was declined on the plea that to construct a cabinet on “a system of counteraction was inconsistent with the prosecution of any uniform and beneficial course of policy.” From that date it has been an established principle that all cabinets are to be formed on some basis of political union agreed upon by the members when they accept ofnce together. It is now also distinctly understood that the members of a cabinet are jointly and severally responsible for each other's acts, and that any attempt to distinguish between a particular minister and his colleagues in such matters is unconstitutional. During the 19th century the power of ministers was greatly extended, and their duties became more distinctly marked out. As now interpreted, the leading principles of the British constitution are the personal irresponsibility of the sovereign, the responsibility of ministers, and the inquisitorial and controlling power of parliament. At the head of affairs is the prime minister (q.v.), whose duties are more general than departmental; and the other members of the administration, whose Work is exemplified by the titles of their offices (the more important of which are treated separately), are the lord high chancellor, the lord president of the council, the lord privy seal, the first lord of the treasury, the five secretaries of state (home, foreign affairs, colonies, war, India), the chancellor of the exchequer, the secretary for Scotland, the chief secretary to the lord-lieutenant of Ireland, the postmaster-general, the presidents of the board of trade, the local government board, the board of agriculture and- the board of education (all of which were originally committees of the privy council), the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster and the first lord of the admiralty. These are the more important members of the administration, and they' are generally in the cabinet. The subordinate members of the administration, some of whom are occasionally invited to join the cabinet, while others are never in it, are the parliamentary and financial secretary to the admiralty, the parliamentary under-secretaries of the home, foreign, war, colonial and India offices, the board of trade, local government and board of education, the junior lords of the treasury (assistant “ whips ”), the financial secretary and patronage secretary to the treasury (the senior"' whip ”), the first commissioner of works, the paymaster-general, and the attorney-general and solicitor-general. There are in addition the lord advocate and the solicitor-general for Scotland, the lord lieutenant and lord chancellor of Ireland (who are sometimes members of the cabinet), and the attorney-general and solicitor general for Ireland.

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[The title was at first lord treasurer, except when the treasury was put in commission. Ultimately special rank was given to one of the commissioners as first lord of the treasury. From the time of the earl of Essex (1679) the name given is that of the first lords, with the exception of the three printed in italics. In modern times the first lord of the treasury has usually, but not invariably, been the head of the government or prime mlnister. A list of the Prime Ministersis given in the article PRIME MINISTER.

1603 Lord Buckhurst, cr. Earl 1649. interregnum. of Dorset 1604. 1660 Sir E. Hyde and others. 1608 Earl of Salisbury. (Commissioners.) 1612 Earl of Northampton and 166O. Earl of Southampton. others. (Commissioners.) 1667. Duke of Albemarle and 1614 Earl of Suffolk. others. (Commissioners.) 1618 Archbishop Abbot and 1672. Lord Clifford. others. (Commissioners.) 1673. Viscount Dunblane, cr. 1620 Sir H. Montagu, cr. Vis- Earl of Danby 1674. count Mandeville 1620. 1679. Earl of Essex. 1621 Lord Cranfield, cr. Earl of 1679. Lord Hyde, cr. Earl of Middlesex 1622. Rochester 1682. 1624 Sir J. Ley, cr. Lord Ley 1684. Lord Godolphin. 1625, and Earl of Marl- 1687. Lord Bellasyse. borough 1626. 1689. Earl of Monmouth. 1628 Lord Weston, cr. Earl of 1690. Viscount Lonsdale. Portland 1633. 1690. Lord Godolphin. 1635 Archbishop Laud and 1697. C. Montagu, cr. Earl of others. (Commissioners.) Halifax 1700. 1636 W. Juxon, Bishop of Lon- 1699. Earl of Tankerville. don. 1700. Lord Godolphin. 1641 Sir E. Littleton and others. 1701. Earl of Carlisle. (Commissioners.) 1702. Lord Godolphin. 1643. Lord Cottington. 1710. Earl Poulett. 171L 1714. 1714. 1715 1715 1717. I7I& 172L 1742. 1743- 1754- 1756. 1757- 1762 1763. 1765 1766. 1770. 1782. 1782. 1783. 1783. 1801. 1804. 1806. 1807 1807 1812. 1827. 1827 1828. 1830. 1834. 1834. TA 1603. 1617. 1621. 1625. 1640. 1641. 1645. 1649. 1660. 1667. 1672. 1673. 1682. 1685. 169O. 169O. 1693. 1700. 1705. 1710. 1710. 1513: 1718. 1725. 1725. 1733- 1737- Earl of Oxford. Duke of Shrewsbury. Earl of Halifax. Earl of Carlisle. Sir R. Walpole. Lord Stanhope. Earl of Sunderland. Sir R. Walpole.-Earl of Wilmington. H. Pelham. Duke of Newcastle. Duke of Devonshire. Duke of Newcastle. Earl of Bute. G. Grenville. Marquess of Rockingham. Duke of Grafton. Lord North. Marquess of Rockingham. Earl of Shelburne. Duke of Portland. W. Pitt. H. Addington. W. Pitt. Lord Grenville. Duke of Portland. S. Perceval. Earl of Liverpool. G. Canning. Viscount Goderich. Duke of Wellington. Earl Grey. Viscount Melbourne. Sir R. Peel.

