Two by-elections have come off this week, in the Cleveland Division of Yorkshire and the East Toxteth Division of Liverpool, and there is another pending in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The two olestions decided have made no change in the Government majority, a Liberal succeeding to a Liberal in Cleve-Jand and a Conservative to a Conservative in Liverpool; but in each case the Liberals can fairly' claim a "moral victory," as in one they have reduced the Unionist majority from about 2,000 to Jess than 400, and in the other increased the Liberal majority by some six hundred. In the Cleveland Division the fight was mainly over the Education Bill; but the fall in the Unionist majority in the Liver-Be attributed to strong feelings aroused 1 division is largely if not mainly to
over the Ritual question, Mr. Taylor, the Conservative candidate, is an' ardent Protestant, who has taken a very acti rt in the local crusade against utu: ism, and his selection as candidate was strongly opposed by a section of the Conservatives, including High Churchmen and Roman Catholics, on this account. It is believed that some of the more extreme members of this section went to the length of voting against Mr. Taylor, and there is no doubt that many of them abstained from voting altogether.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.