The Londonderry election, though it ended in a very con-
siderable majority for the Liberal candidate, Sir Thomas MacLure, was rather a Conservative than a Liberal success, insomuch as the Liberal majority was very much less than at the last election in 1874. On that occasion the majority of the highest Liberal over the highest Conservative candidate was 1,241, while on this occasion Sir Thomas MacLure beat Mr. Alexander, the Con- servative candidate, by only 601 votes, less than half the majority of the previous election. Sir Thomas MacLure polled 2,479 votes, against 1,878 -for Mr. Alexander. At the last election, Mr. Smyth, the first of the Liberal candidates, polled 2,988 votes, or i3O9 votes more than Sir Thomas MacLure polled last Friday ; while the highest Conservative candidate,—also Mr. Alexander, and we suppose the same Mr. Alexander,—polled only 1,747, or fewer by 131 than the number he polled on this occasion. This clearly means a good deal of ground lost for the Liberal party in Londonderry. The loss of as much again would lose us the seat.
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