The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-19 00:00:00

REFORMS IN TUNIS.

The Bey of Tunis has just addressed a proclams4
tion to the inhabitants of the Regency, in which he
makes known to them the liberal reforms whichlas
is about to adopt. We give the most salient points
of this document, which proposes to correct many
abuses, and cannot fail, if steadily acted on, to be
attended with the best results :
" Praise be to God ! May salvation be with you,
from our lord and master Mohammed ! Praise be to
God, who has made prosperity depend on justice
and goodness ; who has willed that the best quality
in man shall be love of his fellow-creatures ; who
has devoted in him for the practice of this great
virtue the two smallest parts of his body—his heart
and his tongue; who has willed that men should
be governed by different laws according to time and
countries—laws destined to remove evil and to promote
confidence and welfare; and who has selected for each
nation, in order that these advantages may be secured
to it, the me❑ most attached to the true faith ! . . .
When the Most High confided to our feeble hands the..
task of governing you and of watihing over public and
private interests, we felt convinced that the first pre-•
scription of religion was to guard faithfully the deposit
confided to our care, and we have placed our hope in the
aid of the Most High, for the sovereign, being the elect of
God, is protected by hisgrace. He is destined to secure the
welfare of the people around him, and to shield them from
the evil which may threaten them, but he cannot attain,
that object without assistance and support, that is to say,
without faithful servants and disciplined armies. It
is also evident that a government cannot go on without
a certain amount of wealth ; that no country can
prosper if not sufficiently peopled ; that a country can-
not be well peopled unless the inhabitants have confi•
deuce in the justice of those who govern them; and that
confidence cannot exist unless severe repression be
adopted against those persons who seek to do mischief
and to excite disorder. On our accession to power, we
found that serious attaint had been made to the prin-
ciples above-mentioned, and that the prosperity of the
country had been compromised thereby. In order to
remedy these evils our attention was first directed
towards agriculture, and we relieved the agriculturists
from many of the burdens which weighed heavily on
that branch of the prosperity of the country. Our atten-
tion has been since directed to the indirect taxes with
which the people are burdened, such as the monopolies
of tobacco, salt, leather, and other duties which the
agents of the government collect from the people. We feel
convinced that the poor alone support these burdens,
and that the rich find means of escaping from thena. If
we totally suppress all these taxes, as it is our wish to
do, the Government could not go en for want of a suffi-
cient revenue ; and on the other hand, if we allow them
to remain, the consequence will be the continua ion of
the acts of injustice which God reproves in the Koran.
Other means must therefore be found, and we trust that
God will make the earth produce the resources which are
necessary for us. We have decided on choosing the
smallest of the two inconveniences, and we therefore sup-
press all the taxes hitherto exacted from our people, with
the exception of the tithe of corn and oil, and the tax
fixed on olive and palm trees ; these taxes being essen-
tially just, since they are levied on the production of the
soil and not on individuals. We also continue the dia
(tax on blood), which is a punishment for crime. These
taxes will continue to be collected according to regula-
tions established by us."

The circular then goes on to state the conditions
on which skins, tobacco, salt, and other articles
which have hitherto been Government monopolies,
may be dealt in by private individuals, and pro-
seeds :•-•

" We make up for the immense deficit whioh will be
caused by the suppression of these numerous taxes, by
a fixed light duty, intended for the support of the Go-
vernment, which is obliged to watch over the interests of
all, and to insure the facility of communications through-
out the country. All my subjects who have attained
the age of puberty shall pay to the treasury a monthly
tax of three Tunisian piastres (the piastre is about 88
centimes). The tax is for the interest of the coun-
try, the tomb of our ancestors, and the cradle of our
children. Neither the inhabitants of tents, nor of
cottages, nor of towns, whatever may be their po-
sition, whether they be rich or poor, strong or weak,
shall be exempted from this tax. The only exception will
be men of the law, such as Cadis or Muphtis, for their
task is to execute the law of God in affairs between Mus-
sulmans. . . . We have assigned to each of our
employes a salary which appears to us to be sufficient
for his wants. They must not therefore lay their hands
on the property of the tax-payers, nor must their hearts
covet the possessions of such persons either for little or
for much. If one of them shall depart from these pre-
scriptions, you will learn what consequences the anger
and vengeance of God will entail on him. Our door
will he ope❑ to all those who are oppressed, and our
ears will listen to their complaints ; our eyes will watch
narrowly the actions of our employes ; and you
will soon see how I will keep my promises.
As to the Cbeikhs of the Arabs, who are
specially charged with the direct collection of this
tax, we shall allow them 4 piastres per cent., 3 for them-
selves and 1 for their agents, but this will be paid by the
Treasury and not by the people, who will only have to
pay the 3 piastres."
The document then proceeds to point out the
manner in which the tax is to be collected in the
different districts, and concludes as follows :
" The inhabitants of the towns of Tunis, Kirouas,
Soussa, Monastier, and Sfax, being subject to charges in-
herent to their respective conditions, shall not pay the
❑ew tax of 3 piastres. The charges falling on them are
much heavier than the said tax, but the inhabitants can
readily suppert them, because these cities are the places
for commerce, the great entrepots for merchandise, and
the seat of manufactures. By the inhabitants of those
cities we, however, understand only the natives of them.
Those who are not so, although they may have been
long residents, will be subject to the regulations of the
district of which they are natives. The payment of the
said tax will commence immediately. May God place
my subjects and all Mussulmans in the number of those
who listen to his holy word and conform thereto in order
that the Most High may reward them according to their
works and increase their happiness ! Salutation on the
part of the humble servant of God the Mouchir Pacha
Bey, whom may God assist.
" Written in the month of Choual, 1272 (June,
1856)."

The Bey, in his solicitude for commerce and
for the welfare of his subjects, has also directed
his attention to the state of his coinage. All the
holders of gold coins are ordered within five days
from the Ist July to pay them into the mint, and
in exchange they are to receive two bills at par,
payable one in the first fortnight, and the second
in the second fortnight of July. A sufficient delay
is given for the holders of gold coin in the different
points of the Regency. The old gold coin thus
called in will be recoined at a weight and quality
which will represent the value of the piastre at
63 centimes, the value given by the old Bey to
the five-piastre pieces, and accepted by commerce.