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GIFT'S. 
subjects must have divested themselves of property by gift at a peri¬ 
od of one month at least previous to their death, and in presence of 
five witnesses at least for the former, and four for the latter. Three 
or four are sufficient to attest a Priest’s will. 
But should it be otherwise satisfactorily proved that a person, while 
giving away property at any lawful time before his death, was in a 
perfectly sane state of mind, and that the act was a public one, and 
done iii presence of competent witnesses, his deed is valid. These 
laws are calculated to prevent fraudulent alienation of property and 
to guard the heirs at law against the effects of such, and misplaced 
affection, but perhaps chiefly to secure the King’s share. 
The receiver of a moderate gift of property, if an heir at law, 
does not by acceptance forfeit his claim to participate in the estate 
of the donor after his death, nor can other heirs at law prevent his 
taking his share, unless the said gift was unusually great. The digests 
I have examined are not explicit on this point, and probably leave it 
to be decided in equity. 
A son or daughter cannot claim any part of the parent’s property 
during his life, but the latter frequently gives them portions; lands, 
clothes, arms and food are bestowed by Royalty. These presents or 
gifts are termed KJiang tjiong chai and KJdng kam nan. He gives 
clothes to the priests, betel boxes to his officers, and red or black rice 
to the rabble. From this last custom he is termed Chau kjiadu ddng 
“ The Lord of the red rice In this instance he adheres in some de¬ 
gree to Bali ordinances, for in the Melinda raja , it is enjoined, under 
the head Satsame dJiang, that it is part of the duty of a King to 
distribute grain gratis to the peasantry. 
Loubere expresses himself rather too much in general terms on the 
subject of gifts, for he merely observes that “ the heirs take all ex- 
cept that which the deceased had given from hand to hand.” [Trans : 
Hist. Acct. of Siam.] Gifts by subjects to their superiors are call¬ 
ed Tawai . 
What may be termed the 2d class of Gifts consists of such as are 
made by Governors of Provinces, and Chiefs of petty Provinces. 
They are called kJiang kjiam nan U ccci. 
