History of the wahabees. 267 



they had neglected to repel or resist the agg^ression, 

 they were amerced in a fine equivalent to the 

 amount of the cattle or other property that had been 

 carried oft". 



The revenues of the Wahabees had been estab- 

 lished on a plan similar to that prescribed by Mo- 

 hammed. On fields watered solely by rain Saoud 

 levied a tithe of the crops ; but he was content with 

 only a twentieth part from grounds where the labour 

 and expense of artificial irrigation were necessary. 

 Merchants paid yearly two and a half per cent, on 

 their capital, though they seldom returned an ac- 

 count of more than one-fourth of their property. 

 The most considerable portion of his revenue was 

 drawn from his own domains. As he made it a rule, 

 whenever any of the conquered cities or districts 

 rebelled, to plunder them for the first offence, and 

 confiscate for the second, most of the landed pro- 

 perty in Nejed had accrued to the public treasury 

 (Beit el Mai), and was let out to farmers, who were 

 obliged to pay a third, or a half, of the produce, 

 according to circumstances. ]Many villages of He- 

 jaz, the pastures near the Syrian Desert, and the 

 mountains towards Yemen, were thus attached to 

 the exchequer at Deraiah. The sheiks were not 

 allowed any concern in the taxes ; Imt they met the 

 collectors at the spots appointed for payment, which 

 were generally watering-places, where the people 

 were directed to repair. 



The income of Saoud was much more than suflS- 

 cient to defray the public expenditure, though it was 

 by no means so great as was generally reported. 

 The largest amount, according to Burckhardt's in- 

 formation, in one year w^as 2,000,000 of dollars 

 (431,250/.) ; but on an average it did not exceed 

 1,000,000 annually. The outlay for military pur- 

 poses must have been trifling, as there was no stand- 

 ing army and no regular pay. The costliest part of 

 the establishment were his guests and his horses. 



