The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-02 00:00:00

DEATH OF MR. JAMES MORRISON.

Mr. James Morrison, of Basildon-park, Berkshire,
one of the " Merchant Princes" of the city of Lon-
don, died on Friday afternoon at his country seat,
where, in a declining state of health, he had resided
for some years. Mr. Morrison w.ss in the 68th year
of his age. In mental character, and with immense
riches entirely self-acquired, this great millionaire
was a remarkable man. We believe Mr. Morrison
was a native of -Hants ; born of yeomen parents
originally of Scotch descent. Early transplanted to
this metropolis at the end of the last century, the
country boy first set foot in London, unaided, in
search of his fortunes. He was accustomed to say
that be was thus launched in life and in the City
with no other means than the principles and habits
lan excellent mother had given him—an "in-
debtedness" to a female parent which most boys
largely owe. His first employment as a warehouse
assistant procured him a bare maintenance ; but his
industry and trustworthiness soon secured a part-
nership in the Fore-street business of toe late Mr.
Todd, whose daughter he married. So far it may
be said his start in life was accidental, but Mr. Mor-
rison's constant rise in life was no accident. His
onurrntrisxealtivivas the result of Ilia, own -natural
sagacity, perseverance, and integrity. Moveover,
be possessed the great faculty of quick penetration
into human character, and the tact of attaching to
his various mercantile concerns the aid of partners
and managers for the subdivision of the labour of
his establishments. His great merit was that he
made the fortunes of many other city men. Through-
out life this faculty of discovering and planting the
right men in the right places was more or less carried
out in all his applications of growing capital. Dur-
ing the long course of his devotion to trade and
commerce Mr. Morrison's mind never stood still
Every social change in business—in demand and
supply—he keenly discerned and promptly acted on.
Thus his great parent business in Fore-street has
retained to the present time its lead among rivals.
After the close of the great consineuta.l wars,
and the consequent rapid extension of popu-
lation and wealth, Mr. Morrison was one of
the first English traders who reversed his system
of management of an entire departure from the
old exaction of . the highest prices. His new
.principle was the substitution of the lowest
remunerative scale of profit and a more rapid cir-
culation of capital. and the success of the exper.-
meat speedily created his pre-eminent wholesale
trade. "Small profits and quick returns" was his
motto. Other houses soon followed in his wake,
c >mparatively successfully ; but the genius which
originated the movem,,nt, notwithstanding active
competitors, maintained its supremacy. The
rapid increase and vast profits of the " dry
goods trade," as the Americans term cotton, woollen,
and linen goods, are illustrated by the warehouse
palaces which, of late years, have been erccted in
London and in our great provincial manufacturing
towns. Almost within half a generation this internal
and foreign commerce has been thus revolutionised.
The result to Mr. Morrison in middle age was the
accumulation of his large original fortune. His
re-investments, of course, were thenceforwards
variously extended beyond his legitimate business,
and his enterprises at home and abroad were attended
by almost invariable success. For several years
past he had been one of the principal purchasers of
British land, his most considerable properties being
in Berks, Bucks, Kent, Wilts. Yorkshire, and
Islay, in Scotlan. He had a " born interest" in
agriculture, and few men better appreciated the
real value of good and bad land. He measured
rent by the nature of soil, the timber, the surplus
or lack of water ; the numbers, character, and con-
dition of the local labouring class ; the distances
between produce and markets ; the quantum of
poor-rates; the commutation of tithe ; and the
costs of laud management. Acute observation,
calculation, and reason guided him in all he bought
or sold ; and if he foresaw a probable bid debt he
took care to lessen, if not to "cover" it.
Mr. Morrison, from his earliest settlement in
London, was associated with the Liberal party in
the city. At periods called "the worst of times"
he was foremost in the ranks of the Reformers ;
nor did his latsr gain of immense wealth ever vary
his political principles and conduct in public. We
believe that his first seat in the House of Commons
was his succ,ssful contest of the Corni-h borough
of St. Ives in 1830. On the dissolution of Parlia-
ment in 1831, occasioned by the Reform question, he
did not return to his offended constituents, having
honestly supported the partial disfranchisement of
that small electoral body, St. Ives being placel by
Lord Grey's Bill in schedule B. In December, 1832,
the first general election after the Morin Acts, he
was returned at the h, ad of the poll a representative
of Ipswich, but was defeated in that borough on the
" Peel Dissolu ion," January, 1835. On en election
petition, Sir F. Kelly and Mr. R. A. Dundas being
ousted, Mr. Morrison, with Mr. Wason, on a new
election headed the poll. On the succeeding disso-
lution, July, 1837, Mr. Morrison remained out of
Parliamen , and on the following December, on
the occasion of a " bye-election" for a vacancy in
Sudbury, he was defeated in a contest with Mr.
Jo ;eph Bailey. In March, 1840, he re-entered the
House of Comm) is, defeating Mr. John Frazer, in
a contest fur the burghs of Inverness. In July,
1841, on the general election, be was again returned
by his Seotcu constituency unopposed. On the
dissolution of 1847, his health being much impair-
ed, he finally retired. It is scarcely necessary to
record• that throughout his political career in the
British Senate Mr. Morrison was a consistent sup-
porter of the Liberal Administrations ; his name
was never missing in any material votes ; his
speeches were only occasional, usually on subjects
of political economy, the currency, Poor-laws,
trade, foreign commerce, &e. In 1836 he made
an able speech on moving a resolution relative
to the periodical revision of tolls and charges
levied on railroads and other public works. In
1845 he moved similar resolutions ; and again,
in March, 1846, when he finally succeeded
in obtaining the memorable select commit-
tee for better promoting and securing in Rail-
way Acts the interests of the public. His draught
report, not altogether adopted, was drawn up with
great skill and labour • and many of 'its principles
have since been carried out in subsequent legisla-
tion. All these valuable speeches and documents,
with observations "on the defects of the English
system of railway legislation," were collected and
published by Messrs. Longman in an octavo volume
in 1848. Mr. A/Pt-Julio(3h, in his Literature of
Political Economy, bas mentioned this labour of
Mr. Morrison in the public service with approba-
tion, observing that more good would have been
effected had legislation not been too long delayed.
Nevertheless, in consequence, Government has
secured powers of surveillance for the prevention of
accidents, and many increased facilities for the
transmission of the mails. Mr. Morrison through-
out his public life was an advocate of free trade
and a follower of James Mill, Huskisson, Ricardo,
and Powlett Thomson.

