235 





state of things similar to that existing in India, has 

 afforded matter for thought to the lawgivers of 

 all civilized nations, from the earliest ages of which 

 we have a historic record. The systems of occupant- 

 village-community- family- tribe- and joint-owner- 

 ship are known to have existed amongst the people of 

 most countries in the earlier stages of their progress, 

 from the days of the Romans,- and more lately in 

 Austrian and Turkish Sclavonia and in many pro- 

 vinces of the vast Russian Empire -down to our own 

 times. The difficulties which beset the Governments 

 of these countries in administering the affairs of the 

 State, and the people themselves in transacting their 

 own business, in consequence of the fetters with which 

 proprietory rights were trammelled, are now well 

 know to jurists, and the necessity which improving 

 organizations of societies imposed on lawgivers of 

 getting rid of them, has been made patent by 

 successive laws on the subject, from that of the 

 (Jsucapion of the Romans, to those of Limitation 

 amongst ourselves. 



Regarding rights of Occupancy, with which we have 

 now more immediately to do, the latest and probably 

 the highest authority on the subject says : 



'Before pointing out the quarter in which we may 

 "hope to glean some information, scanty and un- 

 certain at best, concerning the early history of 

 proprietary right , I venture to state my opinion that 

 the popular impression in reference to the part 



