The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-18
LENGTH or pARLIiMENTS.
The Longest ami shortest SEINE Christ
mas ia, Measures.

~OW ne IOnHNN blOoF.
Tie shortest Parliament ON record :
tha, which on September ~. 1899. depo-ad
Richard II The very act of deposition dis
>olv~d the Parliament and six days later
Henry called together without tho formal
iiy ur an election all the old members. II"
gravelv Ftvled IL new Parliament IN"
fourth Parliament of Charles |. sat only To-
three weeks. and this after the country had
been without the blessings Of represent
tive government for eleven years Bur hrs
nrh Parliament 1;urrd for the breviIy ~
IN" previous ore " sat OF and on for
nineteen years. n Parliament which many.
b.fnr" that time Thought would never have
had beginning and nftcrward that il would
never have al end Opinion. rs We know
differed a. 10 the character OF this renowned
Long Parliament Macaulay declared - -
be entitled 10 our gratitude and revrr"n'-
With" Corbct' described ~ a. the ,Cuurs-
OF the nation
One Of the shortes, lived Of admlnis,ra.
tion- WAS the Ministry Of All the Talents
which oniy lasted thirteen months T. yrts
on February :. 1909. that Grevills formed
his Cabinet. which had 20 include ,h,r!..
james Fox. King George Ill is reported
Ia have said to that unweIcome Minister
Mr. tON. | little thDGght rnat you ana I
should ever meet again in this plac" bu'
hnN" ne desire to look hack upon old grl"'.
anc"- and YOU may rest assured that
died in the following autumn When he
King demanded an assurance that rrr
PTemier souId initiate no measures tor rr,
relief OF the Catholics GreNI,l" re- Gu.o
This action prompted sheridan tu r.ns-f
! have known many fn"n knuCA Their
heads against wall. hut | never before
heard Of a man collecting bricks and buui-
lng wall for the express purpose 81 Au",l-
ing out his own brains against II.
The shortest period that a member ~
Parliament has represented conStituen,,
Is Two hour-. this reinnrkablc record being
achicE"d by he Right Hon. lord "egre~
Hamilton. Having hAcn reelected IL mem
Der for the Ealing division OF Midde-aI on
bis having been appointed Secretary "f
stat. for India in 1885. the Parliament 20
which he had been elected wa> dissolved
within two hours OF his election sir Mat
thew White Ridley. who had been appointed
the new Home Secretary, ran him yer
close. for he was elected to Inc old Para
inenI AMI again TO the new Parliament for
ne Bin"kp"gi division OF Lancashire IN pc
I. Rrchie vas returned on July unop.
posed Tor croydon. his reelection having
The post of President OF the Board 81 Trade
rnriament was Dissolved on July :. =" tina
MT hitchie only repLcscnt"d his oon-'f.
The shortest lived -partv' that ever
Obtained a footing IN Parliament sa- ~"
r .ischnorne claimants counsel. pr k"n;a.,.
riary. 1873. solely on the rlchbotn- I-su-.
polling Clio votes to the Liberal canA
dates I.iss and IN. Conservatives e0i
He lost no time in carrying oui his mandate
moving on April ~ for the reopening 81 'b~
ease before a royal commission But ~
spite Of all his eloonence he and Nr Nhai-
10y OF Peterborough. as isilers for the mo,
ion would have had no one Ia count
Major Otiorman had Lot himself taken
pity On them, and the noes were ~
AlihOuxh the pOll.ngs in connection Vim
the present general election are tined 70
conciid" prior to Christmas there : no
likelihood OF the new PaTliRmcn' ben.
fnm Inonsd 20 meet until after Nu'a'itS
me Long Parliament made point Of meet
ing on Christmas Day itself on the hrs'.
mas Day OF I6tT a RESOLUTION was adopted
deciding that power he given 70 the Com
mittse Of Plundsrcd Ministers to put IN due
execution the Ordinances for Aboilshint
the Observation OF Holy DAYS and m fha'
81 ln4S the House read for the nr>' TINE
\ biIl for the Abolishing and Taking AwHv
Of Festival DAYS. commonly called NOV
DAYS ON the Christmas Day OF isas the
commons passed n resolution ordering Tor
the same afternoon a meeting OF the com
mitter appointed to consider how IN pro-
and other capital offenders. A. N" onIy
Christmas Day division OF which there -
any record over two hundred member"
took part. \ yerv large number consider
ing The troublous times and the small SIZE
Of the House. But after the Cnrnmon-
had been cleared out" by the army N me
autumn Of 1854 they never met again or
there has been no instance of u ChrfTins.
Day or Boxing DAY sitting. on two q clsisns
the members Of the House Of Commons naIe
sat on Christmas eve. The first Was IN w,
and the other In isss The isj2 INSTANCE i
the only one during the last hundred year
on which members Of Parliament have 90,
been allowed three days ho'cay "