8 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



say, if possible, in better health than ever. From 

 that time till old age stole upon him he may be 

 said never to have had an ache or pain. 



His earliest associations were connected with the 

 sea, for which he always had a strong liking. For 

 eight years his father continued to be employed on 

 the Irish station, and when not actually afloat or 

 otherwise hindered by duty, he enjoyed the pleasures 

 of home life at his house near Cove. To one who 

 had any taste for the sea and appreciation of the 

 beauties of such coast scenery as that which may be 

 viewed in the West of Ireland, a life such as this 

 must have had in it much that was enjoyable. Not 

 always, however, was his ship confined within the 

 limits of the Irish station. When occasion required 

 he had to convoy a greater or lesser fleet of vessels 

 to some distant port, and when his eldest son was 

 but a few days old he was thus called away for a 

 time on foreign service, and April 1810 found him 

 convoying twenty-nine sail to Madeira. A voyage of 

 that kind was, in those days, a matter of months ; 

 but, though lengthy, the log of the Jalouse shows 

 that the cruise was anything but monotonous. Fre- 

 quently on their return from Madeira they gave chase 

 to, and came to close quarters with, " strangers ; " 

 sometimes it was found necessary to clear for action 

 and fire several shot before the unknown craft was 

 brought to submission ; now and again an English 

 brig would be sighted, chased, and boarded, and 

 some of her crew impressed. It was not till July 7 

 that this voyage was ended and the good ship 



