A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Mouat, John Alexander
MOUAT. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 20; h-p., 23.)
John Alexander Mouat, born about 1793, is son of Commander Alexander Mouat, R.N., who was a Midshipman with Capt. Cook during his voyages, and died fom fever while in command of the Rattlesnake sloop, in the West Indies, in 1793; and grandson of Capt. Patrick Mouat, R.N., who commanded the Tamer on a voyage of discovery with Admiral Byron. One of his uncles died in the Assistance while in command of the North American station; and two others were killed in action in the London, off St. Domingo.
This officer entered the Navy, in Aug. 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Zebra bomb, Capt. Wm. Standway Parkinson, with whom he continued to serve, as Midshipman, in the Merlin, Wasp, and Favorite sloops, on the Home and West India stations, until 1808 – assisting, when in the Favorite at the capture of the Danish islands of St. Thomas and Ste. Croix. He then returned home in the Thais 20, Capt. Wm. Ferris; and in Dec. 1808 after having served for seven months in the Isis 50, flag-ship at Newfoundland of Vice-Admiral John Holloway, he joined the Africaine 38, Capt. Rich. Raggett, under whom we find him employed in escorting Lord Hill’s brigade from Cork to Lisbon, the Duke of Orleans from Portsmouth to Malta, Mr. Jackson, the British Ambassador, to the United States, and the Hon. Mr. Erskine thence to England. With the exception of an interval passed in the summer of 1810 on board the Salvador Del Mundo, flag-ship at Plymouth of Admiral Young, he continued under Capt. Raggett in the Africaine and Defiance 74, latterly in the North Sea, until Jan. 1813. He was then sent out to India on promotion in the Daedalus 38, Capt. Murray Maxwell; and on that frigate being wrecked off Ceylon in the following July, he was received on board the Minden 74, of which ship, bearing the flag of Sir Sam. Hood, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant 23 Sept. in the same year. In the early part of 1814 he successively removed, in the latter capacity, to the Hecate and Sphynx sloops, Capts. John Hill and Hon. Arthur Turnour. He was confirmed to the Sphynx 11 Feb. 1815, and, being paid off in the ensuing Dec, was afterwards appointed – in Nov. 1818, to the Newcastle 60, bearing the flag of the late Sir Edw. Griffith Colpoys at Halifax, whence he returned in 1821 – 6 Nov. 1828, as First-Lieutenant (a rank he had held the last 12 months on board the Newcastle), to the Challenger 28, Capt. Chas. Howe Fremantle, under whom, after taking possession of the colony at Swan River, he proceeded to the East Indies, whence his health obliged him to invalid in Oct. 1829 – and, 7 Oct. 1833, to the Coast Guard, in which service he remained until superseded, at his own request, in the autumn of 1838. He has since been on half-pay.
He married, in 1828, Maria Janetta, daughter of the Rev. John Mudge, Vicar of Brampfordspeke, and Rector of Lustleigh, co. Devon.