Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-30
PARLIAMENTs OF THE PAST.
Notable Ones In English History
and Work They Did.
Pail Mall aaIolto.l

Pail Mall GaEotto.l
One Of the longest sessions Of Par
lament in English history will ter.
minate on Saturday. 1t is indeed
amusing to compare its length, not
only with that offormer sessions, but
OF former parliaments in their en-
tirety. The most famous Of short
Parliaments is hal which deposed
Richard III, thus laying the memoir
able constitutional precedent after
ward followed with benefit to the ma
ton in 1869. 1t is true the Conven-
ton Parliament did not technically
depose james III, having decided that
tho fugitive King had abandoned, but
it could not be pretended that the in
FAINT Prince of Wales-the "Old Pre-
teusIer"-had abdicated his rights, so
that Parliament virtually effected the
transfer Of the crown from the legiti.
mate head to another head-a perfectly
legitimate one, but only so by virtue
Of the new law of the land.
Prorogations were not much re-
sorted to in the olden time, and for
the simplest Of reasons. Till the
House of Common became a power
it was immaterial whether Parliament
was ~prorogued or dissolved. In what
was then, in reality as well as title, the
upper chamber, the component ele-
ments remained essentially the same,
and the King, having got as much
money as he could out of Parliament,
thought it best to put an end to its
existence altogether. Henry Wits
first Parliament met on the 2lst Of
January, 1910, and was dissolved on
the 23d Of February following. HIS
next Parliament, however, lasted no
less than two years and one month. By
and by we come to what may be called
the Reformation Parliament. 1t met
on the I'd Of November, 1880, and was
| only dissolved on the 4th Of April,
1886. The Sd Of November is a nota-
Bile date. Exactly 1l0 years later met
the Long Parliament, the expressed
purpose of whose members was to
complete the work of their ancestors
who met in 1880. After dissolvine
the Parliament that had helped him
Ito break the bonds Of Rome" as the
mild Gray puts it, the majestic lord
summoned another Parliament, which
met on the 9Th of juno, 1886, and
was dissolved on the 18th Of the fol.
lowing mouth. The pastors and mas.
tiers Of Edward VI summoned tive
Parliaments in his name. The frs
lasted four years and a half, the SEQ,
ond exactly thirty days, March | tC
March 81, 1853. Mary's first Parlia
ment lasted two months and q day. Il
her reign Of little more than five year
Mary summoned five Parliaments
According to Hallam, her government
/ was the first which recognized tn
growing Importance of the House Q
, Commons, and sought to influence j
! in various ways-chiehy by the cres
tion of constituencies under order
from the Crowd; in other words, rot
ten boroughs.
5 During a reign which extended
t its forty fifth year, Elizabeth convoke
+, nine Parliaments in all. The loDge'
? was that Of 1872, which lasted till 1885,
or about fourteen years and a bal
One OF the shortest, if not the yer
shortest, assembled on Monday, til
e I'd Of April, 1871 and dissolved on tn
10Th Of May following. 1t was on til
opening day Of the said Parliamer
T that the Queen, speaking from be
4 regal seat" willed the Lord Chance
s lor (Sir Nicholas, father of Franc.
t Bacon), to show the cause OF its al
b sembling. Thereupon the Lord Char
!. cellor spoke, and declared that th.
assembly Of Parliament was for thrC
causes called, namely, for the glory
Almighty God, for the health an
preservation Of Her Majesty, and f
: the welfare Of the common veal,
The welfare Of the state evident
/, came second in the mind Of the gO'
1 eminent to the comfort of the Queen
Majesty, or Highness, or Grace,
Elizabeth was indifferently callel
james | gave a length Of nearly 81
years to his first Parliament--to Il
second of two months and a day, Il
- evil presidents have force. jam
said he found in it "a kind Of beas
called undertakers." Undertakes,
< modern English, meant managers
n parties. In fact, there was in the Pa
|. lament Of 1914, for the first time,
regularly constituted opposition
James fourth and last Parliamen
was dissolved by his death, after an e.
a istence Of thirteen months. Charlie
fourth and last was not dissolved by h
death, not merely because We wei
n then in full revolution, but becaul
n the Long Parliament had induced hi
to pass q law which forbade the dissi
n luton, Of the then sitting ParliameI
a without its own consent. CromWe
summoned two Parliaments, neither
(which sat long. Richard Cromwell
Parliament lasted nearly three month
l. Monks restored the monarchy and Il
n House Of Lords in few days, aud su
viVed several months after this extrI
Il ordinary feat. 1t was succeeded !
the longest Of our Parliaments, aft
h that emphatically called the Lon
n having met on May 8, 1861, aud bee
dissolved on January "a, 1879. 1t WI
4 also called the Pensionary Parliamen
from the number ofgentlement sittir
therein who considered 1t QuixOtic
serve their country for naught.
The Convention Parliament settle
our constitution in It's broad outline
(without clearly understanding wh'
4 II vas about in a lite over twelV
/ months. It's dissolution was an ide
more or less bright, Of Williams Owl
He felt worried BY the intrigues
! the two parties, and one februaI
4 morningin 1900 went down and tol
the Commons he had no further nee
n OF fhoif attendance fowafd The ciol
i of 1894 William passed the tfiennii