THE ELECTORATE AND THE LEGISLATURE BY SPENCER WALPOLE AUTHOR OF "THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND FROM 1815" London MACMILLAN AND CO. 1881 The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved PREFACE A WRITER who professes to describe "the electorate and legislature" of the United Kingdom is necessarily forced to travel over many chapters of the constitutional history of England. In doing so he has the advantage of clear guidance. The constitutional history of England to the reign of Henry VII. has been written by Mr. Stubbs; from the accession of Henry VII. to the death of George II. by Mr. Hallam; from the accession of George III. to the present time by Sir Erskine May. But the English Constitution has also been described by De Lolme and Lord Russell in former generations and by Mr. Freeman and Mr. Bagehot in our own time. The precedents of proceedings in the House of Commons were collected more than sixty years ago by Mr. Hatsall. The law and practice of Parliament has been described in recent years by Sir Erskine May. Independent researches, made for a larger object, have also enabled the author of this book to add to 231011 |