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 In the following year, Captain Napier assisted at the reduction of Martinique; and behaved with extraordinary gallantry during the pursuit of le d’Hautpoult and two other French seventy-fours, which had been sent from Europe expressly for the relief of that colony. His conduct on this occasion is thus officially noticed by Sir Alexander Cochrane:

Captain Napier’s post commission was confirmed May 22, 1809, the very day on which Sir Alexander Cochrane’s letter arrived at the Admiralty. During the remainder of the war with France, he successively commanded the Jason, Thames, and Euryalus frigates; the former at the Leeward Islands, and the two latter on the Mediterranean station. A very handsome service performed by the Thames, in conjunction with the Cephalus brig, is thus described by Captain Napier, in a letter addressed to the senior officer at Palermo:

“H.M.S. Thames, off Porto del Infrischi, July 21, 1811.

“Sir,– Captain Clifford, of the Cephalus, having the look-out off Palinuro, on the 20th instant, informed me by a Sicilian privateer, of a convoy of 26 sail attempting to gain that port, which he, with his usual activity prevented them from doing, and compelled them to take shelter in Porto del Infrischi, off which place we arrived at 5 this evening. I immediately desired Captain Clifford to lead in and anchor, which service he performed in a most handsome style, and was closely followed by this ship, who soon silenced eleven gun-boats, and an armed felucca, carrying six long 18-pounders, two 12-pounder carronades, three brass and two iron 6-pounders, and” (upwards of) “280 men, moored across for the protection of fourteen