20 OCTOBER 1900, Page 3

The result of the elections in Scotland has been that

of the 72 seats 36 are now held by Unionists. From an interesting mass of election figures published in Tuesday's Glasgow Herald, it appears that while between the dates 1832 and 1865 the average number of Conservative Members in Scotland was 15.7, and between 1868 and 1885 11.6, in 1886 it rose to 29, and though falling to 22 in 1892, rose to 33 in 1895, and now stands at 36. The only Liberal gain in Scotland in the recent elections was in Inverness-shire, against which seven Unionist gains have been recorded : two in Glasgow, one in Edinburgh, and one each in Dumfriesshire, Sutherland- shire, Aberdeenshire (East), and the Wick Burghs. In Ireland the 103 Members are made up of 81 Nationalists, 17 Conservatives, 4 Liberal Unionists, and 1 Liberal. The Nationalists lost seats in Derry City and Galway, and gained them in South County Dublin and the St. Stephen's Green division of the City of Dublin. The defeat of the Healyite faction has been complete, and though Mr. Redmond remains titular chief, the practical leadership is for the moment vested in the hands of Mr. William O'Brien. It would be unsafe, however, to argue that this result betokens enthusiasm for, or even confidence in, Mr. O'Brien. He happens to be the figurehead of the United L ague, and owes his elevation to this association with the only fighting programme placed before the electors, amongst whom the influence of the Hillside men is once more pre- dominant.