on the Newfoundland Station on 16 May 1793 and, the French Revolutionary War having begun, he captured the French 16-gun privateer sloop Lutine on 25 July. Morris spent little time in Pluto, because on 7 October of the same year he was promoted to post-captain in recognition of his capture of Lutine and given command of the 32-gun frigate HMS Boston. He sailed Boston home to England and after initially serving in the English Channel he sailed to the Mediterranean Sea on 22 February 1796. Morris then served off Cape Finisterre and was very successful, capturing the Spanish privateer l’Enfant de la Patria, of 16 guns, on 16 April 1797, El Principe de Paz, of 20 guns, on 4 June, St. Bernardo, of 12 guns, on 16 June, and Hazard, of 8 guns, on 30 July. In early 1798 Morris transferred commands, joining the 32-gun frigate HMS Lively. He continued off the Spanish coast in Lively but on the night of 12 April 1798 she was shipwrecked on Rota Point, near Cadiz. Visibility at the time of the incident was very poor and Lively had accidentally gotten too close to the shore in the darkness. Boats from other British ships were sent in the morning to rescue the crew, and while one crewmember was killed by the fire of some Spanish batteries the rest were safely taken off and Lively was burned. Morris was not deemed to be at fault for the loss of his ship and was congratulated for successfully escaping the fire of the batteries. On 14 July 1799 he received as his next command, the 38-gun frigate HMS Phaeton. In the autumn of the same year Morris conveyed in Phaeton Lord Elgin to Constantinople, where he was travelling to take up his post as ambassador. They left England on 4 September and arrived on 2 November in the Dardanelles, from where they sailed to the city. After this Phaeton stayed in the Mediterranean with the Mediterranean Fleet, by May 1800 being stationed off Genoa. At the time the French and Austrian armies were engaging each other in Genoa, and Morris in Phaeton was detached to assist the forces of Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz. As such, Phaeton was present off the coast when the French retreated from Alassio in May, and was able to fire on them. Subsequently Morris captured twenty ships carrying corn for the French