INFLUENZA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 9003, 16 January 1890, Page 5

INFLUENZA.

SOME ILLUSTRIOUS VICTIMS. LOED NAPIEE OP MAGDALA. : LOED CAIRNS. ! [B tVLSOTRIO TELEGRAPH.—COPYRIGHT.] [Special to Press Association.] [Received Jan. 15, at 5 p.m.) MUNICH. Jan. 14. The remains of Dr Bollinger will be buried in this city. LONDON,, Jan. 14. : The death is announced of Lord Napier, of Magdala, 33 tat seventy* nine, and Lord Cairns. Both these noblemen fell victims to influenza; aggravated in Lord Cairns* case, byi pneumonia. . [The Eight Hon Sir Eobeet Cornelius Napieb, Baron Napier of Magdala; son of Major 0. F. Napier, Eoyal Artillery; by Catherine, daughter of Codrington Carrington, Esq., of Blackmans, Barbados; was born in Ceylon in 1810. He received) hia education at the Military College,' Addiacombe, entered the corps of Bengal Engineers in 1828, and served with distinction in the Sutlej campaign, at tha conclusion of which, having attained tho’ rank of Major, he, was selected by the lata Sir Henry Lawrence for the responsible post of Engineer to the Durbar ot Lahore.' He was by this position enabled to acquire) that special knowledge of the Punjaub 1 and its resources so essential to a! judicious development of tho latter; should the tide of events necessitate the undertaking of such a task by the Indian Government. - He was con-’ atantly referred to when Moolraj re-| belied, on all questions connected vital the reduction of Mooltau, at the siege, of which he was present as senior! Engineer; and at its fall accompanied General Wish’s force to the fords o£ the Chenaub, where, after the junction with tha main army under Lord Gough; he served as one of Sir John Cheape’a “right-hand men” at the battle of Goojerat. He was promoted to the rank' of Colonel, and named Chief Engineer under the new Punjaub administration* when he was enabled to carry out his' long-cherished plans for covering that almost trackless country with arteries of military and commercial highways, after constructing magnificent canals destined! to fertilize tne arid Dooab, and eventually to cause the construction of numerous public’ buildings, barracks, & 0., requisite to the! efficient administration of the Province.' He was engaged in the discharge of these; onerous duties for some years, until sum-! moned to Calcutta to assume the post p£ Chief Engineer of Bengal. Daring the! mutiny of 1857 he served in the capacity, of Chief Engineer with the army of Sir Colin Campbell, and the part he played in ; the suppression of the rebellion greatly enhanced his previous high reputation.’ It was he who at the siege of Lucknow! planned that bridging of the Goomtee river which exercised so great an influence’ on the operations for the overthrow of the enemy, and he was afterwards 1 appointed to the command of the force employed to destroy the rebels reunited under Tantia Topee; but on Sir Hugh Eose claiming the execution of this task. Colonel Napier acted as his second in command. His’ services in China as second in command under Sir Hope Grant are well known, and he was rewarded by being made Major*; General, a K.C.8., and successor to the late Sir J. Outram, as a military member of the Council of India. This post he resigned in January, 1865, when he was nominated to succeed Sir V?. Mansfield as Commander-! in-Chief at Bombay, with the local rank of; Lieutenant-General; and in 1867 he received the appointment to command! the expedition intended to rescue the; Abyssinian captives, and was made a Knight Grand Commander of the Star of. India. He achieved a brilliant success.' King Theodore was thoroughly defeated in an engagement on the heights of Islamgie, April 10, 1868, and so6n afterwards released his prisoners. The! English commander followed up thia| victory by the storming of Magdala on| the 13th, when Theodore, in despair, com-! mitted suicide. On Sir Eobert Napier’s; return to kngland in July, he received the 1 thanks of Parliament; the sum of J 62000 per annum was settled on him and his next heir, in consideration of his services";he was elevated to the peerage by the title of Baron Napier of Magdala (July 14);’ was presented with the freedom of the City, of London and a sword of the value' of two hundred guineas (July 21); and received other marks of honour. He was elected a Fellow of the Eoyal Society Deo. 16, 1869. In January, 1870, he was appointed to succeed Sir William Mansfield as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in India, with the local rank of General; and in May following he was nominated fifth ordinary member of the Council of the! Governor-General of India. He was appointed Governor of Gibraltar in June,’ 1876. In February, 1878, he was selected by the Government to be the Commander-in-Chief of the English expeditionary fore®! in the event of this country declaring war against Eussia —a contingency which was; averted by the Treaty of Berlin. In 1886 he was appointed High Constable of the Tower.] [Lord Cairns, the second Earl, was bom in 1861, and succeeded to the title in 1885, on the death of the famous Lord Chancellor.]