The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-06 00:00:00

TOTE ESS ELECTION.

TOTNESS, Monday.—The Mayor (Mr. Huxham)
opened the proceeding; at the Guildhall, Totness, at 11
o'clock this morning.
Captain PORTMAN, R.N., in proposing Lord Gifford,
recommended the vigorn.us prosecution of the war with
Russia.

Mr. J. DERRY, banker, who seconded the proposition,
said that the borough had been well represented by Lord
Seymour, and he had no doubt that the opinions of the
present candidate being similar would give equal satis-
faction.

The resolution having been carried unanimously,
-Lord GIFFORD rose, and was received with great en-
thusiam ; having recently expounded his political opinions
to them there was no occasion to enter at length upon that
subject again. He coincided entirely with the popular
feeling against the encroachments of the great Northern
Power, and should support Lord Palmerston in his efforts
to obtain a creditable-peace. His late competitor i❑ the
borough, Mr. Mackenzie, had by himself or his friends
been reprekented as a Conservative in public and an ex-
treme Liberal in private. Soon after he (Lord Gifford)
became of age he was offered a county seat in the House
of Commons, provided he would advocate Protectionist
principles. This he declined, not having bad sufficient
opportunities to judge properly on the great political
questions of the day. Since then he had travelled much,
and had spent four years in India, where much experience
was obtained. The Conservative party bad frequently
opposed all progress ; they were against Roman Catho-
lic Emancipation, repeal of the Test and Corporation
Acts, free trade, &c., and are now against the Emanci-
pation of the Jews. They even grumbled in private
against free trade, although corn was ranging up to 100 s.
per quarter. He was no blind adherent of Lord John
Russell's, and could not admire all his acts, especially
during the last four years ; but it was that nobleman
whom the country bad to thank for most of those useful
and salutary measures which bad passed the House of
Commons in the present time. He (Lord Gifford) held
the utmost respect for the opinions of the Duke of So-
merSet, but he was absolutely independent of him, aid
should follow his own political opinions, whatever was
the consequence. The long friendship which had existed
between him and the duke ought to be no bar to his
being the repeesentative of the borough of Totuess. His
lordship concluded by proposing a vote of thanks to the
Mayor, which, being seconded by Mr. Ferris, was car-
ried unanimously, and the business, which occupied
about an hour and a half, was closed.

TIIE CASE OF TEE ROYAL MAIL SHIP
MERMAID, AT PERNAMBUCO.

The inquiry into the conduct of the captain of this
vessel was resumed yesterday, at Liverpool.
The first witness called was Mr. John Wilson Green,
who knew the Mermaid well, and was certain that the
water she made every 22 hours could easily have been
pumped out in two hours. He certainly should not have
hesitated to have acted as the captain bad done under
the circumstances he was placed in at Pernambuco.
Mr. James, emigration surveyor, at Liverpool, de-
ipu.oesveidoutshatot
herhe sduerpvaerytuedre thel...ll.eeihrmouaridoei.n
sJhaneuwaarys
tlhaLetu,
thoroughly caulked, and was in every way efficient for a
slip of her class. She was in dry dock and was coppered.
She was kneed and fastened under his and Mr. Easel-
den's inspection. Would not consider a ship of her class
making 7 inches of water per hour unsafe. With the two
pumps on board they could pump out 6 tons of water in
five minutes. Had seen the ship in dry dock since her re-
turn. Observed a leakage next to the keel and the
foremast on the larboard side. Ordered the copper to
be taken off that spot, and there was then a rash
of water about three inches in width. It arose from the
neglect of the caulkers at that particular spot. The ves-
sel had since been stripped of all her copper, but they
had discovered nothing more ; the ship's bottom was
thoroughly caulked. The hole was the size of the seam.
It would be impossible to say how many gallons of
water would pass through it in a minute. Nut 250 cer-
tainly. One of Air. Miller's men, who did the work 'of
the ship, would be to blame for the hole.
Captain Read, manager of the Woodside Ferry Boats,
deposed that he knew the Mermaid well. Her usual
draft of water was 10 to 20 feet, with a moderate cargo.
If she was drawing 16,i feet of water, it would be neces-
sary to lighten her fully from 12 to 12i feet to take her
over the bar at Pernambuco, and from his knowledge of
her as a crank ship, he did not think she could have been
lightened to 12i feet to cross the bar with safety.
Evidence having been given that the cargo had been
delivered without damage and that no claims had yet
been made, and Mr. Hall having addressed the bench
for Captain Devey,
Captain Robertson said he shou'd just state the sub-
stance of his report to the Board of Trade at once, viz. :
I consider from the evidence adduced in this case, and
after taking all the circumstances into consideration,
that the captain was justified in prosecuting the voyage
to England in the Mermaid ; and, so far from being to
blame, I consider that under the trying eircumstanceshe
did all that could be reasonably expected from a person
in his responsible situation.
The decision was received with marks of approval.