Report No. 81

Residents of Upper country.- The 784 petitioners, being residents of Upper country sojourning in Calcutta, referred to the reign of the late Nawab when their legal usages were being destroyed and thanked the Kingdom of the Honourable Company whereunder they were enjoying great safety. The petitioners expressed the apprehension that if the proposed Bill became law, it would bring back the same state of affairs as under the Nawab, namely, "whosoever may wish will run away with any one's wife".

Same was the grievance of certain inhabitants of Chittagong who were afraid that women would run away with their paramours (for whom they used the word 'gallant') while the inhabitants of Zillah Chattayram in their petition dated 18th July, 1856 predicted that "it will never be an uncommon thing for a youthful handsome woman of a wicked mind to agree with the allurements of youthful wealthy debauchees and accordingly attempt the lives of their poor and ugly husbands".