Paul Rosenzweig

Morison graduated as a doctor from the University of Edinburgh, became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (MRCSE) in 1845, and a Licentiate of the Apothecaries’ Company (LAC) in 1848.

If anyone is able to help, I've got detailed scan of a stamp on the suspension ring.
Thanks
Paul

Morison’s name cannot be found in the London Gazette being granted permission, nor is he listed in rolls extracted from the London Gazette . Morrison and his fellow surgeons were indeed “actually and entirely employed, beyond Her Majesty’s dominions, in the service of the foreign sovereign by whom the Order is conferred”, but perhaps the Orders had been awarded ‘in the field’ without formal notification through the usual channels to Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs^[ii]. This might particularly be the case if it was bestowed on behalf of the Sultan by General Zamoyski.

Morison’s insignia is a silver star comprising seven triple quills with seven small crescents and five-pointed stars between them, the whole measuring 43 mm in diameter (one of the tips has been broken off). Is there any way to distinguish a 4th Class insignia from a 5th Class, just from the star?

The gold central disc bears the Sultan’s tughra, the Royal Cipher of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I, after whom the Order is named. Around this is a gold-bordered circle of red enamel bearing the words in Arabic script for “Devotion”, “Loyalty” and “Truth” and the Islamic year 1268 AH (1852) on four red enamel plaques. There is a suspension loop present, fitted at the rear, but the entire central disc is out of position by 90º clockwise.

This insignia lacks the typical suspension (a red-enamelled crescent and star suspender with green enamelled edges); this has been removed and the star instead has a horizontal brooch mount on the reverse. The reverse bears a fitted concave silver disc which is engraved in period style to: “Thomas Coutts Morison Staff Surgeon P.M.O. Sultan’s Coʃsacks”, reflecting the writing style of the day.

Do you know which vessel T C Morison took to come to Port Philip (Melbourne)?
Thanks
Paul

I've searched the LG thoroughly and found many entries for civilian surgeons serving with the naval forces, staff surgeons serving with the Army and surgeons attached to the Ottoman Army. Similarly listed were officers attached to the Turkish Contingent or Osmanli Irregular Cavalry and Artillery. All gaining Her Majesty's ‘Royal license and permission’ to accept and wear the Imperial Order of the Medjidie. But for the non-uniformed volunteers like Morison there is no approval to wear listed. It's highly likely they were field awards and the paperwork was never submitted for these foreign legions. A note: the LG lists everyone granted permission to receive and wear the Order. I'm waiting on a book from the US which may list everyone awarded the Order - there may be a subtle difference - but I suspect their roll will just be a repeat of the LG lists.
Paul

Hi Nick.
The Sultan of Turkey had some cossacks – funded by the British Government, but Polish in origin. They owe their existence to Michal Czajkowski (1804-1886), who declared his ambition to command the Cossacks in the Crimea under the Polish crown. Czajkowski arranged to be appointed as Chief Commander of the Sultan’s Cossacks, and obtained certificates from the Turkish government for Generals Zamoyski, Chrzanowski, Bystrzonowski and Breanski to serve in his command. After various early successes, command and control faltered, and a disagreement festered and became personal in nature, leading to Wladyslaw Zamoyski breaking away to form a Polish division of “Cossacks of the Sultan in the service of Great Britain”. So Morison was indeed with the Sultan’s Cossacks in the Crimea, but as far as I can tell they were not part of General Vivian’s Turkish Contingent. Rather, they were Poles.

Hi Nick, I've emailed you using some old email addresses I found in a community forum but you may not have received them. Pls contact me on paul.rosenzweig@hotmail.com.
Thanks very much
Paul