bers of the House of Commons consist of 513 for England and Wales; 45 for Scotland; and 100 for Ireland; making in the whole 658. It is obviously essential to the despatch of public business that the ministers of the Crown should be members of Parliament; but the jealousy of our forefathers provided, that upon any member of the Commons accepting office, he should vacate his seat; and he is obliged to pass the ordeal of another election before he can resume his situation in the House. Thus there are formed the two estates of the realm, more immediately connected with the people: the Monarch is the third branch of the legislature, from which emanate those laws that we intend to explain, in brief and simple terms, in the following Num. bers of The Plain Englishman.

It may be expedient to observe, that the whole body of English jurisprudence divides itself into two parts; the unwritten and the written law: the first embraces all those rules and maxims which arose in the infancy of our Constitution, relating to the rights of property, and the punishment of offences against the lives and interests of individuals. Whether they were enacted by the great council of the nation, or by the sole will of the Sovereign, is not very material; it is sufficient that they are established in the sound principles of justice and public good, to recommend them to succeeding times. At first they were transmitted by tradition from one generation to another, till the invention of printing gave them a more safe and permanent establishment in the books which recorded the proceedings of the courts, and fixed them as precedents by which the judges feel themselves as strongly bound to regulate their decisions, as though they were regularly enacted by the legislature in modern times. The written law comprises all the statutes which have been made by Parliament from the most remote period down to the present; and we shall close this article by stating the mode in which a new law is created and enforced. It is competent to any member of either house to originate a bill, which is done by moving that leave be given to bring it in; a proposition which is seldom rejected. The bill is then produced, read a first time aloud by the clerk of the house, and ordered to be read a second time; in which stage it is the general practice to discuss its principles at large; and, if approved, it is ordered to be committed: that is, to be examined by the whole house sitting in committee, for the purpose of regulating the details of the measure; every member having the opportunity of suggesting as many alterations and improvements as he pleases. Having gone through this scrutiny, it is read a third time, if a majority of the members are in its favour, and passed: that is, sent to the other house to receive the same kind of investigation;-and it should be observed, that some days must elapse between every stage of the proceeding. After having obtained the approbation of the Lords and Commons, it is submitted to the King; and, should he give his assent, the bill becomes an act of Parliament. His Majesty may recommend measures generally to Parliament, but he can propose none; and whenever his ministers originate bills or proceedings in either house, they do it as members of

the house, not as servants of the Crown. Another admirable provision in favour of popular rights is, that in all matters relating to the raising of money by taxes upon the people, and dispensing it for the service of the State, the House of Commons has the sole and absolute control; and should the House of Lords, make any alterations in a money-bill, it is the almost invariable practice, when it is returned to the Lower House, to reject the bill altogether.

J. S.

Nige

MEMOIR AND ORIGINAL LETTER OF SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVELL.

of

This gallant officer, descended from a respectable family in Norfolk, was born in 1650. By the recommendation of Sir Christopher Mings, to whom he was distantly related, he went to sea, and served as a cabin-boy under Sir John Narborough, with whom he soon gave proof of an enterprising spirit, while yet a lad, by swimming to another ship, through the enemy's line of fire, with the admiral's despatches in his mouth. This daring exploit secured the favour of his patron, by whom he was rapidly promoted; and having received the command of a small frigate, he signalized himself in several desperate actions with the Moors on the coast of Barbary.

H

He became a great favourite with King James the Second, tor whose person he was warmly attached; but at the Revolution in 1688, being a zealous Protestant, he was compelled, by a sense of duty, to take the side of King William, from whom he soon after received the honour of knighthood, his Majesty delivering to him a commission as Rear-Admiral with his own hand.

