10. When a quotation forms an independent paragraph, it is preceded by a colon and a dash.

EXAMPLE.-
-Few men would envy the character which Cæsar gives of Cassius:-
"He loves no play,

As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music:
Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sort,
As if he mocked himself, and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything."

The same rule applies to an enumeration of heads or classes.
The following are the four principal seas of Europe:-

EXAMPLE.

1. The Baltic Sea.

2. The North Sea.

3. The Mediterranean Sea.
4. The Black Sea.

11. The interrogation (?) is used after questions; and the exclamation (!) after expressions of surprise or sorrow.

EXAMPLE. O shame! where is thy blush?

12. The parenthesis () is used to enclose explanatory words which do not belong to the grammatical structure of the sentence.

EXAMPLE.—Jamaica pepper (called also allspice) is the unripe berry of an evergreen shrub dried in the sun.

1. The king, surrounded by his courtiers, proceeded to the palace. We may, however, let that pass. Shakespeare the man is inseparable from Shakespeare the poet. It is impossible to describe his scorn, loathing, and contempt. A considerable part of his life has generally been spent in the capital, and the refinements of the capital follow him into the country.

2. Looking to the left, towards the gorge, we beheld six compact masses of infantry. The large, heavy, iron bar fell on him. The door of the cell was softly opened; and there lay Argyle on the bed, sleeping, in his irons, the placid sleep of infancy. When I look upon the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tombstone, my heart melts with compassion; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, I consider the vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow.

3. The boy, surrounded by his tormentors, was unable to escape. To tell the truth, I was not greatly struck by his appearance. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. High and low, rich and poor, young and old meet together. The integrity, gravity, and bravery of the Turks, form an exact contrast to the deceit, levity, and cowardice of the modern Greeks.

4. He remained in the land of his adoption, for many years, with great profit to himself. He was reserved, proud, and haughty. Where we now see a port crowded with shipping, and a market-place swarming with buyers and sellers, the waves then broke on a desolate beach; but a fragment of

*

The teacher will dictate the sentences without giving the points, and require the pupils to insert them in their exercises.

the rock on which the deliverer stepped from his boat has been carefully preserved, and is set up as an object of public veneration in the centre of that busy wharf. It was broad day before the man arrived, and he found the work not even half performed.

5. In the midst of the most serene day of summer, the sky being clear and unclouded, a loud peal of thunder was distinctly heard, apparently in the west. He laboured patiently, earnestly, and laboriously. There was no reason, however, why I should refrain from seeing the person who had inconsiderately sent her to so great a distance, by night and alone; and, as it was not improbable that, if she found herself near home, she might take farewell of me, and deprive me of the opportunity, I avoided the most frequented ways, and took the most intricate. Be not too familiar with thy servants; at first it may beget love, but in the end it will breed contempt.

6. In a custom of such long standing, methinks, if the bishops had, in decency, been first sounded-but I am wading out of my depths. I might dilate on the difficulties which attended that undertaking-the temper of the people, the power, arts, and interests of the contrary party; but these are all invidious topics. Poetry-far from injuring society-is one of the great instruments of its refinement.

7. And now the bell-the bell she had so often heard, by night and day, and listened to with solemn pleasure, almost as to a living voice-rang its remorseless toll for her, so young, so beautiful, so good. When Phocion, the modest and gentle Phocion, was led to execution, he turned to one of his fellow-sufferers, who was lamenting his own hard fate: "Is it not glory enough for you," said he, "that you die with Phocion?" Ah me! how sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

8. Pleasure and terror are, indeed, the genuine sources of poetry; but poetical pleasure must be such as human imagination can at least conceive, and poetical terror such as human strength and fortitude may combat. The slaves of domestic tyranny may vainly exult in their national independence: but the Arab is personally free; and he enjoys, in some degree, the benefits of society, without forfeiting the prerogatives of nature.

9. There was, however, -as in all human affairs there is,-in the midst of this joy something to exercise the patience of these worthy gentlemen, and to try the long-suffering of their faith. "Examine now," said he, "this sea that is bounded with darkness at both ends, and tell me what thou discoverest in it."-"I see a bridge," said I, "standing in the midst of the tide."—"The bridge thou seest," said he, "is human life; consider it attentively." O king, live for ever! Come forth! O ye children of gladness, come!

10. Cromwell died on the 3rd of September 1658-the anniversary of two of his great victories (Dunbar and Worcester), and the day which he had always considered the brightest in the year. The following is from Shakespeare:

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.

THE Government of the British Empire is vested in the Sovereign and the two Houses of Parliament,-the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It is thus a mixed government,—not pure monarchy, or pure aristocracy, or pure democracy, but a compound of all three. In this composite character lies its chief strength. Every grade of society, every interest in the country, is represented in it. The power of the landed aristocracy has its due weight in the House of Lords. That of the great middle class, and of the industrial classes who coöperate with them in producing wealth, is supreme in the House of Commons. The influence of an ancient hereditary monarchy is preserved in the Sovereign, who crowns the edifice.

The chief business of the two Houses of Parliament is to make laws, and to vote money for the public service. In theory, the power of carrying out the laws belongs to the Sovereign alone; but in practice, this is done in the Sovereign's name by the Ministry,-a body of advisers chosen from both Houses of Parliament. Now, the Ministry is responsible to Parliament for the conduct of affairs, and whenever it ceases to have the confidence of Parliament, the Sovereign must choose another body of advisers. Thus Parliament is virtually supreme.

