NAPIER, ROBERT CORNELIS, Lord Napier of Magdala (1810-90). A British soldier. born at Colombo. Ceylon. lie studied at the East India Company's military college at Addiscombe. and at the royal engineering school at Chatham. and from 1828 to 1843 was chiefly employed on the public works. In the latter year, however. het?ar ticipated in several battles of the First Sikh NN'ar. During the Second Sikh War (1848-49) he ag,ain saw active service, and at its close was appointed civil engineer to the board of administration of the Punjab, in which capacity he inaugurated and partly carried out a comprehensive scheme of public improvements. During the summer and fall of 1857, at the time of the Mutiny, Napier distinguished himself in the movements which resulted in the relief of Lucknow. Later he also planned the recapture of that place. In June, 1658, lie cooperated with Sir Hugh Rose in the latter's operations against the insurgent forces under Tantia Topi and the Ranee of Jhansi; and on the 29th, after Sir Hugh's departure, he took the chief command in Central India. In August
he cooperated with Brigadier-General Smith in the capture of Paori; in December, with slight loss to himself, destroyed Ferozeshales army and in April, 1859, captured Raja Nan Singh of Narwar and Tantia Topi. Subsequently he was appointed military member of the council of the Governor-General and aided in the amalgamation of the national army and that of the East Iudia Company. Lord Elgin's (q.v.) sudden death hit him Acting Governor-General for a short time. In 1868 he commanded the English ex pedition sent to Abyssinia and stormed the royal stronghold of INIagdala. On his arrival in England Queen Victoria created him Baron of :\lagdala. The next year he was appointed com mander-in-chief in India. Six years later he returned to Europe, and in 1883 was raised to the rank of field-marshal. Consult Markham, History of the Abyssinian Expedition (London, 18691. and Escott, Pillars of the Empire (Lon don, 1879).