Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 39.djvu/100

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Morris
94
Morris

Duties and Customs to which Foreign Merchants are Subject. Sent with a Letter to Lord Shelburne, 22 Aug. 1768,' among the Additional MSS. in the British Museum, is in Morris's handwriting (ib. 30228, f. 192). Some lines by Morris 'On reading Dr. Goldsmith's poem "The Deserted Village"' are printed in ' The New Foundling Hospital for Wit '(1784, vi. 95).

[Authorities quoted and Addit. MSS. (Brit. Mus.) 32705 f. 41, 32726 f. 12, 32860 f. 46, 32864 f. 287, 32866 f. 247, 32877ff. 150, 448, 32878 f. 96, 32895 f. 436, 32968 f. 373; Thomson's Hist, of Royal Society, Appendix iv. xlviii.; Nichols's Lit. Anecd. ii. 227, 504, 508; Boswell's Johnson, ed. Hill, iv. 107.]

W. A. S. H.


MORRIS, EDWARD (d. 1689), Welsh poet, of Perthi Llwydion, near Cerryg y Drudion, Denbighshire, was one of the best known writers of carols, ballads, and 'englynion' during the second half of the seventeenth century. Twelve of his pieces are to be found in 'Llyfr Carolau a Dyriau duwiol' (3rd edit. Shrewsbury, 1720), and eleven in 'Blodeugerdd Cymru' (1759). They are variously dated from 1656 to 1688. He was an intimate friend of his more famous brother bard, Huw Morris or Morus [q. v.], whose published works contain complimentary 'englynion' exchanged by the two poets, and an elegy composed by Huw Morus upon hearing of the death of his friend (Eos Ceiriog, ii. 363, 405-10, i. 21). From the latter we learn that Edward died in 1689 while travelling in Essex, no doubt in the pursuit of his occupation as drover. It would appear he was a fair English and Welsh scholar, for shortly before his death he was entrusted by Mrs. Margaret Vychan of Llwydiarth, Montgomeryshire, with the task of translating into Welsh an English theological work, which was published in 1689 (at Mrs. Vychan's expense) under the title 'Y Rhybuddiwr Crist'nogawl' (ib. ii. 360-4; W. Rowlands, Cambrian Bibliography, p. 246).

[Eos Ceiriog, ed. W[alter] D[avies], 1823.]

J. E. L.


MORRIS, FRANCIS ORPEN (1810–1893), naturalist, born at Cove, near Cork, on 25 March 1810, was the eldest son of Rear-admiral Henry Gage Morris of York and Beverley, who served in the American and French wars. His mother, Rebecca Newenham Millerd, was a daughter of the Rev. Francis Orpen. His grandfather was Colonel Roger Morris [q. v.] Francis was educated at Bromsgrove School and Worcester College, Oxford, where he graduated B. A., with honours in classics, in 1833. He astonished his examiners by choosing Pliny's Natural History' for his voluntary thesis. He was admitted ad eundem at Durham in 1844.

In 1834 Morris was ordained to the perpetual curacy of Hanging Heaton, near Dewsbury. He was ordained priest at York in 1835 and served successively as curate at Taxal, Cheshire (1836), Christ Church, Doncaster (1836), Ordsall, Nottinghamshire (1838), and Crambe, Yorkshire (1842). In 1844 he was presented to the vicarage of Nafferton.near Driffield, and appointed chaplain to the Duke of Cleveland. In 1854 he was presented by the Archbishop of York to the rectory of Nunburnholme, Yorkshire, and he held that living till his death on 10 Feb. 1893; a few years before his death he received a civil list pension of 100l. He married in 1835 Ann, second daughter of Mr. C. Sanders of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

Morris wrote much on religious subjects, but he is best known by his works on natural history, which, although 'popular' rather than scientific, had much literary value. He was never able to accept the theory of evolution, and was an extreme anti-vivisectionist.

His great work was 'A History of British Birds,' in 6 vols. 8vo, London, 1851-7, a third edition of which appeared in 1891.

His other natural history writings include:

  1. 'A Guide to the Arrangement of British Birds,' 8vo, London [1834].
  2. 'An Essay on Scientific Nomenclature,' 8vo, London, 1850.
  3. 'Book of Natural History,' 8vo, London, 1852.
  4. 'A Natural History of the Nests and Eggs of British Birds,' 3 vols. 8vo, London, 1853-6; 3rd edit. 1892.
  5. 'A History of British Butterflies,' 8vo, London, 1853; 3rd edit. 1893.
  6. 'A Natural History of British Moths,' 4 vols. 8vo, London, 1859-1870.
  7. '"Fact is Stranger than Fiction." Anecdotes in Natural History,' 8vo, London, 1860.
  8. 'Records of Animal Sagacity,' 12mo, London, 1861.
  9. 'The Gamekeeper's Museum,' 8vo, London, 1864.
  10. 'Catalogue of British Insects in all the Orders,' 8vo, London, 1865.
  11. ' Dogs and their Doings,' 8vo, London, 1870; 2nd edit. [1887].
  12. 'Anecdotes in Natural History, 8vo, London [1872]; 2nd edit. [1889].
  13. Birds 'contributed to 'Simple Lessons for Home Use,' 16mo, 1877.
  14. 'Letters to the "Times" about Birds,' 8vo, London [1880].

He also edited vols. vi. to viii. of 'The Naturalist,' 8vo, 1856-8.

In connection with the Darwinian question he wrote:

  1. 'Difficulties of Darwinism,' 8vo, London, 1869.
  2. 'A Double Dilemma in Darwinism,' 8vo, London [1870].
  3. 'A Guard against "The Guardian," ' 8vo, London, 1877.
  4. 'All the Articles of the Darwin