THE VOTE OF CENSURE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sra,—The shock of "moral defeat" which appears to have re- sulted in London from the Government majority of sixty,—for it is not fair to the Conservatives to credit, or discredit, them with the Irish vote,—has not been experienced here. We shall learn all about it from the Spectator. Meanwhile, may I send you our actual experience P An excellent Conservative friend of mine, a farmer, had met the train which brought down the London papers on Wednes- day, and I sent to him for the division. The reply was briefly, "Don't know." My only remaining resource was in my gar- dener. He is a keen Liberal, waiting for his vote. But I knew the urgent claims of those two rows of celery and the kidney beans ; and it was in much doubt that Tasked "if Tom (his son) could be spared to go to Bromyard "—four stiff miles distant— for a paper." Tom was off like a shot, back an hour before I expected him, and at work again—which I thought hard lines.
"Twenty-eight !" We were both dismayed at first, and the
wind was obstructive as to opening the paper. Could the Irish have voted with the Government ? No ! they were against us. "Now they can get on with the Reform Bill, it is to be hoped." That was the gardener's view of the situation. This morning I hear the comment of another Liberal also waiting to be en- franchised—" It isn't General Gordon that they care about." But we "live immensely in the country," like Lord Agramont ; "never were in Society, and never will be."—I am, Sir, tirc., F. SIMCOX LEA. Tedetone-Delantere _Rectory, Worcester, May 15th.
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