was unable in many respects to carry out the purposes of the trusts, which, under the verdict of the House of Lords, was a condition of their holding the property, and that there was a case for parliamentary interference. They recommended that an executive commission should be set up by act of parliament, in which the whole property of the Free Church, as at the date of the union, should be vested, and which should allocate it to the United Free Church, where the Free Church was unable to carry out the trust purposes. The commission was to entertain suggestions which might be made to them for friendly arrangements.
The Churches (Scotland) Act, which gave effect to these recommendations, was passed on the 11th of August 1905. It contained (see Scotland, Church of) a clause (No. 5) providing for the relaxation of subscription in the Established Church, parliament thus interesting itself in the affairs of all Presbyterian churches. The commissioners were those on whose report the act was formed, with the addition of two others. In October 1906 the commission intimated that the Assembly Hall, with the New College Buildings and the High Church, were to be the property of the United Free Church, the Free Church receiving the offices in Edinburgh, and a tenement to be converted into a college, while the library was to be vested in the United Free Church, but open to members of both churches. After having occupied class-rooms in the university for two sessions, and held an assembly (1905) in another hall, the United Free Church in 1906 again occupied in its own right the historic buildings of the Free Church. All the foreign missions and all the continental stations were adjudged to the United Free Church. The allocation of churches and manses was a slow business, but in 1908 over 100 churches had been assigned to the Free Church. Some of the dispossessed United Free Church congregations, most of them in the Highlands, found shelter for a time in the parish churches; but it was early decided that in spite of the objection against the erection of more church buildings in districts where many were now standing empty, 60 new churches and manses should at once be built at a cost of about £150,000. (A. M.*)
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND,[1] the official title, since the 1st of January 1801, of the political unity composed of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. “Great Britain” was employed as a formal designation from the time of the union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1707. Although the name (which apparently had its origin in Britannia Major, the name given to the island to distinguish it from Britannia Minor or Brittany) had, in earlier times, been often used both by English and by foreign writers, especially for rhetorical and poetical purposes, it was not till after the accession of James I. that it became a recognized part of the royal style. Its adoption was due to the king himself, who was anxious to give expression to the fact that he was sovereign of the undivided island, and not only of England or Scotland. As early as 1559 the Scottish congregation had formally proposed the union of the two crowns, and the adoption of the name of Great Britain for the common country (Teulet, Mêm. Caille à M. de la Mothe, Dec. 20). But in England the innovation at first met with great opposition. Various objections, sentimental and practical, were urged against it in parliament; and the judges, when appealed to by the king, declared that the adoption of the title would invalidate all legal processes. At length, on the 20th of October 1604, the king, weary of the discussion, cut the knot by assuming the title by royal proclamation, and in due course the inscription “J. D. G. Mag. Brit. F. et H. Rex” appeared on his coins. In November 1604 we find the king instructing the lords commissioners of the Gunpowder Plot to try and discover if the prisoner was the author of a most “cruel pasquil” against him for assuming the name of Britain.
For further details see Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series; and J. Spedding, Letters and Life of Lord Bacon, vol. iii. (London, 1861–1874).
England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland are politically united under a parliament (q.v.), consisting of the king, the House of Lords[2] and the House of Commons,[3] the prerogatives of the Crown being exercised through responsible ministers. The executive government is carried on under the supervision of the ministers of state (see Ministry), the more important of whom are united in the cabinet (q.v.). The first minister of the Crown or prime minister (q.v.) is appointed by the king, and having made choice of his colleagues, recommends them for appointment. (See the separate articles on the various offices. For the judiciary system, see Court; Appeal; &c.)
The table at the foot of this column shows the imperial revenue and expenditure, with the amount of revenue per head of population of the United Kingdom for various years. The financial year now ends on the 31st of March of the year following that quoted. The figures before 1907 did not include the revenue assigned to local purposes. The deficit in 1909 was due to delay in passing the Finance Act.
| Year. | Total Revenue. |
Total Expenditure. |
Proportion of Revenue per head. | ||
| £ | £ | £ | s. | d. | |
| 1861 | 70,283,674 | 72,792,059 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| 1871 | 69,945,220 | 69,548,539 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| 1881 | 81,872,354 | 80,938,990 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 1891 | 89,489,112 | 87,732,855 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| 1901 | 130,384,684 | 183,592,264 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 1902 | 142,997,999 | 195,522,213 | 3 | 12 | 11 |
| 1903 | 151,551,698 | 184,483,708 | 3 | 11 | 6 |
| 1904 | 141,545,597 | 146,961,136 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 1905 | 143,370,404 | 141,956,497 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 1906 | 143,977,575 | 140,511,955 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| 1907 | 156,537,690 | 151,812,094 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 1908 | 151,578,295 | 152,292,395 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1909 | 131,696,456 | 157,944,611 | 2 | 18 | 5 |
Year ending March 31st.
| 1891. | 1896. | 1901. | 1906. | 1910. | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Funded debt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 579,472,082 | 589,146,878 | 551,182,153 | 634,047,429 | 614,868,547 |
| Terminable annuities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 66,550,579 | 49,183,748 | 60,154,800 | 43,459,548 | 35,876,861 |
| Unfunded debt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 36,140,079 | 9,975,800 | 78,133,000 | 65,713,000 | 62,500,000 |
| Other capital liabilities*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 1,317,719 | 3,979,940 | 14,464,396 | 45,770,210 | 49,218,217 |
| Total gross liabilities of the state . . . . | 683,480,459 | 652,286,366 | 703,934,349 | 788,990,187 | 762,463,625 |
| Assets— | |||||
| Suez Canal shares . . . . . . . . . . | 3,532,040† | 22,627,000‡ | 25,806,000‡ | 31,080,000‡ | 35,295,000 |
| Other assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 1,740,397 | 939,354 | 712,760 | 2,586,799 | 4,118,352 |
| Exchequer balances at banks of England and Ireland | 6,370,897 | 8,975,201 | 5,596,918 | 10,451,487 | 2,831,248 |
* These are in respect of sums borrowed under certain acts.† Nominal value.
‡ Estimated market value on the 31st of March each year.
- ↑ See also Britain; British Empire; England; Ireland; Scotland; Wales; &c.
- ↑ See Peerage.
- ↑ See Representation and Parliament.
