27 JANUARY 1906, Page 19

The results of the elections declared on Tuesday showed a

gain of eight seats to the Liberals and one to the Labour Party, while the Unionists won a seat in North-West Lanark owing to the splitting of the vote. A curious result was witnessed in the New Forest division, where Mr. Compton, who was returned at the by-election in December, was beaten by the Liberal candidate by the narrow margin of 48 votes. Mr. Austen Chamberlain, however, increased his majority nearly seventy per cent. in East Worcestershire, and the Hands- worth division, which is also within the "Birmingham zone," was held by a majority of 4,771. Further Liberal gains in the Home counties were announced on Monday and Tuesday, when Reigate, Harrow, and Tottenham were captured ; two seats were gained in Lancashire, and two more in Essex. Wednesday added heavily to the roll of Unionist defeats, thirteen Liberal and one Labour gains being announced. Among the most striking victories were those in Wycombe and Watford divisions, the former having returned a Conservative since its formation in 1885, and the latter having been represented for twenty years without a break by Mr. Halsey. Another seat—in the Eccles division—was won in Lancashire, and four more were captured in Scotland. Lord Dalmeny was returned by a large majority in Midlothian, and Lord Kerry (Lord Lansdowne's son) only beaten by three votes in the Appleby division. The last chance of the Con- servatives in Wales was destroyed by the crushing defeat of Colonel Wyndham Quin by a Labour candidate in South Glamorganshire, but Thanet remained faithful to Mr. H. H. Marks, whose victory ignominiously counterbalances the triumph of Mr. Bottomley in Hackney.