tracting a second legal marriage. The Law Commissioners are sensible that a mere alteration in the law will immediately and directly effect little towards remedying the evil. But they are not without expectation that an alteration of the law would induce an alteration of feeling in this matter, and, if that could be effected, more would be done towards repressing child murder than could be done by the most severe laws. They are now collecting information on this point, the result of which will duly be laid before the Government of India."
Grant also said,—'At the same time, the Commissioners addressed a Circular calling for information on the subject, and for the opinions of the Sadar Courts at all the four Presidencies. The returns to that Circular were entirely unfavourable to the views of the Law Commission. * * the objections of the Sadar Courts resolved themselves into these:—First, that an Act to remove legal obstacles to the marriage of Hindu widows would be an interference with Hindus in the matter of their own law and religion; secondly, that it would entirely dislocate the frame of the Hindu Law of Inheritance; and thirdly, (an objection which came from the Sadar Court at Madras) that it would be entirely a dead letter.'
In the concluding portion of his introductory speech, Grant said,—'The Law prohibiting Sati was a compulsory law. From the day it was
