KOYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



185 



as compensation for their loss of the profits in the trade which 

 they had previously shared. Some articles, such as Coffee, 

 Pepper, Betel-nuts and Coir, were obliged to be delivered into 

 the Company's godowns at certain fixed rates determined by 

 themselves. Pepper for instance was deliverable at 1 and 1| 

 fanam per lb., Coffee at 1 fanam per lb., Coir-yarn at 4^ 

 fanams per bundle of 24 lbs. Betel-nut was received at 3 Rds., 

 and afterwards at 5 and 6 Eds., per ammonam. -All of these 

 articles were originally exported by the Company alone, but 

 in later days were disposed of by them to private individuals 

 wishing to ship them on their own account. 



Farmed Revenues. 

 Under this head were included many taxes and duties the 

 collection of which, by our system, is always retained in the 

 hands of the Crown. Some of the articles were so small in 

 amount as not to have been worth consideration, unless to na- 

 tives who rented them. It not unfrequently happened that 

 certain taxes or duties were farmed out to the servants of the 

 Government, who were thus enabled to add greatly to their 

 incomes. In some cases duties and even profits on the mono- 

 poly of certain articles, such as Native Cloths and Coir 

 Cordage, were set aside, and divided among the Commandant, 

 Master Attendant, and other officials in respective proportions 

 to their rank. Several instances are related in the Dutch books 

 of the servants of Government who rented Import Duties at 

 an advalorem rate of 20 per cent., admitting them on payment 

 of 10 per cent., convinced that the former rate was too high, 

 and we are told that they realized a larger profit under the 

 reduced scale than previously when the high rate was 

 enforced. 



The Table whi8h accompanies this (No. 1) presents in a 

 condensed form, the Revenue of Ceylon for 1791 — 2 under the 



