William Napier, 9th Lord Napier

William Napier, 9th Lord Napier

William John Napier, 9th Lord Napier (Chinese:律勞卑; 1786 - October 11, 1834) was a Royal Navy officer, politician and diplomat.

He was the son of Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier (1758-1823) and the father of Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick (1819-1898).

William John Napier served during the battle of Trafalgar (1805) as a midshipman. He later served as Lieutenant under Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald.

A peer of Scotland, Lord Napier was an elected Scottish representative in the House of Lords from 1824 to 1832.

In December 1833, upon the ending of British East India Company's monopoly on trade in the Far East, Lord Napier was appointed by Lord Palmerston, the foreign secretary and a family friend of Napier, the first Chief Superintendent of Trade at Canton (now Guangzhou), in China. He arrived at Macau on 15 July 1834, and Canton ten days later, with the mission of expanding British trade into inner China. Lacking the necessary diplomatic and commercial experience, he was not successful in achieving the objective. Having failed to secure a meeting with the Viceroy of Canton who refused any form of correspondence with an alien, and being refused any further trade concessions, Lord Napier became in favour of military actions, including the proposal of taking over Hong Kong. He sent two frigates towards Canton, where they were lost. Lord Napier then accepted defeat and left for Macau, where he died of a fever in less than a month's time. He was buried in Macau.

The Second and Third Superintendents were John Francis Davis and Sir George Best Robinson, respectively.

Lord Napier had two sons and five daughters. His eldest son, Francis Napier, also entered diplomatic service and was promoted by Palmerston for the rest of his life.

External links and references

* [http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob35.html The Napier Affair (1834)]
* [http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Ket/C17/E1702.htm Another description of the "Napier Affair"]
* Glenn Melancon, " [http://www.swetswise.com/eAccess/viewAbstract.do?articleID=29504430 Peaceful Intentions: The First British Trade Commission in China, 1833-5] ,” "Historical Research" 73 (2000) password required.
*Frank Welsh, Maya Rao (Editor): "A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong" (1996) ISBN 1-56836-134-3.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Napier — is the name of: * William Napier (sergeant), English recipient of the Victoria Cross * William Ewart Napier (1881 1952), American chess master * William Francis Patrick Napier (1785 1860), British soldier and military historian * William M.… …   Wikipedia

  • William Napier, 13th Lord Napier — Lt. Col. William Francis Cyril James Hamilton Napier (9 September 1900 23 august 1954) was a Scottish soldier and courtier. He was the eldest son of Francis Napier, the 12th Lord Napier and his wife Hon. Clarice Jessie E. Hamilton, daughter of… …   Wikipedia

  • Lord Napier — Lord Napier, of Merchistoun, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for the courtier and politician Archibald Napier. He had already been created a Baronet, of Merchistoun, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia earlier that year …   Wikipedia

  • Lord of the Bedchamber — A Lord of the Bedchamber (also known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber) was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom (and its predecessor states), the Prince of Wales and often a male consort. A Lord of the Bedchamber s… …   Wikipedia

  • Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland — The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign s personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), reflecting the Church s role as the national church of… …   Wikipedia

  • Napier Baronets — There have been five Baronetcies created for people with the surname Napier, three in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two of the baronetcies are still extant. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland — Der Royal Standard von Schottland ist auch das Banner des Hohen Kommissar der Generalversammlung der Church of Scotland Der Hohe Kommissar der Generalversammlung der Church of Scotland ist der persönliche Vertreter des Britischen Monarchen bei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington — William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (December 10, 1917 – September 10, 1944) was the eldest son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire and the husband of Kathleen Kennedy, sister of American President John F. Kennedy.… …   Wikipedia

  • Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier — Francis Scott Napier, 8th Lord Napier (23 February 1758 ndash;1 August 1823) was a British peer and army officer.Napier was born in Ipswich in 1758, the son of Hon. William Napier (later 7th Lord Napier) and his wife, Mary, a daughter of Charles… …   Wikipedia

  • Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier — KT, PC (15 September 1819 19 December 1898), was a Scottish diplomat and colonial administrator. Napier was the son of William John Napier, 9th Lord Napier and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. James Cochrane. He served as Envoy… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”