The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-24 00:00:00

'
was estimated at 346,000,000 roubles ; but - go
amount a sum of 38,000,000 was charged to e%.Petcl'at
of collection ; so that the net revenue reinaluegteci
308,000,000 roubles. In the meantime, the est"„"this
expenditure was not less than 401,000,000. 11-, or
rate the deficit amounted to 93 000 000 roublest; if
about £15,500,000 of our money.' And evelpost
we were to allow, what appears to be at
could
doubtful, that the expences of collection
be charged under the head of the there Mis
of the finance in the schedule of expenditure, oco
would still remain a deficit of about 110,000,000,
the year. Even this is an alarming rate 0f,.,
anY
ciency ; and it scarcely appears that there for
progress towards an equilibrium in the estilnate'efor
the year that has now begun. The gross revn„,-000
1865 is not increased beyond about 30Z,'„oh
roubles, or half a million sterling • ' and, altri of
the budget is not equally explicit on the safe hat
the expenditure, it is difficult to perceive in wel,
department any retrenchment is to be looked was
The armaments of the empire are as large n,c'wgob-
they were a year ago. A kingdom like Polana, 'to
dued by force, has to be maintained in suidJecfirst
by the same means as those by which it w3' de of
brought into subjection; and the defiant attitulioly
the Russian Government, as the head of the to
Alhance, prevents us from expecting any reclacoe
of its forces even upon international grounds'
,eror
report of the Minister of Finance to the torn.
upon this subject is certainly the reverse °. .001
couraging. If any approaches to an equdlbr An'
were practicable, they would surely have heenabt
.pounced in the character of measures alrea,dyhrrthe
into force at the time of the publication 0' not
budget. But the Russian Chancellor a tl.i,e
.chequer vaguely looks forward to the time
..„"' oes
distant when some of these extraordinary °Y../ the
may be terminated. This being the sum °'„f $
hope which he holds out in the direction :tile
0
reduction of expenditure, we can only fear '4l
present alarming hiatus in Russian finalleeo
continue without any material contraction• the
renders the present revenue, inadequate o(gr
expenditure as it is, the more precarious, is a will
sideration arising from some of the sources i7the
which it is obtained. Thus we observe t„I''000
State domains represent not less than 53+00 oh $
roubles, or nearly £9,000,000; and
portion of this may result from rent'al as We the
from annual sales, that which arises Eton' ace
latter. portion cannot very long continue as a,s°
ale
of income. The revenue arising from tilept. of
of Crown lands must come to an end so°,1',;000
later. Again, there is the large item of 38,0vv.'d of
roubles,. or £5,500,000, collected under the Ile'yro•
miscellaneous ; and, according to the ordirialplitief
portion between definable and miscellaneous rep
this is too large an amount to be relied nr,
future. But it is still more important ton eth'ii-poo
degree in which the Russian Treasury relies to
indirect taxation for its revenue. The direct 0100
althout
tion does not amount to so much as 45,°°1:00
roubles, and three-fourths of this represendirect
produce of a capitation tax. But the
ties
revenue, representing for the most part dutiest, 11
posed upon articles of necessity, amounts ton ° 0
than 190,000,000 roubles. Sooner or later itnforoi
be necessary even for Russian financiers to e° bee'
their principles of taxation to those which 110,„a'
vindicated and tested by trial in this e°- po'
They will have at length to reduce the tao,Bllo to
goods of the first necessity. When this CO„,,est°
pass the event will certainlyfind the Russian r' $
very ill calculated to bear the brunt Of stito 1)6
change. The bulk of the revenue will hale II
brought under a general system • of reductiolLpt&
present, indeed, the principles of finance atioci;
at St. Petersburg (if they can be dignified 11
a name) run in an entirely opposite direction•sr
Government.. is imposing fresh duties upon. e,rte
• dities ; an increase of 25 per cent. is levied
brandy, and other fresh indirect taxes are .11% 11°.
All this shows that the taxation of Russla„-, ofr,
profiting. by the light of financial knowl"-A
tamed in other countries. The budget dcte
conclude, indeed, without offering an est°3,re
expenditure which reduces the annual en37elll9'
20,000,000 roubles ; and we hope that this tber''j
tion may not prove as illusory as some sea t
After the close of the Polish war the exPeriighte;
Government certainly ought to be somewhat oche
than during its continuance ; but, on tbec,ile
• hand, there is no indication that the same
,!
taxation will yield a larger revenue. If "be
for continued misgovernment there Noll!" ice°,ll';
reason for these vast deficits. The debt is 10,1
siderable, and the interest it involves
amounts to £10,000,000 a year—scarcely on",i,sr,
of the gross revenue. But the expenditnr'oe,
frightful as the exhaustion of the western Prii°oll tf
of the empire ; and, until there is some al3Pr;;Dies
personal liberty, and to intelligent prin
taxation, we can look for very little amen‘'e
the finances of Russia.