THE TREASURY. 



271 



of customs, and inquiry seemed only to lead 

 further from the truth. The ruler, the officers 

 under him, and the traders all have several in- 

 terests in keeping the secret. 



The Custom House is in an inchoate condi- 

 tion ; it makes no returns, and exports being free, 

 it requires neither manifest nor port clearings 

 from ships about to sail. The customs are farmed 

 out by the Sayyid, and 10 years ago their value 

 was 8142,000, or 38 per cent, less than is now 

 paid. The last contractor was a Cutch Banyan 

 named Jayaram Sewji. The 6 ijareh ' or lease 

 was generally for five years, and the annual 

 amount was variously stated at 870,000 to 

 8150,000, in 1859 it had risen to $196,000 to 

 $220,000. 1 He had left the Island before Sayyid 

 Said's death, and though summoned by the 

 Prince Majid, there was little chance of his com- 

 mitting the folly of obedience. His successor was 

 one Ladha Damha, also a Bhattia Hindu, and a 

 man of the highest respectability. These renters 

 declared that they did not collect the amount 

 which they paid for the privilege : on the other 

 hand, they could privately direct their caste fel- 



1 The consular report of 1860 gives an aggregate value of 

 the port trade at £1,667,577, viz. : imports £908,911, and 

 exports (information furnished by the mercantile community, 

 and evidently much understated) £758,666. 



