276 



EGYPT. 



The population of the large cities in 1872 

 was as follows: Cairo, 349,883 (19,120 foreign- 

 ers); Alexandria, 212,054 (47,316 foreigners) ; 

 Damietta, 29,383 (50 foreigners) ; Eosetta, 15,- 

 002 (10 foreigners); Suez, 13,498 (2,400 for- 

 eigners) ; Port Said, 8,671 (4,210 foreigners) ; 

 Tanta, 60,000; Zagazig, 38,000 to 40, 000; Syoot 

 27,470; Damanhoor, 25,000. 



The public debt, in 1873, amounted to 44,- 

 204,000, of which 19,149,000 were consol- 

 idated, and 25,055,000 floating debt. The 

 consolidated private debt of the Khedive was, 

 in 1873, 8,910,000 ; and his floating debt was 

 estimated by the Economist at 6,513,000. 

 Early in 1874 the Khedive caused to be 

 prepared a tahular statement of the receipts 

 and expenditures of the last ten years. From 

 a summary of this statement it appears that 

 the revenues of Egypt steadily increased from 

 4,813,970 in 1864, to 10,571,048 in 1873 

 (an exceptional rise in 1872 having heen con- 

 sequent on a partial redemption of the land- 

 tax), and that the proceeds of the loans raised 

 during the entire term amounted to 26,949,- 

 000, making an aggregate of receipts in the 

 ten years of 98,102,720. On the other hand, 

 the expenditures during the period have been 

 112,561,784, leaving a deficiency in the shape 

 of floating debt amounting to 14,359,064, 

 which will have to be provided for out of the 

 new loan lately issued, and which loan will 

 cause the total debt of Egypt to stand at 

 49,000,000 in 7 per cent, stock, requiring 

 annually for interest 3,430,000. Of the re- 

 ceipts during the ten years, sixteen millions 

 sterling are stated to have been absorbed di- 

 rectly or indirectly in the Suez Canal; 900 miles 

 of railway have cost nearly ten millions ; two 

 millions and a half have heen devoted to im- 

 prove the steam, postal, and commercial ser- 

 vice ; five millions have been paid to sufferers 

 by the cattle-plague ; and half a million has 

 been the cost of the expedition of Sir Samuel 

 Baker to the White Nile. The Egyptian Gov- 

 ernment in 1874 concluded to publish full par- 

 ticulars of the actual income in the last finan- 

 cial year, for which the accounts were closed, 

 as well as other details of its financial condi- 

 tion. These particulars are set out in full ac- 

 counts, which show with great minuteness 

 the sources of the gross and net income from 

 customs, the railway administration, etc., while 

 the details as to the direct taxes specify the 

 yield of each tax per province, as well as the 

 varying yield per head or acre, according to 

 the mode in which the tax is levied. The result 

 is that Egypt, from being a country respecting 

 whose financial position very little was pub- 

 lished, already ranks among those which are 

 best known. The general facts are that the 

 revenue at present amounts in round numbers 

 to nearly 10,000,000 annually, against an ex- 

 penditure of rather less than 9,000,000, in- 

 cluding in this latter sum all the interest and 

 charge for the debt v of which a considerable 

 portion is for the sinking-fund. The sources of 



the revenue are such as to be susceptible of 

 considerable increase. The customs and the 

 railway administration yielded 600,000 and 

 878,000 respectively in 1872-'73 in both in- 

 stances an advance upon the previous year ; 

 and while a further advance, it is understood, 

 has also taken place in the current year, a 

 large additional sum has been obtained from 

 customs by a new duty on tobacco, estimated 

 to return 500,000. The direct taxes, again, 

 yielded 6,500,000 in 1872-'73, of which 5,- 

 500,000 were taxes upon land of various kinds. 

 The cultivated land of Egypt extends to 4,715,- 

 000 acres, on which the Government taxes on 

 the average thus amount to about 23s. per 

 acre ; the average gross produce being esti- 

 mated at between 5 and 6 per acre. The tax 

 or rent paid to the state is very moderate ; in 

 fact, about a third part of the lands is subject 

 only to what are called tithes, and from this por- 

 tion the yield is about one-third of the above 

 average, so that they are very much under the 

 maximum of what they could afford to pay. 

 About 1,500,000 of the present land taxes 

 viz., the Moultabala constitute a terminable 

 charge, but this is set off by the constant dim- 

 inution of the capital of the debt through 

 the agency of the sinking-fund, while in a 

 question of the real resources of a country the 

 fact that a certain portion of the taxes which 

 can be easily paid legally expires at a certain 

 date does not show that any such loss of rev- 

 enue need actually ensue. In addition, a 

 quantity of new land is annually brought un- 

 der cultivation, the increase being from 4,297,- 

 000 acres in 1863 to 4,712,000 acres in 1873, 

 or nearly 10 per cent. Altogether the land 

 revenue of Egypt, like the customs and rail- 

 way receipts, is of a progressive character, find 

 susceptible of considerable increase, so that 

 the actual present surplus of revenue over cur- 

 rent expenditure, great as it is, is no sufficient 

 indication of the financial strength of the 

 country. 



The foreign commerce of the port of Alexan- 

 dria during the period from 1863 to 1872 was, 

 on an average, as follows : 



The exports from Egypt during the year 

 1853-1872 were as follows, according to offi- 

 cial statements (1 piaster = 5 cents) : 



