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JAMES MURRAY (c. 1719-1794)

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 40 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JAMES See also:MURRAY (c. 1719-1794)  , See also:British See also:governor of See also:Canada, was a younger son of See also:Alexander See also:Murray, 4th See also:Lord Elibank (d . 1736) . Having entered the British See also:army, he served with the 15th See also:Foot in the See also:West Indies, the'See also:Netherlands and See also:Brittany, and became See also:lieutenant-See also:colonel of this See also:regiment by See also:purchase in 1751 . In 1757 he led his men to See also:North See also:America to take See also:part in the See also:war against See also:France . He commanded a See also:brigade at the See also:siege of See also:Louisburg, was one of See also:Wolfe's three brigadiers in the expedition against See also:Quebec, and commanded the See also:left wing of the army in the famous See also:battle in See also:September 1759 . After the British victory and the See also:capture of the See also:city, Murray was left in command of Quebec; having strengthened its fortifications and taken See also:measures to improve the morale of his men, he defended it in See also:April and May 1760 against the attacks of the See also:French, who were soon compelled to raise the siege . The British troops had beendecimated by disease, and it was only a remnant that Murray now led to join See also:General See also:Amherst at See also:Montreal, and to be See also:present when the last batch of French troops in Canada surrendered . In See also:October I 76o he was appointed governor of Quebec, and he became governor of Canada after this See also:country had been formally ceded to See also:Great See also:Britain in 1763 . In this See also:year he quelled a dangerous See also:mutiny, and soon afterwards his alleged partiality for the interests of the French Canadians gave offence to the British settlers; they asked for his recall, and in 1766 he retired from his See also:post . After an inquiry in the See also:House of Lords, he was exonerated from the charges which had been brought against him . In 1774 Murray was sent to See also:Minorca as governor, and in 1781, while he was in See also:charge of this See also:island, he was besieged in Fort St See also:Philip by a large force of French and Spaniards . After a stubborn resistance, which lasted nearly seven months, he was obliged to surrender the See also:place; and on his return to See also:England he was tried by a See also:court-See also:martial, at the instance of See also:Sir See also:William See also:Draper,. who had served under him in Minorca as lieutenant-governor .

He was acquitted and he became a general in 1783 . He died on the 18th of See also:

June 1794 . Murray's only son was See also:James See also:Patrick Murray (1782–1834), a See also:major-general and member of See also:parliament .

End of Article: JAMES MURRAY (c. 1719-1794)
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