ANNALS oF BRITISH LEGISLATION: A CLASSIFIED AND ANALYSED SUAD(ARY OF PUBLIC BILLS, STATUTES, ACCOUNTS AND PAPERS, REPOUTA OF COMMITTEES AND OF COMMISSIONERS, AND OF SESHIOWAL, PAPERS GENERALLY, OF THE HOUSES OF LORDS AND COMMONS. EDITED BY DR. LEONE LEVI, F8A., F.8S,, OF LINOOLN's INN, BARKISTER-AT-LAW ; PROFESSOR OF THE PEINOIPLES AND PRACTICE OF COMMERCE [AT KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON ; DOCTOR OF EOONOMIOAL AND POLITICAL SCIENOES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TURINORN, WORTEMBERO} AXD AUTHOR OF * COMMERCIAL LAW OF THE WORLD,” “ MANUAT, OF MERCANTILE LAW,” ETO. VOL. XII. “LONDON: . SMITH, ELDER & CO., 65, CORNHILL. MDCCC.LXIL,PREFACE Tue accounts of the Board of Trade from year to year, given under Series A of the Annals, bring out in a special manner how the trade of the United Kingdom is affected by the political and social condition of all countries. A revolution, a war, a famine, or the sudden discovery of gold mines, alters materially the capacity of countries to sénd produce to the British market, or their means to consume British manufactures; and the results are seen in the sum total of our trading with them. Thus, in 1860, our Exports to the United States of America amounted to 21,018,500/. Soon after, a political revolution turned the tides of prosperity, and in 1861 they were only 9,058,326/.; and in 1862, 14,399,000/. The Imports from the States in 1861 amounted to 49,885,0001., and in 1862 to 27,700,000. The same variations will be found in the value of each article imported and exported, though, owing to the changes of prices from year to year, it is necessary to take into account not only the amount but the quantities; as, for example, the value of cotton imported in 1862 may be the same as in 1861, yet it may represent only a third of the quantity received in former years, seeing that the prices are three times higher. It is only by careful study of the figures exhibited in these accounts that the real state of trade can be properly appreciated. A valuable return will be found under this series of the relation of population to revenue and representation in the different parts of the United Kingdom;iv PREFACE. and though the population is only one element as regards the incidence of taxation, it is well to keep this item clearly before our minds. The Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue gives the changes made in late years in the Duties on Spirits in England, Scotland, and Ireland, until a uniform rate has been established. It will be observed that the Assessed Taxes apply to Great Britain only. Several other papers of great value are inserted under this series. The Report of the Commissioner of Patents shows how numerous are the petitions for grants of Letters Patent, 8,000 new petitions annually is a serious addition to the number of monopolized articles, but probably a very small proportion only consists of inventions of any importance. The Report on the present mode, of assessing the Income and Property Tax has fallen short of public expectation, having left the question as unsettled as ever; nevertheless, Mr. Hubbard’s Draft Report, and the valuable evidence obtained by the Com- mittee, form an excellent contribution towards the solution of the many economical difficulties connected with the subject. The Return of the Weekly Earnings of Agricultural Labourers affords information of great value, Although the wages of this class of labourers are unusually low, it will be seen that they generally get something more than the money wages, whilst Agriculture is an employment where women and children of the same family are often employed. Among the Statutes under this series the most important is the one altering the mode of payment to and from the Bank of England. Under Series B, the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons on the Constitution of the Diplomatic Service deserves attention. The Committee reported more especially on the examination to be established previous to admission into that Service, yet the evidence contains important information on the position of the Attachés and on the Constitution of the