DI VO RC E.
Ehescheidung, . . GER. 1 Divorzio, IT.
Wag, . . . . Him/. 1 Divorcio, . . .
Tho Hindu law does not admit of divorce. The Buddhist Burmese laws allow every facility for divorce. An appeal case heard by the privy council illustrates the Mahomedan law of divorce. A moonshi wished to divorce his wife, without which a second wifo would not have him, but lio wished at the same time to avoid paying the first wife's dowry, amounting to. Rs. 26,000. He had two modes of proceeding, either by his own arbitrary act to repudiate his wife, in which case he must restore the dowry; or to divorce the woman with her own consent (khola), iu which case he may keep the dowry, or make any ar rangement regarding it. After a divorce, the woman must remain some months .seclusion, and be maintained by her late husband, till all chance of children ha.s passed away. In a recent case, the husband, by ill-usage of his wife, induced her mother to give up tlrte marriage settlement, and so proceeded by the khola method, keeping the dowry ; but the subordinate and appellate courts decreed the restoration of the dowry, on the ground of force being used. Mahomedans in India follow the Koran and Shaxra, and marry to four wives, though some take into their house holds a far greater number of women, under different designations. Mrs. Mir Husain Ali had
heard of princes in Hindustan possessing seven or eight hundred, and Tipu Sultan had no less than nine hundred women. In Madras, some of these are known as.the Harm, which term is there applied to purchased -women associating with their lord, but in Hindustan such are termed Doolee wives. These are not the Kaneez, or slave girls, who are servants. There are three forms of Talaq, repudiation or divorce, amongst Mahomedans in India. 1st. Talaq-i-byn, which consists in the husband only once saying to his wife, I have divorced ' youl. 2d. Talaq-i-rujaee, in repeating. the same twice ; and 3d. Talaq-i mootuluqa, in three similar repetitions. Maho inedan lawyers say there are 16 various kinds :— Talaq-i-ahsan, T.-i-rujai T.-i-bidat, T. kinaat, T. muajjal, sarih, Aila, Istisna, Kbala, Lan, Mubarat, Yamin, Zihar, Talwiz-ul talab. In China, divorces are frequent ; the divorced wife is sometimes provided .for, or is remarried. Chinese divorces are granted for deser tion, unchastity, striking the husband's parents.