an allowance called the civil list, apportioned to the queen for the support of her household and the dignity of her crown. This was fixed by the statute 1st Victoria, cap. 11, at 385,000l., to be paid annually, and appropriated as follows: Her Majesty's privy purse, 60,0007.; salaries of her Majesty's household and retired allowances, 131,000l.; expenses of the household, 172,5007.; royal bounty and special services, 13,2007.; pensions, 12007.; and miscellaneous, 80407. On the Consolidated Fund are likewise charged the following sums, allowed to members of the Royal family, namely 80007. to the Princess Frederick William of Prussia; 6000%. to the Princess Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt; 6000l. to the Duchess of Cambridge; 60007. to her daughter, the GrandDuchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; 3000l. to the Princess Mary of Cambridge, and 12,000l. to the Duke of Cambridge. The Prince of Wales has an annuity of 40,000l., payable out of the Consolidated Fund, settled upon him. He has, also, the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall, which now amount to more than 50,0007. a year, with every prospect of their increasing. The Princess of Wales has settled upon her by Parliament the annual sum of 10,000l., to be increased to 30,0007. in case of widowhood. The sum for carrying on the civil government, including the salaries of the ministers of state, judges, and others, is also charged upon the Consolidated Fund, the remainder of which is paid into the exchequer, for the public service, to defray the expenses of our Army, Navy, Civil Service, &c. &c.

All the great officers of state, the bishops, and judges, the officers in the army and navy, are appointed by the queen, or in her name; but as the ministry is responsible for the fitness of the persons appointed, and for their conduct whilst in the public service, the selection is placed in their hands, and the sovereign approves, almost as a matter of course, of the person recommended.

Before I conclude, it would be as well were I to tell you something about the royal family.

The royal consort—that is the wife or husband of a king or queen-has, as such, no share in the government of the country. They are subjects of the Crown only, and may be appointed to fill any post in the state that a subject can hold. A queen consort has some special privileges and protections. She can sue and be sued in all courts of justice as though she were an unmarried woman; and for this purpose

she has her own attorney and solicitor-general to conduct her law business. She has power to purchase lands and to convey —that is, dispose of them. She can take a legal grant from her husband, and make a will; no other married women can do these things. She has a separate household and officers of state. Her person, like the king's, is sacred.

A queen dowager is the widow of a king.

The Prince of Wales is the eldest son of the Sovereign, and heir-apparent to the Crown. He is created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester and Dublin, and is born Duke of Cornwall. He is also High Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothsay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, and Lord of the Isles. His person and that of his wife are specially protected by the law. Should the eldest son die, his next brother becomes Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, but not Duke of Cornwall.

The Princess Royal is the eldest daughter of the sovereign. Her person is also specially protected, as, should no son be born or live to succeed to the crown, she would become queen.

The other members of the royal family have no special rights conferred by law. They rank before all dukes, and are forbidden by the statute 12 Geo. III. c. 11, called the Royal Marriage Act, to marry without the consent of the sovereign signified under the great seal; but it is provided that such of the descendants of George II. "as are above the age of twentyfive may, after a twelve months' notice given to the King's. Privy Council, contract and solemnize marriage without the consent of the Crown, unless both Houses of Parliament shall, before the expiration of the said year, expressly declare their disapprobation of such intended marriage." Persons assisting, or being present, at a prohibited marriage incur very heavy penalties. The act I have quoted does not affect the children of princesses married into foreign families.

From this general sketch of the prerogatives of the Crown, and the position of the Royal Family, you will understand what is meant by saying that England is under a "limited monarchy." The sovereigns of other countries often assert a "divine right" to govern; a sovereign of the house of Hanover can put forth no such pretensions, because he holds his crown under, and by virtue of, the Act of Settlement, and strictly subject to the conditions which it imposes. But although the direct power of the monarch be small, his indirect influence is

INFLUENCE OF THE SOVEREIGN.

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considerable. His personal predilections are not without weight in determining which of the leading statesmen of the predominant political party shall fill the post of first minister; and, as the head of English society, he can materially influence the tone of manners and morals, and either promote or retard the progress of social improvement.

LETTER IV.

THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

The United Parliament-Composition of the House of Lords-Spiritual Peers-Temporal Peers-Rank of Spiritual Peers-Titles and Rank of Temporal Peers-Creation of Peerages-Voting by the Peers— Privileges of the Peers-The Supreme Court of Appeal.

THE House of Lords or Peers, or, as it is also called, the Upper House of Parliament, ranks next in dignity to the Crown, as the second Estate of the realm. Its origin I have already traced in my Introductory Letter.

Before their respective union with England, Ireland and Scotland had each a parliament, and consequently a House of Lords of its own. Now, however, there is but one House for the United Kingdom, and only a certain number of peers selected from the nobility of the sister countries have seats in it. The members of the peerage of Scotland and Ireland who have not seats in Parliament enjoy every other privilege of their order. Peers of Scotland are no longer created; but for every three Irish peerages that become extinct—that is, have no one capable of inheriting them-the Queen has the power of creating one new one. There is no limit to the number of British peers that she may make.

The following is a summary of the members of the House of Lords in the session of 1868 :

SPIRITUAL PEERS.

2 Archbishops of England and Wales.

24 Bishops

(The Bishop of Sodor and Man and the Junior

Bishop have no seat.)

1 Archbishop of Ireland.

3 Bishops of Ireland.

Total, 30

COMPOSITION OF HOUSE OF LORDS.

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I will tell you how Bishops are appointed in my Letter upon THE CHURCH.

TEMPORAL PEERS.

4 Peers of the Blood Royal.

20 Dukes.

21 Marquises.

127 Earls.

30 Viscounts.

229 Barons.

Total, 432

30 Spiritual peers. 432 Temporal peers.

Grand total, 462

The Archbishop of Canterbury takes rank next after the youngest royal duke; the Archbishops of York and Armagh, in the order of their consecration, next but one, the Lord Chancellor intervening. The bishops rank as barons at the head of that order, those of London, Durham, and Winchester taking precedence of all other English-and the Bishop of Meath of all other Irish-bishops. The Queen may appoint as many bishops as she may be advised, but thirty only have seats in Parliament. They are said to sit, not by virtue of their sacred office, but as barons in respect of the temporal estates attached to their sees; but some difference of opinion is felt by learned persons upon this point.

The temporal peers rank in the order in which I have placed them in the above table, those in the same degree of nobility taking precedence according to the date of their creation.

The title of DUKE is derived from the Latin word dux, a leader.

The title of MARQUIS was conferred upon those who held the command of the Marches, as the boundaries between England and Wales, and England and Scotland, were called when those countries were hostile to this nation. A marquis is created by patent; his title is most honourable; and his coronet has pearls and strawberry leaves intermixed round, of equal height. His sons are by courtesy styled lords and his daughters ladies.