Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Mushet, Robert (1782-1828)
MUSHET, ROBERT (1782–1828), of the royal mint, sixth son of William Mushet and Margaret Cochrane, his wife, was born at Dalkeith on 10 Nov. 1782. He was a brother of David Mushet [q. v.] According to a statement contained in his evidence before the House of Lords’ committee on the resumption of cash payments in 1819, he entered the service of the royal mint about 1804, but his name does not occur in the ‘Royal Kalendar’ until 1808, when he appears as third clerk to the master. Subsequently he held the post of first clerk to the master, melter, and refiner. He paid particular attention to the currency question, and gave evidence before the committee above mentioned on 29 March and 7 April 1819. He was also examined before Peel’s committee in the House of Commons on the same subject on 19 March. He stated that he had made out tables of the exchanges and prices of gold from 1760 to 1810 (see the printed reports of those committees). In 1823 he took out a patent (No. 4802) for preparing copper for sheathing ships by alloying it with small quantities of zinc, tin, antimony, and arsenic. He died at Millfield House, Edmonton, on 1 Feb. 1828, having married Henrietta, daughter of John Hunter (1745-1837) [q. v.] of St. Andrews, by whom he had issue.
Mushet wrote:
- ‘An Enquiry into the Effect produced on the National Currency and Rates of Exchange by the Bank Restriction Bill,’ 2nd ed., 1810; 3rd ed., 1811. This was noticed in the ‘Edinburgh Review,’ 1810, xvii. 340.
- ‘Tables exhibiting the Gain and Loss to the Fundholder arising from the Fluctuations of the Value of the Currency from 1800 to 1821,’ 2nd ed., corrected, 1821.
- ‘An Attempt to explain from Facts the Effect of the Issues of the Bank of England upon its own Interests, Public Credit, and Country Banks,’ 1826. This was noticed in the ‘Quarterly Review,’ 1829, xxxix. 451.
[Gent. Mag. 1828 pt. i. p. 275, and private information]