The

The crown is hereditary, and may be worn either by a King or by a Queen, who must be a Protestant of the Church of England. The Sovereign has power to make war or peace; to pardon a convicted criminal; to suminon, prorogue, or dissolve Parliament; to coin money; and to confer nobility. assent of the Sovereign is also necessary to every new law. But, as already explained, these prerogatives are now exercised by the Sovereign under the advice of the Ministry for the time being; or by the Ministry in the name of the Sovereign.

The House of Lords, or Upper House of Parliament, comprises Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, as follows :—

:

Scottish hereditary Peers, who are also English or British.
Irish hereditary Peers, who are also English or British..
Scottish representative Peers, elected for each Parliament.
Irish representative Peers, elected for life......

43

78

16

28

452

The Lord Chancellor, sitting on the woolsack, acts as president or chairman of the Lords. The Upper House forms the highest court of justice, to decide appeals from the inferior courts. A peer may vote by proxy; that is, by a written paper, which is valid in his absence. Any bill, except a money bill, may originate in the House of Lords.

The House of Commons, or Lower House of Parliament, consists of repre

sentatives of the counties, boroughs, and universities in England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, distributed as follows:

The electors are-in boroughs, all householders rated for relief of the poor, and lodgers occupying rooms valued at £10 a year unfurnished; in counties, owners of property worth £5 a year, and tenants of lands or houses paying £12 a year in rent. The chairman of the Commons is called the Speaker, because he is their spokesman or representative in approaching the Sovereign. A new Speaker is elected at the beginning of each new Parliament. Any bill may be introduced in the House of Commons; and money bills can originate in that House alone. Thus, commanding the sources of supply, it can effectually control the Sovereign.

In great emergencies it also practically controls the Upper House; for a Ministry, strongly supported in the House of Commons, may advise the Sovereign to create a sufficient number of new peers to give its party a majority in the House of Lords. The threat of this measure has generally induced the Lords to yield to the wishes of the Commons.

The process of law-making is conducted as follows:-The proposed law is introduced in either House, after leave has been given, in the form of a Bill. It is then read for the first time, without opposition, in order to acquaint the members with its details. With this view the bill is printed and circulated, and a day is fixed for the second reading. The first debate and voting take place on the question whether the bill shall pass this reading or not. If it pass the second reading, the House proceeds to consider and vote upon each clause in the bill separately. For this purpose, the House goes "into committee." This committee consists of the same members as the House; but the chairman of committees takes the place of the Speaker, and the strict rules of debate and forms of procedure observed in the House are considerably relaxed. After the bill has passed through committee, it is "reported" to the House in its amended form, and is ready for the third reading. If it pass this reading, it is then sent to the other House.

There it undergoes an exactly similar process; three readings, with a careful examination in committee between the second and the third. If amended or altered there, the bill is sent back to the House in which it originated, which either agrees to these amendments, or demands a conference with the other House to settle differences.

When the bill has finally passed both Houses, the royal assent is required before it becomes an Act or law. This is given either personally or by com. mission. No Sovereign has ventured to exercise the right of veto—that is, of withholding the royal assent—since 1707.

From very early times, the advisers of the Sovereign have been known as

the Privy Council, the members of which are dignified with the title of Right Honourable. But this body was found to be too numerous, and too widely scattered, for the systematic transaction of business. It moreover consists of men of different parties and conflicting views. It therefore became customary, after the Revolution of 1688, to intrust the government to a committee of the Privy Council, called the Ministry, or the Cabinet. But now ministers are not selected from the Privy Council, but from Parliament, and become privy councillors afterwards.

The head of the Ministry is the Prime Minister, or Premier. He used to owe his office to the good-will or favour of the Sovereign, but now he owes it to the confidence of his supporters in Parliament. The Sovereign chooses as Premier the recognized leader of that political party which has a majority in the House of Commons for the time, and intrusts him with the task of forming a Ministry from among his own supporters.

The chief ministers form the Cabinet, which determines the general policy of the Ministry, and the measures which are to be proposed to Parliament. The Cabinet consists necessarily of

1. The Premier, or First Lord of the Treasury.

2. The Lord Chancellor.

3. The Chancellor of the Exchequer.

4. The Home Secretary.

5. The Foreign Secretary.
6. The Colonial Secretary.
7. The Indian Secretary.
8. The Secretary at War.

9. The President of the Privy Council.

The following ministers have also at different times been included in the Cabinet; but that body does not usually consist of more than fourteen or fifteen members :

The First Lord of the Admiralty.

The President of the Board of Trade.

The President of the Poor Law Board.

The Lord Privy Seal.

The Chief Secretary for Ireland.

The Postmaster-General.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education.

When a Ministry loses the confidence of the majority of the House of Commons, it is customary for it to resign. The Sovereign then intrusts the leader of the opposite party with the formation of a Ministry. But, instead of resigning, a defeated Ministry may advise the Sovereign to dissolve the Parliament and call a new one, in the hope that the constituencies may return a majority of members favourable to its views. This is called an "appeal to the country." Each House of Parliament may adjourn its meetings from day to day. The Sovereign, advised by the Ministry, prorogues Parliament from session to session; and dissolves it, when a new Parliament is to be elected. Parliament is also dissolved by the Sovereign's death. The duration of a Parliament is limited by law to seven years; but no Parliament since that law passed (1716) has exceeded six years in duration. During the present reign, the average length of the Parliaments has been under five years.