Major-General Sir Thomas Munro, Governor of Madras

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: GENERAL REMAEES ON THE JUDICIAL ADMINIS- TRATION AND ON THE POLICE. 31st December, 1824. In comparing our internal administration with that of the British native princes, it may be said that we have, perhaps, been J more successful in our judicial than in our revenue institu- unjudicial1 tions. In the...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: GENERAL REMAEES ON THE JUDICIAL ADMINIS- TRATION AND ON THE POLICE. 31st December, 1824. In comparing our internal administration with that of the British native princes, it may be said that we have, perhaps, been J more successful in our judicial than in our revenue institu- unjudicial1 tions. In the criminal branch, the extent of our power has revenue ad- rendered the apprehension of criminals more sure; and in spite SIILfia'iVm' of the difficulties of conviction arising from the Mahomedan hran?' law, punishment is as certain, and justice much more so, than judicature, T, .. . ...., .,, more should before. 1 doubt it in civil judicature we have the same heicftto advantage yet, or ever can, until we leave to the natives the agency. decision of almost all the original -suits. The natives can hardly be said to have had any regular system. What it was, has been well described by the late Commissioner of the Deccan; but their decisions by various local officers, by panchayats, and the prince, or the court established near him, though irregular, and often corrupt and arbitrary, dispensed as much real justice as our courts, and with less delay and expense; for the native judges, whatever their irregularities were, had the great advantage of understanding their own language, and their own code, much better than ours are ever likely to do. Our Judges will, however, improve every day from longer experience, and the expense to the suitors, both of time and money, be much reduced. Our Judges even now are in general more efficient than our Collectors. In this country the judicial require, perhaps, less talent than the revenue duties; they are less complicated, and are not, like them, affected by adverse seasons, or by peace or war, but are governed by fixed rul...