INDIA. 



tration of charitable relief, are the creation of a 

 regiment of Indo-Europeans and a training ship 

 for Eurasians. Sir Charles Elliot, the Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor of Bengal, dismisses the latter 

 project as impracticable, and regards the other 

 as an expensive and doubtful experiment, as the 

 military authorities regard this class inferior to 

 all except the poorest native fighting material, 

 while the cost of such a regiment would be 80 

 per cent, greater than that of a native regiment. 

 Finances. The revised estimate of revenue 

 for 1890-'91, and the budget estimate for 1891-'92, 

 were, in tens of rupees, as follow : 



The expenditure under the various heads for 

 1HUO-'91, according to the revised estimates, and 

 for 189l-'92, according to the budget estimates, 

 were as follow, in tens of rupees : 



Deducting provincial balances coming to the 



Imperial Government on adjustment of accounts 



with the local administrations, the expenditure 



for 1890-'91 is Rx 82,526,400, and for 1891-'92 



it amount.-, to Rx *5,909,700. 



The closed account for 1890-'91 makes the 



. ; 1 1 .049, and the gross ex- 



penditurc I: ii'H. Tin: net revenue was 



.'!!>. and the net expenditure !,' 

 <;<;i;.OJH, showing n rcali/ed surplus of Rx :!,<>**,- 

 171. This large, surplus, which was better by 

 Hx 2:,171 Mian the limate, was at- 



trioiitaole to inepea-ed reeeipts and to economies 

 in cxfienrlitiire in part. luit. ehji-My to Anu'ricari 

 speculut.ions in silver that, e-irried I ho exchange' 

 value of the njpee up to 1*. !W., giving it an 



average Value of 1. '!'/.. when-as il had lieen 

 taken in the, nudircl, at Ih- /. In 



the revised estimates for IHUl-'ya uro Itx 88,- 



585,900 for revenue, and Rx 88,665,900 for ex- 

 penditure, the net revenue being estimated at 

 RJT 49,726,900. and the net expenditure at Kx49,- 

 806,900, which leaves a deficit of Rx 80,000. Tin- 

 reason for a deficit which, however, the ap- 

 proximate accounts changed into a surplus was 

 the difference in the gold value of the rupee, 

 which was estimated in the budget at 1*. ")}'/., 

 but which proved to be only 1*. 4fe/. The rail- 

 roads, owing to the unusual trallic in wheat and 

 seeds for export, had yielded Rx 1,107.!)00 more 

 than was expected ; higher prices had wrought 

 an improvement in the opium revenue, which 

 was Rx 807,500 beyond the estimate; and salt, 

 excise, and stamps had yielded more than was 

 anticipated. The military expenditure had ex- 

 ceeded the estimate by 1.829,000, owing to 

 the expeditions against the tribes on the north- 

 western frontier, the outbreak in Manipur. and 

 the operations in North Burmah. Notwithstand- 

 ing this, and disappointments in the land reve- 

 nue, interest charges, and other heads, the sur- 

 plus expected to be realized in 1891-' ( J2 was Rx 

 :;">U>'H). The budget estimate of the ^n,-- reve- 

 nue for 1892-'93 is Rx 88,308/HX) ; of the 

 revenue, Rx 88,221,000; of the net revenue, Rx 

 4!.-->*:*.000 ; and of the net expenditure, Rx 4JJ.- 

 486,000; showing a surplus of Rx 147,000. In 

 this estimate the price of the rupee was reduced to 

 1*. 4d., representing an additional charge for the 

 year of Rx 1,049,000. The loss on exchange has 

 increased year by year until it now amounts to 

 nearly Rx 8,250,000, or about 5,000,000. The 

 amount of the charge on the revenue f< 

 change was Rx 6,693,000 in 1889-90, Rx 5,888,- 

 000 in 1890-'91. and Rx 8.224,000 in the budget 

 estimate for 1891-'92. After the publication of 

 the budget for 1892-'93 the price of the rupee 

 fell in India within a few days to 1*. 3d., a penny 

 less than the rate adopted for the budget, which 

 would entail a loss, if it remained at the lower 

 figure, of over Rx 1,700,000. In September. Sir 

 David Barbour, financial secretary to the (iov- 

 ernment of India, estimated the probable deficit 

 for the current year at from Rx 800,000 to 1,'x 

 1.- ".00,000. 



The bulk of the revenues of India is collected 

 by the provincial governments, and a large part 

 of the civil expenditure is under their control. 

 Every five years an adjustment of the arrange- 

 ment by which they receive a certain proportion 

 of the revenues that they collect for their uses is 

 made. The estimate framed in 1887 produced a 

 virtual equilibrium of the receipt- and expendi- 

 tures of the provincial governments. The reve- 

 nue collected was better than the estimate every- 

 where except in the Northwest Provinces and 

 altogether they received as their proportion Hx 

 f!. 10 1,300 more than they expected, of which they 

 gave up Rx 490,000 in 1890-'91 to meet the 

 wants of the General Government. liytln- new 

 arrangement for the five years the provincial 

 authorities are required to surrender I,'x l'Ui.:;u() 

 annually to the Government of India out of 

 their improved revenues, which in 1 HIM -'92 were. 

 Rx 2,042,700 higher than the estimate tor 1887- 

 '8H, on which the previous agreement was based. 

 The expenditure lor the whole of India has in- 

 ere.,-ed Ux 2.063.500 a year in the meantime. 

 The surpluses realized in 1890 and 1H!M. owing 

 to the nse in the selling price of opium and the. 



