Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/94

74 74 ' ENGLAND AND RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA. millions of people; and for those great undertakings which figure in our Indian Budget under the head of extraordinary expenditure we look entirely in vain. Judging the Eussian rule in Central Asia exclusively by the light of its official budget, we find that its revenue is not only small, but that it is also stationary ; and that its outlay is large and steadily increasing. Russian economists have a very serious question to ask themselves about this expenditure. Is it neces- sary ? Is it unavoidable ? Mr. Schuyler has pointed out several useless items in the bill which might be struck out at once. Of all the evils, that is certainly the greatest which is caused by the numerous staff appointments that are created apparently for the interest of their occupiers alone. But another and possibly an unavoidable difficulty is raised by the fact that provisions of all kinds are so enormously dear in Turkestan, that the cost of keeping European soldiers, more especially cavalry, there is very great. The taxes which are imposed upon flour, forage, and live stock seem only to be a fiction and a sham ; for the native producer replies by adding the amount of the duty on to the regular price, thus incurring no loss whatever, and compelling Eussia to pay in a great measure out of its own coffers the revenue of which it stands in need. Poor as Central Asia undoubtedly is, it would not require a financier of the first magni- tude to restore something like an equilibriam to the finances, provided military expenditure were curtailed. If Eussia' s possessions are not as valuable as she sup- posed, they ought at least to be self-supporting ; and