210 LAW OF PROPERTY. 



of furniture that had remained in the house after 

 the death of their brother. In Shoa, when a 

 man dies, leaving no male heirs, the King takes 

 all that he died possessed of; even the widow 

 and female children have no claim to anything 

 but that which is granted to them by the justice 

 and compassion of the monarch. These relations 

 are, however, so far considered, that a small 

 " rnemolagee" only is expected, and they are then 

 generally allowed to retain the personal property 

 of the deceased, but the landed estate is always 

 retained and granted to some other male servitor 

 capable of bearing arms. This concession, small 

 as it is, does not extend to other ties of kindred, 

 for a person dying and leaving only sisters or 

 brothers, all kinds of property possessed by the 

 deceased is seized by the governor of the town in 

 which he had resided, for the benefit of the Negoos, 

 and an account of all such intestate property is 

 annually drawn up by that officer. When a 

 governor himself dies, before his successor takes 

 office, an inventory of every thing contained in a 

 large store house is made, and sometimes all the 

 articles, generally household furniture, are taken 

 to be examined by the Negoos, who, retaining the 

 most valuable himself, returns the remainder to 

 the charge of the new governor. From these 

 repositories are rewarded minor meritorious acts, 

 and sometimes the things are exposed to sale by 

 a kind of auction, and thus disposed of. It is not 