He served, with distinguished reputation, in several successful ac tions, and commanded a division of Admiral Russell's fleet in the victory at La Hogue, on the 19th May, 1692. He afterwards co operated with General the Earl of Berkeley, in various attacks upon the coast of France; and so highly was he esteemed as an officer, that he bore a command in most of the naval services which were performed during that reign,orta of its ge

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7773 37olad ti On the accession of Queen Anne, he was admitted to an equal share i of favour by his new sovereign, being appointed Rear-Admirals of England, and one of the council of Prince George of Denmark (then Lord High Admiral), by whom he was appointed to the chief com.i mand of the fleet in the Meditteranean. Returning from that station after the siege of Toulon, his flag-ship, the Association, and two other ships of the line, were totally lost on the rocks of Scilly, on the 22d October, 1707, and thus lamentably perished this brave admiral and all his comrades. His Royal Mistress, grateful to his memory, caused a sumptuous monument to be erected over his remains, which were i brought for interment to Westminster Abbey. WOL

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nude eqide

Many years after the catastrophe, an ancient woman confessed ton the parish minister on her dying bed, that Sir Cloudesley Shovell hadm survived the wreck, and reached her wretched hut exhausted with

fatigue and pain; that while asleep she murdered him for the valuables about his person. In testimony of this she delivered up a wellknown ring, taken from his finger, which he had received from the Lord Berkeley, to whose family it was afterwards restored. This account has been since published, under the authority of the late Earl of Romney, grandson of Sir Cloudesley, who gave full credit to the story.

This gallant admiral was distinguished not more by the energy and spirit of his public character, than by the frank and manly integrity of his disposition. A sea-officer in those days was not the less esteemed for wanting those accomplishments which are now considered essential to a gentleman's education. We give publication to the following original letter in our possession, with a persuasion that it will gratify our readers, as the unstudied language of an ardent mind, written in the moment of victory, with less regard to expression than zeal for the glory of his country. It is addressed to the celebrated Russell, Earl of Orford, with whom he had just shared the triumph of a severe engagement.

Letter.

EDITOR-L.

I HERE deliver my opinion, to the best of my judgment: First, that we follow the blow by landing in the enemy's country, near Brest. If their fleet be abroad, then certainly six or eight thousand men do their pleasure with that town and country: but if their fleet be in there, which I suppose to be still about 70 sail line-of-battle ships; and, moderately calculating, 150 land soldiers aboard each ship, one with the other, come to upwards of ten thousand disciplined men, which will render our attempt there unreasonable.

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Then, Sir, for attempting any thing upon Rochfort, I do not see there is any likelihood of success, unless you have force enough to master Rochelle also; for from Rochfort to Rochelle 'tis but six leagues; and Rochfort lies so far up the River Charante, and the passage to it so difficult, that you can never surprise it, nor come at it before they have timely notice to draw all the strength of Rochelle to their assistance. Besides, if, while an attempt is making on the other side of Brest, which I suppose will not be so much as thought on, except their whole fleet be in Brest, and we resolved to keep them there, which I would not have you undertake, for I can plainly demonstrate that with a light squadron they will be able to come out, notwithstanding all your endeavours to the contrary, which will give you great care, and be equally dangerous to us. If they follow our transports, or come up our Channel, and here has been a late demonstration that if they get the start they may also get out of sight, but if your descent be to the eastward of Brest, and a squadron of their ships start, we know where they must go to harm us, and can take measures accordingly. Furthermore, every thing duly considered, you may make your descent between Brest and Calais, with many thousand men more than ought to be ventured into the Bay; for from those

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coasts, on urgent occasions, men are recalled as easy as commanded from Plymouth to London; but if in the Bay, you must have two winds, and may be two months to get them back, let your occasions be never so urgent. Therefore, if their fleet be in Brest, I am not for making any attempt with our land force on that place, or any place on the other side of it; but rather, if our strength would reach, to attempt St. Malo, the destruction of which town of theirs would be of more importance, both to us and our sea allies, than the destruction of Paris-but wiser heads than mine must be consulted: I have no manner of knowledge of the place; but, Sir, if our strength be not sufficient to attempt this masterpiece, 'tis certain Dieppe is a town pretty large, which stands on the strand, and may easily be destroyed, and if the army that is with King James will give us too great trouble in our attempt; yet I do not see how it can give any assistance to Dieppe, they having the Seine to pass.

