146 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



lands, the beauty of the scene is lost, the happi- 

 ness of the wild creatures that build in them is 

 destroyed, and the object in view is itself done away 

 with." 



While the Bill was before Parliament an influential 

 meeting was held at the Hanover Square Rooms in 

 support of the measure. This meeting Mr. Morris 

 attended, and was called upon to second one of the 

 resolutions. On this occasion certain points were 

 finally settled which facilitated the progress of the 

 Bill, and those who attended the gathering were 

 soon gratified by the announcement of the passing 

 of the measure in the House of Commons. In the 

 Upper House the Duke of Northumberland took 

 charge of the Bill, and, with some modifications, it 

 passed the House of Lords, and became law in time 

 to give the sea-birds a taste of the protection of 

 which they stood so much in need before the close 

 of the summer of 1869. A remarkable degree of 

 interest was shown in the passing of this Act, the 

 first of the kind, it was said, since the reign of Henry 

 VIII. It may be added that some time before the 

 formation of the association just alluded to a letter 

 appeared in the Times, with the signature " F. O. 

 Morris," drawing attention to some gross acts of 

 cruelty to the sea-birds on the Yorkshire coast. 

 He wrote from Norwich under date August 21, 

 1868, having attended the meeting of the British 

 Association there that year. This is what he 

 said : 



"On coming to the reception-room here from 



