and by its commerce has become the richest. Her merchants trade with all parts of the world, and particularly with her colonies in the East and West Indies and in America, with China, with South America, and with the United States. The people of Great Britain have acquired great skill in the manufacture of every description of goods, particularly cotton, woolen, and silk goods of all sorts, as well as earthen and glass ware, and all articles made of iron, and other metals. England is immensely rich in its mines of coal and iron, and its manufacturing operations are greatly aided by these treasures. The government is a limited monarchy. The title of the sovereign is, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. On the death of the King he is succeeded by his eldest son, if he have any, or by his eldest daughter in defect of sons, and, if he has no children, by the children of his father in the same order. The present sovereign of Great Britain is Queen Victoria, though Kings usually reign over this kingdom. The King is personally responsible for little else than the appointment of his ministers. He often appoints only the prime minister, who with his approbation, selects all the rest. All the executive acts of the government are performed in the name of the King, but the ministers are responsible for them. The King makes war and peace, negotiates treaties, raises armies, makes appointments to offices, civil and military,—in his name justice is administered-to him belong the forts, arsenals, and ships of war-he convenes, prorogues, and dissolves the Parliament at pleasure, and his assent is necessary to the validity of a law. But the revenues are raised, and laws are passed only by act of Parliament. The Parliament is a legislative body, consisting of two branches; the House of Lords and the House of ComThe House of Lords consists of peers of the realm mons. What are the manufactures? What the mineral productions? What is the present government of Great Britain? What is the King's function? What is the British Parliament. and the archbishops and bishops. The peers are a part of the hereditary nobility, who among other privileges which descend from the father to the eldest son, have the right of a seat in the House of Lords. The King has the power of raising any individual to the peerage. This promotion is generally granted as a reward for distinguished services to the state. The House of Commons consists of 658 members, who are elected, part by the electors of the counties, part by certain cities and boroughs, and two members by each of the ancient universities. They may hold their seats for seven years, unless the Parliament is sooner dissolved by the King, in which case a new election of all the menbers is necessary. But a small part of the people of Great Britain possess the right of voting. Votes are frequently purchased. The members of Parliament receive no pay for their attendance. There is an Established Church, of which the King is the nominal head, and in which there are two archbishops, twenty-four bishops, and a great number of inferior clergy. The number of the clergy of the Established Church is 11,600. The present effective force of the British army is 88,000 men, exclusive of the forces employed by the East India Company. This force includes the troops which are stationed in Great Britain and Ireland, and those in the foreign possessions, except India. The East India Company maintains in addition a force of 20,000 men. The British navy is much the largest in the world. The whole number of ships of war is 600. The number now in commission is 147, of which 14 are ships of the line. There are two ancient universities, one at the town of Cambridge, and the other at the city of Oxford. Cambridge University has thirteen colleges, several of which are superb buildings, and four halls. It has many rich endowments, and has eighteen professors, and many other What is the House of Commons? How are members of Parliament elected? What is the Established Church of Great Britain ? What is the Navy? What are the Unversities? officers. Oxford University has twenty colleges and five halls. Many of these are large and splendid buildings. The revenues of the University are very great. The number of members of the University is about 3,000. London is the capital of England, and of the British empire. It is the richest and most populous city in the world. It is situated on the River Thames, and embraces, besides what is strictly called the City of London, the City and Liberties of Westminster, and several out parishes in the counties of Middlesex and Surrey. It is seven miles in length, and from two to four miles in breadth, and contains nearly two millions of inhabitants. SCOTLAND Scotland consists of all that part of the Island of Great Britain which lies north of the river Tweed, and is bounded north, east and west, by the sea, and south by England. Scotland is divided into 33 counties or shires. Scotland is divided into the Highlands and Lowlands. The Highlands, corsisting of the northern and central parts, are mountainous and sterile, and but a small proportion of the lands are fit for cultivation. The Lowlands, consisting of the southern and eastern parts, have a resemblance to England, and abound in fertile plains. The population of Scotland is a little over two millions. Their general character is that of a frugal, industrious, and well-instructed people. A portion of the Highlanders have not adopted all the arts of civilized life. They retain their peculia: dress, manners, and language. Educa tion is much attended to. Scotland, forming a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is under the same government, but its laws are in many respects different, and its courts and forms of judicial proceeding are entirely different. Scotland chooses 45 members of the House of Commons, in each Parliament, and the Scotch Peers, who are not Peers What is the capital of Britain, and how described? What is Scotland, and how divided? What is the population of Scotland, and its general chara ter of Great Britain, choose from their number 16 to sit in the House of Lords. The prevailing religion of Scotland is Calvinism, and the established form of church government is Presby. terian. Edinburgh, the metropolis of Scotland, is a very hand. some city, and has a population of 140,000. It is situated on the Firth of Forth. IRELAND. Ireland is an Island in the Atlantic Ocean, situated west of England. It is divided into four provinces, viz: Leinster, Ulster, Connaught, and Munster, and into 32 counties. The population is estimated to be about 7,000,000. In consequence of the denseness of the population, and the difficulty of finding productive employments, a large proportion of the people are in abject poverty. About four-fifths of the people are Roman Catholics, and it has been a subject of perpetual complaint, that they were excluded by their religion from a seat in parliament, and from other offices. These disabilities were removed (1729) removed by an act of the British parliament. Dublin is the capital. It is a large and handsome city, of 240,000 inhabitants, situated on a beautiful bay, at the mouth of the river Liffey. BRITISH INDIA. The population of Hindostan is supposed to amount to 128,000,000. Of this immense population, 115,000,000 are subject directly or indirectly to the government of the English East India Company. There are in Hindostan a number of native princes, What is the prevailing religion of Scotland? What is the capital of Scotland? What is Ireland, and how divided? What is the population of Ireland, and its general condition What is the prevailing religion of Ireland? What is the government of Ireland? What is its capital? What portion of the population of India, is subject to Britain? What Princes of Hindostan have become tributary to Britain ? called Rajahs, or Nabobs, who have become tributary to the government of the East India Company, and placed themselves under their protection. These tributary states have a population estimated at 33,000,000. The rest of the country, containing a population of 82,000,000, is under the immediate government of the officers of the Company. For the purposes of administration the country is divided into three presidencies, in each of which there is a distinct government. These are the presidency of Bengal, which embraces the north-eastern provinces of India; that of Madras, which embraces the southern provinces; and that of Bombay, embracing the western provinces. The East India Company, who are in fact the sovereigns of this country, is established in London, and the supreme government exists there, and consists of a Board of Commissioners, and a Court of Directors of twenty-four members. The government in India consists of a governor and council in each presidency. The governor of the presidency of Bengal has the title of Governor-General, and he is, in the name of the East India Company, the Supreme Chief of Political and Military Affairs, the other governors being subordinate to him. The army of the company consists of 20,000 European and 180,000 native troops. What territories in India are subject to Britain! What is the East India Company? What is the army of the East India Company f |