THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 'l'he British Empire consists of :- I. THE UNITED KlNGIIOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND lRl!lJ,ANU. II. INDIA, TilE COLONIES, PnOTECTORATES, AND DEPENDENCIES. Reigning Xing and Emperor. George V., born June 8, 1865, son of King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra, eldest daughter of King Christian IX., of Denmark; married July 6, 1893, to Victoria Mary, daughter of the Duke of Teck; succeeded to the et·own on the death of his father, May 6, 1910. Ohildren of the King. I. Edward Albert, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Heir-apparent, born June 23, 1894. 1I. Ptince Albert Frederick, born December 14, 1895. ]]I. l'tincess Victoria Alexandra, born April 25, 1897. JV. Prince Henry William, born March 31, 1900. V. Prince George Edward, born December 20, 1902. VI. Prince John Charles, born July 12, 1905. Bi•ter• of tho King. I. Princess Louise, Princess Royal, burn February 20, 1867 ; married July 27, 1889, to the Duke of J<'ife. Offspring :-(1) Alexandra Victoria, born May 17, 1891; (2) Maud Alexandra, born April 3, 1893. II. Prinr.ess Victoria Alexandra, born July 6, 1868. III. Princess Maud Charlotte, born November 26, 1669; married July 22, 1896, to Charlo•, Prince of Denmark, now King Haakon VI of Norway. Brother and Bi•tera of the late King. I. Princess Helena, born May 25, 1846; m~rried July 5, 1866, to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holst<·in. Offspring :-Albert John, born Feb. 26, 1869; Victoria, born May 3, 1870; Louise Auguste, born Aug. 12, 1872, married to Prince Aribert of Anhalt, July 6, 1891 : the ml\rl"iage was dissolved December 13, 1900. II. Princess Louile, born March 18, 1848; man-ied lllareh 21, 1871, to John, Marquis of Lome, who became Duke of Argyll, April 24, 1900. III. Pdnce .Prussia, born July 25, 1860. Offspring :-(I) Margaret Victoria, bom Jan. 15, 1882, married June 15, 1905, to Prince Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden; (2) Arthur, born Jan. 13, 1883; (3) Victoria, born March 17, 1886. IV. Princess Beatrice, born April 14, 1857; man"ied July 23, 1885, ttitle rests on the statute of 12 and 13 Will. IIJ. c. 3, by which the succession to the Crown of Great Britain and Ireland was settled on the Princess Sophia of. Hanover and the 'heirs of her body, being Protestants.' By proclamatiOn of May 9, 1910, under the Royal Titles Act, 1901, the t~tle. of th? King is declared _to_be 'George V., by the Grace of God of the Umted Kmgdom of Great Bntam and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King Defender of the Faith Emperor of India.' Provision is made for the support of the Royal household by the settlement of the Civil List soon after the commencement of each reign. (For historical details, see YEAR• BooK for 1908, p. 5.) By Act oflO Ed. VII. and 1 Geo. V. c. 28 (August 3, 1910), the Civil List of the King, after the usual surrender of hereditary revenues, is fixed at 470,0001. of which llO,OOOL is appropriated to the privy purse of the King and Queen, 125,8001. 'for n 2 4 'rHE BRITISH EMPIRE :-UNITED KINGDOM salaries of the Royal household and retired allowances, 193,0001. for household expenses, 1!0,000!. for wo1·ks, 13,200!. for alms and bounty, and 8',0001. remains unappropriated. The sau1e Civil List Act of 1910 also provides for an annuity of 70,0001. to Queen Mary in the event of her surviving the King. Should the Prince of Wales marry, the Princess of Wales will receive an annuity of 10,0001., and should she survive the Prince of Wales, this annuity will be raised to one of 30,000!. Fm·ther, there is to be J•aid to trustees fol' the benefit of the King's children (other than tlw Duke of Corn wall) an annual sum of 10,0001. in respect of each sou (other than the Duke of Com wall) who attains the age of 21 years, and a further nnn11al sum of 15,0U0l. in respect of each such son who marries. and an annuity of 6,0001. in respect of each daughter who attains the age of 21 or marries. The First Conunissioner of the Treasury, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a.11d the Keeper of the King's Privy Purse are appointed the Royal Trustees under this Act. Queen Alexandra receives tl.e annuity of 70,0001. provided !Jy the Civil List Act oflOOl. Civil List pensions may be granted, but are not chargeable on the sum paid for the Civil List. All these payments are charged on the Consolidated Fund, into which the surrendered hereditary revenues are carried. The King has paid to him the revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster, the payments made therefrrun to his late Majesty, King Edward VII, in 1909, being 64,0001. On the Consolidated Fund are charged likewise the following sums allowed to members of the royal family :-25,0001. a year to the Duke of Connaught; 6,0001. to Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; 6,000!. to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll; 6,0001. to Princess Henry (Beatrice) of Battenberg; 3,0001. to the Grand Duchess ol Mecklenburg• Btrelitz; 6,000!. to Princess Helena of Waldeck, Duchess of Albany; 6,0001. to the Duchess of Edinburgh; and 6,0001. to each of the late King's daughters. The Heir Apparent has an income from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall, the payment to the Priuce in 1909 being 87,0001. Sovereigns and sovereign rulers of Great Britain, from the union of the crowns of Englanu and Scotland :- Date of Date of Accessivn. Accession. House nJ Stuart. Ho!tse of Stnart, James I. 1603 Anne. . 1702 Charles I. 1625 Commonwealth. Honse of Hanover. Parliamentary Executive 1649 Protectorate 1653 George I. . 1714 House of St!ta?'t. George II. 1727 George 1760 Charles II. 1660 III. George IV. 1820 James II. 1685 William IV. 1830 House of St1tart-Orange. Victoria 1837 William and Mary . 1689 F.dward Vll, 1901 William III. 1694 George V. 1910 1. THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. Constitution and Government. I. IMPERIAL AND CENTRAL. The supreme legislative po~er of the British Empire is by its Constitution given to Parliament. Parliam~nt is summo~ed by th~ writ of the s?vereign issued out of Chancery, by adv1ce of the Pnvy Coune1l, at least thirty-five days previous to its assembling. · The annual session extends from the middle of February to about the end of August, or occasionally to the late autumn. Every session must end with a prorogation, and by it all B~lls w~ich have not been passed ~urin.11 the session tall to the ground. A d1ssolutwn may occur by the will of the sovereigu, or, as is most usual, during the recess, by proclamation, or finally by lap.~e of time, the statutory limit of the duration of the existence of any P:nliament· being seven years. 'l'he present form of Parliament, as divided into two Houses of Legis-