MORRIS, John Carnac. Madras (or Ootacamund) 16.10.1798 — Jersey 2.8.1858. British Civil Servant and Telugu Scholar in South India. Son of John Morris (1763?–1840), of Bombay Civil Service, and Sarah Mackay, also his five younger brothers served E.I.C. Midshipman in Royal Navy in 1813-15, then at Haileybury 1815-17. In 1818 joined Madras Civil service. “Had paralysis, 1823; Telugu Translator, 1832; Accountant-General, 1839. Established the Madras Government Bank, 1834, and was Superintendent, 1835… A keen freemason. Retired in 1846. Embarked in commercial enterprise, Chairman of a Bank which was wound up in 1858.” Now retired to Jersey and died soon. Fellow of Royal Society 1831. Married 1823 Rosanna Curtis Cherry (1804–1894), father of —> Henry Morris (1829–1912), and a number of other sons and daughters (16 children according to ancestry.com). Beside Telugu he knew some Sanskrit, Hindustani and Persian.
Publications: Teloogoo selections, with translations and grammatical analysis; to which is added a glossary of revenue terms used in the Northern Circars. 182+26 p. Madras 1823.
– A Dictionary English and Teloogoo. 1-2. Madras 1835-39.
– From 1834 edited the Madras Journal of Literature and Science.
Sources: Buckland, Dictionary; anon., D.N.B. 39, 1894, 100f.; WikiTree; Wikipedia (all from D.N.B.).
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