History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

244 HISTORY OF THE PARSTS. [CHAP. Vv.

putes regarding inheritance and succession might be determined according to English law in the authorised court of the country (no provision having been made in the charter of that court for the regulation of such disputes among them as was provided for the Hindus and Mahomedans), a new spirit was created and made itself felt among them. Many elder sons whose fathers had died intestate threatened, in violation of long-observed usage, to take the whole of the freehold property for themselves, to the prejudice of their brothers, as they knew that, the English law being on their side, the court would decide in their favour.

Such was the state of Parsi society after the fall of the Panchayet owing to the absence of a suitable code of laws for governing their social relations. The leaders of the community therefore besought the assistance of the legislature in securing for their co-religionists a code of recognised laws relating to Marriage and Divorce and to Intestate Succession. Efforts towards the attainment of this object were carried on from the year 1835 to 1865, and it was not until the latter year that these endeavours were crowned with success, as will be seen later on. Before this year (1865), if there was any law for governing the social relations of the Parsis, that which applied to the Presidency town was different from that which governed the Parsis in the Mofussil. When the Royal