Articles and Act of Union with Ireland, the Lord Chancellor then,
pursuant to the said orders, &c., causes writs to be issued and directed
by the Clerk of the Crown in Ireland to the several counties, and such
counties of cities and towns as send members to the united parliament.

It is generally supposed that the circumstance of bishops, or other
ecclesiastics having seats in the legislature, is peculiar to England.
This is a mistake;--it was characteristic of the Scottish constitution
for centuries previous to their connexion with England: so far back,
indeed, if not much farther, as the twelfth century. It is stated, in
ancient documents connected with the history of the county of Elgin, the
authenticity of which cannot be doubted, that the Abbey of Kinloss was
founded by David I., in January, 1150, and that the abbot was mitred,
and had a seat in parliament.

To the passing of a bill, the assent of the knights, citizens, and
burgesses must be in person; but the lords may give their votes by
proxy; and the reason is, that the barons always sat in parliament in
their own right, as part of the _pares curtis_ of the king; and
therefore, as they were allowed to serve by proxy in the wars, so had
they leave to make proxies in parliament; but the commons coming only
as representing the barones minores, and the soccage tenants in the
country, and as representing the men of the cities, &c., they could not
constitute proxies as representatives of others.

When it is the pleasure of the Crown to dissolve a parliament, it is
the constant practice immediately to summon another, and to make the
dissolution of the old and the calling of the new simultaneous acts.
By the Act of 7 and 8 of William III., c. xxv. s. I, forty days
should intervene between the teste and return of the writs for a new
parliament; but a longer time is necessary, and fifty days now
intervene.

Parliaments became triennial from the reigns of Edward III., but not
until 1694 had any act passed to make such duration legal. In 1716 this
was repealed, and the present act passed, making them septennial.

W.G.C.

* * * * *

SIMPLE AMBITION.

(_To the Editor._)

The following anecdote was told me last summer, in the cabriolet of a
diligence between Pau and Bayonne, and is very much at your service.
EGOMET IPSE.

About twenty-three years ago, the vane of Strasbourg Cathedral was
struck by lightning, so that it hung on