THE CONSERVATIVE DEFEAT.
The great battle is nearly over—only three seats remain to be decided. The Conservative Party have been vanquished in their first appeal to the constituencies which they called into existence. But they have no reason to be dispirited. The contest was peculiar. The appeal was made by the Opposition, not only to distinct principles in the mind of the intelligent, but to certain vague sentiments and feelings in the minds of the ignorant, on which it was impossible to calculate. In England the Irish Church seems to have been judged mainly in accordance with the conditions on which it was constituted and maintained, and there, although the majority of seats has gone to the Liberals, to the number of 265 to 230, the majority of electors have gone with the Ministry. The great centres of industry, and the great counties, have spoken decisively in favour of Conservative ideas, while the smaller burghs, such as Petersfield, Andover, Knaresborough, Calne, Northallerton, Sandwich, Bedford, and the like, have given the balance to the Liberals.
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