These Councils are elective bodies, consisting of a chairman, aldermen, and councillors. The councillors are elected by a popular vote for three years. The aldermen are elected by the councillors, and sit for six years, and one-half of the number goes out in every third year. The chairman is elected by the Council. For the purposes of the new Act England and Wales was divided into 60 administrative counties, and 61 county boroughs having more than 50,000 inhabitants, so that with the County of London the number of new areas created was 122. The administrative business transferred from the justices of the peace to the County Councils consists of business as to (1) making of rates; (2) borrowing of money; (3) supervision of county treasurer; (4) management of county halls and other buildings; (5) licensing of houses for music and dancing, and of racecourses; (6) maintenance and management of pauper lunatic asylums; (7) maintenance of reformatory and industrial schools; (8) management of bridges; (9) regulation of fees of inspectors, analysts, and other officers; (10) control of officers paid out of the county rate (11) coroner's salary, fees, and district; (12) Parliamentary polling districts and registration; (13) contagious diseases of animals, and various other matters. The control of the police is given to the County Councils jointly with the justices of the peace in quarter sessions, and there is a standing joint committee of the two bodies to exercise this control. The metropolitan police is, however, under direct Government control.

In all the great towns local business is administered by a municipal corporation, which derives its authority from a charter granted by the Crown. In 1835 the municipalities of the country were completely reorganised. A municipal corporation consists of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and acts through a Council elected by the burgesses-practically by the ratepayers. The councillors serve for three years, one-third retiring annually; the alder men are elected by the Council, and the mayor, who serves for one year, also by the Council. A municipal corporation has generally wider powers than are conferred on the County Council; e.g., the Town Council has the entire management of the police. As to poor law and school board administration in boroughs, see 'Pauperism' and 'Instruction.'

Scotland.-In 1889 a Local Government Act was passed for Scotland, which in its main outlines followed the English Act of the previous year. The powers of local administration in counties formerly exercised by the Commissioners of Supply and Road Trustees were either wholly or in part transferred to the new Councils, which took over their duties and responsibilities in 1890. Municipal bodies exist in the towns of Scotland, as in those of England, but instead of aldermen' there are bailies,' and instead of a 'mayor' there is a 'provost.' There are in Scotland five kinds of burghs(1) Burghs of barony; (2) Burghs of regality (no practical distinction between these two); (3) Royal Burghs, representatives of which meet together annually in Edinburgh, as the 'Convention of Royal Burghs,' for the trans• action of business; (4) Parliamentary Burghs which by an Act passed in 1879 are enabled to send representatives to the convention; (5) Police Burghs, in which the local authority are the Police Commissioners.

Its

Ireland. In the counties local affairs are not in the hands of a popularly elected body. The principal county authority for local government is the grand jury, which is appointed under the Act 6 & 7 Will. IV. c. 116. powers end with each of the assizes. In Ireland the towns are partly Corporate and partly governed by commissioners. There are eleven boroughs with a mayor, aldermen, and councillors, whose powers are regulated by 3 & 4 Vict. c. 108. The ordinary affairs of the borough, such as lighting, watching, and cleansing, are administered by the Council, which has power to levy rates for these purposes. But in the majority of Irish towns, as they have no

charter of incorporation, the local affairs are administered by a body of Commissioners, who have powers generally to discharge the usual municipal functions, and are empowered to levy rates to defray the cost of administration.

The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not bound by Acts of the Imperial Parliament unless specially mentioned. The Isle of Man is administered in accordance with its own laws by the Court of Tynwald, consisting of the Governor, appointed by the Crown; the Council for Public Affairs, composed chiefly of ecclesiastical and judicial dignitaries appointed by the Crown; and the House of Keys, a representative assembly of 24 members chosen on a property qualification for 7 years by the 6 'sheadings' or local subdivisions, and the 4 municipalities. The Channel Islands are administered according to their own laws and customs, each by a Lieut.Governor, with judicial and other functionaries; and a 'States' Assembly, partly elective. Jersey has a separate legal existence. Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark have a Lieut.-Governor in common, but otherwise their governments are separate.

Area and Population.

I. PROGRESS AND PRESENT CONDITION.

The population was thus distributed over the various divisions of the United Kingdom at the last census, taken April 5, 1891 :

The following table gives the population of those divisions at each of the four decennial censuses previous to 1891 :

:

The decennial rate of increase or decrease ( each of the last five censuses has been as follows:—

per cent. at

If Ireland be excluded from the calculation, it will be found that the rate of increase for the remainder of the United Kingdom was very nearly uniform.

The proportion per cent. of the population living in the various divisions of the United Kingdom was as follows at each of the six decennial censuses from 1841 to 1891 :

In 1891, in Wales and Monmouthshire 508,036 persons or 28.6 per cent. of the population were returned as able to speak Welsh only, and 402,253, or 22.6 per cent., as able to speak Welsh and English. Thus 910,289, or 51.2 per cent., persons could speak Welsh. In 1881 the number returned was 950,000, or about 70 per cent. In 1891, in Scotland, 43,738, or 1.09 per cent., of the population of Scotland could speak Gaelic only, and 210,677, or 5.23 per cent., could speak Gaelic and English. Thus 254,415, or 6:32 per cent., could speak Gaelic. In 1881 the number was 231,594, or 6.20 per cent. In 1891, in Ireland, 38,121, or 81 per cent. of the population of Ireland, could speak Irish only, and 642,053, or 13.65 per cent., could speak Irish and English. Thus 680,174, or 14:46 per cent., could speak Irish. In 1881 the number was 949,932, or 18 20 per cent.

Computed on the basis of the registration of births and deaths, the population of the United Kingdom and its divisions was, exclusive of army, navy, and merchant seamen abroad, as follows, at the end of June, in each of the last ten years.

and 4.

Subjoined is a more detailed statistical account of the population of 1. England and Wales; 2. Scotland; 3. Ireland; Islands in the British Seas.

1. England and Wales.

The population of England and Wales was as follows at the ten enumerations, 1801 to 1891 :

The following table shows the area in square miles, the total population, and the population per square mile in 1891, of each of the 52 counties of England and Wales :

Population, 1891.