returned to England in the Warspite 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood; and, attaining the rank of Lieutenant on 6 of the ensuing month, was next appointed, 30 July and 19 Oct. 1812, to the St. Alban’s 64, Capt. John Ferris Devonshire (also on the Cadiz station), and Superb 74, Capts. Hon. Chas. Paget and Alex. Gordon. In the latter ship he continued employed in Basque Roads, on the coast of Brazil, and, under the broad pendant of Hon. Henry Hotham, on the coast of North America, until made Commander, 19 July, 1814, into the Gorée sloop, at Bermuda. His succeeding appointments were – 16 June, 1815, to the Terror bomb, in which he returned from Bermuda to England in the following Aug. – 2 July, 1816, to the Fury bomb, part of the force employed at the bombardment of Algiers,[1] where that vessel, in the course of nine hours, threw 318 shells, nearly double the number ejected by any other of her class[2] – and, 4 Oct. and 15 Nov. 1816, to the Britomart 10, and Prometheus 22, both on the Home station, where he served until paid off in Aug. 1818. He was advanced to Post-rank 7 Dec. following; and was afterwards nominated Captain – 2 April, 1822, and 29 Dec. 1824, of the Ariadne 28, and Andromache 42, attached to the squadron at the Cape of Good Hope – and, 19 Dec. 1825, of the Prince Regent 120, bearing his father’s flag at Chatham. The Ariadne, originally built as a corvette, had been raised, when commissioned by Capt. Moorsom, by the addition of a quarter-deck and 6 more guns, after the fashion of the Valorous, a ship which had not however been found to answer. By a different method of stowage, and with only 75 tons of ballast instead of the established proportion, 120 tons, Capt. Moorsom succeeded in making the Ariadne sail as fast, work as well, and prove as good a seaboat as could possibly be expected. He took command of the Andromache on the death of Commodore Joseph Nourse, and, hoisting a broad pendant, continued in personal discharge of the duties of Commodore, until the arrival at the Cape of Good Hope of the present Rear-Admiral Christian, when he returned to England and paid the Andromache off. Since 1827, in the summer of which year the Prince Regent was put out of commission, Capt. Moorsom has not been afloat.
He married, 12 March, 1822, Mary, daughter of Jacob Maude, Esq., of Silaby Hall, co. Durham, by whom he has issue five sons and three daughters. Agents – Case and Loudonsack.
MOORSOM. (Lieutenant, 1842.)
William Moorsom entered the Navy 28 June, 1830; passed his examination 16 June, 1835; and at the period of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 29 March, 1842, had been serving for some time in the East Indies as Mate on board the Endymion 40, Capt. Hon. Fred. Wm. Grey. His appointments have since been – 22 April, 1842, as Additional, to the Cornwallis 72, bearing the flag of Sir Wm. Parker in the East Indies – 12 Sept. 1842, to the Vixen steam-sloop, Capt. Geo. Giffard, on the same station – 29 March, 1845, to the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Sir Thos. Hastings – 19 Sept. 1845, to the Rodney 92, Capt. Edw. Collier, attached to the Channel squadron – and, 9 May, 1846, to the St. Vincent 120, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Ogle at Portsmouth, where he is now employed.
MORESBY, C.B., K.M.T. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 25; h-p., 23.)
Fairfax Moresby, born at Calcutta, is son of Fairfax Moresby, Esq., of Stow House, Lichfield, co. Stafford, formerly Lieutenant-Colonel of the 2nd Staffordshire Militia, and Colonel-Commandant of the Lichfield Volunteer Yeomanry. He descends from the Moresbys of Moresby, co. Cumberland.
This officer entered the Navy, 21 Dec. 1799, aa A.B., on board the London 98, Capt. John Child Purvis, with whom, after having taken a Midshipman’s part in Sir John Borlase Warren’s expedition to Ferrol, he removed to the Royal George 100. In March and Nov. 1802 he successively joined the Alarm 32, and Amazon 38, both commanded by Capt. Wm. Parker. In the former ship he escorted a body of German troops to Holland; and in the Amazon, besides accompanying the Duke of Kent from Gibraltar home, and participating in much general service, he went with Lord Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain. Previously to the latter event he had been frequently placed in charge of captured vessels, and had had the misfortune on one occasion, while so employed, to fall into the hands of the enemy, by whom he was detained a prisoner at Malaga until released through the interference of the immortal hero. In Dec. 1305 Mr. Moresby became Master’s Mate of the Puissant 74, at Portsmouth; and on 10 April, 1806, at which period he was serving with Lord St. Vincent in the Hibernia 110, off Ushant, he was made Lieutenant into the Ville de Paris 110, Capt. Geo. Aldham. Being next, in the course of the ensuing summer, appointed to the Kent 74, Capt. Thos. Rogers, he was at first employed in that ship at the blockade of Rochefort, and afterwards in her boats and tenders in various parts of the Mediterranean; where, on 1 Aug. 1808, he distinguished himself by his conduct at the capture, by the boats of the Kent and Wizard sloop, of a convoy of 10 deeply-laden coasters lying at anchor, under protection of a gun-boat, close to the beach abreast of the town of Noli, on the coast of Italy, fastened to the shore by ropes from their keels and mast-heads, and farther defended by the fire of two adjacent field-pieces, of a heavy gun in front of the town, and of a volley of musketry kept up by a considerable body of regular troops, whom the resistless impetuosity of the British quickly put to flight.[3] So repeated and favourable was the mention made of Lieut. Moresby’s name, that on the return of the Kent to England, in Dec. 1809, he was immediately ordered back to the Mediterranean on promotion in the Repulse 74, Capt. John Halliday. On his arrival he was at once appointed to the Sultan 74, Capt. John West, and in that ship he remained until invested, 5 Feb. 1811, with the acting-command of the Éclair 18. Removing in a few days to the ship-sloop Acorn, he was for a short time employed in the Adriatic in alone watching the remains of the Franco-Venetian squadron so memorably defeated by Capt. Hoste off Lissa; and he was next concerned in a variety of operations against the enemy’s trade, which resulted in the speedy capture of more than 60 of their vessels. Although superseded in the Acorn, on the receipt of his Commander’s commission, bearing date 18 April, 1811, and placed in consequence on half-pay, Capt. Moresby was forthwith appointed by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Chas. Cotton, to the Wizard 16, and sent to repress the piracies then so frequent in the Grecian archipelago; where his exertions in enforcing the restitution of plunder, in effecting the capture of three privateers (one of them the Corcira, of 8 guns and 60 men), and in performing other important services, led to his obtaining high official encomium, and to his being presented with a valuable sword by the mercantile body at Malta. After conveying important despatches from Constantinople to England, Capt. Moresby returned with a valuable convoy to the Mediterranean, and, having deposited his charge at Valetta, proceeded to join Sir Edw. Pellew off Toulon. Being sent, next, to the Adriatic, he made prize, during his passage thither, of Le Petit Chasseur French privateer; after which, volunteering his services, he took command, 18 Aug. 1813, of the boats of his own vessel and of the Saracen and Weasel brigs, and, landing under a heavy fire of round shot and musketry, stormed, carried, and assisted in destroying two strong batteries at the entrance of the Boco di Cattaro. This
