The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-17 00:00:00

OBITUARY.

A well-known politician has died within the last
icw days, Sir William Clay, Bart. He was formerly
a merchant and shipowner. In 1832 he entered
Parliament as member for the newly-formed borough
of the Tower Hainlets, having for his colleague lir.
Lushington. In 1835 the same two members were
returned, the Conservative candidate polling only
about one-si _th of Sir William's votes. In 1837
there was no contest; in 1841 Sir William was first
of five candidates. In 1847 Mr. George Thompson
polled 6,268 votes, Sir William Clay 3,839, and
General Fox 2,622. In 1852 Mr. Thompson lost his
seat. Sir William was at the head of the poll, with
Mr. Butler only ten votes behind him, and Mr.
Ayrton and Mr. Newton a long way in the rear. In
1857 Mr. Ayrton astonished everybody by coming to
the head of the poll, with Mr. Butler for second, and
Sir William Clay found himself out of Parliament
for the first time in fifteen years. He did not sit
again. During his Parliamentary career he
was one of the foremost holders of ad-
vanced Radical views. He advocated exten-
sion of the suffrage, the Ballot, triennial Par-
liaments, and the abolition of church rates. He was
the author of the Small Tenements Rating Actf
which led to so much discussion during the debates
on Mr. Disraeli's Reform Bill. He was Secretary to
the Board of Control from 1839 to 1841, and went
out of office with Lord Melbourne. He published a
book on joint-stock banking, and other works on
kindred subjects. He was born in 1791, created a
baronet in 1841. He is succeeded by his eldest son,
William Dickason, who was born in 1828, and was
married in 1855 to the daughter of Mr. Leo Schfut-3r.
Sir Charles Christopher Parker, who has just died at
77 years of age, is the grandson of Sir Peter Parker,
Admiral of the Fleet, the first baronet. He saw a
good deal of service in the Mediterranean, and was
lieutenant of the Malta at the siege of Tarragona.
Ho Ho has been on the reserved list since 1863. In
1835 he succeed his brother in the baronetcy, and
was the fifth baronet. He leaves no issue, and the
baronetcy of Parker of Bassingbourn, Essex, there-
fore, becomes extinct, having been in existence 87
years.

Sir Joseph 011iffe, whose death has just occurred,
was well known to English residents in Paris. He
was the son of Mr. Joseph 011iffe, of Cork, and was
born in 1808. He was a Fellow of the Royal College
of Physicians, physician to the English Embassy at
Paris, and an officer of the Legion of Honour. He
was knighted in 18.53. He married the daughter of
the late Alderman Cubitt. He died at Brighton.
whither he had cone for chance of air.
111-TURN OF SIR JOHN LAWRENC2.

The late Viceroy of India after a most successful
reign returned to the old country on Monday night.
His rule has gone a long way to establish in peace
our dominion in India. Quietness has hardly yet
been secured on all hands ; but if his policy be
persisted in by his successors, we shall
soon have
massacres, and threatened revolts. At the
no more news of rising natives,
Charing-cross Station, on Monday night, he was
met by Sir R. Montgomery, Sir A. Phayref
Colonel Becher, C:B., Mr. George Campbell, and
other gentlemen among his friends and acquaintances,
who were anxious to welcome the late Viceroy of
India on his return to his native country. Sir
John came in her Majesty's steamer Caradoc to
Brindisi, and thence over Mont Cenis and by Paris
to England. •