Francesco Raffaele Motta (b. Milan, 24 October 1761)
Motta studied as a civil engineer in Milan from 1781, where he took theoretical examinations. In his own words, «lack of the necessary means alone prevented him from embarking on that career, and he had to rest content with becoming a licensed public surveyor in this State», as of 16 July 1784, after a three-year course and a new exam. From 1792 to 1796 he duly became Royal surveyor in charge of census adjustment of the rivers Ticino, Po, Adda, Lambro and Oglio. After an examination on 4 April 1798, he joined the Cisalpine engineering corps as a battalion chief. Taken prisoner at Mantua, on 29 July 1800 he was discharged because: « the passport he was issued with by the Austrian command in Verona omitted to mention that he is deemed to be a prisoner-of-war. On his arrival in Milan he was not recognised or treated as such until the French army returned». Named on 31 May 1801 chief of the 2nd division of the War Ministry, on 19 October he was restored to his rank, which he held until his discharge in May 1815 (MSA, WO 1696, 544, OR 90).