No. 788.
Mr. Beardsley to Mr. Fish.
Cairo, October 24, 1873. (Received November 26.)
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,