In  1861  a  Commission  was  appointed  in  England
to  prepare  drafts  of  law  for  the  assistance  of  the
Legislature  in  India.  It  consisted  of  Judges  and
Jurists  of  the  highest  position  and  authority.  Then
it  prepared  drafts  of  several  comprehensive  Bills
such  as  the  Civil  Procedure,  the  Criminal  Procedure,
the  Law  of  Contracts  and  of  Evidence,  and  of  other
Bills.  These  with  some  modifications,  and  after  full
local  consideration,  were  subsequently  passed  into
law  by  the  Legislature  in  India.  On  the  whole,  the
legislation  of  India,  which  has  touched  numerous


94:      PROGRESS  OF  INDIA,  JAPAN  AND  CHINA.
branches  besides  those  mentioned  above,  may  be
described  as  far-reaching  and  fully  sufficient.  It
may  claim  a  high  degree  of  excellence  according
to  the  standards  of  advanced  nations.  It  has  been  the
joint  work  of  English  lawyers,  and  Anglo-Indian  ad-
ministrators, non-official  Europeans  residing  in
India,  and  Natives  chosen  for  character  and  intelli-
gence. The  Hindu  and  Muhammadan  codes  of
law,  having  some  antiquity  and  a  sacred  sanction,
are  still  observed  in  all  matters  relating  to  marriage,
inheritance,  adoption  and  other  matters  purely
social  in  the  life  of  the  Indian  nationalities.
For  the  administration  of  laws  thus  enacted  the
judicial  system  has  been  rendered  uniform  for  al-
most the  whole  Empire.
