Life of Robert Morris; An Eminent Merchant of Philadelphia, a Signer of the Declaration of American Independence, and Superintendent of Finance for th

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1834. Excerpt: ... Morris. This firm continued for the almost unprecedented length of time of thirty-nine years, being dissolved no earlier than 1793. He was married on the 2nd of March 1769, to Miss Mary, sister of the present Reverend and venerable bishop White. She was a lady of exemplary virtue, to whom he was much attached. She survived him many years. Previous to the commencement of the struggle of the then colonies, first for the common privileges of British subjects, and afterwards for independence, the house of Willing & Morris were extensively and successfully engaged in commercial pursuits. It was during this period that Mr. Morris, by his close application and his extensive commercial dealings laid the foundation of his future public usefulness. His commercial experience and his knowledge of business enabled him to give sound advice on questions of vital importance to the interests of his country, where theoretical opinions would have been not merely useless but dangerous. His personal credit, was in some critical emergencies, the only apparent financial support of the tottering fabric of his country's freedom. On the immediate prospect that the struggle between the colonies and the crown would be a violent and bloody one, many Americans, who afterwards evinced sufficient patriotism, were undecided. It was not so with Mr. Morris. He had before him the certain prospect that war would deprive him of the opportunity of prosecuting his accustomed business successfully, and oblige him either to abandon commercial pursuits altogether, or seek out new, more hazardous, and even dangerous channels of enterprize. It would not have been a matter of wonder, if, in such circumstances, he had favored the country of his birth in preference to that of his adoption. The state of...