LAWS. , 99 in the name of the father or elder male of the fami- ly, and hence, by the customs of the greater num- ber of the tribes, the father, or nearest of kin, is answerable for the debts of all the members of a i'amily. I can nowhere discover, in any of the col- lections of native laws which have fallen into my hands, that the right of devising property by will had any existence among the tribes of the Indian islands. — The law of inheritance, among the people oi Fasiimmah, in Sumatra, is as follows : " If a person dies having children, these inherit his ef- fects in equal portions, and become answerable for the debts of the deceased. If any of his brothers survive, they may be permitted to share with their nephews, but rather as matter of courtesy than right, and only when the effects of the deceased devolved to him from his father or grandfather. If he was a man of ranl^ it is common for the son who succeeds him in title to have a larger share. This succession is not confined to the eldest born, but depends much on private agreement in the fa- mill/. If the deceased person leaves no kindred behind him, the tribe to which he belonged shall in- herit his effects, and be answerable for his debts." * The ceremonies of marriage have been already described, in a separate department ; and I have only, in this place, to allude to the nature and
- Marsdcn's Sumatra.
