An Election Anecdote. 9 



pony, they carried liini to the doctor. A full 

 charge of shot was taken out of his head, and 

 afterwards shown to him in a wine-glass ; but 

 one shot that had lodged in his right hand 

 (which had been in a line with the hole in the 

 hat) was not noticed at the time, and it still 

 remains there. 



At one of the Hampshire elections, when 

 Sir H. Mildmay and Mr. Chute were candi- 

 dates, Mr. Smith was an active canvasser on 

 their behalf, and Tom had an op23ortunity of 

 seeing of what stuff the ^'independent elector" 

 was then made. Of course, such things are 

 out of date now. An Alton butcher named 

 Boswell had promised his vote, and Mr. Smith 

 went, accompanied by Tom, in a carriage to 

 convey him to the poll; but they found 

 another carriage at the butcher's door, and 

 learnt, without surprise, that he had j)romised 

 the other party also. Each canvasser, it ap- 

 peared, had '' staked money on his head," and 

 an edifying dialogue ensued. At last it was 



