[1] Feilden's "Constitutional History of England," Taswell-Langmead's
"English Constitutional History," and A.L. Lowell's "The Government of
England," 2 vols.
[2] "The Cabinet, the body to which, in common use, we have latterly
come to give the name of Government." Encyclopaedia Britannica (10th
edition, VIII, 297).
[3] "Premier": from the French premier, first or chief.
[4] The existence of the Cabinet depends on custom, not law. Its
three essential characteristics are generally considered to be: (1)
Practical unanimity of party; (2) Practical unity of action under the
leadership of the Prime Minister; (3) Collective responsibility to the
party in the House of Commons which represents the political majority
of the nation. Its members are never OFFICIALLY made known to the
public, nor its proceedings recorded. Its meetings, which take place
at irregular intervals, according to pressure of business, are
entirely secret, and the sovereign is never present. As the Cabinet
agrees in its composition with the majority of the House of Commons,
it follows that if the Commons are Conservative, the Cabinet will be
so likewise; and if Liberal, the reverse. Theoretically, the
sovereign chooses the Cabinet; but practically the selection is now
always made by the Prime Minister. If at any time the Prime Minister,
with his Cabinet, finds that his political policy no longer agrees
with that of the House of Commons, he and the other members of the
Cabinet resign, and the sovereign chooses a new Prime Minister from
the opposite party, who forms a new Cabinet in harmony with himself
and the Commons. If, however, the Prime Minister has good reason for
believing that a different House of Commons would support him, the
sovereign may, by his advice, dissolve Parliament. A new election
then takes place, and according to the political character of the
members returned, the Cabinet remains in or goes out of power. The
Cabinet, or Government, now invariably includes the following
officers:

1. The First Lord of the Treasury (usually the Prime Minister).
2. The Lord Chancellor.
3. The Lord President of the Council.
4. The Lord Privy Seal.
5. The Chancellor of the Exchequer.
6. The Secretary of State for Home Affairs.
7. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
8. The Secretary of State for the Colonies.
9. The Secretary of State for India.
10. The Secretary of State for War.
11. The First Lord of the Admiralty.

In a