Page 193 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SUM 18$
2. The Law on Debt A.D.
Slavery, 1637.
Slavery, though unknown in the golden days of King
Ramk'amheng and his successors at Suk'ot'ai, had
always been a feature of the Siamese social system under
the of in must
King's Ayut'ia. Slavery any country
be from and
always inseparable cruelty abuses, but once
the the Siamese Law on the
system is admitted, subject
does not appear unreasonable, and does not by any means
ignore the interests of the slaves. There were provisions
in the Law for the ot masters who killed or
punishment
injured their slaves, and many means were provided to
of slaves their
permit regaining liberty. Unfortunately,
as was inevitable, the more merciful provisions of this
Law were too often and the lot of a debt-
disregarded,
slave in Siam was often a miserable even in
very one,
modern times, until the year 1905, when King Chulalong-
korn the most noble act in his
(Rama V) performed long
and memorable once and for
reign, by finally abolishing
all the last remaining traces of slavery in his Kingdom.
The Law of issued Prasat
3. Inheritance, by King
T'ong in A.D. 1635, *s st^ *n f rce at the present time.
This Law to be based on the but
professes Dhammathat,
in fact it is a great improvement on Manu's hoary and
anachronistic code. It is to note that
interesting King
Prasat T'ong's Law provided for the making of Wills.
Moreover, a Will is not spoken of as something new, but
appears to have been, even before 1635, a recognised
instrument in Siam. Burmese even in
legal Buddhists,
the of are still from
present year grace, precluded making
Wills.
The of the Siamese Law as to the
provisions witnessing
of a Will are most and in the of the
interesting, opinion
author are to the Law on the
superior English subject.
The witnesses must be their number
respectable persons,