The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-14 00:00:00

THE COST OF A GENERAL ELECTION.

The Daily News estimates the cost of the last general
election. It is, of course, impossible to give anything
like an estimate of the real expenses of that appeal, for in
very many instances the figures in the official returns bear
no proportion to the actual expenditure. It has been
roughly stated at two millions sterling, but the published
returns, as presented to Parliament in the session of 1866
gave it at rather over one-third of that sum. These
however, were very defective. They did not include
the expenses of three counties and eleven boroughs
in England ; one county and kir boroughs in Wales ; one
county in Scotland ; and thirteen counties and three
boroughs in Ireland. There was another serious omission,
for in many cases the elected member,s only published
their accounts, and the unsuccessful candidates left the
public in utter ignorance as to what they spent. Still we
may form some idea of the amount expended by giving
the totals for each kingdom, as set forth in the official
documents. They were as follows :

England—Counties £360,108 0 71
Towns... 304,069 19 8 £604,178 0 31
Ireland —Counties 44,768 8 5

~ Towns...
24,603 16 31—
Scotland—Counties ::',2,244 12 1
Towns... 17,743 4 7
Wales Counties 12,095 5 4
PI Towns... 4,211 18 11

69,372 4 8:1,

49,987 16 S

16,307 4 3

Total £739,845 5 101
Distinguishing the aggregate cost of the counties from
that of the towns, the following is the result :
Counties
Towns
From these figures it is seen that more than £300,000
was spent to obtain the 147 county seats in England ; so
that the average would be about £2,041. The average
cost of the 320 English borough seats was £950. So many
of the Irish counties furnished no returns that the
estimated cost must be necessarily wide of the mark ;
but the official statements give an average of £7OO for
the counties, and of £630 for the borough. The average
of county seats in Scotland was £1,07 5, and of borough
seats £l7O. The average expenditure on a county seat in
Wales was £BOO, and a borough seat £3OO. Taking the
whole of the United Kingdom, and deducting the
members for the universities, every seat in the
present Parliament, according to the figures sup-
plied by hon. members themselves, costs its occu-
pant £1,135. Allowing at least £lOO,OOO for the un-
published returns of 64 seats, and for the expenses of those
lefeated candidates who declined to comply with the
)rder of the House of Commons, the cost of each seat
:s raised to £1,288. Even this figure is merely an
approximate one, for the disclosures before the Bribery
:!ommissions sheaved incontestably that many candidates
;pent ten times as much as the sums given in the off:c:al
returns. There were some remarkable contrasts in the
listribution of the immense expenditure at the last elec-
tion. Mr. Milbank, who came in at the head of the poll
for the North hiding of Y( rkshire, certified his expenses
at more than £13,000. Yet the two members for the
county of Down were returned for twenty-five shillings
each, and this was for the erection of the hustings.
Two extremes in borough constituencies were equally
striking. The late Sir B. Guinness spent £7,208
in contesting the city of Dublin, while the member
for Downpatrick got into Parliament for the modest ex-
penditure of £1 10s. It may be hoped that the new
Bribery Act will be effectual in lessening the enormous
cost of elections, and that when the new House of Com-
mons assembles, the seats will not have cost on an average
more than £1,200. Nevertheless, there are experienced
persons who predict that this will be the most expensive
election ever known.

Prince Arthur, accompanied by Lieutenant-Colonel
Elphinstone and Lieutenant Pickard, arrived in Edinburgh
on Wednesday morning, on his way to Abergeld ie. His Royal
Highness and suite breakfasted in the railway refreshment-
room4t, and left by the 9.15 a.m. train.
JEWISH CONVERTS IN RusslA.—A singular pro-
cession was noticed the other day passing through the
Morskaj-street, in St. Peterburg. Twenty Jews, with a
white cross chalked on their backs, were carried along
under strong military escort. It appears that these
wretched beings had been condemned to deportation to
Siberia, but had prayed to be converted to the Orthodox
Church, in order that the usual pardon might be granted
them. Instead of being obliged to work in the mines they
are allowed to " settle" in Siberia as a reward for
embracing the faith.

THE LATE MR. JOHN DOUGLAS COOK.-It is
understood that the remains of this gentleman, whose
death took place, as we have already announced, on Mon-
day last, after a protracted and painfull illness, will be
interred, in accordance with his own wish, at Tintagel, in
Cornwall, at which place he had a residence, where he
had latterly spent a portion of every year. Mr. Cook
had for many months been in a state of health which per-
mitted little exertion, though he continued to occupy
himself, so far as his failing strength allowed, with the
business of the journal which he so ably conducted.

