Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/728

 692

PERSIA.

The income received in kind is as follows :—

47,000 kherwars of barley and wheat, valued at 8,500 kherwars (650 lbs. each) of rice.

58,500 kherwars of straw .... 75 kherwars of nokhood (peas) 71 mans of silk .....

Total revenue, in money and kind

Tomans

494,000

25,500

29,250

300

1,790

550,840= £220,336 . £1,965,000

The payments in kind are mostly reserved for the use of the army and the Shah's own household. The whole revenue is raised by assessments upon towns, villages, and districts, each of which has to contribute a fixed sum, the amount of which is changed from time to time by tax-assessors appointed by the government. Almost the entire burthen of taxation lies upon the labouring classes, and, among these, upon the Mahometan subjects of the Shah. The amount of revenue collected from the Christian population, the Jews, and the Guebres, is very trifling.

Although the public revenue of Persia is comparatively small, it is in excess of expenditure, which was reported as follows for the year 1868 : —

For the army and equipment of troops Salaries of princes, ministers, and

government officials. Salaries and pensions to priesthood Private expenses of the Shah. Extraordinary disbursements. Surplus paid into Shah's treasury.

Total .... 8^ crores = 1,700,000

The Persian Government has no debt. The balance due for many years by the Shah to Russia on account of the expenses of the war concluded in 18*28, amounting to about 200,000/., was cancelled by the present Shah in 1856.

The Persian army, according to official returns of the Minister of War, numbers 105,500 men, of whom 5,000 form the artillery, 70,000 the infantry, and 30,500 the cavalry, regular and irregular. Of the total of these troops, however, only one-third are employed on active service, the standing army of Persia consisting, on the peace -footing, of: —

Tomans 3| crores

=

700,000

H „

=

300,000

i

i 1

=

100,000 200,000 200,000 200,000

Artillery Infantry

Irregular cavalry , Regular cavalry

Total

1,500

is. 000

10,000

500

30,000