, 1876-03-31
British Parliament and Peers.

The Parliament of the United King
dom of Great Britain and Ireland is com
posed of four constituent elements-the
King or Queen; and the three estates OF
the realm, viz, the Lords Spiritual, the
Lords Temporal, and the Commons.
These several powers collectively make
the laws that are binding upon the sub
iects of the British Empire. The Lords
Spiritual and Temporal constitute the
House of LOrds-the former consisting of
the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
and twenty-four Bishops of the Church of
England; the latter consisting of: l the
Prince of Wales, Dukes of the blood
royal, 21 Dukes, 1S Marquises, III Earls,
"a Viscounts, PAS Barons, 16 Representa-
tive Peers of Ireland, or 46S mall. There
are also ladies who are peeressesi in their
OVID right. The HouseOf Commons con-
sists of 65s members, viz, 493 returned by
English and Welsh, 60 by Scotch, and
105 by Irish constituencies. The mem
bers of the House of Commons, though
they varied in the past have remained sta
| tionary at the mystical number of 65S
since the union with Ireland at the close
of the last century, and this stationariness
has survived notwithstanding the numer-
Gus and almost fundamental alterations
which had been made in the distribution
of the electoral franchise by the several
reform acts which have been passed dur
ing the century. There is no reason why
658 should be selected rather than any
other fancy number. Thirty or forty
more or thirty or forty fewer members OF
Parliament would not make any percep-
tible difference in the quality or quantity
of the legislative or deliberative acts per
formed by this body. But the whole dis
tribution of political power in this coun-
try is full of curiosities and anomalies,
grown out of traditions or compromise
and fOstered by the conservative instincts
of a slowly-moving population. Prob.
ably 658 is as good as any other fancy
number, and does its work with a sort OF
clumsy method that suits the genius Of
the people. The numbers of the House
of Lords are not restricted. Peerages be.
come dormant from time to time, or die
out, but the gaps made by these natural
processes are more than filled up by new
creations and promotions from lower tC
a higher rank. During the reign of Queer
Victoria no fewer than 146 creations ol
promotions in the House of Lords have
been made. Each Prime Minister seems
to feel bound to tap the fountain of honol
in favor ofhis supporters at the beginning
in the middle, or at the end of his tenure
of office. When Lord Melbourne wa
Prime Minister, at the commencement o.
the Queens reign, a couple of dozer
peerages were authorized. Sir Rober
Peel, between 1S42 and 1S46, was salts
fed with four. Lord Russell, between
1S47 and 1881, and again in 1866, created
twenty; Lord Palmerston, fourteenS Lore
Derby, ten. Mr.. Gladstone, feeling thu
weakness Of his party in the upper House
advised the creation of no less than forty
peers in six years, and Mr.. Disraeli, mo-
to be outdone, has, in the brief periods o,
his two reigns in 1883 and 1S74-5, created
seventeen, and within the last few dayl
he has promoted three of his supporter
and elevated four more-giving him {
round total of four-and-twenty in thre.
years, or an average of eight year. Blu
among his four-and-twenty there are nt
less than three dukes, and no Prime Min
lister except Mr.. Disraeli has ever man
aged more than two. Few, indeed, havl
yentured to aspire. above a plurality O
lyisoounts.-1he~Na ~Naiion.