SECOND EDITION. THE MAYORALTY.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2248, 21 July 1870, Page 2

SECOND EDITION. THE MAYORALTY.

The polling took place to day, and excited greater interest than even the last election. The centres of attraction were the committee rooms of the candidates, whose very contigaity occasioned much of the merriment and • banter which was indulged in. Of course there were the usual concomitants of a con* tested election—periodical “ states of the poll,” in huge black letters, and only remarkable for gross exaggeration as to (the

majority of the candidate whose supporters those who issued them were ; and lampoons of almost inconceivable descriptions, but the reverse of artistic. Each of the principal candidates secured the services of a trumpeter, who certainly well earned the fee, for each succeeded in making most discordant noises during the day. The retirement of Mr Reynolds took place early in the forenoon, a telegram announcing the fact having been sent to Mr E. B. Cargill. Mr Reynolds’s absence from the City has operated against his chances of election, and if he had been here there is little doubt he would have run the others close. The contest, which it need hardly be said, has been between Messrs Griffen and Fish from the commencement, was rendered more keen by Mr Reynolds’s retirement, and each party claimed it as being in their favor, although wo are doubtful if under the circumstances it made any appreciable difference to either. When the result of the poll was .made known at a quarter past 5 o’clock, there must have been close upon 2,500 persons present in Water street, to hear the declaration which was made by the Town Clerk as follows : Fish 759 Griffen ... ... ... 724 Millar 54 Reynolds 28 The following is the voting in the several wards : South High Bell Leith Ward. Ward. Ward. Ward. Fib ... 157 275 185 172 Griffen ... IGS 231 179 149 Millar ... 2 20 II 21 Totals... 324 526 375 342 The following shows the number of votes polled on the occasion of the last three contested elections. On July 22, 1869, there were four candidates, who polled as follows : Harris, 340; Turner, 273; Birch, 200 ; Millar, 101 ; total, 914. On April 20, 1868, there were three candidates, who polled as follows :—Birch, 403; Driver, 377 ; Grant, 57 ; total, 837. Last year the numbers polled were—Birch, 568 ; Fish, 514 ; Dods, 74; Millar, 38; total, 1194, out of 2430 electors on the roll. This year there were 2497 on the roll.