To be delivered to the sheriff.

Such books to be the Registers.

books to be by them provided for that purpose, prefixing to every name so copied out its proper number, beginning the numbers from the first name, and continuing them in a regular series down to the last name: and they are required to complete such books on or before the last day of October in every succeeding year.

The clerks of the peace must deliver the books so made out by them to the sheriff of the county, or his under-sheriff, who is safely to keep the same, and at the expiration of his office to deliver them over to the succeeding sheriff or his under-sheriff.

The returning officers for cities and boroughs are required to deliver over the books, (being their Registers,) together with the lists, at the expiration of their office, to the person succeeding to their duty.

It is then enacted and declared, that every such book to be so completed, shall be deemed the Register of the electors to vote,* after the end of the present Parliament, in the choice of a member or members to serve in Parliament for the county, riding, parts, or division of a county, city or borough, to which such register shall relate, at any election which may take place after the said last day of October in the present year, and before the first day of November in the year one thousand

persons entitled to make tender for that most consequential purpose, which would enable him to exclude impertinent attempts to embarrass the polling, by fictitious objectors causing unfounded anxiety.

This would also be of considerable service on subsequent revisals in case of future claims by the same persons.

* i. e. entitled to vote.-See Sect. 37.

eight hundred and thirty-three; and every such book to be so completed on or before the last day of October in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, and in every succeeding year, shall be the register of electors to vote at any election which shall take place between the first day of November, inclusive, in the year wherein such respective register shall have been made, and the first day of November in the succeeding year.

By Section 55 these officers are to procure copies to be printed for public sale.

Thus is to be formed the several Registers of Electors for the various counties and divisions of counties, cities and boroughs of England and Wales, being Volumes made up of transcripts of the Lists of Voters, as revised and adjudicated by the revising Barrister, and so moulded and matured by such revisal into Records of Electors formally adjudged and determined to be qualified to vote, so long as they shall retain the very qualification, and reside at the same place of abode.

ter.

S. LV.

Such books may be aptly entitled "Register of Title of regis Electors to vote in the Choice of a Member [or Members] to serve in Parliament for the County of [or Division, &c. or City or Borough of &c. as the case may be, with reference to the place for which it has been compiled,] for the Year, (&c.)

Written or printed copies of these books are to be made by the clerks of the peace for counties, and by returning officers for cities and boroughs, for sale to all persons applying to purchase them.

F

Register con

clusive.

S. LX. Correctness

of register

before Select

The names which each register shall contain will be the nomenclature of all persons entitled to vote for the place to which it belongs, without impeachment or other question at the time of polling than as to the identity of name and person, singleness of vote, and retainer of qualification. A very important consequence of the insertion of names in the register is, that no person whose name shall appear there, shall be subject to any scrutiny by or before any returning officer, with regard to his vote given or tendered by him at any electionof members to serve in any future Parliament.

The several registers, however, may be brought into question and subjected to revision by a select impeachable committee of the House of Commons, upon Petition Committee to that House, complaining of an undue election or on complaint or defence of return of a representative of the people to serve in Parliament.

election or

return to the House of Commons.

S. 59.

In such case, either the petitioner or the defender of the election or return will be at liberty to impeach the correctness of the register of votes in force at the time of the election, by proving that in consequence of the decision of the revising barrister, either as to the insertion or the retainer of persons' names on the register, or that the omission therefrom of a vote tendered at the election (under the 59th Section) was improper, to abide the determination and report of the committee, as to amendment by the House.

In the mean while, the right of voting is made perfect by the fact of REGISTRATION, conclusively evidenced by the REGISTER.

CHAPTER XII.

CANDIDATES FOR REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
IN PARLIAMENT, AND THEIR QUALIFICATION.

SECTION 1.

Candidates.

for the repre

THE Reform Act relates wholly to the rights and Candidates privileges of such of the people as are entitled to sentation of vote in the election of members to serve the Country in Parliament.

It also professes to prescribe very briefly some of the leading forms and ceremonies to be used and observed at the election of representatives from amongst the candidates for representation, and dictates the proceedings to a certain extent, and the places and positions for conducting the polling of the electors and taking their votes.

It leaves untouched as it found them, the laws respecting candidates for representation, and the persons to be delegated by the people for performance of that duty which their interests and the popular proportion of the legislative business of Parliament demand.

The persons desirous of the honour of serving their country in Parliament, or anxious to promote

the people as members of

the House of Commons.

QUALIFICATION.

Property.

Amount of

by their aid the prosperity of the public affairs in the capacity of members of the House of Commons, usually solicit from constituents the position of a seat in that national assembly. A few also, on the other hand, in whose competency and integrity large or entire bodies of any particular constituency have confidence and faith, are sometimes successfully solicited to take on themselves the duties and responsibilities of that station, by the acceptance of their suffrages in effecting the return of the individual so selected by the electors.

These persons are candidates for the counties, cities, and boroughs of the country.

SECTION 2.

Qualification of Candidates.

To be a candidate for a place returning members to Parliament, legal qualification is indispensably

necessary.

The qualification required by law to constitute a candidate for a seat in the House of Commons consists rather of negative than positive predicaments, or what such persons should not be, rather than what they are required to be, in order to be fit and proper persons for popular representatives. The only positive requisite of qualification in members of Parliament is that of property.

To be qualified to represent a county or shire, qualification. that is, to be a knight of a shire, in the phrase of