roprietors of the _Daily
Post_, contested East Staffordshire against Mr. Allsopp, but he only
obtained 2,893 votes, as against Mr. Allsopp's 3,630.

1873, Oct. 18.--Soon after recovery of health Mr. Bright returned to his
seat, and being appointed to the office of the Chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster, was re-elected in due course.

1874, Jan. 30.--No opposition was made to the re-election of Messrs.
Bright, Dixon, and Muntz.

1876, June 27.--Mr. Joseph Chamberlain was elected without opposition on
the resignation of Mr. Dixon.

1880, March 31.--Though free from all the rioting and possible bloodshed
that would have attended such an occasion a hundred years ago, the
election of 1880 was the most exciting and hardest-fought battle between
the two great political parties of the town yet recorded in local
history. The candidates were Messrs. John Bright, Joseph Chamberlain and
Philip Henry Muntz, the previous members and nominees of the Liberal
Association, and Major Burnaby and the Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe,
Conservatives. There were 139 polling stations, and no less than 47,776
out of the 63,398 persons whose names were on the register, recorded
their votes under the protection of the Ballot Act of 1870, now first
brought into use at a Parliamentary election. The usual courtesies (!)
appertaining to political contests were indulged in to considerable
extent, and personalities of all sorts much too freely bandied about,
but the election altogether passed off in the most creditable manner.
The returns of the polling stood thus--

Philip Henry Muntz..... 22,803}
John Bright............ 21,986} Returned.
Joseph Chamberlain..... 19,476}
Major Burnaby.......... 15,716
Hon. A.C.G. Calthorpe 14,270

An analysis of the polling issued by the Mayor about a week after the
election showed that 16,098 voters supported the Conservative candidates
and 33,302 the Liberals. Deducting the 2,004 who "split" their votes
between the parties, and 380 whose papers were either rejected or not
counted as being doubtful, the total gives 47,396 as the actual number
whose votes decided the election. As a curiosity and a puzzle for future
politicians, the Mayor's analysis is worth preserving, as here
re-analysed:--

PLUMPERS.

Calthorpe only .. .. 42
Burnaby only .. .. 164 206
Chamberlain only .. .. 50
Muntz only .. .. 199