Page:The kingdom and people of Siam - with a narrative of the mission to that country in 1855 (IA b29352447 0001).pdf/207

 from insult in their office, have each "ten thousand marks," although they are only Luang. This is the number the Kralahom holds; so that, if he were insulted by the judge, or vice versâ, it would be held that they were equal. A sort of synopsis of the laws of Siam has been published by Col. James Low;* but he seldom gives the text, and has availed himself of the titles of the chapters to introduce sundry curious details and observations on Siamese customs and manners, the result rather of desultory reading than of local observation and personal knowledge. I have selected a few of the commentator's gatherings, which, though in many particulars unsatisfactory, are not without interest. The laws of a country are among the most prominent and practical evidences of its civilization and advancement; and, on the whole, the Siamese must be deemed superior to the Chinese. "Will you not look into our laws?" was an inquiry made of me by one of the Regents of Siam. I had objected to allowing British subjects to be rendered amenable to laws of whose character I was but little informed. I asked how many volumes I should be required to study? "About seventy," he said. My answer may easily be anticipated. But who shall answer the question-In how many volumes must the laws of England be looked for? The principal articles of the Siamese code were printed a few years ago at Bangkok, in a quarto volume, which is reported to contain nineteen out of * Journal of Eastern Archipelago, vol. i., p. 420. Singapore, 1847.