Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 39.djvu/21

 Morgan McLean and wounded two others. The reward offered for his capture was now increased to 1,000l. In September 1864 he shot Police-sergeant Smith, and as his raids were not checked the reward was made 1,500l. on 8 March 1865.

The last week of his life was typical of his proceedings. On Sunday, 1 April 1865, he 'stuck up' Bowler's station and carried off a well-known racing mare; on Tuesday he robbed one Brody, a butcher; next day he 'stuck up' Bond's station, Upotipotpa, and left a message for Bond that he wanted to shoot him; then he detained the Albury mail and robbed the bags, remarking that he had ridden one hundred miles for the purpose; next day he visited Evans's station and fired the granaries : he spent the Friday in robbing carriers on the road to Victoria, and arrived at Peechalba station in that colony on Saturday. Having successfully mastered the McPhersons at Peechalba, he proceeded to spend the evening with them, inviting them to sit down with him to tea, requesting Miss McPherson to play the piano to him, and talking freely of his mode of life. A maid-servant found means to evade his vigilance, and gave the alarm to a neighbour; the house was soon surrounded by civilians and a few police, who waited for the morning, when Morgan came out of the house driving his hosts before him with a revolver in each hand. One Wendlan (or Quinlan), to whom the duty had been assigned, shot him at sixty paces from behind cover. Morgan lingered about six hours, and died without making any confession (8 April). Six loaded revolvers and 300l. were found upon him at death. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of justifiable homicide, adding a rider in praise of the conduct of the persons concerned. Morgan's head was cut off and sent to Melbourne; his body was buried at the Murray.

Morgan was one of the most bloodstained of the Australian bushrangers. He was described as having a 'villainously low forehead with no development,' and a peculiarly long nose; as being 5 feet 10 inches high, and of spare build, so emaciated when taken as not to weigh more than nine stone. Morgan is said to be the original of Patrick in Rolf Boldrewood's well-known novel 'Robbery under Arms' (1888).  MORGAN, GEORGE CADOGAN (1754–1798), scientific writer, born in 1754 at Bridgend, Glamorganshire, was the second son of William Morgan, a surgeon practising in that town, by Sarah, sister of Dr. Richard Price [q. v.] William Morgan [q. v.] was his elder brother. George was educated at Cowbridge grammar school and, for a time, at Jesus College, Oxford, whence he matriculated 10 Oct. 1771 (, Alumni Oxon.) An intention of entering the church was abandoned, owing to the death of his father and the poverty of his family. His religious views also changed, and he soon became, under the guidance of his uncle, Dr. Price, a student at the dissenting academy at Hoxton, where he remained for several years. In 1776 he settled as Unitarian minister at Norwich, where it is said that his advanced opinions exposed him to much annoyance from the clergy of the town. He was subsequently minister at Yarmouth for 1785-6, but removed to Hackney early in 1787, and became associated with Dr. Price in starting Hackney College, where he acted as tutor until 1791. In 1789, accompanied by three friends, he set out on a tour through France, and his letters to his wife descriptive of the journey are still preserved (see extracts printed in A Welsh Family, &c.) He was in Paris at the storming of the Bastille, and is supposed to have been the first to communicate the news to England (ib. p. 88). He sympathised with the revolution in its earlier stages, and held very optimistic views as to human progress, believing that the mind could be so developed as to receive, by intuition, knowledge which is now attainable only through research. In 1791 he was disappointed of Dr. Price's post as preacher at the Gravel-pit meeting-house at Hackney, and retired to Southgate in Middlesex. There he undertook the education of private pupils, and met with much success.

Morgan gained a high reputation as a scientific writer, his best-known work being his 'Lectures on Electricity' (Norwich, 1794, 16mo, 2 vols.), which he had delivered to the students at Hackney. In these he foreshadowed several of. the discoveries of subsequent scientific men (see extracts in A Welsh Family). In chemistry he was an advocate of the opinions of Stahl in opposition to those of Lavoisier, and was engaged upon a work on the subject at the time of his death. In 1785 he communicated to the Royal Society a paper containing 'Observations and Experiments on the Light of Bodies in a state of Combustion' (Phil. Trans, vol. lxxv.) He was also the author of 'Directions for the use of a Scientific Table in the Collection and Application of Knowledge,. . . with a Life of the Author ' (reprinted from the 'Monthly Magazine' for 1798), 