An imperial union, though resembling somewhat in outward form a federal union, differs altogether from it both in principle and origin.  Its essential characteristic is that one community is absolutely dominant while all the others are subordinate.  In the case of a federal union independent States have agreed to resign a portion of their powers to a central Government for the sake of securing the common safety.  In an imperial union the dominant or imperial State delegates to each constituent member of the union such a portion of local government as the dominant State considers the subordinate member entitled to, consistently with the integrity of the empire.  The British Empire furnishes the best example of an imperial union now existing in the world.  Her Majesty, as common head, is the one link which binds the empire together and connects with each other every constituent member.  The Indian Empire and certain military dependencies require no further notice in these pages; but a summary of our various forms of colonial government is required to complete our knowledge of the forms of Home Rule possibly applicable to Ireland.

The colonies, in relation to their forms of government, may be classified as follows:—­

I. Crown colonies, in which laws may be made by the Governor alone, or with the concurrence of a Council nominated by the Crown.

2.  Colonies possessing representative institutions, but not responsible government, in which the Crown has only a veto on legislation, but the Home Government retains the control of the executive.

3.  Colonies possessing representative institutions and responsible government, in which the Crown has only a veto on legislation, and the Home Government has no control over any public officer except the Governor.

The British Colonial Governments thus present an absolute gradation of rule; beginning with absolute despotism and ending with almost absolute legal independence, except in so far as a veto on legislation and the presence of a Governor named by the Crown mark the dependence of the colony on the mother country.

It is to be remembered, moreover, that the colonies which have received this complete local freedom are the great colonies of the earth—­nations themselves possessing territories as large or larger than any European State—­namely, Canada, the Cape, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania.  And this change from dependence to freedom has been effected with the good-will both of the mother country and the colony, and without it being imputed to the colonists, when desiring a larger measure of self-government, that they were separatists, anarchists, or revolutionists.