Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-04-11
The English House of Commons.

China, question in which we ourselves are
directly involved. We have therefore thought
it would not be without interest 10 our readers
80 give brief sketch of the House of Com
mons, its component parts, and tho mode in
which its members are chosen. Parliament
strictly speaking, means the assemblage of the
King, or Queen, the House of Lords and the
House of Commons though the term, in pop
nar speech, is often applied To the lower house
alone. So the three estates are generally sup
posed TO be the Sovereign the House Of Lords,
and the House Of Commons bat this is mis-
take. The three estates are the Lords Spiritn
al, the Lords Temporal and the Commons.
The present Constitution and organization OF
the House of Commons date back to the reform
bill of 1882. The whole number of members
at the present time is six hundred and fifty
eight, of whom five hundred are from England
and Wales, fny-three from Scotland, and one
hundred and five from Ireland From England
and Wales there are one hundred and Gfty-nine
county members, representing fiy-two coun-
ties, aud three hundred and forty-onc members,
representing une hundred and eighty-fve cities,
boroughs and towns from Scotland there are
thirty county members from the same number
Of counties, aud iwenty-three members repre-
.scnting seventy-s cities, boroughs and towns
from ireland there are siXty-i0ur county mem
'bers From thrty-wo counties, and iorty-one
members from thiiy-fUur cities and towns.
Of the English counties, Yorkshire alone
has six members twenty seven others have
-four each, chosen in two divisions seven have
three each, and three have one each The Isle
of Wight returns one. The city of London
returns four; but Westminster Greenwich,
the Tower llamlets, Finsbury, Marylebone,
and Lambeth, which are all parts of the great
metropolis, send two each. The universities
of Cambridge, Oxford and Dublin have two
each.
The reform bill also made great changes in
the elective franchise. The persons qualified
to vote for county members in England are -
l. Persons having freehold interest (hai
is, life interesD in lands or teneiDents TO the
value of forty shillings yearly provided the
voter be in actual possession. But he may
vote though not in actual possession, if his es-
tate have come to him by marriage, devise, in
heriiance, or by virtue of any office. But any
man owning land of the clear yearly value Of
ten pounds may vote whether in occupation or
not;
:. Copyholders, that is persons holding es-
ialos which are parts Of manor, BY copy of
court-roll, whose estates are of the clear yearly
value of ten pounds;
j. Leaseholders, If lessees, or assignees, of
term OF sixty years, of len pounds yearly
values or il of term of twenty years, of fifty
pounds yearly value, whether in occupation or
not but sub-lessee must be in actual occu-
patton. But any tenant of land paying Gfiy
pounds yearly, if in actual occupancy is a vo-
ter. This last clause is said by Miss Marti-
neau in her History of England, to be the
most unfortunate part Of the reform bill, as
tending to perpetuae the power of the great
''"dfe BASIS s0Bsrai,Hny ~nns i,ue III ire
land and Scotland, except as 10 the forty shil-
ling freeholders. The interest must be in lands
OF not less than ten pounds yearly value. But
rights actually in existence at the time Of the
enactment of the RETURN bill were saved Ev-
cry voter must be registered and he must be in
possession or occupation six months in some
holdings and twelve in others, before he can be
registered
The principle Of the above provisions in re-
gard TO electors Of county members is that
they must have some actual interest in the land
or soil, either as owners or lessees. The rich
est merchant manufacturer cannot vote for a
cornty member unless he owns some real estate.
'or has an interest as tenant therein No anount
OF personal property alone will qualify coun-
ty eleclor; the county members, or knights of
the shire, are supposed to represent the landed
interest.
But the great change effected by the reform
bill, so far as the qualifications of electors are
concerned, was in the cities and boroughs.-
There was formerly no uniform basis of sur-
,frage in these, but an endless diversity of claims
and customs, which led to great abuses, and
was one OF the most grievous defects Of the old
system. In general, TIE non-residence of bo.
rough voters was no disqualification and This
caused serious evils. The reform bill swep,
ahs all away, and, with some slight Limitations
and reservations of existing rights, conferred
The right of suffrage throughout the United
Kingdom 10 every householder, whether owner
or tenant, occupying premises of the clear year
ly value of Ten pounds and upwards, provided
he pays parish rates, or scot and lot, and is a
resident OF the place, or within seven miles.
The same rule, substantially, as 10 registra.
tlon, prevails as in the electors of county mem
bers.
The whole population of England and Vale:
IN March, 1851, was seventeen millions nine
hundred and twenty seven thousand six hundred
and nine. But the number of full grown males
was not probably much over four millions. But
ahe entire number of registered voters at The
general election of 1852 was nine hundred and
eighteen thousand six hundred and eghty-three