The Colony of Surinam. 27 
legislation was speedily felt. Much was organised, and 
again re-organised, especially in the judicial branch of 
the colonial administration. The year 1828, under the 
extensive legislative authority of the Hooge Raad der 
Nederl W. J. Bezittingen, in particular, engrafted new 
procedure a6ls, of French origin, on the old colonial 
law. A complete absence of system prevailed. Legis- 
lation was in the hands of the colonial powers, described 
in the foregoing pages, until the year 1868 when the 
new legislation for the colony was introduced. 
The criminal law remained as before. In 1827, the 
ordinance of the States-General of 10 October 1798, 
abolishing torture and regulating the procedure in crimi- 
nal matters, — but still based on the ordinance of Philip 
the Second,— was re-enacted. In 1830, the law of mur- 
der, homicide, manslaughter and wounding of the French 
Code Penal, then in force in the Mother Country, was 
partly introduced, but modified and improved. 
In 1 85 1 the Home Government, on introducing the 
Bill, containing a new constitution for Surinam, ex- 
pressly declared her intention to abolish slavery, and to 
emancipate the slaves in the Dutch West Indian posses- 
sions. In 1855, in her revised Bill for the same purpose, 
she adhered to her determination. In the interval, in 
1853, a State-Commission was appointed to report on 
the matter, which she did in an extensive and elaborate 
report. 
It was, however, felt necessary that a political and 
social reform ought to be accompanied by an entire 
reform of the judicial organisation, and by the framing 
of a new legislation for the colony. 
iAU Gi 
1894 
RARY 
