THE METROPOLIS.

LONDON CITE. The actual work of electing—the polling—went 011 in the City with considerable spirit on Saturday. But the contest wanted that touch of real rivalry which is supplied by a battle between, parties. Four Liberals were sure to be elected, and only those who had personal preferences took the trouble to record their votes. Lord John Russell took a good place early in the day, and at eleven o'clock headed the poll—a position he did not sustain. Mr. llaikes Currie, on the other hand, never had any chance. Mr. Crawford, the lowest on the winning list, kept far ahead of him all day. It appears that Lord John had a large Tory vote, and that as a general rule, not without exceptions, the Jews voted steadily for Lord John and "the Baron." Split votes wore given between "Currie and Russell." Lady John Russell was actively engaged throughout the day in the City, and walked about with one of the principal supporters of her husband., Mills Rothsehild also was present in the Guildhall and elsewhere. At four o'clock the poll closed. The statements of the poll issued during the day varied very much from each other, and the final statements of the rival committees by no moans agreed. Lord John neither polled so many votes nor occupied so good a place as his friends led the public to believe. The statement which appeared in part of our impression on Saturday was derived from Lord John's committee, and it proves to have been far from accurate. On Monday the poll was officially declared in the Guildhall by Sheriff Methi. The true numbers were then found to be

Sir Janie' Duke 8664

Baron Rothschild 6398

Lord John Russell 6308

Mr. Crawford 6808 Mr. &likes Currie 4619

Mr. Mechi having declared the first four on the lint duly elected, the new Members addressed their constituents in the order they stood on the poll. But the speech of Lord John Russell alone rose above commonplate, and took somewhat of the form and substance of a political manifesto.

Lord John said that the two gentlemen who had preceded him owed their return to an organized support : but his task was different : he had to thank the electors for their voluntary efforts, their determination to nacre the independence of the electoral body. He thanked his committee, and the press.. not "the servile" but the indepen4ent press. The maintenance of the free spirit that distinguishes Englishmen is superior to any miner questions such as the ballot or the extension of the suffrage. Then he went on. "Let me now say a word, and it shall not be long, with regard to our future prospects. Hitherto we have had as an excuse from every Minister who has happened of late years to be in power—it was my excuse—it has been the excuse of Lord Palmerston, and I think it a very fair and just excuse—that parties were so finely balanced in the House of Counnons that it was difficult to carry Liberal measures with a sufficient majority to secure the assent of the other House of Parliament to those measures. Now, if it be true, as I hope it is, that the result of this general election will be to give a large Liberal majority in the House of Commons, so large that the Upper House will no longer have any reason on that ground to refuse the measures that may be passed by the other House of Parliament, then that excuse must henceforward fall to the ground; and Lord Palmennon

will have no such reason to allege for not bringing forward, not six or seven or a dozen measures, but such measures, beginning with one or two of great importance, as shall show that Ministers are truly Reformer!, and that nothing but the circumstances to which I have alluded have hitherto cooled their ardour. I see some symptoms of improvement in this respect, because this election has not turned—the people of the United Kingdom would not allow it to turn—on the temporary question of whether Sir John Bowring was right or wrong. The nation has had too much good sense to allow itself to be divided between Bowringites and Yehites. They know that the true distinction is between Conservatives and Reformers ; the Conservatives desiring to maintain our institutions and not to improve them, and Reformers desiring to improve our institutions and at the same time to preserve them. Now gentlemen, we had a specimen in the last Parliament of a very small measure. It was proposed by Mr. Locke King, and we heard in the House of Commons nothing but objections to that measure; and we were told that if it had been a larger measure the objections would have been stronger and more decisive. But as soon as there was a question of the dissolution of Parliament, it was discovered that they were in favour of that measure ; but it seemed that there were in Mr. Locke King's bill, which they had never seen, and which I am told Mr. Locke King had never communicated to them, certain faults and defects which had alone prevented them from supporting it. If that be the case, they will have an opportunity in the new Parliament of bringing in new measures of their own, in which they can put all the guards and securities which they can desire, and in which they can insert all the guards and securities that I inserted in a bill which I introduced two years ago ; and then they can no doubt carry it through both Houses of Parliament. It is in this way that this dissolution of Parliament will be of real use to this country. I trust, as I have formerly said, to see the edifice of religious liberty perfected. I trust to see free trade completed by the abolition of some obnoxious duties. I trust that by economy and retrenchment we shall be able to spare those additional duties on sugar and tea which tend so much to diminish the enjoyments of the people. I trust also, that by extending the franchise to the enlightened, the respectable, and the honest classes who have not had hitherto the benefit of exercising the franchise, we may extend still further, the basis of our representation, and give an additional security to our institutions. Such may be, I trust, the result of this dissolution. The good sense of the nation has seen the advantage which might be taken of it in having a new Parliament fresh from communicating with the people at large. Gentlemen, I trust that you will in the future see supported by the four Members for the City of London measures of economy, measures of reform, measures conducive to the prosperity of this great empire. Gentlemen, again I thank you for the honour you have done me. I have been exposed for some years to much obloquy, to much misrepresentation, to much misconstruction of my motives ; but whatever I may have suffered in this respect, the generous manner in which you have come forward to support me at this election affords me full compensation." (Much. cheering.) Before the electors separated, they passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Masterman, for his faithful services as a representative of the City of London for sixteen years. Mr. Currie did not appear at the Guildhall: he had already published the following address to the electors.

