Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/91

71 THE EUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IN TURKESTAN. 71 the subject peoples. The most remunerative of all the sources of revenue is that from the land and house property. This, taking in the whole of the Central Asian region, now amounts to something more than eight hundred thousand roubles. Of course the tax paid by the Kirghiz nomads is included in this amount. There is also an impost on arable land and fruit; but of this we are unable to obtain any certain return.* It does not fall short of three hundred thousand roubles in any case. The road tax brings in some one hundred and sixty thousand roubles ; that on licences twenty thousand roubles ; customs two hun- dred and fifty thousand roubles ; and several other minor sources of revenue, such as stamps, etc., about one hundred thousand roubles. These figures give a re- venue derivable from the native subjects alone of about one million six hundred and thirty thousand roubles. A later but less authentic return gives a somewhat more favourable estimate of the revenue, placing that raised from native sources alone at two and a half million roubles, a large portion of which is derivable from the new districts of Amou Darya and Ferghana. But when we remember that this estimate is made on the basis of the rouble being worth only two shillings, and that the one before given takes it at its nominal equivalent of three shillings, it will be seen that the difference is not very material. seventy-six thousand roubles. It is probably much more now, as Khokand and Amou Darya have been incorporated since then.
 * Mr. Schuyler states that in 1872 it was two hundred and