84 LAWS OF INHERITANCE. [chap. iv. 



lished all entails (morgados) which did not yield to the life 

 occupant a net income of £41 13s. Ad. in the provinces of 

 Alem Tejo and Estreniadura, or of £20 16s. 8d. in the rest 

 of the Portuguese dominions; it annulled all irregular* suc- 

 cessions which had been established by founders of entails ; 

 and regulated the form of making new entails, granting this 

 privilege only to persons of rank, or to those who had distin- 

 guished themselves in some way or other. Thenceforth no 

 entail could be instituted, without royal licence, and unless 

 the property yielded an income of £500 per annum. 



On the 4th of April, 1832, another law was enacted, by 

 which all entails, not yielding the life occupant a net income 

 of £41 13s. Ad., were abolished ; facilities were afforded for 

 exchanging, leasing, and renting entailed properties ; and 

 tbe life occupant without a successor, was allowed to cut off 

 the entail, even though the income of the estate should 

 exceed £500 per annum ; in which case previously the pro- 

 perty would have lapsed to the crown. 



In case of marriage, the nuptial contract is observed ; if 

 there is no nuptial contact, the half of all the goods belongs 

 to the widower or widow, and the testator can only dispose of 

 one-half freely ; or if the testator has direct heirs, he has 

 only power over one-third of this half. If there is no will, 

 in the first place the direct descendants and ascendants, or, 

 in failure of these, the nearest blood relations, inherit the 

 portion of the deceased ; in failure of relations to the tenth 

 degree, the surviving spouse inherits, or, if there is none, 

 the public treasury. This law applies to foreign as well as 

 native residents in Madeira. 



' What is called a regular succession is where preference is given to male 

 over female, and to the elder over the younger branches. 



