Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-01-20

putty, as twas hrought,li,ier from Ger
| many, where II seems 10 have been eSta-
| blished by imnemorial custom before
! that time. During the Saxon government.
The witlenagamot or assembly ofwise men,
was regularly established, as well during
The continuation of the ieptarchy, n, at
Ter the whole kingdom had become uni
ted info one government under Egbert.--
| lie voters for the members of that ;ls-
sembly cannot he traced with positive
| certainty, but il is generally understood,
that they consisted of nobility, the digni-
| ned clergy, and all freeholders possessing
certain portion Of land. The wttcna-
gamot constituted The legislative depart
ment. The imdicia! Il partmeni also con-
sisted of ireelloders, who constituted the
| county courts, and promptly decided in
biennial meetings, all legal controversies
brought before them. This form, of gov
! eminent continued with very lille yaria-
ton till the Norman conquest. which hap
pend in the year l066. William the con-
queror and his immediate successors, en-
| deavored 10 establishabsolute monarchy;
TO exilrpafe the last ,csiige of Saxon liber-
ty, andas one mean of eifecting this object,
the Saxon language. They seldom con-
vened the legislative body, till the long
and weak reign of Henry the I'D: when
frequent occurrences were had 10 the ex-
| petlient OF calling il under the name of
Parliament" 10 relieve the exigrucirs of
the state. The Barens having rebrlled,
and placed the Earl of Leicester at their
head in 1864; the fate of the battle of
Lues, placed the king and his son Ed
| ward in the hands of The Barons; after
which event the Earl, usurping the royal
authority issued writs of election for
new parliament III 1865: and ordered re-
| turns 10 be made, not only of two knights
| from every Shire, bu, also ofdepuiies from
the boroughs. This is the first instance
IN the British history, of the introduction
! OF hurSesses IN the parliament. But The
battle OF Eveshaln, having proved fatal to
the BaroDs, aud the royal authority being
againrestorcd, this precedent, introduced
! by an usurper, was not deemed legitimate,
and the practice under it was discontinued
until the year 1895, the 23d Of the reign
OF Edward The lst; when writs of cleo
ton were issued for new parliament and
| deputies from the boroughs, were again
authorised to be elected to parliameni.t
| This then may be considered as the first
period, at which the British house of com
mons was organized upon its present
| principles. From that time, the elections
| of the knights from the slires by free
holders; and of the burgesscs from the
boroughs by houSeheepers, or in the more
homely language of cur English ances-
tors, by the pot-6o'{ers, have constituted
the British house of commons; afiiording
an experience OF more than FIVE hundred
years of the tendencies and effects of
these two principles of election 1t is here
worthy of remark, that Leicester assign
| cd as reason for inviting the bureesses
into parliament, that'he relied upon then,
| TO protect him against the Barons, and
the landed interest generally, and of
course TO support him in his usurpation
| which he apprehended would not be done
by the sturdy, independent land-holders,
and that the same consideration influen-
ced the conduct of Edward in resortine
| TO tlie same expedient. Hence ii appears.
that the real object of both in calling i'm
the burgesses, was not TO enlarge the lib
critics of the people but to use them as
| nj instruments TO support and enlarge the
| prerogatives OF the crown, and the uni
form tendency of the measure for more
than five hundred years, has fully justi-
ned the expectation and policy of both.
For so long as the British crown was sup
| ported by the doctrine of prerogatives,
the burgesses were always found the rea-
! dy Instruments for its protection and ex-
and extension ofpapercredit, the preroga-
tive system yielded 10 ministerial Influence
and corruption these same burgesses
have been found the ready and willing IN
struments IN the hands of the ministers for
supporting them III all their measures,
| boweverwicked& despotIc; and however
destructive to- the interests or the liberties
OF the people /; whilst the landed interest
or the delegates elected by The freehold
| ers, have been the only supporters and
preseryers of the remnants OF liberties
now enjoyed by the British people; as
well against the prerogatives of The crown
as against The substituted system of min
isterlaI influence and corruption. Hence
also arose the distinction between the
country and court parties. Such is the
| THE writer has not had access TO the oriri-
| mai writ, issued by Edward the FIRST for sum
| moning this celebrated Parliament, and cannot
tell whether the qualifications of the voters for
| knights and burgPSSes To the House of Com
| mons were speCncd in the body of the writ -
| IL is probable thar the qualifications of the
| voters for knights were not ms thew depended
upon custom. But it would seem that the
quaihcdti0ns OF the voters for buTgesses must
| necessarily have been expressed in the wri,
Itself because the new principle was an in
noyation upon the former custom and conld
NOT nave been known without such specifca-
| tloh. Bnt the substance of the writ consisted
IN enJoining the sheriffs to send to Parliament
along with two knights of the shire, two depn.
| ties from each borough within their county,
Prorided ,cHh Sufficient powers(ron their eoB,mI.
nuy, TO consent 10 wdt iPUies should seel neeessa.
| rytor The support Of the government. At this
PERIOD, The sole province ofthe British House
| OF Commons was to grant aids TO the CROWN
| IL was not then invested with any other polifi-
cal powers. The nature aud extent ofsucll
AIDS were generally determined by the electors
az the time OF making the election aud The