688 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



and quiet. Nevertheless, if the 

 wife establishes a criminal offence 

 against tlie husband, such as an 

 unfair distribution of his time 

 among his wives, or a diminution 

 of the necessaries of life, she 

 can obtain a divorce in spite of 

 Iiim. 



The fourth is, " the little credit 

 the law attaches to the evidence 

 of women in Asia :" for, in a 

 court of justice, every fact is 

 proved by the testimony of two 

 men; but if women be the wit- 

 nesses, four are required. This 

 does not arise from the superiority 

 of the one over the other, but it is 

 founded upon the little experi- 

 ence and knowledge women pos- 

 sess, and the fickleness of their 

 dispositions. 



The fifth \s, " the Asiatic wo- 

 men having to leave off going to 

 balls and entertainments, and 

 wearing showy dresses and orna- 

 ments after their husband's death." 

 This is owing to their great af- 

 fection for their husband's memo- 

 ry, and their own modes and ha- 

 bits ; for there is nothing to pre- 

 vent a woman's doing otherwise, 

 or marrying a second husband, 

 but the dread of exposing herself 

 to the ridicule and censure of wo- 

 men of her own rank. 



The sixth is, " the Asiatic 

 daughters not having the liberty 

 of choosing their husbands." On 

 this head nothing need be said ; 

 forin Europe this liberty is merely 

 nominal as without the will of 

 the father and mother, the daugh- 

 ter's choice is of no avail; and 

 whatever choice they make for 

 her, she must submit to ; and in 

 its effects, it serves only to encou- 

 rage running away, as the male 

 and female slaves in India do), 



and to breed coldness and trouble 

 amongst the members of a family. 

 But granting that such a liberty 

 does exist in England, the dis- 

 grace and misery it must always 

 entail is very evident. The choice 

 of a girl just come from the nur- 

 sery, and desirous by nature to get 

 a husband, in an affair on which 

 the happiness of her whole life 

 depends, can neither deserve 

 that respect nor consideration 

 which is due to the choice of 

 her parents, who have profited 

 by experience, and are not blind- 

 ed by passion. 



But what the Asiatic women 

 have more than the European, 

 both by law and custom, may be 

 ranked under eight heads. 



First, " Their power over the 

 property and children of the hus- 

 band, by custom ;" for the men of 

 Asia consider the principal objects 

 of marriage, after the procreation 

 of their species for the worship of 

 God, two things, — the one to have 

 their money and effects taken care 

 of, and the other to have their 

 children brought up ; so that they 

 themselves, being left entirely dis- 

 engaged of these concerns, may 

 turn their whole endeavours to 

 the attainment of their various 

 pursuits. The chief part, there- 

 fore, of whatever wealth they ac- 

 quire, they give in charge to their 

 wives : and thus the women have 

 it in their power to annihilate in 

 one day the products of a whole 

 life. Although this seldom hap- 

 pens, yet, it is often the case, 

 where the husband having amas- 

 sed a large fortune in youth and 

 power, has delivered it in charge 

 to his wife, and requires it back in 

 his old age and necessity, she does 

 not allow him more than sufficient 



