'according to the castra,' the Magistrate shall take his measures accordingly. Particularly he shall

cause any who may forsake the principles of their own castes to return to their respective duties. He must put down theft and robbery, and reimburse those who cannot recover goods stolen from them. And adultery and violence are to be repressed. Likewise fornication amongst men of rank, and the drinking of wine. Finally, the Magistrate is to be careful about his counsels being kept secret, and must avoid sitting in council where he can be overheard, and taking counsel from foolish and irresponsible

persons.

The body of the work begins with the curious proposition that 'men are permitted to lend money, but they should not lend to women, children, or servants'; and all lending should be upon the credit of a pledge, a security, a bond or witnesses, whichever may be preferred, but not otherwise. 'The pledge and security are to answer the payment of the debt, the bond and witnesses to prove its validity.' Then comes a set of rules about interest to be paid by men of different castes, the Varṇa-Sankara having to pay it at the rate of one anna per rupee per mensem, or 75 per centum per annum; and others about pledges and security, and discharging and recovering debts. If a man dies or renounces the world in debt, his sons and grandsons shall contribute their respective shares to discharge his obligations, and in certain cases the son and grandson must pay a man's debts whilst he is still alive; but they

are not liable for debts contracted by him by gaming or drinking spirituous liquors. A father cannot be compelled to pay his son's debts, or a husband a wife's, unless incurred by his authority. If a woman borrows of necessity for the support of the family, her husband and son must pay the debt; and in certain castes the husband, wife, and son are reciprocally liable for one another's debts. If a Brahman dies childless, whoever succeeds to his estate pays his debts. If a Ksatriya dies childless and without kinsmen, the Magistrate shall administer to his estate.

Debts are to be recovered by importuning the debtor's friends, and then the debtor himself, doing dharna at his house (see my Prospectus, pp. 155, 156), and then arresting him and carrying him before mediators, and after a time by seizing his wife, children, and goods, and doing more dharnā; and, lastly, by seizing and binding the debtor's person and procuring payment by forcible means.' Brahmans may not be forced to work out a debt by day labour, but men of all the other castes may. If all these expedients are of no effect, apparently nothing can be done where the debtor admits his liability; but when he denies it, the creditor has no power himself to confine him, but shall take him before the Magistrate, who, if the debt is indisputably proved, shall order payment of it, and also fine the debtor as for an offence, according as he is of a caste inferior, equal, or superior to the caste of the creditor. No directions are given here, or, indeed, in any part of the work, as to the mode of executing a decree,

Chapter II. deals with 'the division of inheritable property' in considerable detail. It begins with the important general proposition that when a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, or similar relative dies, or loses caste, or renounces the world, or is desirous to give up his property, the sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, or other natural heirs may divide and assume his glebe land, orchards, jewels, coral, clothes, and other goods of whatever kind. Such property is called Duya,' by which is meant what is capable of being thus left and inherited.

If there is one son, he takes the whole; if there are several sons, they all shall receive equal shares and so with grandsons, if there are several (and no son), they shall divide the property, and all shall receive equal shares; and so with great-grandsons where there is no grandson. But, where a man dies, leaving several sons, and grandsons by a deceased son, these grandsons shall receive their father's share from their uncles in equal proportion with them,' i.e., I presume, which father's share shall be equal to the share of each of the uncles.

In default of a son, grandson, or great-grandson, all goes to the adopted son, or adopted son's son or grandson; and in default of these, to the wife. In case of non-division the property goes to the brother, but the wife shall receive food and clothes. This last is the rule according to the Pandits of Mithilā. According to Jīmūta Vāhana and others, the husband's share, whether divided or not, goes to the wife or wives in default of sons, grandsons, or great

grandsons; and this ordination is approved, provided always that the wife is, and (a thing to be noticed) continues to be, chaste.

The wife may give to the Brahmans any part of what she inherits from her husband. If she gives them the whole the gift is approved, but she is blamable. She may also sell or mortgage such property to procure herself necessaries.✅

If there is no wife, the property goes to the unmarried daughter or daughters. If such daughter marries, and has a son, he takes it; if she has a daughter, that daughter takes nothing. Otherwise, upon the (succeeding) daughter's death her married sisters take. When daughters who take shares die leaving sons, these take equal shares per capita, like brothers born of the same parents. Then follow as successors the father, mother, brother, brother's son, and numberless other kinsmen, the last mentioned being a grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's daughter's son. In default of this relation, the property will go to 'the next near relation,' or 'to one of distant affinity.' In default of such heir, the Magistrate shall obtain the effects of the Ksatriya, Vaiçya, or Çudra; his teacher, or pupil, or fellowstudent, those of the Brahman, or in default of these the Brahmans of his village or neighbourhood.

A very liberal and comprehensive definition of the wife's separate property is next given, and it is declared that (for the most part) it is in her disposal. Moreover, if her husband takes any of it, in times of plenty and prosperity, without her leave, he must

repay her both principal and interest; if he takes it with her leave, he repays only what he originally borrowed. In times of famine or great distress, or for religious purposes, he may take his wife's property and not return it. When the wife dies, her property received during the days of marriage goes to her unmarried daughters in equal shares; and failing such. to her married daughters, preferentially to those who have or may have offspring. In default of these it goes to her sons and grandsons, and the sons of the husband by other wives and their descendants. Failing all these, it goes to the husband, provided the marriage was one of five specified kinds; and, in default of him, to the wife's brother, or mother or father. If the marriage was one of the three other kinds, the property goes to the wife's mother or father, and in their default to her husband; otherwise to her husband's younger brother or his nephews. Failing these, it goes to various relations or connections in order, ending with any near connection coming after the husband's grandfather's grandfather's father's brother's grandson, and in default of any such it goes like the husband's property in similar default. The residue of the wife's property goes to her unmarried daughter and her son in equal shares; if not, to the daughters who have or may have children; or to grandsons, or daughters' sons, or other descendants of the wife or of her husband; then to the husband if married in one of the five modes, and so on and so on through an almost interminable series.

The rules about disqualification for inheritance are far more comprehensive than the corresponding rules