STRENGTH OF PARTIES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
• 'THE division on Thursday morning tested the actual strength of parties in the House of Commons, for the first time in the pre- sent Parliament. Six hundred and eight Members, including the Tellers and the Speaker, were present ; leaving only fifty more to be accounted for.
The Liberal Absentees were—
Mr. Bainbridge, Mr. Bannerman, Sir M. L. Chapman, Lord Albert Conynghatn, Colonel Edwardes, Mr. Erie.
Mr. J. Fieldeo, Mr. Grote, Mr. Hector, Sir Robert Heron, Mr. Jervis, General Johnson Mr. Leader, Mr. T. Martin, Sir W. Mulesworth, Mr. A. H. Moreton, Mr. Phillpotts, Mr. Potter, Mr. Pryse, Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, Colonel White, Mr. Wilkins.
Twenty-two, and with the Speaker 23 to be added to the Liberals in the House, including the Tellers 318 341
The Tory Absentees were— Mr. Archdall,
Mr. J. Bailey, Sir E. Barnes, Mr. Blakemore, Sir F. Burdett, Mr. Cartwright, Lord Clive, Mr. E. J. Cooper, Mr. Cresswell, Mr. Dugdale, Mr. Lane Fox, Mr. W. 0. Gore, Sir G. Heatheote, Mr. Ingham, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Ker, Lord Lowther, 111r. H. Lowther, Sir J. Owen, Sir F. Pollock, Sir W. Rae, Lord Ramsay, Lord Stormont, Sir J. Tyrrell, Mr. G. H. Vernon, Mr. Wall, Sir Eardley Wilmot, Rutland vacant, but to be filled by a Tory.
Twenty-eight 28 to be added to the Tories in the
House, including the Tellers 289 317 Liberal majority 24
Itlis:curious to observe how very nearly the actual numbers agree with the paper muster given in the Spectator at the conclu- sion of the general election. We then reckoned the Liberals at 336 ; the Tories at 322. Apparently, the Tories are not so strong by five votes as our calculation made them; and it is also to be remembered that they have gained, on the balance of Election Com- mittee accounts, two votes, those of Lord TEIGNMOUTH and Mr. FITZROY KELLY—the gain at Bridgnorth being balanced by the loss at Petersfield. For the purpose of the comparison, it must therefore be assumed that the Tories had not so many votes by seven as our estimate in August last supposed.
But a closer examination of the Liberal list will show several Members voting with Ministers on Thursday, who cannot be reekonedeatnong their sure supporters. Among these are—
Lord J. G. Lennox, Lord Arthur Lennox, Sir Charles Lemon, Mr. Walter Lung, Sir Charles Grey, Mr. Goring, Mr. Gilbert Heathcote, Sir Robert Ferguson.
Not one of these gentlemen can be relied upon by Ministers on the pushing Church questions which must speedily be brought forward; and they are at the best but lukewarm Whigs. Deduct them from the Liberal force on Thursday, and it will be reduced from 391 to 333, at the same time increasing the Tory numbers to 325. Since Thursday, the decision of the Belfast Committee has put two Tories in the place of two Liberals. If that decision bad been given a day earlier, the numbers on Thursday, counting the Absentees on both sides, would have been 319 and 339 — Liberal majority 20. In the above calculation, Ministers get the benefit of every Radical vote in the House. The "Doubtfuls" too, without ex- ception, have on this question supported the Government; and vet the actual major ity, including' the Doubtfuls, is only 20. The leading Downing Street journals in own, and atter them the servile provincial herd, claimed a certain majority of " abmt401 It has already gone down one half, and that in spite of the pm. gressive Toryism of the Government.
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