Mr. Morrison, though a self-educated man, in
manhood fully made up for any deficiency in his
early instruction. The formation of a library at all
periods of his life was his favourite study ; all the
subjects of inquiry to which he applied his strong
common sense and his subtle mind he mastered, and
he never conversed or wrote on principles or data
on which he was not well informed. He was a
lover of art, and forLued a large collection of
valuable pictures of the old masters—ltalian
and Flemish ; and Ea.'s° a gallery contain-
ing some excellent examples of the English
schools of painting. Dr. Wangen, in his
Treasures of Art in Great Britain, enume-
rates 30 pictures of Mr. Morrison in Harley-street
as of the highest value ; and observes that " the
specimens of costly plate, objects in ivory, Raphael
ware, and other tasteful obj acts are quite in keeping
with the other works of art in this fine collection.'
The pictures at Basildon-park the German critic
also describes in detail as "a collection of a very
high class." If occasionally " taken in" he resold
or exchanged. There was no trade of which he
did not find out the trickery and guard himself
against its consequences.
It has been the fashion at times to decry a " new
rich man," and especially the selC-created million-
aire. The class, like all classes, ha s its weaknesses
and peculiarities of distinctive character ; but
antiquity of descent in no Eur )pean country
has a monopoly of position and ;social influence.
From the lower class originally springs the higher
order, and the former can supply the declining
complement of the latter. Intelle 3t and industry
will force themselves into the aren. of social com-
petition and the field of cosumpoli,tan adventure.
All classes have their sepatate merits. and. demerits,
all their different social habits and 1 canners. The
men who are bora of themselves, as la who create
large fortunes, may be too apt to ovi !rv.alue the ac-
quisition of wealth ; and those "bozrn with silver
spoons in their nouths" will too icon:1140131y pro-