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[1]. His conduct on this occasion is thus officially noticed by Sir Alexander Cochrane:
“The superiority of the enemy’s sailing, left little chance for the Neptune getting up, unless some of the ships were disabled; and if any accident had happened to the Pompeée’s masts, they must inevitably have all escaped: I therefore directed Captain Fahie to endeavour to cripple the sternmost ship, without bringing on the collected fire of the three, then in line a-breast. In this attempt he was most gallantly supported by Captain Napier, of H.M. sloop Recruit, who kept close up, although fired at from all their stern-chace guns, and did every thing that was possible to be done to cut away the enemy’s masts and rigging, and continued on this service during the whole chase * * * * * *. Until their Lordships’ pleasure is known, I have commissioned the prize, and appointed Captain Napier to the command of her, as a reward for his spirited conduct.”
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:
