The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-05 00:00:00

HALF-PAST 12,

HALF-PAST 3,

Gladstone
Smith....

As the termination of the poll approached, the supporters
became exceedingly uproarious, and the tedium of empty
polling-boths was relieved by a most amusing game of snow-
balls in the frcnt of the George Hotel.

FINAL CLOSE OF THE POLL

Gladstone
Smith....

Majority for Gladstone .. .. -38
The announcement was received with the most enthusiastic

cheering.

The numbers polled at the last election were—for Mr.
Finch, the Radical candidate, 316 ; for Mr. Foster, the Con-
servative candidate, 296. It will thus be seen that Mr.
Gladstone has polled 49 more votes than Finch, and 69 more
than Foster.

At the time of leaving Walsall the town was in a state of
great excitement, but the presence of the Scotch Greys will
be sure to prevent any serious violence. Colonel Thorn, the
commandant of the district, is in attendance.
The triumph for the Conservatives has been most complete.
Many of the Manchester cotton lords are already upon their
returu to the place whence they came.

[lt will be seen that the voting approximates very closely
to the numbers which we ventured to announce in our last.]

CANTERBURY ELECTION

The nomination of candidates for this borough took place
on Monday last. Mr. Smythe was nominated by Mr. J.
Partridge, and seconded by Mr. W. H. Baldock. Mr. Wil-
son was introduced by Alderman Plummer, and the nomina-
tion was seconded by Alderman Cooper.

TRIUMPH OF THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE

CANTERBURY, TUESDAY, FEB. 2.—Election proceedings
have seldom been characterised by so much excitement and
enthusiasm as have prevailed throughout the city of Canter-
bury on this the day of polling. The committees of both
candidates sought no rest last night, but were busily engaged
in preparing for the contest, which positively commenced at 8
o'clock in the morning, and ended, as will be seen below, in
a manner which has completely confounded the blues, and
secured a signal victory for the cause of conservatism.

The state of the poll being the most important part of my
present despatch, I reserve what few remarks on other sub-
jects 1 may have time to make, until I have recorded the most
satisfactory information : and as the progress of the poll may
be not uninteresting, I give it from hour to hour in the gross
numbers, which were as follow :

9 o'clock
10

-
12 -

Smythe. Wilson
73 57
151 138
476 .. .. 464
597 .. .. 513
653 .. .. 547
695 .. 575
736 .. tO6
782 .. .. 619

Majority for Smythe

_ .
It will be seen that although Mr. Smythe had a majority of
16 over his opponent at 9 o'clock, that majority was dimi-
nished to 13 at 10 o'clock, and at 11 o'clock to 12. But from
this time he began rapidly to gain ground, heading Wilson at
12 o'clock by 84 votes ; at 1 by 106 ; at 2 by 120 ; at 3 by
130 ; and at 4 o'clock by 163 votes ! ! a . majority which,
while it has exceeded the warmest expectations of the friends
of Mr. Smythe, has overwhelmed the blues with confusion
and vexation.

During the day the streets were paraded by processions,
accompanied by bands, the music of which rendered the cold
and dreary weather, and a heavy fall of snow, more tolerable.
The shops in the principal streets were either wholly or par-
tially closed. It was feared, as I stated in the communica-
tion I sent to you on Saturday, that some attempt would be
made by the Blues to close the poll before the proper time,
if they found themselves going to leeward, by getting up a
disturbance, which would afford them an excuse for such a
proceeding. That was the course taken by them at the last
election here, the object being to gain time, by having ano-
ther day to exercise their influence upon the unpolled voters.
On this occasion they have had recourse to another ma-
noeuvre. About a quarter before four o'clock Mr. Twisden
Hodges was nominated at a district polling-booth by Mr.
John Brent, the son of the alderman, and seconded by Mr.
Steer, a botcher, and 17 votes were recorded in hi§ favour.
It is supposed that this course has been adopted with a view
to secure the return of a " liberal" candidate, in the event
of a petition being got up against the return of Mr. Smythe.
If so, the persons who suggested it must be exceedingly ig-
norant of the subject upon which they have ventured to give
such ridiculous advice.

