Chap. X.] THE EOCHESTEE ELECTION. 123 



which the Admiral came from Chatham and spoke strongly in my 

 favour. 



The city was perfectly quiet. The present members received me with 

 every courtesy. Martin spoke of the rows of former times, and said what 

 a fright he was in. He spoke of it with laughter, and said if I did not get 

 in he hoped I would wi-ite another book, as he had bought ' My Grarden,' and 

 was very much pleased with it. Mr. Gtoldsmith was purposely courteous, to 

 show there was no iU feeling. I spoke to Toord and Aveling and the town 

 clerk and Steele, the chairman of the other side. He roared when I told 

 him that I offered a man a sovereign at the last election to cover his house 

 with my bills, to give him a hint as to how he should vote ; but I told him 

 he was afraid of the Bench. We had also a good laugh with the mayor 

 and town council in solemn conclave assembled. There was a question 

 whether I might or might not stop in the council chamber, when I told 

 them perhaps I had better stop, or they would form a committee to oppose 

 my return, which caused the member and some of the council who saw the 

 joke to roar vyith laughter ; but some of the Blues did look blue indeed at 

 having their dignity trifled with. The result of the election is looked 

 upon as a gain for Conservatism, by the manner I have worked the in- 

 dustrial classes ; but I have lost, and there is an end of it. 



Perhaps it may not be out of place here to insert the kind 

 terms ia which Mr. Martin, the Liberal member for Eochester, 

 referred to Mr. Smee in a speech delivered to his constituents 

 shortly after my father's death, for it shows so well the generous 

 nature of Mr. Martin and the entire absence of ill feeling 

 between them. 



Mr. Martin, on rising to address the meeting, was received with a 

 round of applause. He said, before proceeding to the topics of his speech 

 he would do what he felt was only English and manly to do, and that was 

 to refer to one who had just departed this Ufe. The person he meant did 

 not belong to their side, but he had known him many years and had four 

 times contested that city with him. He referred to the late Mr. Alfred 

 Smee. (Applause.) He was a man of great good humour, of pleasant 

 manners, and an able man in his profession. He was affectionate and 

 pleasant in his private life, and although they had fought he hoped they 

 had never interrupted their friendship. (Applause.) Although an oppo- 

 nent, Mr. Smee used to send him a copy of all his new books, and he 

 (Mr. M.) must acknowledge that he was a most formidable opponent. At 

 the last election, by his plucky manner and great good humour, he not 

 only got the votes of nearly every Conservative in the city, but he also 

 got more neutral votes than any other man could have got, and he (Mr. M.) 

 deeply regretted that he had been removed from amongst them. (Loud 

 applause.) 



In 1875, he put forth the hypothesis that the Council for the 

 Koyal College of Surgeons in England should be elected from 

 ^Fellows by seniority of their membership, and not of their Fellow- 

 ship ; and on that principle he offered himself as a candidate for a 