BLE OF LORD CHANCELLORS Sir T. Egerton, L.K., cr. Lord Ellesmere 1603, and Viscount Brackley 1616. Sir F. Bacon, L.K., cr. Lord Verulam 1618, and Viscount St Albahs W 162I. J. Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, L.K. Sir T. Coventry, L.K., cr. Lord Coventry 1628. Sir J. Finch, L.K., cr. Lord Finch 164O. Sir E. Littleton, L.K., cr. Lord Lyttelton 164I. Sir R. Lane, L.K. Interregnum. Sir E. Hyde, C., cr. Lord Hyde 1660, and Earl of Clarendon 1661. Sir O. Bridgeman, L.K. Earl of Shaftesbury, C. Sir H. Finch, L.K., cr. Lord Finch;1674, C. 1675, cr. Earl of Nottingham 1681. Sir F. North, L.K., vcr. Lord Guilford 1683. Lord Jeffreys, C. Sir J. Maynard and others. (Commissioners.) 4 Sir J. Trevor and others. (Commissioners.) Sir J. Somers, L.K., C., cr. Lord Somers 1697. Sir N. Wright, L.K. W. Cowper, L.K., cr. Lord Cowper 1706, C. 1707. Sir T. Trevorand others. (Commissioners). Sir S. Harcourt, L.K., cr. Lord Harcourt 1711, C. 1713. Lord Cowper, C.-Sir R. Tracy and others. (Commissioners.) Lord Parker, C., cr. Earl of Macclesfield 1721. Sir J. Jekyll and others. (Commissioners.), Lord King, C., Lord Talbot of Hensol, C. Lord Hardwicke, C., cr. Earl of Hardwicke 1754. 1835. 1841. 1846. 1852. 1852. 1855. 1858. 1859. 1865. 1866. 1868. 54-3 Viscount Melbourne. Sir R. Peel. Lord J. Russell, cr. Earl Russell 1861. Earl of Derby. Earl of Aberdeen. Viscount Pa'merston. Earl of Derby. Viscount Palmerston. Earl Russell. Earl of Derby. B. Disraeli, 1868. W. E. Gladstone. 1874. 1880. 1885. 1886. 1886. 1887 1891. 1892. 1894. 1895 1905. 1908. (C.) 0 B. Disraeli, cr. Earl of Beaconsfield 1876. W. E. Gladstone. Sir Stafford Northcote, cr. Earl of Iddesleigh 1885 (prime mi.nister, l/Iarquess of Salisbury). W. E. Gladstone. Marquess of Salisbury. W. H. Smith (prime minister, Lord Salisbury). A. J. Balfour (prime minister, Lord Salisbury). W. E. Gladstone. Earl of Rosebery. A J. Balfour (prime minister, Lord Salisbury till 1902). Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman. H. H. Asquith. R LoRD KEEPERs (L.K.) 1756. Sir Willes and others, (Commissioners.) 1757. Sir R. Henley, L.K., cr. 1 766. I 770. 1770. 1771. 1778. 1783. 1783. 1792. 1793- ISOI. ISOG. Lord Henley and C. 1760, Earl of Northington 1764. Lord Camden, C. Charles Yorke, C. Sir S. S. Smythe and others. (Commissioners.) Lord Apsley, C., succeeded as Earl Bathurst 1775. Lord Thurlow, C. Lord Loughborough and others. (Commissioners.) Lord Thurlow, C. Sir J. Eyre and others. (Commissioners.) 4 Lord Loughborough, C., cr. Earl of Rosslyn ISOI. Lord Eldon, C. Lord Erskine, C. 1807. Lord Eldon, C. 1827. Lord Lyndhurst, C. 1830. Lord Brougham, C. 1834. Lord Lyndhurst, C. 1835. Sir C. C. Pepys and others. (Commissioners.) 1836. Lord Cottenham, C. 184I. 1846. 185O. 1850. 1852. 1852. 1858 1859. 1861. 1865 1866. 1868. 1868. 1872. 1874. 1880. Lord Lyndhurst, C. Lord Cottenham, C. Lord Langdale and others. (Commissioners.) Lord Truro, C. Lord St Leonards, C. Lord Cranworth, C. Lord Chelmsford, C. Lord Campbell, C. Lord Westbury, C. Lord Cranworth, C. Lord Chelmsford, C. Lord Cairns, C. Lord Hatherley, C. Lord Selborne, C. Lord Cairns, C., cr. Earl Cairns 1878. Lord Selborne, C., cr. Earl of Selborne 1882. 1885. Lord Halsbury, C. 1886 1886. 1892. 1895. 1905. Lord Herschell, C. Lord Halsbury, C. Lord Herschell, C. Lord Halsbury, C., cr. Earl of Halsbury 1898.

Lord Loreburn, C.