The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-12 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY AND MUMICIPAL
ELECTIONS.

l'he select committee of the House of Commons in.
quiring into the mode of conducting parliamentary and
municipal elections met again on Friday. The Marquis of
Hartington presided, and the other members present were
Sir George Grey, Mr. Leathazn, Mr. Brand, Mr. Whit-
bread, The O'Connor Don, Mr. Villiers, Mr. Ward Hunt,
Mr. Staveley Hill, Mr. Howes, Sir F. Heygate, Mr.
Gathorne Hardy, Mr. Cross, Sir Michael Hicks Beach.
Some further evidence was heard respecting the dis•
missal of a tenant of the Marquis of Lothian, who had
voted for the Liberal candidate at the last election for
Itoxburglishire.

Mr. William Scott, late of Timpendean, Roxburghshire,
said, in reply to Mr. Leatham, that he was the tenant of
the Marquis of Lothian referred to by Mr. Otto (Lord
Lothian's factor) in his evidence before the committee.
Since his dismissal from Timpendeau by the Mar-
quis of Lothian he had taken a farm belonging
to the Duke of Roxburgh, which was one of
the largest in Scotland. He farmed 3,000 acres of
arable land. He had paid in rent to various landlords
over £5,000 per annum. The rent he paid to the Marquis
was £BOO. Before the last election he frequently said to
different parties that he should not be influenced in voting
by the fact that the lease of his farm had nearly expired,
but he never spoke with disrespectful levity of the Marquis
and his family. After the election he wrote to Mr. Otto,
saying he he heard it was said he bad broken his
pledge. Mr. Otto came to see him, and said such an
idea had never occurred to him. " But," he added, " I
may as well tell you that nothing more will he done about
the farm." Witness said, " Why, what's up?" Mr.
Otto said, "I had the whole cut and dried ready for the
Marquis's approval, and he positively declines to renew
the lease, because you have voted against his
brother." Was quite sure that these words
were used. Witness subsequently had a conversa-
tion with his brother, George Scott, who said that the
Marquis had refused to renew the lease on the spur of the
moment, after the election, and he had no doubt his lord-
ship regretted it. Witness afterwards wrote to the
Marquis expressing surprise that the lease was not to be
renewed, and explaining why he had voted for the Liberal
candidate, adding that, out of respect for his lordship, he
had advised several persons to vote for Lord Schomberg
Kerr (the brother of the Marquis). To that letter he
received no reply.

By Mr. Villiers: Before the election Mr. Otto pressed
me strongly to vote for the Marquis's brother, but he did
not give me the impression that if I did not I should not
get my lease. The refusal took me very much by surprise.
My neighbours did not think the lease would not be renewed;
they thought the day was gone by for that sort of thing.
I never knew of any other tenant of the Marquis being
turned out because of the way he voted.
By Mr. Whitbread : Mr. Otto told me that if I had
remained neutral I should have got my farm.
Mr. Otto was recalled, and positively denied that he
had ever given Mr. Scott any explanation as to the reason
why the lease was not renewed. Mr. Scott assumed that it
was because he had voted for the Liberal candidate, and
witness did not contradict him, having been told by the
Marquis simply to inform him that his lease would not
be renewed without assigning any reason.
Mr. Norwood, a revising barrister, and chairman of
the North Dublin Board of Guardians was next called, and
stated he believed the deficiency of voting places
in Ireland encouraged the assembling of mobs, and while
polling-places were so few escorts for voters were abso-
lutely necessary. Ho did not think the Ballot would be a
protection to the lower orders against the influence of the
priests, but he held that the priests should not be allowed
to act as agents.

A telegram from Norwich states that the prisoners,
William Georgo Davy and his wife, charged with attempt-
ing to poison John Mayes Davy, at Swaflingham, have been
committed for trial.

POPULATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. TllO
Registrar-General of England estimates the population of
the United Kingdom in the middle of the year 1869 at
31,015,234; or, excluding the army, navy, and merchant
seaman abroad, and reckoning only the persons actually
in the United Kingdom, 30,621,431—viz., 21,869,607 in
England and Wales, 3,205,481 in Scotland, and 5,546,343
in Ireland. This is an increase of 240,644 as compared
with the numbers in the United Kingdom in the middle
of 1868, viz., an increase of 220,230 in England, 17 356
3 n
Scotland, and 3,058 in Ireland.