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

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 :
Smythe. Wilson.
9 o'clock .. .. 73 .. .. 57
10 .. .. 151 .. .. 138
11 .. .. 476 .. .. 464
12 .. .. 597 .. .. 513
1 —. .. .. 653 .. .. 547
6 .. .. 695 .. .. 575
3 .. .. .. 736 .. .. 606
4
- - .. .. 782 .. .. 619

__-
Majority for Smythe .. .. 163!
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 bj 81 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 butcher, and 17 votes were recorded in his 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 again,t 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 as 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-
nent had polled but 619. (Ilear, 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 in 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 over.

iing 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-

salt of the poll was his fourth and crowning triumph. (Loud
cheers.) He 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 h
dt _ _ _ _

)ted for his return. (Cheers.) Again he thanked
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 confuted upon him while he was merely the solicitor of
their suffrages. (Cheers.)
Mr. Partridge, the Chairman 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.
lar- The mu

titude 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
who should till the vacancy that was thus occasioned. Lord
Eastnor was 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 futile 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 be
able to grow older and wiser.
Mr. Price seconded the nomination.
The High Bailiff then inquired whether any of the elec-
tors had another candidate to propose ?

After some little delay, Mr. Piper, a breeehes•maker in
the town, nominated Dr. James Bedford.

The High Bailiff inquired whether any elector would
second the nomination, and no answer was returned.
Dr. Bedford entreated the high bailiff to grant a little delay.
He had been deceived. He had been given to understand
that Mr. Birt would second his nomination.

The High Bailiff.—We must proceed regularly. If no
one seconds the nomination of Dr. Bedford, there is an end
to the election, so far as he is concerned. _

The High Bailiff put the question, and Lord Eastnor was
declared to be duly elected to serve in parliament for the
borough of Reigate. (Cheers.)

SECOND EDITION.

Standard-office, Three o'clock

LIVERPOOL CORN EXCHANGE,-THIS DAY

(From Messrs. I?. MAKIN & SONS' Circular.)

With intense frost during the week, accompanied by a
heavy fall of
.snow on Wednesday, and the wind continuing
to blow strongly from the east, scarcely any grain vessels
have entered this port since Tuesday, so that the supplies
fresh in for to-day are extremely small 1 in the course of the
last two days, however, fair quantities of Wheat and Flour
have been offering from granary, which, though not met by
any active demand, were steadily held for previous rates ;
and in the value of other articles no decided change was ob-
servable.

The duty on foreign Wheat is ]s per qr, on Flour 7d per
barrel lower ; on Pease Is 6d per qr. higher, for the ensuing
week.

At this morning's market the Wheat trade continued to
exhibit considerable firmness, and upon a fair enquiry
from our local and neighbouring millers, besides several
parcels taken for holding over, sales to a tolerable
extent were effected, principally in samples of new Irish, and
the middling descriptions of foreign, at an improvement
of ld. per 'Nibs on Tuesday's currency ; in the value of En-
glish and fine foreign Wheats, however, no advance can be
made. The demand in country orders was very limited.

Flour was in moderate request, and fully supported late

prices

Barley, Malt, Beans, and Pease met a very slow sale with-
out alteration in value. The stocks of Oats being reduced
within a narrow compass; holders required rather more mo-
ney, but being without country buyers, the demand is insuf-
ficient to take off even the limited quantity remaining in
store.

Oatmeal was the turn dearer, and more readily saleable

than of late

ARRIVALS OF CORN,
From the 2d to the 4th Feb. 1841, inclusive

IRE- COAST.
CANADA N
O
-
TOTA L
DESCRIPTION.
I LAND. WISE. REIGN. I

102 I 172
47

Barley
Malt .
Oats .
Rye..
Beans
Pease
Shelled Barley . Qr
Indian Corn .. . Q.s
Rapeseed
Oatmeal . . . . Loads 559
Flour
Ditto . Brls.

I 559
144