With the exception of a few trifling pugilistic skirmishes,
and one unprovoked attack made by a Blue mob upon the
house of a conservative voter in Dove-lane, whose windows
they broke, the proceedings of the day were conducted and
carried on by the antagonist parties with good hUmour. No
police were visible at any of the polling places throughout
the day, and their absence, it is said, was recommended and
enforced, lest the prejudice against them which exists
amongst the lower orders should lead to any disturbance.
Shortly after the close of the poll, Mr. Smythe addressed
a numerous body of his supporters from the window of the
committee-room of the Canterbury Conservative Club. On
presenting himself, he was received with most enthusiastic
cheering by the multitude, who, notwithstanding the conti-
nued inclemency of the weather, remained with patience to
listen to him, and to express their exultation at his return.
Mr. Smythe confessed his inability to find words fully to
express his feelings. No words, he said, could convey his
gratitude or adequately describe the nature of so unprece-
dented, so singular, and so matchless a victory a's that which
has just been achieved. (Great cheering.) He held in his
hand the last return of the Conservative Club:Committee,
stating that he had polled 782 votes. (Cheers.) His oppo-
nedt had polled hut 619. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) Thou-
sands sympathised with him in his success ; but gloomy
defeat was not without its champion. He had heard that
Mr. Hodges had come forward at the last moment to share
with Mr. Wilson is his defeat. (Laughter.) He had beaten
Mr. Wilson by 163 votes, and Mr. Hodges, the champion
and coadjutor of Mr. Wilson, by 765 votes. (Cheers.) The
victory was not only his, it was also the victory of the elec-
tors of Canterbury. (Cheers.) He returned them his hearty
thanks for their zeal and exertions in the cause ; and he would
remind them, that their whole course had been' marked by a
series of triumphs. First, the meetings in his favour had
been overwhelming in numbers and respectability; secondly,
his canvass was most flattering ; thirdly, the show of hands
at the nomination had been in his favour; and now the re-
sult of the poll was his fourth and crowning triumph. (Loud
cheers.) Ire begged permission to recommend them to re-
turn to their homes and their families, to rejoice with those
whom they loved and respected in the happy determination
of those severe snd laborious exertions to which he was in-
debted for his return. (Cheers.) Again he thanked them,
and before long he hoped to have an opportunity of showing,
by his conduct as their representative in the Commons'
House of Parliament, how much he felt the obligations they
had conferred upon him while he was merely the solicitor of
their suffrages. (Cheers.)
Mr. Partridge, the Chtirman of the Conservative Club of
Canterbury, congratulated the members and their friends on
the result of their labours, and observed that they were suffi-
ciently paid in having secured the return of a gentleman of
so much talent, and such high characeer, as the Hon. Mr.
Smythe.

The multitude then gave three cheers for " Smythe, the
Queen, and the Constitution," and departed.

REIGATE ELECTION.

NOMINATION OF 'THE CANDIDATES-RETURN OF THE

CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE

REIGATE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3.—This being the day
appointed for the election of a member to serve in Parlia-
ment for the borough of Reigate, in the room of Lord
Somers, the electors assembled at the usual hour.

T. Martin, Esq., the high bailiff of the borough, presided.
The writ having been read, and the other formalities being

completed, '
W. Dixon, Esq., stood forward to propose' Lord Eastnor,
as a candidate to fill the vacancy in the representation of the
borough. (Cheers.) The noble lord whom he had the
honour ro propose at the last election had been called to the
upper house, and the electors were now called upon to say
'-e) should fill the vacancy that was. thus occasioned. Lord

woo
Eastnor wes born in their town, and had 'resided among
them many years, and they all knew him Well. He came
before them as a conservative—(cheers)—Which, according
to his conception, meant that juste milieu between liberalism,
as it was called, which too frequently degenerated into some-
thing very much like anarchy, and high toryism. (Cheers.)
Lord Eastnor professed to be a conservative of all that was
valuable in the institutions of their country, but he was still
liberal enough to reform all that was bad, or what required
alteration. (Cheers.) These were the principles that had
been entertained by the noble house of Somers since the
year 1688, and they would recollect that the great Lord
Somers had been instrumental in placing the present royal
family upon the throne of this kingdom. (Cheers.) It had
been made a reproach against Lord Eastnor that he was
young; he would admit that he was young, but he would he

able to grow older and wiser.
Mi. Price seconded the nomination.
The High Bailiff then inquired whether any of the elec-
tors had another candidate to propose?