and among several of the principal tribes, have been
committed to writing. In the languages of the western
tribes, these written collections are generally
denominated Undang, a word, which, in the leading
language, the Javanese, means a royal order or
edict, and points distinctly enough at their nature
and origin, being all compilations made by express
order of some particular monarch. None of them,
pf course, bear date earlier than the introduction
of Mahomedanism, and the greater number are indeed
cogval with this event, or were compiled immediately
after it. It may be presumed, that these
collections are founded on the written laws which
were in existence with each particular tribe before
the conversion. Under the name of Kuntara, for
example, the Balinese have still a collection of native
laws, slightly modified by Hinduism, which
bears a strong affinity with the Malayan collections
called Undang, In attempting to render
an account of the jurisprudence of the Indian
islanders, I shall freely quote these different collections.
All of them display a remarkable character
of rudeness and barbarism. Institutions so
imperfect, indeed, have never, in all probability,
been, among any other people, committed to writing.
No attempt is made in them at arrangement
or classification, but the most incompatible matters
are blended together, and the forms of judicature,
criminal and civil jurisprudence, maxims of mOf
rality, and commercial regulations, are incongruously
intermixed. =
I proceed to render some account of the arrangements
for the maintenance of order and tranquillity,
and for the administration of justice. We
are fully prepared to understand what the character
of these must be from what has been already
said on the subject of government. As in all rude
periods of society, the chief, lord, king, or sovereign,
under whatever name recognized, administers the
law. In the smaller communities, he does so in
person ; in the larger ones by delegate. The administration
of the laws is, in fact, but a subordinate
branch of executive government, conducted by
one and the same hands. In the law terms used
by the Javanese, accordingly, any injury offered to
the persons or property of the king’s subjects are
termed injuries to him: Thus do so rojo-brono,
literally the crime against the king’s property, is
theft ; doso rojo-tatu, meaning literally wounding
the king, is wounding or maiming in general ;
and doso rojo-pati, the crime of killing the king,
is murder. In the larger communities, to save
trouble, the usual expedient, in such cases, of law
assessors, has been had recourse to. The sovereign
or 1ns minister has his assessor,—the delegates
of the sovereign, in the administration of
the provinces, theirs,-—and all the subdelegates of
these, in a third or fourth series, theirs also, the prin