Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/508

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TURKEY — ROIJMAMA.

council of five -ministers, heads of the departments of the Interior, of Foreign Affairs, of War, of Finance, and of Justice.

Wallachia is divided into eighteen, and Moldavia into thirteen districts, each of which has a prefect or governor, a receiver-general of taxes, and a civil tribunal, consisting of a president and two other judges. Moldavia has a director of police and a town-council in each municipality. Judges are removable at the pleasure of the superior authorities. The legal codes are founded upon the civil law and the customs of the principalities ; but though the system of jurisprudence has been much amended, many reforms remain to be effected, especially in the administration of the laws, which is said to be most corrupt. Nearly the whole population belongs to the Greek Church, and every village has a small church or chapel, with one or more priests, who act as curates. The ecclesiastics of this order are chosen from among the people, from whom they are little distinguished in appearance, and whose avocations they follow when not engaged in their clerical functions.

Revenue, Army, and Population.

The chief source of revenue is a capitation-tax of thirty piastres, or seven shillings per head on the rural population, with a higher scale for tradesmen and merchants. Direct taxes, the profit from State property, and the tobacco monopoly, produce about one-half of the national income. On the initiative of the newly-elected Prince of Roumania, the whole taxation of the country was revised in 1867, and also a new monetary system adopted, designed to be international, the unit being the Leu, equal to one franc. The pre- liminary budget estimates for the year 1869 were calculated upon a revenue of 74,362,883 lei. or 2,974,515/., and an expenditure of 74,217,961 lei, or 2,968,719/. The revised estimates for the year 1868 were as follows : —

Kevenne

Expenditure

Lei

Lei

Direct taxes

17.016,296

Civil list.

1,185,185

Indirect taxes.

12,553,704

Interest of debt

8,498,674

Tobacco monopoly.

2,444,444

Army

20,476,911

Domains.

16,373,384

Justice and "Worship.

13,030.865

Posts and telegraph.

4.555.556

Interior.

8,055.551

Voluntary loan.

2,522,222

Public works.

11.264,855

Miscellaneous receipts

867,956

General administra-

Extraordinary revenue

21,957,671

tion

11.528,812

Pensions • • •

4,250,380

78,291,233

£3,131.649

'

78,291,233 £3.131.649