Captain Sir Murray Maxwell, CB, FRS was a Royal Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
25 Facts About Murray Maxwell
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The shipwrecked crew of Alceste ran low on supplies and were repeatedly attacked by Malay pirates, but thanks to Murray Maxwell's leadership suffered no deaths.
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Murray Maxwell was knighted for his services, and made a brief and unsuccessful foray into politics before resuming his naval career.
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In 1831 Murray Maxwell was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, but fell ill and died before he could take up the post.
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Murray Maxwell's father was an officer in the British Army's 42nd Regiment of Foot and the son of politician Sir Alexander Maxwell.
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The family lived in Penninghame in Wigtownshire, Scotland, and Murray Maxwell was intended for the armed forces from an early age: six of Murray Maxwell's eight brothers would join the Army or Navy.
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Murray Maxwell had been in Juno for three years when the French Revolutionary Wars broke out, and was on board when the frigate was forced to make a desperate escape from Toulon harbour under heavy fire from French Republican batteries during their siege of Toulon.
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Murray Maxwell blockaded Martinique, and was involved in the British operation which occupied Diamond Rock, overseeing the construction of a gun battery on its summit.
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In 1804, Murray Maxwell participated in the capture of the Batavian colonies of Surinam and Berbice, and was the most senior naval officer present at the surrender of Surinam.
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Murray Maxwell was initially part of a raiding squadron that attacked coastal batteries and other positions along the Spanish coast as part of the war between Britain and Spain.
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In November 1811, with the temporary absence of Brisbane, Murray Maxwell became the senior officer in the Adriatic.
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Murray Maxwell was the last to leave and shortly after he had been transported to a nearby East Indiaman, Daedalus rolled over and sank.
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Murray Maxwell returned to Britain to face a court-martial but was exonerated for the frigate's loss and reappointed to Alceste.
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In 1816 Murray Maxwell was ordered to escort Lord Amherst on a diplomatic mission to the Jiaqing Emperor of China.
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Amherst went ashore with his party, instructing Murray Maxwell to meet him at Canton once his diplomatic mission was complete.
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Murray Maxwell arrived off the Pearl River in November 1816 and prepared to sail to Whampoa for his reunion with Amherst.
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Murray Maxwell sailed on to Whampoa without further impediment, without casualties; Chinese losses were reportedly 47 killed and many wounded.
18.
Murray Maxwell hastily organised defensive positions in case the Dayaks attacked the island, completing the stockade on the island's hill and preparing sharpened stakes and hundreds of improvised cartridges for the group's 30 muskets.
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In preparation, Murray Maxwell gathered his men together and spoke to them:.
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The book was dedicated to Sir Murray Maxwell, and proved popular.
21.
Murray Maxwell stood in the 1818 general election, seeking to become Member of Parliament for Westminster.
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Murray Maxwell was narrowly defeated by less than 400 votes, losing to Sir Samuel Romilly and Sir Francis Burdett.
23.
Murray Maxwell failed to gain any of the financial rewards that overseas postings could bring, and was unable to restore his shattered finances, returning a poorer man than when he had left.
24.
Still feeling the chest injury sustained during the 1818 election, Murray Maxwell returned to Britain in 1826 and entered retirement; during this period he reportedly had a bout of depression, especially following the sudden death of his youngest daughter in 1827.
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Murray Maxwell was buried at St Marylebone Parish Church, and was survived by his wife and their son John Balfour Murray Maxwell, who died in 1874 as an admiral of the Royal Navy.