14 



HINDU LAW IN 



marier a qui elle voudra, et quand son mari ne seroit pas 

 du Sang Royal, ses enfans seront to u jours Rois, parce qu'ils 

 sont du sang Royal du coste maternel, le pere n'etant compte* 

 pour rien, et le droit, comme je l'ai deja dit, venant unique- 

 ment du coste de la mere." 



We have here an interesting account of a custom analo- 

 gous to customs of the Western Coast, and it would be well 

 to know what particular castes are referred to. The primi- 

 tive idea of succession coming from the mother alone seems 

 to have been widely prevalent in India, and its influence has 

 not yet disappeared. 



The 2nd maxim is of great practical importance : — " Ce 

 n'est pas toujours le fils aine des Rois et des Princes, des 

 Palleacarrens, et des Chefs de Bourgade qui doit succeder 

 aux Estats ou au gouvernement de son pere." The letter 

 explains that there were two sorts of dignities in South 

 India, (1) such as passed as of course from father to son, 

 and (2) such as were personal to the holder, and did not 

 necessarily descend to his successors. In the case of the 

 demise of the King, it was the custom for the eldest prince 

 to succeed if capable, but not otherwise. Where the eldest 

 was incompetent, the King would himself appoint a younger 

 son to be his successor ; or if the King failed to perform this 

 act, his relatives would come together after his death and 

 elect a younger son. Such was the established custom, 

 and in no instance would the superseded prince decline 

 to submit. An instance of the eldest son being set aside 

 in favour of a younger will be found at p. 247, Part III 

 of the Madura Country, where an account is given of 

 Raghunatha being appointed to succeed to the throne of 

 the Ramnad country in preference to his elder brother 

 Yaduganatha, who probably was disliked because he showed 

 favour to the Jesuits. And the custom is not necessarily 

 opposed to the text of Manu (IX, 323), which has been 



