PARLIAMENT* 



24. Statute 10 George III. c. 50; 4 

 George III. c. 33. 



It is one of the privileges of the Peers 

 to be entitled to vote by proxy, and also 

 to enter a protest against any bill to 

 which they may dissent. But all money 

 bills must commence with the Commons ; 

 and it is now the custom, if any altera- 

 tion is made by the Lords in a money 

 bill, for the commons to reject it and 

 bring in another, even though the new 

 bill should contain the regulation pro- 

 posed by the Lords. 



The House of Commons is a denomi- 

 nation given to the lower house of Parlia- 

 ment. In a free state, every man who is 

 supposed a free agent, ought to be in 

 borne measure his own governor, and 

 therefore a branch at least of the legisla- 

 tive power should reside in the whole 

 body of the people. In elections for re- 

 presentatives for Great Britain, ancient- 

 ly, all the people had votes ; but King 

 Henry VI. to avoid tumults, first appoint- 

 ed that none should vote for knights but 

 such as were freeholders, did reside in 

 the county, and had forty shillings year- 

 ly revenue. In so large a state as ours, 

 therefore, it is very wisely contrived that 

 the people should do that by their re- 

 presentatives, which it is impracticable 

 to perform in person ; representatives 

 chosen by a number of minute and se- 

 parate districts, wherein all the voters are, 

 or may be, easily distinguished. The coun- 

 ties are therefore represented by knights, 

 elected by the proprietors of lands ; the 

 cities and boroughs are represented by 

 citizens and burgesses, chosen by the 

 mercantile, or supposed trading interest 

 of the nation. 



The peculiar laws and customs of the 

 House of Commons, relate principally to 

 the raising of taxes, and the elections of 

 members to serve in Parliament. 



The method of making laws is nearly 

 the same in both houses. In the House 

 of Commons, in order to bring in the 

 bill, if the relief sought be of a private 

 nature, it is first necessary to prefer a 

 petition, which must be presented by a 

 member, and usually sets forth a grievance 

 required to be remedied, This petition, 

 when founded on facts of a disputable 

 nature, is referred to a committee of 

 members, who examine^ the matter al- 

 leged, and accordingly report it to the 

 house ; and then (or otherwise upon the 

 mere petition), leave is given to bring- in 

 the bill. In public matters, the bill is 

 brought in upon motion made to the 



VOL. v. 



house, without any petition. If the bill 

 begin in the House of Lords, if of a pri- 

 vate nature, it is referred to two judges, 

 to make report. After the second read- 

 ing, the bill is said to be committed, that 

 is, referred to a committee, which is se- 

 lected by the house, in matters of small 

 importance ; or, upon a bill of conse- 

 quence, the house resolves itself into a 

 committee of the whole house ; a com- 

 mittee of the whole house is composed 

 of every member, and to form it the 

 Speaker quits the chair, and may conse- 

 quently sit and debate upon the merits 

 of it as a private member, another mem- 

 ber being appointed chairman for the 

 time. In these committees the bill is 

 usually debated clause by clause, amend- 

 ments made, and sometimes it is entirely 

 new modelled. Upon the third reading, 

 further amendments are sometimes made, 

 and if a new clause be added, it is done 

 by tacking a separate piece of parchment; 

 on the bill, which is called a rider. The 

 royal assent may be given two ways. 1. 

 In person, when the King comes to the 

 House of Peers, in his crown and royal 

 robes, and sending for the Commons to 

 the bar, the titles of all the bills that 

 have passed both houses are read, and 

 the King's answer is declared by the 

 clerk of the Parliament. If the King- 

 consent to a public bill, the clerk usual- 

 ly declares, le Roy le veut, the King wills 

 it so to be ; if to a private bill, soit fait 

 comme il est desire, be it as it is desired. 

 If the King refuse his assent, it is in the 

 gentle language of le Boy s'avisera, the 

 King will advise upon it. When a bill of 

 supply is passed, it is carried up and pre- 

 sented to the King by the Speaker of the 

 House of Commons, and the royal assent 

 is thus expressed, le Roy remercie ses loyal 

 stijets, accepte leur benevolence, et aussi le 

 veut, the King thanks his loyal subjects, 

 accepts their benevolence, and also wills 

 it so to be. By the statute 33 Henry 

 VIII. c. 21, the King may *ive his assent 

 by letters patent under his great seal, 

 signed with his hand, and notified in 

 his absence to both houses assembled to- 

 gether in the upper house. And when, 

 the bill has received the royal assent in 

 either of these ways, it is then, and not 

 before, a statute or act of parliament. 



An act of parliament thus made, is the 

 exercise of the highest authority that this 

 kingdom acknowledges upon the earth. 

 It has power to bind every subject in the 

 land, and the dominions thereunto be- 

 longing ; nay even the King himself if 

 particularly named therein, And it can- 



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