On leaving Oxford, Morier at first obtained an appointment in the Education Department, but resigned in 1852, and in the following year became attaché at
Vienna. In the succeeding years he was attached in turn to almost every court in Germany. Restless in temperament and unconventional in method, he plunged into the vortex of German politics to a degree that did not always accord with the traditions of diplomacy. The most important years of his career in Germany were from 1866 to 1871, when he was secretary of legation at
Darmstadt. Here he became a trusted adviser of the crown princess, and through her acquired an intimate friendship with the
crown prince (afterwards the emperor
Frederick III), whose antagonism to
Bismarck's reactionary policy met with cordial support from Morier's sturdy Liberalism. Bismarck, already jealous of British influence at court, honoured Morier with a hatred not lessened by the fact that Morier's knowledge of German politics was unrivalled outside Germany. On leaving Darmstadt, Morier became ''chargé d'affaires'', first at
Stuttgart, and then at
Munich, and in 1876 was appointed minister at
Lisbon. From 1881 to 1884 he was minister at
Madrid. In December 1884 he became ambassador at
St. Petersburg, and almost immediately had to face the alarming situation created by the Russian incursion into Afghanistan, known as the
Panjdeh incident. Thanks to his efforts, a war that at one moment seemed inevitable was averted. His great popularity at the Russian court contributed towards a marked improvement in the relations between the two countries. Bismarck took alarm at the lessening influence of Germany over Russia, and tried to procure Morier's downfall. The ''
declared in December 1888 that Morier had made use of his position at Darmstadt during the Franco-Prussian War to betray the movements of the German troops to Marshal Bazaine. The authority for this charge was an alleged declaration made by Bazaine to the German military attaché at Madrid, Adolf von Deines. Bazaine had died in September, but Morier had heard rumours in July of the charge brought against him, and had procured from Bazaine a written denial, which he now published in The Times''. Apart from this, it was clearly shown that Morier could not have transmitted the information by the alleged date, and that Bazaine, according to the testimony of his own books and of other officers, received the information in question by reports from the front. As a matter of fact, Morier was an ardent champion of the German cause. His correspondence with Jowett shows the latter vainly endeavouring to convince his friend that the French were in the right. Public opinion everywhere, except in the German conservative press, attributed the charge to political motives. ==Death==