Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/441

 THE KHEDIViVL DOMAIN. 859 land still remains none the less at the mercy of the State. lie holds it only on sufferance, nor are the rights of his heirs acknowledged until they show them- selves capable of cultivating the estate bequeathed to them and paying theimjwsts. If they want to change their karajieh lands to an absolute projKjrty, they can do so only on condition of paying in advance a six years' tax, either in a lump sum or by instalments. Besides a safe title, these anticipated disbursements relieve them in future from half of the land-tax. The trakf (urakuf) estates belonging to the mosques or schools will probably ere long change hands in part, if not altogether. The confiscation of this mortmain property might enable the Government to cover the present annual deficits. The Khedival Domaix. Officially the largest landed estate in Egypt might seem to be that of the Khedive. JJut this domain, the so-called duirah-sanieh, having been mortgaged to European lenders since the year 1878, is administered by a commission, whose headquarters are not in Egypt, and the real owners are at present the European bankers. A considerable portion of the estate is rented to speculators, who sub-let to the peasantry. Certain parcels are directly ceded to the labourers ; but a large part of the dairah, which would certainly be brought under cultivation if in the hands of the fellahin, is allowed to lie fallow. For direct exploitation the creditors of the Khedive have recourse either to hired labourers, or to agents and " middle- men," who arrange with the village headmen for the hands required to till the land. Their work is remunerated by a regular pittance, or by personal gifts made to the gangers. All systems of payment are nicely graded, from the gratuitous corvee to the amount of direct wages freely determined between employer and labourer. But so many intermediaries have to receive a share of the profits in the cidtivation of the khedival domain, so many interests claim compensation for their "disinterested" services in the "regeneration of Egypt," that the revenues of these otherwise extremely fertile lands are frittered away to little over twenty shillings an acre. There is even a yearly deficit if to the current expenses be added the interest due on previous debts.* Irrigatiox — The Ixuxdations of the Nilb. To the contrast between the estates of large proprietors and the karajieh holdings of small owners corresponds in many places the contrast between the systems of irri- gation. In this respect it is necessary carefully to distinguish between the so-called Acres directly cultivated 192,660 „ leased 134,100 ,, grunted to the peasantry 87.670 „ waale or f tllow 82,860 446,880
 * Sttito of the Khedival domain nt the date of the oeMion, October 31, 1878: —