# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Maxwell, John Balfour

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​MAXWELL. (Capt., 1837. f-p., 18; h-p., 17.)
John Balfour Maxwell, born in 1799, is only son of the late Capt. Sir Murray Maxwell, R.N., Kt., C.B., F.E.S.; nephew of the late Capts. Keith ​Maxwell and John Maxwell, R.N., of Major Stuart Maxwell, R.A., and of Lieut.-Colonel Montgomery Maxwell, 36th Regt.; and brother-in-law of Capt. Chas. Hallowell Carew, R.N. He is a relative of the present Sir Wm. Maxwell, Bart., of Monreith, co. Wigtoun, Captain unattached, late of the 14th Light Dragoons.
This officer entered the Navy, 15 Nov. 1812, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Daedalus 38, commanded by his father, Capt. Murray Maxwell, under whom he was wrecked, off Ceylon, 2 July, 1813. After an attachment of a few months, as a Supernumerary, to the Minden 74, bearing the flag of Sir Sam. Hood, he returned to England, as Midshipman, in the early part of 1814, in the Cornwallis 74, Capt. Stephen Thos. Digby. During the next two years we find him joining in succession, on the Home station, the Stirling Castle 74, Capt. Wm. Butterfield, Glasgow 50, Capt. Hon. Henry Duncan, Bulwark 74, Capt. Geo. McKinley, and Alceste 38, commanded by his father. In the ship last mentioned Mr. Maxwell, after accompanying Lord Amherst in his expedition to China, was again wrecked, in the Straits of Caspar, 18 Feb. 1817. He afterwards, from June in the same year until Dec. 1818, served on the St. Helena station in the Falmouth 20 and Racoon 18, Capts. Robt. Worgan Geo. Festing, Jas. Wallis, and Geo. Brine; and, attaining the rank of Lieutenant 6 April, 1820, was successively appointed in that capacity – 30 June following, to the Ordinary service on Lake Ontario, whence he returned in June, 1821 – and 6 Sept. and 30 Nov. 1822, to the Egeria 28 and Briton 46, Capts. John Toup Nicolas and Sir Murray Maxwell, on the Home and South American stations. On 28 April, 1827, seven months after the Briton had been paid off, Lieut. Maxwell was promoted to the command of the Chanticleer 10, in the Mediterranean, where he remained for a period of eight months. His next appointment was, 6 June, 1833, to the Gannet 16, the command of which vessel he retained in the West Indies until posted, 10 Jan. 1837. His appointments have since been – 19 June, 1845, to the Crocodile 26, flag-ship of Sir Hugh Pigot at Cork – and 9 May, 1846, to the Dido 18, now in the East Indies.
Capt. Maxwell is a widower, with one daughter. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
* ↑ Sir Murray Maxwell attained the rank of Lieutenant, in 1796; was promoted, in Dec. 1802, to the command of the Cyane sloop, part of the squadron employed under Commodore Hood, at the ensuing reduction of Ste. Lucie; and was posted 4 Aug. 1803. He commanded the Centaur 74, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Hood, at the capture of Tobago, Demerara, and Berbice; and while in the same ship, in 1824, bore a very distinguished part in the operations which led to the fall of Surinam. When Capt., subsequently, of the Alceste 38, he rendered his name conspicuous by the dashing nature of his services in the Mediterranean; where, in company with the Active 38, he fought, 29 Nov. 1611,amost gallant action with the French 40-gun frigates Pauline and Pomone. Capt. Maxwell afterwards commanded the Daedalus 38, Alceste again, Bulwark 74, and Briton 46. In the Alceste, as above recorded, he took out Lord Amherst on the occasion of that nobleman’s embassy to China, for his services as connected with which the East India Company, in May, 1619, presented him with the sum of 1500l. He had been nominated a C.B. in 1615, and in May, 1818, awarded the honour of knighthood.
* ↑ Capt. Keith Maxwell obtained his first commission in 1794; and as a reward for his heroic conduct in cutting out, with the boats of a squadron under his orders, the French corvette La Chevrette of 20 guns and 350 men, was promoted to the rank of Commander in July, 1801. Attaining Post-rank 1 May, 1804, Capt. Maxwell was subsequently employed in command of the Tartar and Nymphen frigates; in tiie latter of which, during the expedition of 1609 to the Walcheren, he assisted in forcing the passage between the batteries of Flushing and Cadsand. He died 22 April, 1823.
* ↑ Capt. John Maxwell was made a Lieutenant in 1808; a Commander 22 Jan. 1606; and a Post-Captain 15 June, 1810. When in command of the Royalist 18, he contrived, between May, 1809, and 24 Feb. 1810, to capture as many as five French privateers, carrying, altogether, 64 guns and 255 men. During the last two years of the war he served on the coast of Africa in the Favourite 20; and he afterwards commanded the Baerosa 42, and Aurora 46; on board which latter ship he died 31 May, 1826.