THE WEEK'S ELECTIONS.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
Behold ! another notch for the Tory score, already formidable enough. The party at Cambridge who espoused Mr. GIBSON'S cause
must tax their ingenuity to explain their defeat otherwise than by the bitter truth—that there is no chance for a Whig at a "by-election," if
indeed there be any at a general one. Mr. GIBSON hoists Whig colours " and something more,"—for he will support many measures beyond what are comprised in the Whig creed : yet he is beaten by a majority of 100.
How far the Whig manoeuvres which carried Mr. SPRING RICE'S election have served to corrupt the voters of Cambridge, and thus to prepare them for Tory bribes, it is of no great importance to inquire.
It is enough that no zealous efforts can he relied upon for the purpose of seating a Whig partisan in preference to a Tory one ; for we can- not believe that any portion of the lukewarmness was fairly to be set
down to the score of Mr. GIBSON'S so-called apostacy. A constituency who would accept the Ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer, would hardly be so squeamish. Indeed, the frank and courageous de- portment of Mr. C. t asos was calculated to prove especially cap- tivating, after the eternal shiftiness and fencing with popular prin-
ciples, to which the electors had been forced to submit at the bands of the Whig Minister. A change in a man's political sentiments certainly does not tell in his favour, taken as a general feature in his
public reputation ; but how is it that other men, who have changed as much as the late Member for Ipswich, carry their heads high and defy the imputations of which they are equally deserving? Sir JOHN CAM HOBH0173I:, for instance, and Mr. PouLETT TuomsoN, ei-derant Radi- cals and now Conservatives ; Lord Blew:taw', once a Whig, now the bosom friend of WELLINGTON and LYNDHURST; Lord JOHN RUSSELL,
formerly the apostle of Reform, now its enemy—worse apostacies by far than that of Mr. CI 'MON. But " party" covers these men. The Clubs confederate to protect party sins ; whilst a straggler, wandering forth to
investigate new ideas ; on his own account, not wearing the colours of either section of the 66 official tribe," is hunted as a renegade. Strikingly unjust though this be, it teaches a lesson which is not without profit to the young aspirant for public life. Opinions ought not to be embraced upon trust, unless conscience is first safely laid to sleep. Mr. GinsoN
" leaped" before " looking," as the adage has it, and has paid for his indiscretion. But how Heath inure creditable is his resolution to brave the penalty, than to seek to evade it by striving to adapt his under- standing to Tory dimensions. The election of Mr. Gam for Manchester, it would seem, has been a fearfully near thing; and (which is worthy of remark) Mr. Counts,
whilome a stanch supporter of the Government, fairly washed his hands of MELBOURNE'S connexion, in his address from the hustings. But it is small comfort to behold the Whigs (lying out, whilst nothing
better is seen to rise front their ashes. Like the Genie in the Arabian tales, who could not vanquish its enemy, but, clasping him in a firm embrace, dragged bins down into the sulphureous cavern to perish with itself, so has Whiggery annihilated Radicalism proper.
Whether spurious Radicalism is destined to reign in its stead, is more than we can prophesy. Yet, should the discontent of' the work- ing people ever assume the form of an avenging Democracy, it will have been mainly the work of the educated Radicals, who, by deceiving the expectations of the masses, have lost, as they richly deserved to lose, the power of guiding them to salutary purpose.
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