Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/347

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT '7 of Legislature, the Lords and the Commons, dates from the middle of the fourteenth century. The House of Lords consists of peers who hold their seats — (1) by hereditary right; (2) by creation of the sovereign ; (3) by virtue of office — English bishops ; (4) by election for life — Irish peers ; (5) by election for duration of Parlianiient — Scottish peers. The number of names on the 'Roll ' was 401 in 1830 ; 457 in 1840 ; 448 in 1850 ; 458 in 1860 ; 503 in 1877 ; and 586 in 1898. About two-thirds of the hereditary peerages were created in the present century. Excluding the royal and ecclesiastical peerages, the 4 oldest existing peerages in the House of Lords date from the latter part of the thirteenth century, while 5 go back to the fourteenth and 7 to the fifteenth century. There are besides 8 peeresses of the United Kingdom in their own right, and 2 Scotch peeresses, and 18 Scotch and 62 Irish peers who are not peers of Parliament. The House of Commons has consisted, since 49 Hen. III., of knights of the shire, or representatives of counties ; of citizens, or representatives of cities ; and of burgesses or repre- sentatives of boroughs, all of whom vote together. To the House of Commons, in the reign of Edw^ard L, 37 counties and 166 boroughs each returned two representatives ; but at the accession of Henry VIII. the total number of constituencies was only 147. The additions from Edward YI. to Charles II. were almost entirely of borough members. In the fourth Parliament of Charles L, the number of places in England and Wales for which returns were made, exclusive of counties, amounted to 210 ; and in the time of the Stuarts, the total number of members of the House of Commons was about 500. At the union of the English and Scottish Parliaments in 1707, 45 representatives of Scotland were added ; and at the union of the British and Irish Parliaments in 1801, 100 representatives of Ireland. The average number of members was then about 650. By the Reform Bill of 1832, the number of English county constituencies was increased from 52 to 82 ; 56 boroughs, con- taining a population of less than 2,000 each, were totally disfranchised, and 31 other boroughs, of less than 4,000 each, were required to send one representative instead of two. On the other hand, 22 new boroughs acquired the right to return two members, and 24 to return one member. In Scotland the town members were increased from 15 to 23 — making 53 in all; while the Irish representatives were increased from 100 to 103. The next great change in the constituency of the House of