LAW, MONSIEUR, a descendant of John Law, of Lauriston, who started the South Sea Company. Monsieur Law, in 1748, defended Ariacopang, and subsequently commanded the French troops with Chanda Sahib at Trichinopoly. His com mand was not advantageous to the French in terests. He delivered up Chanda Sahib to Monaji Rao, and on the 3d June capitulated, and sur rendered himself and all his troops and stores to Major Lawrence.—Orme.
LAW.
Adalat, Sharra, . ARAB. 1 Dbarma, Dhamma,SANSK. Dad, Smriti, . . HIND. 1 The laws by which British India is now ruled are the successive development of legislative action by circular orders, by regulations, by Acts, and by legislative councils. In the earliest practice of the English East India Company, its civil servants were ruled by letter writing. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General, promulgated rules and published laws in the shape of regula tions, but Lord Cornwallis was the father of Indian legislation. He put the perpetual settle ment regulation into regular sections and clauses ; he established civil and criminal tribunals in their several grades, police superintendence, rules for the salt and customs departments, and all the various agencies indicating that the East India Company was assuming its imperial position. This mode of creating laws continued through the administrations of Lord Minto, the Marquess of Hastings, Lord Amherst, and Lord William Ben tinck, largely aided by the Boards of Revenue, the Boards of Customs, Salt, and Opium, the Judges of Sessions, and the Sadr Adalat Court, whose suggestions, in letters and minutes, were sub mitted to the Secretary to Government in the Home Department, who, with the aid of a member of the Council, laid the matter before the Governor General. A draft was then published in the official Gazette, and finally passed, with such alterations and additions as the press and public bodies may have suggested. Many of these regulations were lengthy and cumbrous, but they were framed by men thoroughly conversant with the habits and languages of the native community, fearless of responsibility, and early taught to rule the varied races of India with the equity and vigour which orientals value. There had been a
local legislature at Madras and one at Bombay ; but at the renewal of the charter in 1833, these were abolished, and the regulations became ' Acts of the Governor-General in Council.' Also, the India cabinet had consisted of the Governor General, a military and two civilian members ; but in 1833 a legal member was added, the most prominent of whom have been Macaulay, Amos, Charles Cameron, and Bethune.
At the last renewal of the E. I. Co.'s charter in 1853, a Legislative Council was formed distinct from the Executive Council, its members being the cabinet, with the addition of members for Bengal, Bombay, Madras, the N.W. Provinces, and two judges of the 'old Supreme Court. This form lasted through seven years, during which a Penal Code, a Code of Civil and Criminal Procedure, a Rent Act, and othimportant measures were passed ; but during ' count Canning's adminis tration, and the period f office of Lord Halifax as Secretary of State for India, the legislatures of Bombay and Madras were re-established, and eminent officials and merchants, and Hindus and 1 Muhammadan rajas and nawabs, were selected for seats in Council, to represent all classes of the empire. The judges ceased to be members of the Legislative Councils, and these then assumed the representative character which they still retain. The members when speaking do not rise from their seats. The Anglo-Indian Legislature, before acting, has ever been careful to ascertain the opinions of all local functionaries conversant with the questions under consideration. In the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, Euro pean as well as native judges sit, and there may be mentioned Rama Prasad Roy, the first native judge of the High Court ; Shambunath Pandit, Dwarkanath Mitra, and Anukul Chandra Mukarji, three native judges of the Calcutta High Court, and Mutusami Iyer at Madras.