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He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, with sallow complexion, long black hair, and a slender build. He had lost the upper joint of the forefinger of the right hand. He was tattooed with a star on his left breast, and a garter round his left leg with the motto 'Honi soit qui mal y pense'. One of his arms was badly scarred from a musket ball.

He had joined the navy at the age of 17 as a midshipman, was a qualified Master Gunner (and had indeed served as gunner on the Blenheim, a much larger vessel, and on which he was later to serve and die), and had passed an examination in elementary navigation, so he was better qualified than his lowly station of bo'sun's mate might indicate. An educated man, he was the author of a diary which became a definitive chronicle of the voyage. It shed a great deal of light on the personalities of the crew.

Indeed, Morrison may very well have sought appointment on the prestigious scientific Bounty voyage, and was willing to serve in any capacity in order to go along. The gunner's position had been filled a month before, and he missed his chance at the gunner's mate position by two days. Morrison appears to have been a lifelong writer, and it is likely that he planned to chronicle the Bounty voyage. He was very even-handed in his accounts, more so than might be expected given the circumstances and the privations to which he was exposed. He was loyal to Bligh when describing the mutiny, indicating that even his loyalist officers could have quelled the mutiny had they but tried.

And again, in writing about the voyage of the 'Rembang' conveying the survivors of the 'Pandora' from Coupang to Batavia, he had praise for Capt. Edwards, noting that had he not taken charge of that 'badly found and worse managed' ship, it would have never reached port.

He seems to have been a man of a most unconventional personality. He was a would-be reformer and outspoken critic of the Establishment. Yet, he chose the motto and symbol of the conservative Most Noble Order of the Garter with which to be tattooed. However, he appears to have been a radical indeed, in much the same way as his crewmate, Purcell. On the Bounty, the Pandora, and on other vessels, he was the first to stand up for his rights, and the rights of his crew, a shop-steward before the days of unions and a man before his time. Indeed, had he been born into the intellectual radicalism of the American 1960's, he would have fit in.

Interestingly enough, he was more than a little involved in the mutiny, acting as boatswain for the mutineers. But in many ways, he seems to have seen himself as the chronicler of a historical event, forgetting that he himself was part of it.

Choosing to remain on Tahiti, he and Millward moved in with Poeno, a close friend of his, and a chief of the Matavai district. His stay on Tahiti was certainly one of the more unusual. Through Poeno, he became a close advisor and 'taio' ('of equal authority') to Chief Matte (also known as Tinah and Ohoo) who was well on his way to becoming King Pomare the First, Sovereign of all Tahiti.

All the while, however, he not only documented his observations, and took an active and successful part in Tahitian society and politics, he was also preparing to take his circumstances into his own hands. In a considerable feat of naval architecture, he single-handedly designed and built, with the aid of the others, a 30-ton schooner, in which he intended, unbeknownst to the others, to sail to Batavia, and from there to England. Morrison felt that it would be unwise to let the others know of his plans, so he let everyone know that it was intended for excursions around the island and to neighboring Moorea.

The 'Resolution', as she was named, was launched on 1 Jul 1790. Morrison's plans, however, were to come to naught. Lack of proper canvas and cordage for sails, few if any navigational instruments, insufficient casks for water storage, and his limited knowledge of navigation convinced him, and others who had by then been taken into his confidence, that the attempt to escape to Batavia was impractical at best.

After his return to England, he was tried, and found guilty by the court, but with the highest recommendation of mercy. He immediately returned to active duty as a Warrant Officer, and served during the heroic period of St. Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar.

His last ship was the 'Blenheim' flagship of Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge on the East Indies station, based at Penang. He had served on the ship as a young gunner prior to his Bounty experience. When ordered to the Cape for duty, the ship was in no condition to sail. However, the Admiral was anxious to reach his new station, and, accompanied by the 'Harrier' commanded by the son of Admiral Troubridge, sailed from Penang in December of 1906 bound for the Cape via Madras. On 1 Feb 1807, in a frightful gale off the Madagascar coast, the old ship floundered with all hands, including Morrison, the Bounty's own intellectual protestor, serving conscientiously the Establishment he railed against.