A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Murray, Augustus Charles
MURRAY. (Lieutenant, 1841.)
Augustus Charles Murray, born 16 Dec. 1815, is eldest son of the late Hon. Alex. Murray, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, by Deborah, daughter of Robt. Hunt, Esq., Commander-in-Chief of the Bahamas; and grandson of John, fourth Earl of Dunmore, Governor, successively, of New York and Virginia, and Captain-General of the Bahama Islands. He is brother of Virginius Murray, an officer in the Army; brother-in-law of Prince Louis Stanislas Kotska de la Tremouille; and first-cousin of Commander Jack Henry Murray, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy 19 Jan. 1827; passed his examination 8 Aug. 1835; and was subsequently appointed Mate of the Dolphin 3, Lieut.-Commander Edw. Littlehales, on the coast of Africa; where, on the morning of 30 May, 1841, with the gig and cutter under his orders (the latter commanded by Mr. John Fletcher Rees, Second-Master), he succeeded, after a pull of two hours and a half, a fierce struggle of twenty minutes, and a loss to the British, out of 15 men, of 2 killed and 3 wounded, in capturing the Firme slaver, of 170 tons. Although knocked back into his boat by the butt end of a musket, which broke his collar-bone, he was the first to board the vessel, in effecting which his left hand was nearly severed at the wrist by the stroke of a cutlass; another blow was made at his head, but this he fortunately parried, hewing his opponent down. We may add that, determined not to be taken by an English man-of-war’s boats, the enemy had bestowed great attention on their arms, and had adopted every precaution in the arrangement of their vessel. As a reward for his gallantry Mr. Murray was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 1 Oct. in the same year.[1] His appointments have since been – 14 Dec. 1842 and 17 June, 1844, to the Spiteful steam-sloop and Pelican 16, Capts. Wm, Maitland and Philip Justice, both in the East Indies, whence he returned to England and was paid off in the early part of 1845 – 6 Dec. in the latter year, as First, to the Terrible steam-frigate, of 800-horse power, Capt. Wm. Ramsay, employed on particular service – and, 20 March, 1847, as Additional, to the Hibernia 104, flag-ship of Sir Wm. Parker in the Mediterranean, where he continues.
Lieut. Murray, in consideration of his wounds, receives a pension of 45l. 12s. 6d. per annum. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1841, pp. 2688-9.