This is to the best of my judgment in answer to what you were pleased to propose.-I remain, Sir,

[We have thought it necessary to modernize the orthography of the above letter: -in other respects it is faithfully copied from the original.]

bes

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CHRIST'S HOSPITAL On the spot where this celebrated school for the education of fatherless children now stands, was formerly a convent of grey friars. Henry VIII. granted this, at the Reformation, to the Corporation of London. In the following reign it was repaired and furnished, for its adaptation to its present admirable purposeg and it received the name of Christ's Hospital, from the charter of

Edward VI., t
in 1552. 425 42

90 Besides its first endowment, and numerous subsequent benefactions, this hospital receives the benefit of licensing the carts of the city; and a duty of three farthings upon every piece of cloth brought to Blackwell Hall. King Charles II. founded a mathematical school within its district to qualify forty boys for the sea; ten of whom are annually appointed to ship-masters. Some are also sent from the schools generally to one of the Universities every year, being selected according to their proficiency in learning. In 1683 it was deemed advisable to enlarge the original plan; and accordingly a school was erected at -Hertford for the reception of children of seven years of age; where they were prepared for the more advanced tuition of the hospital in London. The number of boys belonging to this establishment is about 2 eleven hundred; and there are also near a hundred girls: they are 30 taught arithmetic, writing, reading, navigation, latin, and greek; and

to gain admission it is necessary they should be in indigent circumstances, with the loss of one of their parents.

ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL was established for the same purposes as Bartholomew's, and is situated on the east side of the Borough of Southwark. It owes its foundation to a fire in 1207, which destroyed the Priory of St. Mary-over-Rhe; and the canons therefore erected an hospital near the spot, for the celebration of mass, till the monastery could be rebuilt, Peter Rupebus, Bishop of Winchester, removed the establishment, for the advantage of better air and water, to a spot on which an almonry had stood two years before, for the reception of indigent children and necessitous proselytes; and, having dedicated it to St. Thomas the Apostle, endowed it with lands to the value of 3431. per annum. In the year 1551, the Corporation of London, having purchased of Edward VI. the manor of Southwark, repaired and enlarged this hospital; which continues under their management, in conjunction with the other institutions already noticed; and the bounty of the pious and charitable at different periods, aided by the benefi cence of the city of London, has provided an amount of revenue suffi cient to extend the benefits of the institution to many thousands annually, who might otherwise be left to perish from accidents or disease.

The preceding excellent and celebrated institutions in the Metropolis are called the five Royal Hospitals. They are endowed charities, deriving their original establishment from royal piety and munificence. We shall proceed to describe the most extensive of those numerous provisions for human misery in every form, which owe their origin to individual benevolence, or are supported by the voluntary contributions of those who act upon a proper sense of Christian duty.

GUY'S HOSPITAL.-This well-known Charity for the reception and relief of sick and diseased poor, was built in the year 1724, at an expense of about 19,000l., and endowed in the sum of about 220,000%. The individual who accomplished this great work at his sole charge, and who is said to have given more sums to public charities than any man upon record, was a bookseller, who commenced business with 2001. Thomas Guy was the son of a lighterman and coal-dealer of Southwark. He made his large fortune by contracting with the Universities for the exclusive sale of English Bibles, and by employ-ing his gains in money speculations. His habits were of the most frugal kind, almost amounting to penuriousness. His custom was to dine on his shop-counter, with no other table-cloth than an old newspaper. In his old age he was about to marry his maid-servant;-but Ca short time before his intended nuptials she displeased him, by venturing to direct some workmen to exceed her master's orders, in the arepair of the pavement before their door. He became disgusted with > the apprehension that the poor girl might be undutiful and extravagant;-renounced his matrimonial projects;-and devoted his great fortune to the erection of hospitals.

This extraordinary man, in addition to the noble Charity which bears his name, built three wards of St. Thomas's Hospital, and otherwise