A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Morriss, Edward John
MORRISS. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 33; h-p., 7.)
Edward John Morriss entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Orion 74, Capt. Sir Arch. Collingwood Dickson, with whom he continued to serve in the Baltic, where he assisted at the siege of Copenhagen, and in the North Sea, until March, 1813 – the last four years and a half in the capacity of Midshipman. He was then for 18 months employed in the Mediterranean as Master’s Mate of the San Josef 110, flag-ship of Rear-Admirals Edw. Jas. Foote and Sir Rich. King; and, after a further attachment to the Puissant 74, Capt. Benj. Wm. Page, at Spithead, and, as Admiralty-Mate, to the Statira 38, Capt. Spelman Swaine, in which ship he accompanied the expedition against New Orleans, and was wrecked on a rock off the island of Cuba, 26 Feb. 1815, he was awarded a commission dated 17 of that month. His appointments have since been – 6 June, 1815, for three months, to the Puissant, commanded as before – 3 July, 1816, for an equally brief period, to the Belzebub bomb, Capts. Wm. Kempthorne and Fred. Thos. Michell, part of the force employed at the bombardment of Algiers – 17 Jan. 1817, to the Alban 12, Capt. Hugh Patton, which vessel, employed for some time off Holyhead, was paid off in Oct. 1818 – and, 26 April, 1825, to the command, which he still retains, of a station in the Coast Guard.