SCOMINP.
Mr. Rutherfinel, the new Lord Advomste, was elected without oppo- siziemine Mr. Murray's suecessor in she repeesemation of Leith, on Tharsdav sennight. He delivered a teimming. Whiggish speech. and underwent the following catechism front the electers.
An Elector—" Will 3Ir. Rutherford support 3Ir. measure for a reduc- tion in postage " The Lord .advosest.--" If is quim dear, that any thing that r: I U COS pOSta.q..Te mid promotos quic!:ucs:: or communication. m itli complete smurh-y. on;tht to be advt.( ; ;15111 I I hink ronsider:Itimis of revenue are of mar lc:, importance in such matter, than in other branches of the puhlie service. P, r'ileps I wtylit hare stmliol the presfbw :limit I wish some of you knew how mauy things have been thrini;d1 may hands for the last two years. Yon surdy would not wish to send a Representative to Parliament ple:tord.ti,r flag as :Teethe." Crawford—" Will you support a measure for the extension of the fran- chise:" Lord Advoeate—" I say that...at present, lam not prepared to support such a measure. The ten-pound franchise haA Oilly been tried thr seven years, and you remember what prodigious interosts were touched when that beestme the law of the land. Surely the country is not to lie involved every seven years ill revision and reeast of a measure of such inn/lease rinviitude, I tcant tO try it long, r; and after thoe alm:,.s are remediA, as 1 !where they can be reme- dies!, by means which would leave the principle of that great measure entire and perfect." Mr. Crawford—" Will Mr. Rutherfurd support the Ballot, if a bill be intro- duced into Parliament P"
'rime Chairman—" Has Mr. Crawford been present during the whole of the proceedings ?" Mr. Crawford—" All the time ; but I want a decided answer:'
Lord Advocate—" My answer is, that am not prepared to support the .Ballot; but that answer must be understood with reference to the whole of the observations I have already made."
Mr. Crawford—" What is your opinion with regard to the shortening of the duration of Parliaments?"
The Lord Advocate—" Why, Parliament of late years has not been of very long duration. I am not particularly attached to the Septennial Act, although it was a Whig measure of an old date."
Mr. Crawford—" Will you supportadditional endowment to the Church of Scotland?"
The Lord Advocate—" Nothing certainly can be so proper as that question. It is a question on which every constituency ought to have an answer. I am a member of that Church, and sincerely attached to it, and will support it in its integrity : but additional endowments is a totally different question. With re- gard to towns, the case has received the fullest investigation, and I think no case has been made out that will justify additional endowments ; and I think the Church of Scothunl will best thrive keeping her endowment as it is, and grafting upon it something of the Voluntary principle."
In the course of his speech Mr. Rutherfurd declared himself favour- able to a free trade in corn, but thought that the cause had been injured by the " precipitancy " of its advocates ; and, as the Glasgow Argus remarks, though opposed to additional endowments, he is yet prepared to support the Church in retaining many odious privileges. Mr. Rutherford will suit Sir Robert Peel quite as well as Lord John Russell, and may be Lord Advocate under a moderate Conservative Govern- ment. Whatever his merits as a Scotch lawyer may be, he seems a shabby exchange for Mr. Murray as a Liberal politician.
The Ayrshire election commenced on Monday, and terminated on Tuesday, in the return of Lord lielburne, the 1 ory candidate. The final numbers were—
For Lord Kelhurne 1758 Mr. Campbell 1296 Mr. Craig 46
At the contest in 1837, there polled for
Dunlop 1559 Kelburne . . 1370 Thus it appears that the Whigs have lost 263 votes, and the Tories gained 388. So much for "keeping out the Tories."
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