478 THE BRITISH ISLES. 



The origin of tho Houso of Commons is lost in the darkness of the Middle 

 Ages, but it is almost universally admitted that the third estate was summoned 

 to the councils of the nation for llic first time in 12G1. Simon do Montfort, in 

 his struggle with Henry III., felt constrained to seek allies amongst the towns, 

 whose representatives were subsequently invited to take their seats by the side of 

 the peers and great ecclesiastics in I'arliament. The Commons have not lost ground 

 since that period, and at the present time they virtually hold the reins of govern- 

 ment, not directly, but through a council of ministers. The House does not, 

 indeed, dictate the names of the ministers to the sovereign ; but inasmuch as the 

 existence of a Cabinet is dependent on the possession of a majority in the 

 House of Commons, the wishes of the latter have to be considered in the 

 appointments made by the Crown. Parliament is summoned by the sovereign, 

 and may be prorogued or dissolved by him. It meets annually, and although its 

 normal duration is fixed at seven years, it has not once haj^pened, since the union 

 with Ireland, that the House of Commons has died a natural death. 



The House of Lords consists of peers who occupy their seats by here- 

 ditary right, by creation of the sovereign, by virtue of office — as in the case 

 of the English bishops — or as elected representatives of the peerage of Scotland 

 and Ireland. The House of Peers takes precedence of the House of Commons, and 

 the royal "speech " or message is read within it, the peers being seated, whilst the 

 Commons, headed by their Speaker, attend below the bar. For many years 

 the peers looked upon the House of Commons as a sort of dependency to their own 

 House, in which they found place for their younger sons, relatives, and dependants ; 

 but the Lower House, having acquired the exclusive right of voting the supplies, 

 is now at least equal to it in importance. 



The executive power is nominally vested in the Crown, but practically 

 exercised by a Cabinet, or committee of ministers, appointed by the sovereign. 

 The "leader," or recognised chief of the most powerful party in the House of 

 Commons, is, as a rule, summoned to fill the ofiice of First Lord of the Treasur}^, or 

 Prime Minister, and he selects his colleagues amongst those members of the two 

 Houses who are friendly to his views. Every Cabinet, in addition to the First 

 Lord, includes the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Chan- 

 cellor of the Exchequer, and the Secretaries of State. As a rule, however, several 

 other ministerial functionaries have seats in the Cabinet, those most frequently 

 admitted being the Chief Commissioner of Works and Buildings, the Chancellor of 

 the Duchy of Lancaster, the First Lord of the Admiralty, the President of the 

 Board of Trade, the Postmaster-General, the Chief Secretarj'' for Ireland, and the 

 President of the Local Government Board. Numerically this Cabinet is stronger 

 than that of any other state whose constitution is modelled upon that of England ; 

 but the traditions of an ancient kingdom and the needs of a widespread colonial 

 empire amply account for this. The Privy Council consists of a large body of men 

 of high birth and eminence, sworn to " truly and impartially advise " the sovereign ; 

 but the functions formerly exercised by it have devolved upon the Cabinet or the 

 Judicial Committee, and it is now very rarely that the Council is assembled to 



