Parliamentary Government in the British Colonies

Todd, Alpheus. Parliamentary Government in the British Colonies. Edited by His Son. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1894. xx, 929 pp. Reprinted 2006 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-1-58477-617-8. ISBN-10: 1-58477-617-X. Cloth. $150.* Reprint of the Second edition. By 1894 Great Britain possessed the largest formal empire that ever existed, one that ranged across a bewildering variety of lands and cultures. A remarkable work of synthesis and analysis, Todd's treatise is an excellent guide to its political and legal administration at the time when the empire stood at its zenith. In the course of nineteen lucid chapters it describes how Parliamentary government functions in the Colonies, the ways imperial control manages the appointment and control of governors, local legislation, internal administration, military, naval, and ecclesiastical matters, foreign relations, imperial legislation, judicial appeals, grant of honours and the use of royal prerogatives, particularly mercy. Other chapters examine administrative and legislative jurisdiction over subordinate provinces of a central colonial government, the constitutions and powers of colonial parliaments and the double position and functions of colonial governors or lieutenant-governors.