12 DECEMBER 1885, Page 1

The greatest loss which the Liberal Party have had this

week has been the defeat of Sir Ferrer Herschell, in the North Lone- dale division of North Lancashire, by the Conservative, Mr. W. G. .Ainslie, who won the seat by 225 votes, in a poll of more than 8,000 electors. This is a very serious loss to the Liberal Party while it lasts, though we hope that Sir Ferrer Herschell will very soon find a new seat. A stronger man in every way, a more weighty and lucid speaker, a more temperate and sober politician, and a more trustworthy adviser in legal matters the Liberals do not possess even in Sir Henry James. But a man of Sir Farrer Herschell's calibre will be eagerly sought by all constituencies in want of a Liberal candidate, and the Election Judges will not have been long at their work before there will be not a few Liberal constituencies competing for so strong a candidate.