G overn- _
he N't!
Privy ■ Goat!* IS -
Miniftry.
T e n d e r vfoafeverdfctom ^m o n a r c h y , P-foyy GoiiaeMs are found, to be
icodval w ith-the ftate. It ifompoffiMefor one-tiians, howfeyer irapiee&dent
Jiis abilities, tOrmanage foe >VaiiopS-foyfiqpft*0/ fog^QAjeiaqfppnt. In the
moft barbarous periods, a few m e n ^ m in d n t bitfo or wifdom ^ y p ^ e e n
feleded by foe Sovereign for- 'his affiftants. W h ile -the* .national affem-
bly .©hly met o n /o lem n oocafions^fop 4 <MCS. I f | | | P fivy
readyvOn,eyery.epver^neyMian^i^he^efo^dflrne>,t,He-»^h||fe^,p|^e'|jf Regular
and ^ n g n fta l; authority, fn j E f W j p w e g s ^ ^ pfivy
to u n c if’c&ntihpe to he v^-exfcenfwp, ev en jn modern times. At m||re
ancient-periods h a£bed in afoighjandical.ca^acity^ w a s ^ n f to bep ^n -
fnltefo’.CTen'bv foe judge?, fo fteei;ee§fof great c^nfeg^epcff a p d ?the_par-
liarne it1 u fe |, to transmit federal' im p o r u n t / t^ ^
tion \ At p r ^ n w f l P J, Q^afFairs/of
fodden em e rg e n c e o n peace and -war - V ^ p e e i a 1 J ^ n ^ | f n . f o e
royal" p r e r o g a tiv e T h e ’members i r e c-hoffj b y 'fo e kingfj ^ n d g n
changes of'adminiftration are feldom erafed, though foe members'in
^ p o fifoW feV p attend. ” ‘T h e y W Jfty le d ; R ^ h r ^ | | o M ® n a § r e
fworn to obferye fectecyfoelbw-pfl i t the b o a rd p ro n q& h ^ i s 'g p r r fo n
firft, and the king, if prefent,5 concludes with d eclarii%4fts?juM - e n t.
A privy council is- feldom or neverSheld', wifooiinfoe
one o f the fecretaries of ftafo; whd,„.tili t b ^ r ^ f o g J ^ i u f e J ' t o
ftand by foe royal chair, hut have ftncefotten a f ^ | y
co uncilors/ T h e ir office is o f the h % h i f tn t ^ C p ^ impo^tanSe ; » d
is at prefent divided into three departments.^ D e p e n d e fn t|^ d tg% fe --
paries o f ftate is the ftate-paper office k Whitehall, -'which h i s in p g e
foe writings .of ftate and council, d ifoa tcheV ^gocj^ti%s^ ^ a n d p
like, from .ancient times, thus presenting moft impirla'nt, dbcdment£ of
hiftory.-
Even at an early period, when the monarch maintained m w ^ a w n
hands a great fhare o fthe adminiftration dijuftice, and of the rcife
of authority, there were intervals of abfence or recreation, in which
he delegated the chief management of bufine&jto fame fe led 3perfon,
ufiialify an ecclefiaftic, whofe cultivated talents qualified, him forfoch an
important truft. T o lend mofe weight to this fubftitute, he wafc'pm-
* Chamberl* 83, and Blackftone B. 1« c. v.
mohly
monly appointed cBfoeell;or, or chief adm‘miftra;|'©'r| .of civil juftifce, Goybrh-
was prefident o f thefooufe-pf'peers, and fupported the -royal influence'
In tbat%rea#affepblyt*' But in later-times,-_ w hen'foe management of
the houfe o f commons became the chief; ® e £ t | of the crown, the
chancellor o f the court of ,'^ e h e rg p # ^ a ,s , fOperintenEatit !c$£ «the public '
-revenue, is the officer generally jsoiilidered as prime minifter. ‘ The
'd lftH b u tjP liid fJ'jfty '^ ^ iS ^v ^ -y ea r/j^k ied with foe royal fupport, has -
recently carried his ^ ' t'0'p 8 ?'®gbeftj«leV-jdite^ Next to him in
'authority ire. the fecretaries of ftatb, 'vKhq^arejbfbHo^ved by the chan-
cellor, the treafurei of the navy, tbe^prefidcftt of foe council, the pay-
;. mailer o f *^:'5^ « ^ ,f,'ftlH ^ ^m f^ te 'q fe ^ s'Y'iEfe‘fi;fre5,^afu^(ian(ijibthe!r
grfo n |^ § h ig h ’ truft.
The jmlicature of England is worthy of the higheft applaufe, with Judicature.
^ rS ii^ pQ t^ je ^ fio h ' fo T M l to ^«ifeg^gfgdAhat t h e ’'
vaft number and confufron. of foe ftatutes, rcndler the ftudy of the laws
pcr.uliaily difficult, and that the number of officers and detainers on the
courts o f T * 2 ’ fwells;foe expences of a' fait to an enOrmous fum.
But hardly can afa.ouKtfy be named'on foe face of th e globe,, in which ’
juftice, civil1 o f Criminal, is- adminiftered with more integrity:' bribes, fo *
' frequent in other countries, are totally unknown; and the lavjng of n
Ijpis^-expehcfe nfaft be' candfdly^difedt1 agai^^S^tber .]{E5gal‘'il|i{ba#ie-_
w ■ » J* ‘ .V
‘"H ^ ife t tr iS l b y j u r y ’T ^trotb'e^ U^driqus i t a t d f o o t B{igBffi'jjiMfprtfefedfe^,k
ba^te,dlfad'wn from'-'tli'ejBax'on'' and i^ juffl^ifogarded^as ' foe
very’ft^^uam^dflSie lives^1 HbSfties, a i H ^ j ^ p d f t i c s - . V f
excellence has been refpefted by the Danifh and Norman conquerors; k
and, it is hoped, will be-, venerated by the lateft pofterity.
The laws of England in general, for® 3 noble code of jiiftice and Laws,
equity, the precious legacy of remote ancestors.' The' ftream 'iffbed'pure
and faint ary »from th;e; Saxon ro c k ; and neither 'foreign fourc.es, nor
ravaging Hoods,..have been able to contaminate its beneficial qualities'.
Engliih jurifprudence regards the eivii cod;e ;aS a relic 'of defpbtifm ; and
rarely liftens -tofo e ■ papal voice of the canon law. - It would be idle
and extraneous . here to attempt,1 even a brief fketch' of the laws, of
England. The moft. lingular ufages are what was termed.. Borough
v o l . i . h - , E n g lijh ,