1798. ] 
eafy to determine. Certain it is, that Mr. 
Morgan enter:ained very high ideas concern- 
ing the future perfeétion of human fociety. 
Dr. Price had before fuggefted, that it is pof- 
fible that improvements in fcience may lead 
the way to the immortality of man in. this 
world, and fuch was the ardour of Mr, Mor- 
gan’s conceptions on this fubje&t, that al- 
though he did not think this conjeéture well 
founded in its whole extent (as he always 
confidered death as a part of the original and 
wife defign of the God of nature, to intro- 
duce man into a new and better ftate of ex- 
iftence), yet he thought and conittantly main- 
tained, that by a better fyftem of education, 
fupported by far better fyftems of government 
than thofe which are now eftablifhed in the 
world, fuch improvements might be made in 
the human mind, as perhaps to enable it in 
time to know intuitively what is at prefent ac- 
quired by great labour, and a long feries of 
dedu€tions. With a mind‘ thus prepared to 
receive with enthufiafm, all ideas concerning 
the melioration of fociety, he firft heard of 
the convention of a national afflembly in 
France. Hc had long meditated a tour upon 
the continent, and it happened that he arrived 
in France jutt before the triumph of the peo- 
ple of that country. He mixed with the 
crowd in that aufpicious day, in which the 
baftile, the proud fortrefs of defpotif{m, fell. 
He witnefled the attack which laid the royal 
caflle, for ages the pride of the Bourbons, and 
the terror of the French, inafhes, and never 
was tranfport fuperior to that which he now 
felt, in the profpeét of feeing all his views 
realized, and the great family of mankind en- 
joy peace, plenty, and happinefs. The rul- 
ing pringiple of his life, benevolence, was now 
richly gratified, and at this hallowed moment 
he determined to plant -his family, and re- 
pofe his bones on this facred foil! | Full of 
the vifions which the pafling fcenes infpired, 
he fpent the whole of this momentous night 
in writing letters to his uncle, defcribing the 
events which he had feen with the glowing 
pencil of truth. 
Thefe letters attracted the notice of Mr. 
Burke, who took occafion from them to accufe 
Dr. Price of rejoicing at the events of the 
day in which the king of France was led to 
Paris by the people of that city, and which 
this orater defcribed as a day of crime and 
horror. His confounding of dates, in order 
to bottom an accufation upon it, is worthy of 
the far. famed advocate of prejudice and ty- 
ranny 5 but Dr. Price and his nephew were 
alike incapable of rejoicing at any event at- 
tended by any cruelty. ‘The letters in quef- 
tion had no reference whatever to the day of 
the king’s arrival at Paris. It is poflible that 
fome may fay, that even the deftryction of 
the baftile was attended, by fome fufferings 
which ought to have checked the triumph of 
,a good and benevolent man. Will this be 
advanced by any who have rejoiced at the 
victories of a Howe, a Jervis, and a Nelfon? 
Monrwry Maga, No. xxxix. 
va 
Account of the late Mr. George Gadogan Morgan, 477 
Did no fufferings attend the triumphs of thefe 
illuftrious commamders ? Let it be remember~ 
ed, that at that time Mr. Morgan confidered, 
the fall of the baftile as the firft triumph of 
freedom, and rejoiced at the profpect of its 
everlafting reign. Isit wonderful, that with 
this conviction he did not fufter the death of 
two or three of the fervants of tyranny to re- 
‘prefs his joy ? If, however, Mr. Morgan res 
joiced at the commencement of the French 
revolution, he did not, like fome, confider all 
the fubfequent conduét of the legiflators of 
new France, as unexceptionably juft and pro- 
per. On the contrary, he obferved their con- 
duét with a-jealous and {crutinizing eye, and 
foon after his return to England in 1789, he 
wrote a pamphlet, abounding with profoynd 
remarks and powerful eloquence, in order to 
expofe the conduct of the French legiflators, 
and to direét the attention of the people of 
France to thofe principles, on which alone 
be conceived that they could eftablifh a pers 
manent fyftem of rational liberty. This 
pamphlet, as it had no reference to England, 
was not publifhed in this country, but it ob- 
tained an extenfive circulation in France, 
In this pamphlet as in all his converfation, 
and in all his writings,Mr. Morgan difcovers a 
moft ardent admiration of the charaéter and 
genius of the Greeks. Their fuccefsful cul- 
tivation of the mathematical fciences filled 
him with the profoundeft veneration for 
them. After the death of his uncle, it was 
the wifh of many of the congregation 
that Mr. Morgan fhould become paftor at 
the Gravel-Pit meeting at Hackney ; but he 
foon found, that although Dr. Price had held 
that office on other terms, it was not in his 
power to be his fucceflor without cultivating 
a f{pirit of intrigue, than which nothing was 
more abhorrent from all his feelings. He 
had too, from an accurate obfervation of man- 
kind learned, that individual moral charaéter 
has no conneétion whatever with religious 
ceremonies, and that crimes the moft horri- 
ble have always been, and are yet committed 
by many, who fo far from being reftrained 
by the religious ceremonies to which they 
attend, appear to fortify themfelves. from re- 
morfe, by the exaétnefs of their attention to 
them. ‘This confideration reconciled him en- 
tirely to lay afide the clerical charatter and 
funétions. Neither has he been fingular in 
this determination, for many young men of the 
diffenting communion have fince renounced 
the clerical chara&ter, and devoted themfelves 
to employments apparently more efficient. 
It had for fome time heen the praGtice of Mr, 
florgan to receive a limitted number of pu- 
pus into his houfe, and this he continuedto 
do after he had withdrawn himfelf from the 
pulpit. The manner in which he conduéted 
the education of thofe young gentlemen was 
fo inftructive, and fo liberal, that every be- 
nevolent man would have been delighted to 
fee the happy terms on which he lived with 
his pupils, all ef whom without one fingle 
ae exception 


