The Journal of the Parliaments of the Empire (Empire Parlia-
mentary Association, 10s. net) gives in its January number the full text of the Articles of Agreement for the Treaty between Great Britain and Southern Ireland. The editor of the Journal calls attention to the important statement on the subject of Dominion status made by Mr. Lloyd George during the debate on the Treaty. There is no Act that defines the relationship between the Dominions and ourselves, yet this indefinable and wholly elastic bond works perfectly. Indeed danger lies in limiting the British Constitution by too many. finalities. The effect of vesting our foreign policy, for instance, in the Empire as a whole has been to make the bond even more elastic and even more firm. We note in this connection the significant, though hardly important, incident in the House of Commons in November last when the Civil Lord of the Admiralty stated that the warships which had been handed over to the Dominion of Canada were subject to no conditions as to their use. The terms of the offer simply demanded that the vessels should be maintained as ships of war. The Journal of the Parliaments of the Empire has now entered upon its third year of publication; this in itself should be sufficient testimony to its usefulness.
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