In recent times, the necessity for obtaining private acts hes been. in many cases, obviitted by general laws adapted to different classes of objects, of which parties are enabled to avail themselves, instead of applyffig to parliament for special powers.
Royal bill becomes a statute or,.nct of parliament on receiving the royal assent, which is given in the house.or lords, the commons being also present at the bar. It is given in either of two ways: by letters-patent under the great seal, signed by the sovereign's own hand, and communicated to tile two houses by commissioners; or by the sovereign present in person in the house of lords. When the .royal assent is given by commission, three or more of the lords commissioners command black rod to signify to the commons that their attendance is desired, on which the commons, with the speaker, immediately come to the bar. The commission is then rend at length; and the titles of all the bills being read by the clerk of the crown, the royal assent to each is signified by the clerk of the parliaments in Norman French, and so entered on the lords' journals. In assenting to a public bill, the words used are: "be roy [la reyne] he venit;" to a private bill, " Suit fait conime it est desire;" and to a bill of supply (which is presented by the speaker, and receives the royal assent before all other bills); " be roy remercie ses bons sujets, accepte leer benevolence, et ainsi he veldt." In the case of min net of grace, which has originated with the crown, there was, till lately, no further expression of the royal assent: but the clerk of the parliaments, having rend its title, said "Les prelats, seigneurs, et communes en ce present parliament assembles, au nom de tolls vos auctres sujets, remercient tri.:s-humblement yostre Majeste, et prient n3 Dieu vos donner en santb bonne vie et, lougue:" the royal assent, however, has been latterly given to acts of grace in the usual form. The refusal of the royal assent is announced by the words, "Le roy s'avisera.' Bat the necessity for such refusal is generally removed by the observance of the constitutional principle, that the queen has no will but that of her ministers, who only continue in offices° long as they have the confidence of parliament. The last instance in which the royal assent wasrefused was by queen
Anne in 1707, regarding a bill for settling the militia in Scotland.
The royal assent is seldom given in person, except at the close of a session, when the queen attends to prorogue parliament, and then signifies her assent to such bills as have ben passed since the last commission was issued; but bills providing for the honor and dignity of the crown, and bills for settling the civil lists, have generally been assented to by the sovereign in person, immediately after they have passed'both houses. When the royal assent is given in person, the clerk of the crown reads the titles of the bill; and the clerk of the parliaments, who has previously received her majesty's commands in the robing-room, makes an obeisance to the throne, and signifies her majesty's assent, as already described, the queen giving a gentle inclination.
to 168d, in addition to parliamentary taxation, imposts were some times levied by an exercise of the royal prerogative. Since the revolution, no taxes have been raised otherwise than by parliamentary authority. The commons have the exclu sive right to impose taxes and vote money for the public service. The lords cannot even make an alteration in a bill of supply, except to correct a clerical error. The lords are not even entitled to insert in a bill any pecuniary penalties, or to alter the amount or application of any penalty imposed by the commons; a rule whose rigid assertion has been found to be attended with so much inconvenience that there has bitterly been a disposition to relax it. If a bill containing provisions which make a pecuniary charge on the public originate in the lords, any such provisions are struck out in the bill as sent to the commons. In the commons, these provisions are printed in red ink, and sup posed to be blank, and may be agreed to in committee. But though the commons has the exclusive right to grant supplies, a grant requires the ultimate assent of the queen and the house of lords.