The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-27 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

The elections have caused almost, if not quite, as much
excitement this week as they did last. Monday was in-
deed an exciting day. At the Carlton Club telegrams
were received every quarter of an hour from South-West
Lancashire. In that temple of High Toryism there was
throughout the day very little doubt as to the result of the
election. They gave Mr. Gladstone a majority of 700 up
to twelve o'clock, and yet backed their men to win. As
you know, he never had so large a majority as that, even
at the beginning of the day. Middlesex election was lost
to the Liberals through the squabbles of the Liberal
candidates, concerning whom I may say with Dante :
" Non ragionam di for ; ma guarda e passe."

.11 From day to day I hear curious election tales which
have not appeared in print. In Manchester, for instance,
Murphy, who was for some time a candidate, had 1,400
promises, and these he handed over en masse to the Con-
servative candidates. Towards the close of the polling-
day, when it was seen that Bazley was in danger, a large
umber of iyfanchester Conservatives -split their votes-
between him and Birley ; for Mr. Bazley has large Man-
chester connections, while Mr. Hoare, the second
Conservative candidate, is an outsider. In a neighbouring
borough the defeat of a well-known railway magnate
was due to the removal from the town of a firm of solici-
tors whom the magnate had converted from their old
political opinions, and who, as a reward for bringing him in
as member, had received the legal business of two important
railways, worth several thousands a year. They had to
change their residence, and with that change they lost
their power to influence the elections, and the railway
magnate lost his seat, very much to his own regret, but not
much to that of anybody else. In another constituency, in a
different part of England, the agent of one of the successful
candidates has discovered certain malpractices on the part of
his subordinates such as would vitiate the election, but
which his opponents have not yet discovered. Of the suc-
cessful candidate in a Gloucestershire borough, and who
will, I believe, be the youngest member in the House, a
good story is told. He was placed at a bank
where his father (who is also an M.P.) is
an influential shareholder. On entering the bank
he was shewn into a private room with an arm-chair
in it, and was installed therein, and told that that was to be
his place. " Not at all," said he; " I hope to be there some
day, but I mean to work my way up. I should learn
nothing there. I wish to begin at the beginning. Place
me on a high stool at a desk, and I shall endeavour toreach
this room eventually." His wish was granted, and the
young bank clerk wrote his election address upon
the said desk from the said stool, and now may
write M.P. after his name.

The Daily Telegraph has stated that Mr. Bright will in
all probability not take office, and the Pall Mall Gazette
asserts that there is some foundation for this report. If
this be true, Mr. Bright must have changed his mind
recently. I know that last spring, when a
change of Government seemed probable, he was
prepared to join an Administration formed by Mr.
Gladstone, who, by the way, is two years his senior. It was
generally thought that Mr. Bright would have the India
Office, for which post he is qualified by an acquaintance
with India equalled by no man living who has not actually
held office in India. Manifestly he ought, under ordinary
circumstances, to take office. It is but in accordance with
the Constitution that a man who has great influence
in directing public affairs should be responsible to the
nation as a Minister.

Mr. Gladstone's " Chapter of Autobiography " has been
very variously received, even by those who profess to
support him. The Pall Mall has fallen very foul of it,
for your philosophic contemporary is as much enraged at
anything like religious earnestness as Mr. Murphy is at
the sight of a cross. Mr. Gladstone's reference to
the Oxford movement has greatly irritated the
organ of sceptical secularism, for is not that true
which the authors of "Rejected Addresses" said in jest,
" nought is anything, and everything is nought ?"
I went to the private view of the Water Colour Society's
Winter Exhibition on Saturday. It is a fairly good exhi-
bition, but there are no pictures of striking merit. I
was glad to see that one or two artists have been
to Norway, and brought back a few studies. This
country would well repay any artist who is not afraid
to paint nature in her grandest and in her most gorgeous
aspects. But he who would venture to paint Nrodelen
or a July sunset, or one of the fiords, must be a bold man,
bold enough to disregard the criticisms of those who, used
only to the sober browns and greys of their own country,
would be sure to accuse him of exaggeration. Paul
Naftel and Gastineau are particularly good this year.
Carl Haag is hardly up to his usual mark, but he has one
or two good subjects from Bavaria. I have seen Bran-
white in better force ; so, too, Collingwood Smith.
Tayler's dogs are inimitable. Brittan Wiles contributes
eighteen pictures, more than any other artist, but none
of them is remarkable. Burgess has some good scenes
from Normandy.
P.S.—I have just learnt that in all probability the Earl
of Kimberley will be Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs. It will be remembered that he held office as
Under Foreign Secretary before holding the post of Lord-
Lieutenant of Ireland.