Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/117

 LAWS. 103 feits the patuhon, or purchase-money, the woman has restored to her whatever property she brought to her husband, and the husband whatever he contri- buted to the joint stock. Their common earnings are then divided, the woman receiving one part, and the husband two. If it appears to the judges that the industry of the wife has chiefly contribut- ed to the accumulation of the joint property, as often happens, they will not scruple to award her a larger share. A betrothing always, among these people, pre- cedes a marriage, and, being considered nearly as binding as the marriage union itself, a violation of it is punished by law. The following law of the Malays refers to this custom : " If a man bid for a woman betrothed to another, knowing her to be so betrothed, and gives her a marriage pledge, the magistrate shall summon the parents, and direct them to restore the pledge, and he shall fine the offending person, if rich, ten tahils, and if poor, five tahils. If the person bidding for a betrothed woman do it in ignorance, he shall be deemed to have committed no offence, but the parents of the girl, if privy to the transaction, shall be fined at the pleasure of the magistrate." The ancient laws of the Javanese (Sur?/o aldm) were to a similar effect. " If," say these, ** a man betrothes his daughter to one man, and after- wards gives her in marriage to another, he shall be