If this change can be effected, the gain to the poor in Ireland will be incalculable.

LEEDS ELECTION.-Miss LOUISA CARBUTT and Miss GERTRUDE WILSON were nominated as candidates. When the result of the election was first made known, it was declared that both ladies had been defeated, Miss Carbutt by only two votes. Subsequently, however, a scrutiny of the votes was ordered; they were re-counted, and the result is the announcement that both ladies are elected.

ISLINGTON.- Miss VARLEY was elected.

HOLBORN.-Miss AGNES GARRETT was elected.

HAMPSTEAD. We regret to announce that the effort to secure a bona fide elective Board of Guardians in Hampstead, failed, as the new candidates were all defeated; Miss Rees, however, obtained the highest number of votes of any of the non-elected candidates, which affords good hope that next year the poor of Hampstead may be more fortunate, and may have one or more ladies on the Board.

BRIGHTON.-There was a sharp contest at Brighton, but, unfortunately, it resulted in the defeat of the lady candidate. Mrs. Haycraft received a large number of

votes.

SHERE.-Miss SPOTTISWOODE was re-elected for Shere, near Guildford.

HUDDERSFIELD.-A lady, Miss Emily Frances Siddon, who is a landowner, has just been returned as Guardian for Honley in the Union of Huddersfield.

SALFORD BOARD OF GUARDIANS.-This Board held its weekly meeting on May 5th, at which it was resolved to apply to the Local Government Board to have the elections of Guardians in that union held triennially instead of annually, as at present. The Clerk then read a letter from the Local Government Board, with regard to an application for the sanction of that Board to the appointment of a Ladies' Visiting Committee, the members of which should occasionally visit the women and children in the workhouse. The Local Government Board set forth that if the Guardians thought it desirable that the women and children should be visited occasionally by ladies, it was competent for them to

make such arrangements as they thought proper for facilitating such visits. At the same time the Board did not think such a committee should be constituted in the formal manner proposed, and no formal sanction would be given to the proposal.-The CHAIRMAN said this letter meant that the Local Government Board saw no objection at all to ladies visiting the women and children in the workhouse, but objected to a committee being appointed. The matter was referred to the House Committee.

LONDON UNIVERSITY.

May 10th was presentation day at the University of London, and the theatre in Burlington Gardens was densely crowded. The occasion was rendered doubly interesting, as it was the first time that the lady graduates appeared in full academical costume. Several young ladies obtained prizes, and all the presentees, but especially the women candidates, were vociferously cheered by their fellow collegians. The Master of the Rolls, Sir G. Jessel, in calling attention to the great prosperity of the University, said that the admission of women to their degrees had greatly swollen the rising tide of success. He did not venture to say their female graduates would always compare so favourably with men as they had hitherto done. It might have been that those who had been waiting so long for the due meed of their studies had been intellectually the flower of their sex. He regretted that they could not carry their academical costume, which they now wore for the first time, into the drawing room, where it might aid them in attaining an object which, notwithstanding graduation, he supposed was still dear to the female heart.

HALL OF RESIDENCE FOR WOMEN.-A letter from Miss Müller in the Times last month referred to Lady Wentworth's letter, reprinted in our last number, and says:

It is the intention of those interested in the subject of the meeting at the Langham Hotel to open a hall of residence, primarily in connexion with University College, which will differ materially from the institution in Tavistock Square, to which she refers, and from any other similar house of residence. One of the advantages is that, in order to facilitate study, each student will be accommodated with

a separate room, as at Girton College. There will also be other special advantages to which public attention will be drawn in due course, and which cannot be offered elsewhere. An active committee of persons interested in the education of women is developing the details of the scheme; but I have said enough to show that we stand on an entirely different footing from the association which Lady Wentworth mentions, and that we do not desire to injure existing interests.

MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE IN SCOTLAND.

A series of meetings are being held in Edinburgh for the purpose of calling attention to the new Act. The first was held on April 25th, in M'Laren's Academy, Hamilton Place, Stockbridge. Councillor Somerville occupied the chair, and he was accompanied to the platform by Miss Wigham, Miss Burton, Miss Kirkland, and Miss Flora Stevenson. The Chairman said the purpose of the meeting was to promote the movement for the extension of the Parliamentary franchise to women, and also to give further publicity to the fact that in November next the Act comes into operation entitling women to vote at municipal elections. During the past thirty years they had two extensions of the franchise; twenty-seven years ago the municipal boundaries were extended, and the constituency was of course enlarged; then came the reduction of the qualification to vote from a £10 to practically a household suffrage. Previous to that the only functionaries they had beyond the then municipal boundary were the Police Commissioners, who were charged with the cleaning and lighting of the town-his venerable colleague, Councillor Crighton, was a member of the Commission. Now they were to have a reduction in a horizontal direction-all women householders who paid poor-rates would have the right to elect Town Councillors. That would add about 30 per cent. to the constituency, which at present numbers 28,894, and in November will be 36,606, being an addition of 7,712. Regarding the distribution of these voters in the different wards he received a statement from the Burgh Assessor showing the number of male and female electors who will then be entitled to vote. In Calton Ward, 1,692 male and 324 female voters; in Broughton, 1,458 male and 477 female voters; in St. Bernard's, 1,608 male and 501 female voters; St.

