The next and last point which we shall notice is the representation of minorities. We do not know to whom the credit of having invented this notable scheme is really due. There are various claimants in the field. Mr G. L. Craik, of Queen’s College, Belfast, asserts that he was the original discoverer, having propounded a plan of this nature so early as 1836. Ingenious as the idea may be, it will hardly rank in importance with the discovery of the steam-engine, nor do we think that its originator is entitled to any exorbitant share of public gratitude or applause. We shall give it as we find it in the _Review_. _Source of Lord John Russell’s proposal to give members in certain cases to minorities._—“The mode by which we propose to insure the constituent minorities their fair share in the representation—_i. e._ to make the majorities and minorities in the House of Commons correspond as nearly as may be to majorities and minorities in the country, or in the electoral bodies—is, to give (as now) to each elector as many votes as there are members to be chosen, and to allow him to divide these votes as he pleases among the candidates, _or to give them all to one_. But as at present most places return two members, it is obvious that, under the proposed arrangement, wherever the minority _exceeded one-third_ of the total number of the electors, they would be able to return one member, or to obtain _one-half_ the representation, which would be more than their fair share, and would place them on an equality with the majority, which would never do; while, if they _fell short of one-third_, they would be, as now, virtually unrepresented and ignored. To obviate this, it will be necessary so to arrange our electoral divisions, that as many constituencies as possible should return _three_ members: one of these a minority, if at all respectable, could always manage to secure.”—_Edin. Review_, Oct. 1853, p. 622. Here, at all events, is the notion about the representation of majorities, and the establishment of as many constituencies as possible, returning _three_ members. Lord John Russell’s method of working this, is to restrict each elector to two votes.