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

his
was estimated at 346,000,000 roubles ;_ but °f —Agt
amount a sum of 38,000,000 was charged to exTefTt
of collection ; so that the net revenue remained
308,000,000 roubles. In the meantime, the estira,„"thio
expenditure was not less than 401,000,000. 23- or
rate the deficit amounted to 93,000,000
about £15,500,000 of our money. .tiltd erileast
we were to allow, what appears to be a" mild
doubtful, that the expenses of collection c-
be charged under the head of the pio
of the finance in the schedule of expenditure, L-00
would still remain a deficit of about £10,000,00,1)
the year. Even this is an alarming rate of Lien,.
roubles, 0
ciency ; and it scarcely appears that there iS for
progress towards an equilibrium in the estimates
for
the year that has now begun. The gross reven„lineooo
1865 is not increased beyond about 3,ov"'
roubles, or half a million sterling ; and, althoun of
the budget is not equally explicit on the subjeevot
the expenditure, it is difficult to perceive in for,
department any retrenchment is to be looked 3,5
The armaments of the empire are as large uoliair
they were a year ago. A kingdom like Poland, 0.00
dued by force, has to be maintained in subiectlo
by the same means as those by which it was A Of
brought into subjection; and the defiant attitugoii
the Russian Government, as the head of thie„,,tiou
Alliance, prevents us from expecting any reu—oe
of its forces even upon international grounds• „dot
report of the Minister of Finance to the Doren,
upon this subject is certainly the reverse.itil
couraging. If any approaches to an equul'oil •
were practicable, they would surely have been At
nounced inthe character of measures alre,adyhrna
into force at the time of the publication e'•
budget. But the Russian Chancellor of the not
chequer vaguely looks forward to the time asthses
distant when some of these extraordinary eicPertlie
may be terminated. This being the sum a' f 5
hope which he holds out in the direction of
reduction of expenditure, we can only fear that
To
present alarming hiatus in Russian finaneewbot
continue without any material contraction. ' the
renders the present revenue, inadequate t 9
expenditure as it is, the more precarious, ig se,oo
sideration arising from some of the sources
the
which it is obtained. Thus we observe that 000
State domains represent not less than 53,00 v,,,
roubles, or nearly £9,000,000; and, althougiip3s
portion of this may result from rental as wei'the
from annual sales, that which arises front
latter portion cannot very long continue as a 5e0,31
of income. The revenue arising from the or
of Crown lands must come to an end sooner/ix)
later. Again, there is the large item of 38,000'r Of
roubles, or £5,500,000, collected under the Itea,ro,
miscellaneous ; and, according to the ordinarYarnoe,
portion between definable and miscellaneous re,,T`;
this is too large an amount to be relied nr;00
future. But it is still more important to notitpoo
degree in which the Russian Treasury relies t:;0.
indirect taxation for its revenue. The direct o'oo°
tion does not amount to so much as 45,0unlia
roubles, and three-fourths of this represeubd
produce of a capitation tax. But the hi 0'
revenue, representing for the most part duties lei
leiposed upon articles of necessity, amounts to 11°:
than 190,000,000 roubles."' Sooner or later "sforio
be necessary even for Russian financiers to eelbeeri
their principles of taxation to those which 110%01.
vindicated and .tested by trial in this eeil-a0
They will have at length to reduce the taxes 1,13/ to
goods of the first necessity. When this con'eotie
pass the event will certainly find the Russian relic)
very ill calculated to bear the brunt of $11,„
change. The bulk of the revenue will have 1" At
brought under a general system of reduction;op
oil
present, indeed, the principles of finance
ad fey
at St. Petersburg (if they can be dignified by
a name) run in an entirely opposite direction. vio•
Govelnment is imposing fresh duties upon eieli/fipoo
dities ; an increase of 25 per cent. is levie°;ea.
brandy, and other fresh indirect taxes are in' not
All this shows that the taxation of Russia oir
profiting by the light of financial knowlecige 1119 t
tamed in other countries. The budget cleeste of
conclude, indeed, without offering an esthila,e 11
expenditure which reduces the annual char
20,000,000 roubles ; and we hope that this eailert
tion may not prove as illusory as BODO °`es
After the close of the Polish war the exPertAte
oth ~,
Government certainly ought to be -somewht:
than during its continuance ; but, on to' ale °;
hand, there is no indication that the same sc-fe not
taxation will yield a larger revenue. If it vliejje
Do
for continued misgovernment there would ;floo'
reason for these vast deficits. The debt is ,-041
siderable, and the interest it involves
amounts to £10,000,000 a year—scarcely one-io
of the gross revenue. But the expenditure jot,
frightful as the exhaustion of the western PreTeD Vi
of the empire ; and, until there is some apPles t
personal liberty, and to intelligent prince
taxation, we can look for very little amencw-
the finances of Russia.