George's, 1.723 male and 780 female voters; St. Stephen's, 979 male and 489 female voters; St. Luke's, 967 male and 288 female voters; St. Andrew's, 1,090 male and 268 female voters; Canongate, 3,132 male and 430 female voters; St. Giles', 2,422 male and 375 female voters; St. Cuthbert's, 3,868 male and 569 female voters; George Square, 3,051 male and 978 female voters: St. Leonard's, 3,825 male and 618 female voters; Newington, 3,809 male and 1,615 female voters. That was a great addition to the voting strength of the city. Women had now obtained a considerable amount of their demands for political justice; they had got the right to vote for elections for school boards and for parochial boards, and as women had now got the municipal franchise, he believed these were the earnest to the extension of the Parliamentary franchise also; and it would have a beneficial effect, for they would get a larger and better choice of candidates.

In the course of a paper which Miss Kirkland read on the obligations of citizenship, she said that women, being without the Parliamentary vote, were treated as if they had no interest in the institutions of the country. Take, for instance, the question of Disestablishment. She was not there to argue the matter, though, speaking personally as a warm adherent of her beloved Church, she would like to have something to say in defence of that which she regarded as a bulwark of the State, more especially since it had been given as a fact that the patronage of the Church of Scotland was actually in the hands of women, the majority of females being far in advance of the males.

A resolution in favour of claiming the Parliamentary suffrage for women was adopted.

The second district meeting was held on May 2nd, in the Chalmers Institute, Penton Street Hall. Councillor Walcot occupied the chair. Miss Wigham, Miss Simpson, and Miss Burton were among the speakers, and a similar resolution was passed. On the motion of Dr. Agnes McLaren, a cordial vote of thanks was awarded to Councillor Walcot.

The third meeting was on May 9th, in Duncan Street, Newington, Baillie Colston in the chair. The same re

solutions were adopted, and another expressing sympathy with Lady Frederick Cavendish for the very trying circumstances in which she is placed, and with Mr. Gladstone and his Government on account of their painful position. The next meeting was appointed to be in Buccleuch Hall.

The Daily Review says of these meetings:

The District meetings being held in Edinbugh in connection with the women franchise question have a special interest for town councillors and aspirants to civic dignities. The November election will be notable as marking the beginning of the exercise of power of a largely increased electorate. The right of women to vote in the municipal election means that the constituency is enlarged 30 per cent., and as experience has shown that it is only on rare occasions that anything approaching the full poll of the ratepayers is made, it will be seen that in some of the wards, at least, the ladies will be able, if not to completely control, at least to powerfully influence the elections. In School Board contests the lady voters have distinguished themselves for a patriotic discharge of their responsibilities, and it is not likely that their interest in municipal administration will be less keen, or that their duty will be less faithfully discharged. The ladies will, if they choose, be able to very materially change the composition of the Town Council, and the interesting question which presents itself now is the direction in which they will exert their influence, and by what means they will seek to make their power felt. One fact assured is that the women's vote will be on the side of economical administration, so far as that is in harmony with the carrying out of much-needed improvements and of sanitary reform. We may also expect that they will give an urgently-required stimulus to the party in the Council who strive in every legitimate way to promote good government by diminishing temptation to evil and increasing facilities for healthy amusements and recreations. But how are the women to do their preliminary work in the wards? Are the ladies to associate themselves with the ward committees, or are they to keep separate and follow independent courses? That is a double question which is giving others besides interested wire-pullers serious concern at the present time, and an answer will require to be given to it before long. In the meantime we believe the new addition to the constituency is widely regarded with the most cordial satisfaction, and the district meetings arranged ought, as they are expected, to revive a lively and intelligent interest in questions affecting our municipal government.

THE TEACHERS' CONFERENCE AT SHEFFIELD.

There was a large attendance of teachers and educationalists at the late conference, which was the most important of the sittings, the subjects of discussion being the new code and over-pressure. Mr. Sykes (president of the conference) occupied the chair. Mrs.