No. 788.
Mr. Beardsley to Mr. Fish.

No. 145.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith an official statement of the annual budget of the Egyptian government for the Coptic year 1590, the beginning of which corresponds to the 11th of September, 1873, and a statement of the floating debt of Egypt.

As the estimate of receipts and expenses is somewhat long and complicated, and as the amounts are stated in “purses,” I make a summary [Page 1177] statement of the budget, reducing the purses into dollars, at the rate of $25 to the purse, as follows:

receipts.

Land-tax, tithes, tax on villages, &c $30,302,675
Tax on palm-trees. 910,177
Tax on industry and commerce 1,432,539
Customs 2,972,301
Locks. 45,426
Warehouse dues, tax on vessels, ferries, &c 81,986
Railroads. 4,392,360
Income of government property at Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Port Saïd, &c 1,958,531
Net revenue of salt monopoly. 1,229,436
Net revenue of canal Mahmondieh. 280,188
Net revenue of fishery concession of the Matariah. 312,500
Net revenue of post-office. 251,378
Tolls levied at the Barrage 180,745
Fishery concessions, &c 285,416
Tolls levied on boats passing new bridge at Cairo. 192,419
Special tax on tobacco. 2,500,000
Net revenue of the Soudan 500,000
Interest on Suez Canal shares. 851,553
Miscellaneous revenues 880,222
49,559,852

expenses.

Tribute to Constantinople and Cavala $3,340,877
Civil list of His Highness the Khedive 1,500,000
Allowance for the prince héritier 150,000
Allowance for widows and harems 592,759
Appointments and allowance at Constantinople. 270,479
Annual payment to Halim Pasha. 292,500
The Khedive’s household 139,794
Members and employees of the “conseil privé”. 152,052
Department of the interior 38,697
Department of foreign affairs 42,582
Department of justice 18,952
Department of finances. 140,227
Department of public works 102,690
Department of public instruction 259,103
Department of war and navy 3,973,190
Commission to Vienna 108,664
Assembly of delegates. 13,892
Civil and commercial tribunal 27,132
Various commissions, Boulak museum, employés of canals, mint, &c. 505,791
Provincial administration 1,008,519
Governments of Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Rosetta, Suez, Port Said, Ismaïlia, and El Arish. 2,111,902
Custom-houses 174,702
Pensions, allowances, &c. 803,076
Pilgrimage to Mecca 390,762
Public works undertaken 2,500,000
Payments and interest due on the public debt. 20,738,022
Price of materials, grounds, and buildings for railways and telegraphs, to be built in the Soudan. 2,580,291
Reserve fund 1,250,000
Refunding of interest on Suez Canal shares 851,553
44,078,175
Excess of receipts over expenses-. 5,481,677
49,559,852

This estimate shows a surplus for the Coptic year 1590, ending September 10, 1874, of over $5,000,000.

If from the total amount of receipts we deduct the amounts derived from customs, from the Soudan, and from interest on Suez Canal shares, [Page 1178] there remain.$46,235,998 as the amount of internal taxes paid by the people of Egypt, being an average of over nine dollars per head. At the same rate per head the United States would pay about $360,000,000 of internal taxes.

Within the last few days, however, since the inclosed estimate was made, many additional taxes have been imposed. Every beef is taxed $5 when slaughtered; every sheep, calf, or other small animal, $1; and all the local taxes usually collected at the city gates have been increased. The receipts, therefore, for the coming year will probably exceed in amount the estimate of the budget.

The virtual failure of the Egyptian loan of July last, together with the embarrassments caused by the financial crisis, which has been seriously felt in Egypt, appears to have awakened His Highness the Khedive to a realization of the critical condition of the Egyptian finances. There are visible signs of retrenchment in the public expenditure and the rapid increase in price of every article of daily consumption is an eloquent proof of, additional taxation and of the efficiency of the revenue officers.

The financial panic, although at one time alarming at Alexandria, has now virtually passed, and the substantial business houses of Egypt have been in no way affected.

Many small speculators who had been operating largely in Egyptian and other securities, supported by short loans from the money-market, were unable to meet their engagements and suspended, but no serious disasters occurred, and trade is beginning to resume its customary animated features.

I am, &c,

R. BEARDSLEY.