262 NOBLE CHARACTER OF THAT GENERAL. 



heart than Sir Charles Napier, though so secretly 

 were his bounties bestowed that scarcely did 

 his left hand know what his right hand gave. 

 Of this a noble instance came to my knowledge 

 a few years ago. Sir Charles Napier, when 

 Commander-in-Chief in India, had confirmed 

 the sentence of a Court Martial on a young 

 officer of Her Majesty's 53rd Foot. He was the 

 son of a widow who had experienced great 

 reverses. This lady, in her distress at learning 

 that such sentence had been fatal to her son's 

 commission, wrote a most affecting letter to 

 His Excellency, stating that her son had from 

 his scanty pay contributed to her own suj)port, 

 that he was the most affectionate and devoted 

 of sons, and that his dismissal would entail 

 ruin on the whole family ; she therefore entreat- 

 ed Sir Charles to exercise clemency, but ere her 

 letter reached the Commander-in-Chief the con- 

 firmed proceedings of the Court Martial had 

 been forwarded to England. By return of post, 

 however, that unhappy lady received a re^^ly 

 from Sir Charles, expressing his deep sympathy 

 in her case, and requesting her acceptance of 

 the draft which he enclosed for the price of her 

 son's commission. Silence was enjoined, and 



