The public revenue of the crown is derived in part from permanent charges on the consolidated fund, and in part from actual grants for specific public services, which require the yearly sanction of parliament. On the opening of parliament the queen demands from the commons the annual provision for the public services, and directs estimates to be laid before them. On agreeing to the address in answer to the royal speech, the commons order the speech to be taken into consideration on another day. On the arrival of that day a motion is made: "That a supply be granted to her majesty," and the house resolves itself into a committee to consider that motion. On the (lily appointed, the committee sits and agrees that a supply be granted, which, being reported, is agreed to by the house. Tue house then appoints another day on which it resolves itself into a " committee of supply." The estimates for the army, navy, and ordnance departments, are first laid before the committee; then the estimates for civil services, known as the miscellaneous estimates. The first business of the committee of supply is to elect a chairman, who is known as the chairman of the committee of ways and means, over which he also presides. When the first report of the committee of supply has been received and agreed to, a day is appointed for the house to resolve itself into a "com mittee of ways and means." _This committee is not appointed till a sum has been voted by the house, nor is it afterward allowed to vote in excess of the expenditure voted by the committee of supply. It is the function of the committee of supply to consider what specific grants are to be voted, and of the committee of ways and means to determine how the funds shall be raised which arc voted by the committee of supply. Without special parliamentary authority, the consolidated fund could not be applied to meet the supplies voted for the service of the year; hut to make it so available, the committee of ways and means votes general grants from time to lime out of the consolidated fund "toward making goo:i the supply granted to her majesty;" and bills are founded on the resolutions of the committee, by which the treasury receives authority to issue the requi site amount from the consolidated fund for the service of the year. It belongs to the committee of ways and means to determine what sums shall be raised by exchequer bills in anticipation of the annual revenue, to make up the supply granted to her majesty. When the committee of supply has determined the number of men that shall be main tained during the year for the army and sea-service, and its resolutions have been agreed to, the mutiny bill and marine mutiny bill are brought in, providing respectively for the discipline of the troops and marines when on shore. Apart from this annual sanction, the maintenance of a standing army in time of peace would be illegal, and the army and marines would be relieved 'from all martial discipline. The committee of ways and means receives the annual financial statement from the chancellor of the exchequer, popu larly called the budget. That minister gives a general view of the resources of the coun try, and of the financial policy of the government, and presents a probable estimate of income and expenditure for tile twelve months ending on the 12th of April of the follow ing year. IIe states what taxes he intends to reduce, and what new ones he means to impose, and ends by proposing resolutions for the adoption of the committee, which, when reported to the house, form the groundwork of bills for accomplishing the finan cud objects proposed. The charges for collecting the revenue, have, since 1854, 'been brought under the supervision of the house of commons; and estimates are voted for the revenue departmeuts. A new tax cannot be proposed except by a minister of the crown. The resolutions of committees of supply and of wa3s arid means are meported on a day appointed by the house, and read a first time without a question, and a second time on a question put front the chair, amid are agreed to by the house, or nmy be disagreed to, amended. postponed, or recommitted. When the committee of supply is closed, the committee of ways and means authorizes the application of money from the consolidated fund, the surplus of ways and means, and in the exchequer, to meet the grant and services of the year, and the resolutions of the committee are carried into effect byVie consolidated fund bill, or as it is often called, the appropriation. bill. By a standing order
of April 3, 1862, a standing committee of public accounts is appointed at the beginning of each session to examine into the appropriation of the sums ground by parliament to meet the public expenditure. Taxes of a permanent and general character are not now considered in the committee of ways and means.
Petitions.—Among the duties of parliament is the receiving of petitions. A petition must he presented by a member of the house to which it is addres,ed. Petitions from the corporation of London are however, presented to the house of commons by the sher• iffs at the liar, or by one sheriff. if the other be a member of the house, or nnavoidably absent. In 1840, a petition was allowed to be presented by the lord mayor and alder men, when the sheriffs were in custody of the sergenut-at-arms. The lerd mayor of Dublin has been allowed to present a petition at the bar of the house, and the same privi lege would probably be conceded to the lord provost of 'Edinburgh. Petitions which violate any of the rules of the house, arc not brought up, but returned to the petitioners; and if an irregularity be discovered after a petition is brought up, its presentation is not recorded in the votes. In the house of lords, when a petition is laid on the table, an entry is made in the lords minutes, and afterward in the journals of the house, which, however, does not describe its nature and substance. A petition may, on presentation. be made is subject of debate, but unless this is done, there remains no put lie record of its import, or of the parties by whom it was signed. In the house of C011illIGLS, aceor(4ing to standing orders adopted in 1842. the member presenting a petition is to eentine him self to is statement of who the pctithioners are, the number of signatures, the material allegations of the petition, and its prayer. In case of urgency, or where questions of privilege are involved, the matter the petition may be discussed; but in ordinary eases no debate is allowed, and it is referred to the committee on public petitions, and if relat ing to a subject with regard to which the member presenting it has given notice of a nation. it may be ordered to b;) printed with the votes. The reports of the committee on public petitions are printed twice a week, and point out the name, the subject, and the number signatures of eaelt petition, and the total Dumber of signatures, and peti tions relating to each subject; and, In some cases, the petition itself is printed at full length in the appendix.
Commu » ieatMns with the Cromc1t.—Besides at the opening and proroguing of parliament. and giving of the royal assent, there are other occasions on which the crown C01211111111i• rates with parliament by a message, under the sign-manual, to either house singly, or both houses separately. Messages are brought by a member of the house, being 11 minis-. ter of the crown, or one of time royal household, and may relate to important public events, the prerogatives or property of the crown, provision. for the royal family, etc. An address is the mode in which the resolutions of parliament are communicated to the crown. Addresses may be joint, of both houses, or separate, of either house.
Returns. —Each house has the power of ordering returns from all those public depa•t ments which are connected with the revenue, under control of the treasury, or regulated by statute: btu returns of matters connected with the exercise of royal prerogative, as from public departments subject to her majesty's secretaries of stale, are obtained by means of addresses to the crown. A return is not allowed to be ordered in one house regarding the proceedings of the other; when such return is niAmed. it is usual to make an arrangement by which it is moved in the house. to whose proceedings it relates, and after it has been presented, a message is sent to request that it may he communicated. Returns cannot be moved from private associations, or persons not exercising public functions; and the papers and correspondence sought from government departments must he of an official, not a private or description. This rule was, under special circumstances, departed from in 1858, in regard to the opini, a of the la•-otliecrs of the crown in the ease of the Cagliari. Accounts and papers presented are ordered to lie on the table, and when necessary. ordered to be printed, or in the commons referred to the printing committee appointed at the beginning of each session.