The Sun.
London, England, 1830-08-04 00:00:00

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

William Muir was a native of Forfarshire, North Britain,
where he was highly connected by birth and marriage. He was
the brother-in-law of Sir James Gardiner Baird, Bart., a near re-
lative to that gallant veteran, Sir David Baird, who was the
Duke of Wellington's predecessor in the peninsular campaign.
He was also first cousin to Sir William Rae, the Lord Advocate
of Scotland. By his grandmother's side he was descended from
the heroic Robert Bruce, and he was likewise connected with
the distinguished families of Blair of Blair, the Stewarts and the
Butes. . Tall and commanding in his person, with a tine open
countenance, and with an almost romantic ardour of tempera-
ment, he made choice of a Military life, which might be said to
have been the hereditary profession of his ancestors. He entered
the army with all the tire and freshness of youth, and in no in-
stance did he disgrace the character of a soldier during a period
of 17 years. He served successively In the 14th, rth, and 40th
Regiments of Foot ; and. in the course of such service he was
often actively engaged in France' Spain, the Netherlands, India,
and America. It was during his stay In the latter country that
he married the lady who has now the misery to be the widow of a
heroic but unfortunate Wan. She was the daughter of an officer
belonging to the Royal Artillery, and three boys are the fruit of
their union. In the year ISIS he repaired with his regiment to
Gibraltar, taking his family with him. Whilst stationed in that
garrison the yellow fever made its appearance amongst the
troops, and Captain Moir suffered so severely from an attack of
that malignant distemper, that his life was for a considerable
time despaired of. The complaint gradually yielded to the na-
tural strength of his constitution; but it had germinated those
seeds of mental imbecility, which it is now no more than chi-
ritable to hope have produced those occasional fits of excitement
to which he was keeivn to be subject ever afterwards. From
Gibraltar he proceeded to Canada, and in one of the paroxysms
of his malady, he took an opportunity, when alone one night, of
Inflicting several wounds wttli a hatchet upolfbis forehead, the
traces of which were visible to every eye when, he appeared at the
bar on his trial. But this was not the only mischief which the
fever ,bad offbcted—ita influence on his character and ccinduct
wassnost disastrous—his disposition, naturally warm and Iras-
cible before, tho Ugh generous and humane withal, became so
exquisitely susceptible-to the slightest insult, that 'if. excited by
intemperance or any other cause, he lost all his previous self-pos-
session, and his passions gained the ascendancy of "ease') and
good feeling. There is one peculiar characteristic of this un.
happy perversion of mind, of which .Captain Noir afforded a me-
lancholy example. NYhen most excited lie invariably conceived
himself calm and collected, and Whilst those who knew him best
were but too sensible of the diffbrence between his professions
and his conduct,' he ' generally strove to convince them
of the soundness of his .intellect. In additicin to the lingering
influence of the fever he. suffered severely under aim attack
of, coup de soled in India,,, and from pure inflammation of
the
brain at a later period, when quartered at Canterbury.—
in the year MIS he retired from the army, and his active, but
unsteady mind, being diverted to agricultural pursuits, he took
upon, lease the farm at Shelhaven, where be was residing when
the unhappy occurrence took place that has been the means of
sending to a scaffold the mati who had so often braved death
at the cannon's mouth. 'lt is not for us to impugn or question
the solemn award of Justice, but we could have wished that he
had died a soldier's death, and have found a soldier's grave.

The United Service Journal, and Naval
and Military Magazine, for August, is embellished with
a fine Portrait of . his late MAJEsmir. It contains; among
other interesting Papers—Sketch of the Life and Reign
of GEoang IV.—Extraordinary Events_ which took place
at St. Petersburgh on the 14th of December, 0.8.
1825—Service Afloat during the Late War—:-Narrative of
'a Mariner left on an Island in the l'acific.7l''ormation and.
Revolt of the Irish Brigade in the Brazilian Service at Rio,
in 1828--Proposal for Manning- the Fleet, without gene
rally resorting to Impressment in Time of War—Letters
front Gibraltar, No. 4, by the Author; of the Military
Sketch Book—Present Distribution of Weight and Pressure
in Ships of War, by Commander John PEAItSX,
Military Services of the late Lieutenant-General Goaan
—Facts connected with- the Manceuvre, of breaking the
Enemy's
.Litre nn the 12th of April, by , Sir GILBItriT
BLANN. Bart.—Evidence a Sir lllKAisEtia TA 171.011, before
the Finance Committee—Foreign Miscellany—General
Correspondence—Editor's Portfolio—General Orders, Cir.
culars, &c.