Reading, however, has returned a very strong Liberal, in place
of the late Sir Francis Goldsmid, who on the' Eastern Question was not a Liberal at all. Mr. Palmer, who had denounced Lord Beaconsfield's policy in good round terms, and called the Con- servatives of Reading a war-at-any-price party, received 2,223 votes, against 1,565 for the Conservative, Mr. Attenborough ; leaving the Liberal majority, 658. At the last election the majority of the highest Liberal (Mr. Lefevre) over the highest Conservative (Mr. Attenborough) was only 142. Mr. Attenborough polled, in fact, 87 votes fewer than last time ; while the Liberal Member just returned polled 429 votes more than the highest Liberal polled last time. No doubt, for Reading, Mr. Palmer was a good candidate, but he could hardly be a better than Mr. Lefevre.
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