The Express.
London, England, 1868-11-18 00:00:00

THE ELECTIONS YESTERDAY.

Looking at the results of the elections which
have already taken place, the noes declares that a won-
derful vidoly Las been achieved, and that the most Gau-
guin* estimates put forward of the number of the host
that would be returned to Westminster WI followers of
Mr. Gladstone have been realised. It is true that the
victory was not wholly unqualified, and there were de-
feats here and there which our contemporary cannot but
lament, wb3e the supporters of the ministry will be pro-
portionately slated by them, but the isolated gains which
the twee can boast cannot mitigate the overwhelming de-
feat they have experienced as a disciplined party.
The Doily 11'nes also contends that the electioas have,
so far, proved the robriety of the calculations on which
the liberal party based its anticipations of a signal victory.
But the victory, which is represented by a net gain of 22
voter upon the liberal majority of the last parliament, has
not been achieved without losses. The defeat of Mr. Mill
at Westminster is, the Dolly News contends, mainly
attributable to errors of judgment on the part of Mr. Mill
himself. Freda the date of his letter commendatory of
Mr. Bradlaugh to his journey, a few days since, to
Brighton, when he delivered himself of a diatribe against
the ralmerstonian liberals, Mr. Mill has neglected

nothing which could prejudice against him men whom,
for the rake of his party and his cause, he might at
least have abstained from offending. The late
number for Westminster has himself principally
to thank for his defeat. With respect to the
gt neral results, however, the prophecy that the new house
will closely resemble the old one is in the way of being
justified. The chief change to be anticipated is that the
liberal majority will be greater, and the conservative
minority smaller than before.
The morel which the /bet draws from the elections, as
far as they have gone, is that the country has determined
to draw a hard and fast line of distinction between im-
provement and innovation. The conservative gains pos-
sess a certain political significance which our contempo-
rary does not wish to deprive them of.
The rawer*, speaking of the metropolitan elections,
ray the twice have strained every nerve to win; they
have slain the foremost man of the liberal forte, and one
other; but they have been beaten all alosig the line. The
victory is to the popular flag; but it is the liberal Tra-
falgar, fora well-beloved chieftain bee fallen in the fight—
fallen, too. because of his boaeure nobly shown—that
manly candour and pride of intellectual independence
which lie would not doff to win any advantage, please any
party, or uselinite any crowd.
The •tar says that whateverezultatian the conservatives
may espies, in eannexion with particular revemee which
the liberal party have enstelaed, the supporters of Mr.
Gladidome's policy have rood reason to be satiated with
the emerge multi of the elections so far as they have
taken plasm
'lliclionski is jubilant over the summers which the con-
servatives have achieved. It admits that on the whole
the amebae of members returned WI gives the radicals a
considerable majority—that some usespeated victories
have been filched from the coseervatives in the espalier
boroughs, and see or two lost through internal diem-
Bios& Bat the great and glorious triumphs won in some
of the larger constituencies are a full compensation for all
minor losses, ea they are an earnest of the more important
victories still to be gained in the elections to come. The
&maxi, of course, echoes the strain.