THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER.

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“ the Hall of the Dean; on the 13th, in the Chapter House; and on the 14th, in the Convent of the“ Carmelite Friars .”

The powers and privileges of the Lords, as a branch of the legislature at the present time, and theforms observed in their assemblies, are, upon the whole, similar to those of the Commons, to which weshall presently refer. As an integral part of the legislature of the empire, the consent of a majorityof the Peers is necessary to give effect to any law; hut they have a privilege, not possessed by theCommons, of voting by proxy, without personal attendance. The Peers, in each several rank, takeplace according to the date of creation; and in voting, those of the lowest rank first declare their opinionin the words " content” or “ not content.” On state occasions, the Peers seat themselves in the House according to their rank; hut in general no particular order is observed, except that of the “ ministerial”or “ opposition” side of the House . The Peers how towards the throne on entering the House , whichwould seem to imply, that the Sovereign is always supposed to he present, who, however, rarely attends,except at the opening or the prorogation or dissolution of a Parliament . On such occasions, after the kingor queen is seated on the throne, the Lords sit down, hut without being covered. The Gentleman Usherof the Black Bod is then sent hy the Sovereign to command the attendance of the Commons, who, ontheir arrival, stand at the bar to hear the speech, the substance of which is addressed generally to bothestates, in the words “ My Lords and Gentlemen;” but towards the middle, there is always a paragraphrelating to finance, specially addressed to the “ Gentlemen of the House of Commons.” This is becauseno money bill, or a bill imposing a tax, can originate in the House of Lords ; and when such a bill issent up from the Commons, the Peers must either agree to it, or reject it altogether, for the leastalteration is considered fatal to it. In such cases it is the usual practice for the Co mm ons to introducea new bill, in which the amendments suggested by the Peers are incorporated.

Besides its legislative, the House of Lords has a judicial character. It is a court of appeal from thejudgments of all other courts; and its decision is final. It is also the supreme court of criminaljurisprudence; in which character it has cognizance of treason and other high crimes committed byPeers and others; and also tries persons impeached by the House of Commons . The Peers acquit orcondemn without taking any oath, but simply declare, upon their honour, that the accused is “ guilty,”or “ not guilty.”

After the separation of the Peers from the Commons in Parliament , the former continued to sit inWestminster Hall. Stowe mentions no definite period when they removed to the apartment theysubsequently occupied. He only says, “ and now, of a long time, the place of the sitting of Parliament “ remains in the said ancient palace: the Lords in a fair room, and the Commons in that which was“ formerly St. Stephen’s Chapel.” This “ fair room” was the old House of Lords , which was situatednear Westminster Hall. This apartment seems, in its interior arrangements, very much to haveresembled that subsequently prepared for the reception of the Peers, the principal difference consisting inthe greater size of the latter, the old House being an oblong apartment, of scarcely half of its dimensions.

We have already had occasion to mention that the late House of Lords was formed out of what had