402 



APPENDIX III. 



would likely turn out a faitliful and valuable servant; 

 nor has he been disappointed. Yacoud's ruling passion is 

 the love of power, to attain which he himself lives like a 

 beggar, and tyrannically extorts from the inhabitants 

 large sums, which, with his own savings, he faithfully 

 transmits as the price of his continuance in the govern- 

 ment. The people, however, who live under his sway, 

 detest and despise him. The revenue, as already stated, 

 arises from land-tenures and customs; and though there is 

 no regular land-tax levied, \qX it is sometimes resorted to 

 to raise a supply, an instance of which happened wliile we 

 were there. One of the Imaum's ships arrived from 

 Muscat with a demand for 25,000 crowns to assist him in 

 opposing the WahabecM, though I sincerely believe it was 

 to defray the repairs of the very ship which brought the 

 demand, and which was going to 15t»ngal for that purpose. 

 As this sum was not in the Hakim's possession, ho im- 

 mecliately imposed a kind of land- tux, so much to be raised 

 in each district, the chief man of which was ordered to 

 collect it and be answerable for its payment at a stated 

 time, in default of which he was to be imprisoned. The 

 other source from whence the revenue proceeds is a cus- 

 tom of 5 per cent, allowed by the Tmaum to be gathered on 

 all imports. This, however, is often very unjustly collected, 

 and few, I believe, except Arabs, ever pay so little on their 

 goods as the lawful sum. The Imaum maintains no kind 

 of military force. The Hakim's slaves, amounting to 400 

 or 000 men, are armed to serve as soldiers under the above 

 three Arab officers. There are no imports or exports, 

 though we wore told the French pay voluntarily a pre- 

 mium of 10 dollars each for the slaves they take, to secure 

 the good- will of the governor ; they are in consequence 



