Mr. Sydney Buxton has not succeeded at Croydon, but he
has 4ucceeded in greatly reducing the Conservative majority, and that without any further help, so far as we can judge, from the Irish vote (which be does not estimate as much above 250) than that which would be naturally produced by the revocation of Mr. Parnell's decree that all Irish voters should vote Con- servative. The Irish electors, in fact, voted as they chose. The result was that the Conservative majority was reduced from 1,169 in November to 747 in January, Mr. Sidney Herbert polling 5,205 votes, against 4,458 given to Mr. Sydney Buxton. Mr. Sydney Buxton did not, as has been said, accept Home- rule ; on the contrary, he refused to give any pledge either for or against it. In November the total poll was 9,999. On Wednes- day the total poll was 9,663, so that while the number of those who went to the poll was fewer by only 336, the number of the Conservative majority was reduced by 422. Mr. Sydney Buxton may be fairly congratulated on a very gallant fight.
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