3 APRIL 1880, Page 3

The Liberals will suffer a great loss, if Sir John

Lubbock's defeat at Maidstone should not be cancelled by his success in some other constituency. We have not always agreed with him, —especially during the period in which the Eastern Question first came up for discussion,—but no Member of the last House ,of Commons has either commanded more universal respect, or 'called its attention to more important, and more frequently neglected, subjects. Not only as a philanthropist and financier, but even more as an educationist and a friend of the historical monuments of the country, Sir John Lubbock has rendered services to the people which it will not be easy to forget. On the other hand, Cam- bridge has done much to retrieve the capital blunder which Maidstone has made, by returning Mr. W. Fowler at the head of the poll. As a financier, Mr. W. Fowler may take rank with Sir John Lubbock, and as an accomplished economist and lawyer and student of land-tenure, no more useful Member -could have been returned to a Parliament which is almost pledged to revise the present laws affecting the settlement of land.