" To the Electors of London. " Gentlemen—I beg to offer my best thanks to the 5046 electors who supported moon Saturday, and "I remain, gentlemen, your very faithful servant, Cornhill, March 30. RAIKES CURRIE."

Townn HAMLETS. Here the contest was brief but fierce. Mr. Ayrton came out openly as a candidate at the last moment, aiming at the seat of Sir William Clay. No preparations for a battle had been made by either of the late Members. Finding themselves attacked, they entered the field just before the election. Mr. Ayrton carried his point by a rush, and went in at the head of the poll. Sir William Clay took the third place at starting, and never reached the second. The declaration of the numbers was made on Monday at Stepney Green Ayrton 13 Butler 778297 Clay 6654 Sir William Clay therefore ceases to represent the borough. He did not shirk the hustings on Monday, and made a speech in explanation of his defeat : he has also explained, with more precision, in an address to the electors, as follows

" It avails but little now to recur to the causes of an event so unexpected by myself, and, I believe, by others. Foremost among them must, no doubt, be ranked the want of preparation on my part to meet a contest, provision for which had in other quarters been carefully and extensively made. I doubted, unfortunately too long, of the existence of any serious attempt to contest the borough ; and, being reluctant to give trouble unnecessarily to the friends by whom I have always been supported, I delayed convening my committee until too late for creating that organization for defending my seat which, as it now appears, was absolutely required. The local committees weret in fact, only nominated on Wednesday evening—but one clear day, that is, before the election. Still, I was sanguine of success ; venturing to hope that the relations so long existing between my constituents and myself would render of less importance the accidental omission of the measures ordinarily resorted to for canvassing electors and securing their attendance at the poll. In this hope I have been disappointed : at the close of the poll on Saturday nearly one-half probably of the votes on the register, certainly more than 10,000 votes, remained unpolled. Had a comparatively small portion of the electors entitled to those votes exercised their franchise, the result of the election would, I believe, have been widely different."

Lestaurit. The late Members met a powerful opponent in Mr. Reopen, who, rich and a bachelor, lives in the borough, and "has no higher ambition than to sit for it in Parliament." As it became apparent early in the preliminary struggles that Mr. Reopen. was "the man for Lambeth," Mr. Williams and Mr. Wilkinson turned upon each other, and showed up each other's votes in Parliament. Mr. Wilkinson soon lost ground ; he was not so liberal of his pledges. At the nomination, on Saturday, Mr. Roupell carried all before him. He had, as he said, the great advantage of having no bad votes to account for. Mr. Williams and Mr. Wilkinson were both greatly interrupted. The speech of Mr. Williams was amusing from its cool assumption of merit in the speaker. He had had the honour of representing them in Parliament during nearly seven yearsand, having discharged his duty like a faithful, honest

man—(" Oh, oh —he felt confident they would place him in the distinguished position of their representative in the next Parliament. There was not a man in the last House of Commons who took so much care of their pockets as he did. (' Come, that's pretty strong !") He devoted more tune than pretty nearly all the House of Commons put together in exposing the profligacy of the Government under which the country is (" Oh 1") It would hardly be believed that this "Liberal" unatry required 6,000,0001. sterling more to carry on the Government

than was required in the last year of peace, preceding the Russian war, by the Governments of Lord Derby and Lord Aberdeen. ("Claptrap boasted of effecting two financial reforms greater than any accomplished within the memory of man—the Succession-tax, and the payment of all revenue into the Treasury ! The show of hands was for Reopen and Williams; and this offhand choice of the constituency was ratified at the poll. Mr. Wilkinson began and ended low down. The official declaration was made on Tuesday, when the numbers were declared to be—Roupell, 0318; 7648; Wilkinson, 3234. Mr. Roupell and Mr. Williams are therefore Members for Lambeth.

FINSBURY. Mr. Dtmcombe and Sergeant Parry headed the poll in this borough for some time. Then Major Reed, the lowest on the list, began to poll fewer in proportion than his rivals ; and, seeing that Reed had no chance, the voters seem to have given the preference to Mr. Cox. After eleven o'clock, he began to gain upon Parry, passed him in the middle of the day, and beat him finally by 156 votes. The declaration of the pOR. on Monday was—Duncombe, 6922; Cox, 4110; Parry, 3954; Reed, 2378. Mr. Duncombe and Mr. Cox were therefore elected. The losing candidates concurred in two things—in complimenting each other, and in accusing Mr. Cox of winning by bribery. The charge of bribery appears to be based on the fact that Mr. Cox employed "paid canvassers." He maintained the legality of the practice, and stated that the election auditor had admitted the payment as legal.

SOUTHWARK. The three candidates, Sir Charles Napier, Mr. Apsley Pellatt, and Mr. J. Locke, were nominated on Saturday. Mr. Pellatt was received with cries of "How about the British Bank ? " "Who was laughed at in the House of Commons ?" Sir Charles Napier wore all his "orders," and was the popular candidate. Mr. Locke modestly explained his views ; and described himself as a supporter but not an indiscriminate supporter of Lord Palmerston. The show of hands was in favour of Sir Charles Napier and Mr. Locke. Mr. Pellatt demanded a poll; which took place on Monday, and resulted in the complete discomfiture of Mr. Pellatt. The official statement was made on TivrAlay, when the numbers were declared to be—Napier, 3991; Locke, 3647; Pellatt, 2499.