MEMOIR OF COLONEL DAVID AilLNE HOME 167 



Soon a door was opened, of which Captain Milne Home 

 availed himself to step into the political arena. A man of 

 his high character and standing, antecedents, and local 

 connection being "on the spot," it was natural, indeed 

 inevitable, that local politicians should be anxious to secure 

 his services. 



Accordingly at the general election of 1874, he came 

 forward in the Conservative interest, and was elected as M.P. 

 for Berwick-upon-Tweed, jointly with Sir Dudley Coutts 

 Marjoribanks, Bart., a Liberal, who afterwards became first 

 Baron Tweedmouth. 



Remaining in Parliament till the general election of 1880, 

 he failed to obtain a renewal of confidence from his notoriously 

 fickle constituency ; whose sufi"rages, however, nothing daunted, 

 he again wooed in the same year, a vacancy in the representation 

 occurring through the elevation of the Hon. Henry Strutt to 

 the peerage, in succession to his father. Lord Belper. This 

 time he did win the seat, but by the " skin of his teeth," 

 being returned, by two votes only, over Mr John MacLaren, Lord 

 Advocate for Scotland during Mr Gladstone's administration. 

 An election petition followed, which was heard at Berwick 

 before Judges Hawkins and Lopez, for whose accommodation 

 the present writer vacated his house, suitable " judges' 

 lodgings" not being procurable elsewhere. Leading Counsel 

 were for Milne Home, John Charles Day ; for MacLaren, 

 Alfred Wills, both of whom, afterwards, became eminent 

 judges. The result of the petition was not altogether in 

 accordance with the expectations of its promoters, the majority 

 for Milne Home, instead of disappearing, being slightly 

 increased. 



The political connection of the re-seated member with the 

 ancient Border Borough continued till 1885, when, after having 

 sent representatives of its own to Parliament since 1482 (and 

 to the Scottish Parliament previously) it was ingloriously 

 merged into a political division of the county of Northum- 

 berland. 



During his Parliamentary connection with Berwick, David 

 Milne Home, who was regarded as a model representative, 

 having earned the respect and esteem of all parties alike, 

 succeeded on July Ist 1881, to the command of his regiment, 