MISPLACED CONFIDENCE. —At Brighton races a
party of niggers were singing and playing in front of Lord
Paulett's carriage, and one of them came round collecting.
One of Lord Paulett's party—Mr. Hiram Crawshaw—
gave him what he supposed to be a sovereign, telling him
that he had no change, and that he wanted 19s. out of it.
The man moved away, but came back and said, " It's a
Frenchman," and on looking at the coin Mr. Crawshaw
saw that he had given the man a napoleon in mistake for
a sovereign. Mr. Crawshaw then gave the man a sove-
reign, and instead of giving the change the man made off.
He was on Friday, however, recognised by Lady Paulett
with the same party at Lewes races, and was given into
custody. The Brighton magistrates sent him to prison
for six weeks with hard labour.

TAKING SYRUP OF SENNA FOR RUM. F.4)IIRUB.—
Captain C-, who has been round the world twelve
times formed the first temperance society in Madagascar.
The natives are hard drinkers, and will imbibe anything
which has alcohol in it. A chief was one day shown into
the ,:.abin just as the captain was taking a little medicine
which was flavoured with spirits, a pint bottle of which
stood on the table. Thinking it rum, the chief eagerly
asked for some, and would not believe the captain's
assertion that it was medicine. Knowing his man,
Captain C-, leaving the bottle, went to another part of
the cabin. The temptation was not to be resisted by the
chief, and, seizing the bottle, he drained a. pint of the
mixture at one draught. The captain returning, resumed
the conversation, pretending not to notice the chief, who
turned as pale as his tawny complexion would admit,
and kept rubbing his abdominal regions. He twisted and
turned in his seat a few moments, and then, giving a yell,
rushed out of the cabin, jumped overboard, and swam foi
the shore. When next year Captain revisited that
harbour, not a drop would the chief touch. He was the
first and only member of the first temperance society eAI:gidagRICATI

THE SALE OF POISONS.

Among the statutes which received the Royal Assent on
the day of the prorogation was one to regulate the sale of
poisons, and to alter and extend the Pharmacy Act, 1852.
From and after the 31st December next persons selling or
compounding poisons, or assuming the title of chemists
and druggists, must be registered unless they are pharma-
ceutical chemists, and must conform to such regulations as
to the keeping, dispensing, and selling of such poisons
as may from time to time be prescribed by the Pharma-
ceutical Society, with the consent of the Privy Council.
Certain articles mentioned in a schedule annexed to the
Act are stated to be poisons, and other articles may be
declared to be within the category. Chemists and drug-
gists within the meaning of the Act to consist of all
persons who at any time before its passing had carried on
in Great Britain the business of a chemist and druggist,
in the keeping of open shop ; and also of all assistants
and associates who, before the passing of the Act, were
registered under the Pharmacy Act, and also all persons
as may be registered under the present Act. With the
view of protecting the public, it is now provided that
any person who at the time of the passing of the Act was
of full age, and can produce to the registrar cf the
Pharmaceutical Society by the 31st of December next,
certificates as set forth in the schedule that he had been
for a period of not less than three years actually engaged
and employed in the dispensing and compounding
of prescriptions as an assistant to a pharmaceutical
chemist, or to a chemist or druggist as defined
by the Act, is, on passing such a modified examination
as the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, with the
consent of the Privy Council, may declare to be sufficient
evidence of his skill and competency to conduct the busi-
ness of a chemist and druggist, to be registered as a chemist
and druggist under this Act. Those entitled to be regis-
tered at the passing of the Act are to be registered with-
out the payment of a fee. The examiners under the
Pharmacy Act are to be the examiners under the present
one, and the registrar under the Pharmacy Act to act
under this statute. The Council of the Pharmaceutical
Society are to make orders for regulating the register
to be kept. Every registrar of deaths in Great Britain is
required to give notice of the death of a chemist. The
evidence of qualification of persons to he registered is to
be given to the registrar, and any appeal from his decision
to be to the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society. An
annual register is to be kept. Restrictions as to the sale
of poisons to be subject to penalties. No poisons are to be
sold either by wholesale or retail unless labelled,
and poisons are not to be sold to any person
unknown to the seller unless introduced by some
person known to him, and before the delivery
an entry is to be made in a book, and the signature
of the purchaser attached, under a penalty of £5 for the
first offence. Persons registered under " The Medical
Act" are not to be registered under this Act. The Adul-
teration of Food Act is to extend to medicines. From the
passing of the Act all powers vested in the Secretary of
State by the Pharmacy Act are to vest in the Privy Coun-
cil, and power is given to the Privy Council to erase the
names of persons from the register. The statute, which is
not to extend to Ireland, is to be cited as " The Pharmacy
Act, 1368."