ADOPTION, 
363 
be partially adopted. Should the maintainer of an adopted son publicly 
declare that he considers the, person in right of a son, this last will 
receive an additional portion of the inheritance. A woman can adopt 
with consent of, and during the life of, her husband, or at her own 
pleasure if unmarried, or a widow. The age for adoption rarely ex¬ 
ceeds the seventh year for the adopted, and generally takes place from 
the first to the third, in order that the adopted child may lose quick¬ 
ly all recollection of its natural parents. No particular ceremony at¬ 
tends adoption. An adopted son or daughter forfeits immediately 
after quitting its parents roof all claims on their property after their 
decease and thence forward. An adopted child is, by the act, vested 
with a perfect right to enjoy every benefit which a child begotten by 
the adopter would have enjoyed during the lifetime of the adopter, 
and to succeed to the lawful share of his real and personal property 
after his death. In the first case he is irresponsible for the debts or 
other acts of his real parents. In the second, he becomes liable for 
those of his adopted parents. But in a case where the adopter has 
one child or children, of his own body, the share of the adopted child 
is one half of that of this one child, or of that of one of these others, 
A man may adopt a child of any tribe ivhich worships Booddjra, 
But he may not adopt a relative within a given degree. 
But although it is not perfectly essential to the salvation of the 
soul of a Siamese according to his creed that he should have a son, 
yet it is a desirable thing, as there are many ceremonies to be attends 
ed to on Iris decease. 
When a person becomes sick, a Priest is generally called to attend 
him until he recovers or dies. He repeats many Bali sentences out 
of the P,hra pf.ee Dk,amma , of which the following is a specimen, 
being from the Bali— 
Kootsala D,hamma. 
Akootsala D,liamma. 
App.hiya kata D,hamma, 
Katta-mc D.hamma. 
Kootsala vatsameeng. 
Samayd kamawacharang, 
