Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/95

 LAWS. 81 matters of higher moment than lie within the ju- risdiction of the village-officers. They are re- sponsible in their turn to the governors of pro- vinces, who have their minister or assistant, their law assessors, writers, and registers, &c. which, in name and nature, are a literal copy of the su- preme authority at the seat of government, now to be more particularly described. The supreme court of justice, at the seat of government, nomi- nally consists of the Jour following persons, called, from their importance, ** the nails which fix the kingdom," Patoh Nagoro, — the sovereign, — his minister, — the high-priest, and the judge of common law. The sovereign never administers justice in per- son, but interferes when he thinks proper, as well on the general principle of his authority as an arbitrary prince, as because he is the head of the church. Fa- nolo AgomOt law and religion in the East being al- ways inseparable. His minister is also too much oc- cupied to devote much time to the administration of justice, the consequence of which is, that it is left nearly altogether to the Panguluy or high-priest, and to the Jaksa, or native judge. The first is presumed to be learned in the Mahomedan law, and takes rank of the second, who is employed in minor details of mere drudgery, and is presumed to be familiar with those peculiar customs and usages which are deviations from the Mahomedan law. VOL. HI. F