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lar occasions. But the adjournment of one house is no adjournment of the other. It hath also been usual, when his majesty hath signified his pleasure that both or either of the houses should adjourn themselves to a certain day, to obey the king's pleasure so signified, and to adjourn accordingly. Otherwise, besides the indecorum of a refusal, a prorogation would assuredly follow, which would often be very inconvenient to both public and private business. For prorogation puts an end to the session; and then such bills as are only begun and not perfected, must be resumed de novo, if at all, in a subsequent session : whereas, after an adjournment, all things continue in the same state as at the time of the adjournment made, and may be proceeded on without any fresh commencement.

A prorogation is the continuance of the parliament from one session to another, as an adjournment is the continuation of the session from day to day. This is done by the royal authority, expressed either by the lord chancellor in his majesty's presence, or by commission from the crown, or, frequently, by proclamation. Both houses are necessarily prorogued at the same time; it not being a prorogation of the house of lords or commons, but of the parliament. And while the parliament is separated by adjournment or prorogation, the king is empowered to call them together by proclamation, with fourteen days' notice of the time appointed for their re-assembling *.

A dissolution is the civil death of the parliament; and this may be effected three ways: 1. By the king's will, expressed either in person or by representation. For, as the king has the sole right of convening the parliament, so also it is a branch of the royal prerogative, that he may, whenever he pleases, prorogue the parliament for a time, or put a final period to its existence. If nothing had a right to prorogue or dissolve a parliament but itself, it might happen to become perpetual. And this would be extremely dangerous, if at any time it should attempt to encroach upon the executive power; as was fatally experienced by the unfortunate king Charles the first; who, having unadvisedly passed an act to continue the parliament then in being till such time as it should please to dissolve itself, at last fell a sacrifice to that inordinate

* 37 Geo. III., c. 127; and 40 Geo. III., c. 14.

power, which he himself had consented to give them.

It is therefore extremely necessary that the crown should be empowered to regulate the duration of these assemblies, under the limitations which the English constitution has prescribed so that, on the one hand, they may frequently and regularly come together for the despatch of business, and redress of grievances; and may not, on the other, even with the consent of the crown, be continued to an inconvenient or unconstitutional length.

2. A parliament may be dissolved by the demise of the crown.. This dissolution formerly happened immediately upon the death of the reigning sovereign: for he being considered in law as the head of the parliament, caput, principium, et finis, that failing, the whole body was held to be extinct. But, the calling a new parliament immediately on the inauguration of the successor being found inconvenient, and dangers being apprehended from having no parliament in being in case of a disputed succession, it was enacted by the statutes 7 & 8 W. III. c. 15, and 6 Ann, c. 7, that the parliament in being shall continue for six months after the death of any king or queen, unless sooner prorogued or dissolved by the successor; that, if the parliament be, at the time of the king's death, separated by adjournment or prorogation, it shall, notwithstanding, assemble immediately: and that, if no parliament is then in being, the members of the last parliament shall assemble and be again a parliament.

3. Lastly, a parliament may be dissolved or expire by length of time. For if either the legislative body were perpetual; or might last for the life of the prince who convened them, as formerly; and were so to be supplied, by occasionally filling the vacancies with new representatives; in these cases, if it were once corrupted, the evil would be past all remedy; but when different bodies succeed each other, if the people see cause to disapprove of the present, they may rectify its faults in the next. legislative assembly also, which is sure to be separated again, whereby its members will themselves become private men, and subject to the full extent of the laws which they have enacted for others, will think themselves bound in interest, as well as duty, to make only such laws as are good. The utmost extent of time that the same parliament was allowed to sit, by the statute 6 W. & M. c. 2,

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was three years; after the expiration of which, reckoning from the return of the first summons, the parliament was to have no longer continuance. But by the statute 1 Geo. I. st. 2, c. 38, in order, professedly, to prevent the great and continued expences of frequent elections, and the violent heats and animosities consequent thereupon, and for the peace and security of the government then just recovering from the late rebellion, this term was prolonged to seven years and, what alone is an instance of the vast authority of parliament, the very same house, that was chosen for three years, enacted its own continuance for seven. So that, as our constitution now stands, the parliament must expire, or die a natural death, at the end of every SEVENTH year; if not sooner dissolved by the royal prerogative.

QUESTIONS.

Who is the Speaker of the House of Lords?

How is the Speaker of the House of Commons elected?

What is the distinction between the functions of the two Speak ers, with reference to taking part in the Debates?

Does the majority bind the whole? And how is the majority declared ?

What is the method of bringing a Private Bill into the House of Commons? A Public Bill?

How is a Private Bill introduced into the House of Lords?

What is done at the first reading? At the second reading?

What is a "Committee of the Whole House," and how is it ormed?

What is done with a bill in these Committees ?

What steps are taken when the bill has gone through the Committee?

What is a 66 Rider," and how is it managed?

When is the Title of a bill settled?

How does it go to the House of Lords?

How is it rejected?

How does the House of Lords signify its consent to a bill?

How does the House of Lords make Amendments ?

What is the consequence of the House of Commons agreeing or disagreeing to Amendments?

What becomes of a bill when it has passed both Houses of Parliament ?

What is done with a Bill of Supply?

How may the Royal assent be given to a bill?

How is the Royal assent expressed in case of a public bill ?

a private bill?

In what language does the King refuse his assent ?

How is the Royal assent to a Bill of Supply expressed?

Of

What is an Act of Grace, and what are the proceedings upon it?

Can the King give his assent to a bill in his absence?

How? And by what authority?

When does a bill become a STATUTE, or Act of Parliament ?

Where is this Statute or Act placed?

How is it published to the country, and promulgated?

How must a Statute, or Act of Parliament, be altered, suspended, or repealed?

What is an Adjournment of Parliament? And how is it effected? What is a Prorogation ? And how effected?

How is the Parliament when adjourned or prorogued called together again?

What is a Dissolution?

In how many ways may Parliament be dissolved?

On what principles may the King dissolve it at his pleasure? What memorable instance is there of the danger of permitting its continuance independent of the King's will?

What is the effect of the demise of the Crown upon the continuance of Parliament ?

What is to be done if no Parliament be in being at such a time? How long does a Parliament last, if not dissolved by the King, or by the demise of the Crown?

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HEREDITARY RIGHT TO THE BRITISH THRONE.

THE supreme executive power of these kingdoms is vested by our laws in a single person, the king or queen: for it matters not to which sex the crown descends; but the person entitled to it, whether male or female, is immediately invested with all the ensigns, rights, and prerogatives of sovereign power.

The executive power of the English nation being vested in a single person, by the general consent of the people, the evidence of which general consent is long and immemorial usage, it became necessary to the freedom and peace of the state, that a rule should be laid down, uniform, universal, and permanent; in order to mark out with precision, who is that single person, to whom are committed, in subserviency to the law of the land, the care and protection of the community; and, to whom, in return, the duty and allegiance of every individual are due. It is of the highest importance to the public tranquillity, and to the consciences of private men, that this rule should be clear and indisputable; and our constitution has not left us in the dark upon this material occasion.

The grand fundamental maxim upon which the right of succession to these kingdoms, depends, I take to be this: "that the crown is, by common law and constitutional custom, hereditary; and this in a manner peculiar to itself: but that the right of inheritance may from time to time be changed or limited by act of parliament; under which limitations the crown still continues hereditary."

1. First, it is in general hereditary or descendible to the next heir, on the death or demise of the last proprietor. All regal governments must be either hereditary or elective: and, as I believe there is no instance where the crown of England has ever been asserted to be elective, except by

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