446 



ishment is a double, and occasionalty a treble 

 restitution. The former appears to be the ori^- 

 nal Si imese law^the latter is evidently adopted 

 from the Malayan code. Loubere* mentions it as 

 an instance of the singularity of Siamese notions 

 of justice that every one, who wrongfully with- 

 holds the possession of an estate from the right 

 owner, is considered in the light of a robber, so 

 that, upon conviction he is compelled not only 

 to restore the property, but is besides mulcted 

 in its full value, half the tine" thus imposed going 

 to the aggrieved party, and half to the jndge. 

 In cases wherein sentence o* death ha.s been pass- 

 ed for robbery, the judge has power, if he pleas- 

 es, to commute the extreme penalty into a pecu^ 

 niary mulct. 



The most sanguinary portion of the Siamese 

 code relates to the pnnishmenis inflicted for re- 

 beilion, mutiny, trea^^on, and murder. Jn the 

 case of the two former crimes, the bodies of the 

 criminals are ripped up alive, and, their bowels 

 having been tsken out, the carcases are enclosed 

 in an open work of twigs, and left to be devour- 

 ed by birds of prey. Traitors and murderers 

 are executed by an elephant : the convict having 

 been bound fast to a stake, theelephant is brought 

 up, and, on the signal being given, the animal 

 twines his trunk round the body and stake, and, 

 pulling the latter up, throws them both with vio- 

 lence into the air, He receives the man on his 

 tushes as he falls, and then, shaking off the wri- 

 thmg body, puts one of his feet upon it, and 

 crushes it to a mummy. 



• lxiuti«f« p. 87. 



