 At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Morris was in command of the sloop HMS "Plato" and succeeded in capturing his French counterpart "Lutine" off Newfoundland, for which he was promoted Post captain in 1793.Taking over the frigate HMS "Lively", he commanded her until she was wrecked on Rota Point off Cadiz, and then commanded the frigate HMS "Phaeton" in the Mediterranean, co-operating with Austrian movements in the Aegean Sea and delivering Lord Elgin to Constantinople as ambassador.Following the Peace of Amiens, Morris was given command of the ship of the line HMS "Colossus", a new, fast and powerful ship, which unfortunately had had a poor previous captain who left behind a backlog of unfinished maintenance work and a surly and unpaid crew.