Lay

the name of a family which, for several generations, has played an honourable part in the story of British intercourse with China. The first of his line, as far as China is concerned, was George Trade scant Lax, who married Mary Nelson, a niece of the naval hero. He was attached to Beechey's expedition in 1825-28 and, with his fellow-naturalist Collie, sent a collection of plants from the Loochoo and Bonin Islands, — the first to reach Europe. He made further collections at Macao and Canton. In 1836 he reached China again, as agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, went on the trip of the Himvialeh (q.v.), and wrote an account of the journey. ' He then entered the British Consular Service and acted as interpreter to Sir IMG:p306_1.png:Chinese characters Pottinger's expedition (1840-42). He was made Consul at Canton in 1842, at Foochow in 1844, and at Amoy in 1845, and died there the same year. He wrote a number of papers in the Chinese Repository, and also published The Chinese as they are. His children were Horatio Nelson, William Hyde, W.\lter Thurlow, and Amoy. Of these the first is the best-known. He was appointed student interpreter in the Consular Service, September 5, 1849, but resigned on June 8, 1855 to become Inspector of Customs at Shanghai. He accompanied Lord Elgin as a istant Chinese Secretary and, according to Morse, was very hectoring and truculent in his meetings with the Chinese envoys, and especially with the haple Kiying. The tariff and trade rules of the 1858 treaty are recognized as being Lay's work. He was made Inspector-General of Customs in May, 1859. Three years later he obtained the Queen's licence to enter temporarily the military service of the Chinese Government. The miscarriage of the project known as the Lay-Osborn Flotilla is described under that heading. It led to his dismi al in 1864. In Japan, in 1869, he arranged a loan of twelve millions sterling at twelve per cent., repayable in twelve years. The money was to build a line from Osaka to Tokyo with a branch to Yokohama. He seems, however to have misunderstood the English financiers on whom he had depended: the loan was placed on the Stork Exchange, and his connection with the Government and with the railway came to an end. IMG:p306_2.png:Chinese characters Japan, 1883). His wife was a daughter of Dr. Legge, the sinologue; of his nine children only his youngest daughter seems to have been connected with the Far East. G. T. Lay's second son, William Hyde Lay, born in England, 1836, became student-interpreter December 5, 1853; he served at Shanghai as Vice- Consul, at Kiukiang and at Tientsin, where he was Consul at the time of the ma acre. He died at Chefoo, where he was Consul, in 1876 at the age of 40. Of his children, William George is Commi ioner of Customs at Swatow, and Arthttr Hyde is H.B.M. Consul-General at Seoul. G. T. Lay's third son, Walter Thurlow, is the only one surviving; he became student-interpreter in 1861 but resigned in the following year. He has since been Commi ioner of Customs, and has one daughter living in Shanghai. The fourth son, Amoy, was also Commi ioner of Customs.