A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Mourilyan, Edward
MOURILYAN. (Retired Commander, 1839. f-p., 14; h-p., 35.)
Edward Mourilyan entered the Navy, 29 July, 1798, as L.M., on board the Tigre 74, Capts. Sir Wm. Sidney Smith, Wm. Mansell, Robt, Jackson, and Rich. Curry. In that ship, in which he continued until paid off in Sept. 1802, he assisted as Midshipman at the defence of St. Jean d’Acre in 1799, and took part, in 1801, in the operations in Egypt. In March, 1803, he rejoined Sir W. S. Smith, as Master’s Mate, in the Antelope 50, on the North Sea station, where, in 1804, he was severely wounded while in the act of boarding a Dutch gun-boat. For this he received a pecuniary reward from the Patriotic Society. After serving as Acting-Lieutenant in the St. Alban’s 64, Capt. John Temple, and again with Sir W. S. Smith, as Master’s Mate and Acting-Lieutenant, in the Antelope 50, and Pompée 74, he was confirmed a Lieutenant of the latter ship by commission dated 31 Jan. 1806. In the spring of the same year, besides witnessing the surrender of the island of Capri, he joined in an attack upon the town of Scalea, where, in command of the Pompée’s launch, he took possession of the castle, and drove the French from their guns, 2 36-pounders, which, together with 22 barrels of powder, he contrived, through great exertion, to bring off. During the remainder of the war we find him serving with his patron on the Brazilian and Mediterranean stations in the Foudroyant 80, and Hibernia 120; and also commanding, from 29 Dec. 1809 until 25 April, 1811, and from 7 Oct. 1813 until 26 March, 1814, the Swan hired cutter, and Pompée armed transport. The Swan was sunk in the Baltic in a severe action with a flotilla of Danish gun-boats. On 6 April, 1839, Lieut. Mourilyan was invested with the rank of Commander on the Retired List. He had been admitted to the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital 31 Aug. 1835.