The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-01 00:00:00

SIR ROBERT CLIFTON.

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A very notorious M.P. has departed from the
lative and every other earthly scene. Sir Robert
Clifton, the soh-disant Liberal who always voted
with the Conservatives, the adored of the
Nottingham roughs, the shepherd of . the Not-
tingham lambs, died on Sunday of typhoid fever.
Sir Robert was the owner of Clifton, that beautiful
park on the banks of the Trent which Kirke
White has immortalised. He was also well-
known on the Turf, where he mot with much ill-luck.
In- 1801 a seat became vacant by . the elevation
of Mr. Mellor to . the bench. The then Duke
of Newcastle, a member of the existing Cabinet,
having great influence in the borough, brought
forward his son, the Earl of Lin-oln. The Liberal
party was divided. The old Liberals and Whigs,
headed by Mr. Mundella, the present M.P. for
Sheffield, supported the Earl, the " Independent "
party resisted their "dictation," and this disaffection
being skilfully fomented by the Conservatives, Sir
Robert Cli:t3n was brought forward as a Radical,
with the understan ling that,he would generally vote
with the Conservatives. The result was-1. A
tremendous tumult; 2. A. signal triumph of the
Clifton over the Clamber influence, Sir Robert
rolling 2,513 votes, and the Earl of Lincoln only
1,122. At the general election for 1835 the hostility
between the two sections of the Liberal party was
fiercer th in ever. The old -Liberals brought forward
Mr. Samuel Morley and the the former member, Mr.
Paget. Sir Robert Clifton w„sagainbrought forward by
the Independents, and Mr. Alfred Marten, a barrister,
by the Conservatives, who hoped to• profit by the
Liberal disunion. A terrible time. followed; the
cc lambs" went about like roaring lions, seeking whom
they might devour. Houses were gutted, electors
were maltreated, and for several days the,, town was
the scene of fierce riot. The polling
.shewed a very
close run. Mr. Morley had 2,303 votes, Sir R.
Clifton 2,352, Mr. Paget 2.327, Mr. Marten 2,239.
The Paget party petitioned against Sir R. Clifton,
the Cliftonites petitioned. against Mr. Morley,
and after an inquiry extending over nearly a month,
and which, with the election expenses, is said to have
cost Mr. Morley' £30,000,' both the members were,
unseated. Time writ ought to have been suspended,
but a fresh election took place. The old Liberals
brought forward Viscount Amberley and Mr. H.
H.
Cossham ; the Cliftonites brought forward Mr.
Bernal Osborne; the Conservatives, Sir George
jenkinson ; and Mr. D. Faulkner, an insurance agent,
who appeared on the hustings in his shirt-sleeves,
brought forward himself. The same result followed
as in the previous election. One Liberal, Lord
Amberley, and the Cliftonite were returned, but the
Conservative was only a little way behind. At the
late general election, Lord Amberley, finding
that he was unacceptable to the electors, went
to fight. the Liberal battle in South Devon.
The Liberal party in Nottingham was, if possible,
more hopelessly divided than ever. This time
two Cliftonites appeared—Sir Robert himself, and
Mr. Vernal Osborne ; beside the- n were two Liberals—
Mr. Seely, son of the member for Lincoln, of " pig "
celebrity, and Mr. Clayden, an ex-Unitarian minister.
Seeing this state of things, the Conservatives
brought forward Colonel Ichabod Wright.. The
name was rather ominous ; but tili"--omen
proved untrue ; the glory had not departed
from them; it was restored to them, for
while Sir Robert came in at the head of
the poll by a large majority, Colonel Wright (son of
the translator of Dante and Homer) was a good
second, Mr. Seely was a bad third, Mr. Clayden a
wretched fourth, and Mr. Osborne, at the head of the
poll in 1806, was nowhere in 1808. A petition was
talked of on the part of Mr. Seely against Colonel
Wright; but it was abandoned, as was stated
at the time in the local papers, on the understanding
that Colonel Wright would apply for the Chiltern
Hundreds on the ground of ill-health. He • has
not done so, and Mr. Seely has not petitioned. It
remains to be seen if the latter gentleman will come
forward for the present vacancy. Mr. Osborne is
cearly certain to do so. it is not a little remarkable
that the old antagonists, Sir Robert Clifton and the
Duke of Newcastle, should be the subject of news-
paper paragraphs at the same time, though for very dif-
ferent reasons. Sir Robert was the last representative
pf one of the oldest families in the kingdom. He sur-
vived only a few months his aged uncle, Sir Arthur,
who died early in the year at nearly 100. years old.
Sir Robert was only 43.

TIM DUBLIN ELECTION.
Mr. E. Cecil Guinness, the Conservative candidate
for Dublin, has to all appearances qUietly withdrawn.
His address has disappeared from all the local
iournals, and the exertions on his behalf have ceased.
It is rumoured that he is dissatisfied with the
inactivity shown by the Conservative party as
regards the suspension of the writ, and that he has
I,bandoned his intention to come forward as a
sandiclate.