of damage upon the enemy in the Mediterranean, and also conducted several desperate land operations with marked success. In 1814, he was ordered to America, and led the way in the hazardous ascent and descent of the Potomac. He afterwards took an active part in the operations against Baltimore. In 1829, he received the command of the Galatea, a 42-gun frigate, and was employed," on particu lar service " on the coast of Portugal. Becoming acquainted with the levelers of the
constitutional party, he accepted the command of the fleet of the young queen; and by defeating the Miguelite fleet, he concluded the war, and placed Donna Maria on the throne. Ile was made admiral-in-chief of the Portngesc navy, and attempted to remodel it; but official and corrupt influence was too strong for him, and he returned to England. In the war between the Porte and Mehemet Ali, he organized a land force, with which he stormed Sidon, and defeated Ibrahim Pasha among the heights of Mount Lebanon. He took part in the naval attack on Acre, and did not hesitate to disregard the orders of his chief, admiral Stopford, when he saw the way to bring the battle to a speedy termination. He next blockaded Alexandria, and concluded a convention with Mehemet Ali. In 1847, he received the command of the channel fleet. When the Rus sian war broke out, he was sent out to command the Baltic fleet; but the capture of Bomarsund failed to realize the high expectations formed of Napier's exploits. He twice sat in parliament, and, until his death, Nov. 6, 1860, he labored with success to reform the British naval administration. He was at the time of his death a vice-admiral and a knight of several foreign orders.