as the government unfortunately bound itself
to help him. None but the farmers of the tithes really knew what the
produce was, so that any demand of theirs was considered by the
government to be a bona fide claim, and was upheld.

The government was frequently cheated, and, further, defrauded of large
sums of money, as in the case of Hadji Ali Pacha; but it is a question
whether so much will be realised by the present system, since greater
facilities exist for roguery on the part of the agriculturalists, to say
nothing of the corruptness of its own officials.

The excise consists of a per centage on the sale of wine, spirits, shot,
lead, earthenware, snuff, tobacco, and salt; of tolls on produce brought
into the towns for sale; of fees for permission to distil, to roast and
grind coffee, and to be a public weigher; also of a tax on taking
animals to the grazing grounds,[J] and of licenses to fish for eels and
leeches: these are caught plentifully in the plain of Gabella when
flooded, and are of good quality.

* * * * *

_Revenue._--The taxes of the province produce annually about 9,135,000
piastres, taking the piastre at 2_d._ English.

This sum may be divided as follows: viz.--

Piastres
Virgu 1,700,000
Tithes 5,000,000
Monayene-askereh 1,285,000
Customs 600,000
Excise 550,000
---------
Total 9,135,000

The above shows that the province yields to the imperial treasury a
yearly sum of about 79,000_l._ sterling, from a taxation of about 8_s._
per head on the population. The amount may appear small; but when it is
considered that the taxes are not equitably levied, that the heaviest
share falls upon the poorest inhabitants, and that a great part of the
amount is in direct taxation, it cannot be considered light. The burden,
too, weighs with undue severity upon the faithful subjects of the Porte,
since they are compelled to pay the share which would fall upon those
who have rebelled against the Turkish authority.

There is one branch of the public administration which eminently
requires readjustment. This is the police force. Ill-paid and badly
organised, it follows as a matter of course that it is ineffic