The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-10 00:00:00

fHE SUN, LON,J,ON, FEIDAY EVSN'ING, JANUARY 10, 1868,

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Her Majesty's screw storeship Industry, 638 tons,
80 horse-power, Staff Commander E. S. Youell,
arrived at Spithead yesterday from Brazil and
Ascension. She has brought home a quantity of
returned Government stores and a few seamen and
Marine passengers. The latter were landed at
Portsmouth yesterday, and the Industry will sail
from Spithead again this morning for Woolwich, to
deliver her cargo of stores. She sailed from Ascen-
sion ou the Bth of December, and called in at St.
Vincent on the 21st, on which day the Brazil mail
steamship Oneida passed. Off the Western Islands
the Industry fell in with a strong gale from the
N.W., followed by another from the S.E. After-
wards strong N.E. winds prevailed up to the time
of the vessel entering the Channel. Her Majesty's
vrew frigate Bristol sailed from Ascension for Eng-
land on the Ist of December, but would call in at
Sierra Leone to land her Kroomen.

Her Majesty's screw storeship Supply, Staff-
Commander Charles Bawden, which has been dis-
abled, was recently towed to Portsmouth by her
Majesty's ship Pallas, and has since been placed in
dock for survey. On the water being pumped out
or the dock the screw shafting was found to be
broken outside the tube. The broken length of
shafting, with the Griffiths' screw, has been removed,
and a new length of shafting, with a common two-
bladed screw, is being now fitted. When this has
been completed the ship will be reported on to the
Admiralty and undocked. As the steam factory of
Portsmouth yard is now overcrowded with work,
and the defects of the hull and machinery of the
Supply are extensive, it is anticipated that the Ad-
miralty orders will be for her to proceed round to
Woolwich.

Tne Elk, composite-built gunboat, 464 tons, to
carry two guns, and to be fitted with two screw en-
gines of 120 horse power (nominal), will be launched
from Portsmouth dockyard to-day shortly before
high water.
The Pylades, 17, screw corvette, 1,278 tons, 350
horse power, Captain C. W.Buckley,V.C., recently
commissioned at Sheerness for foreign service, re-
mains at Spithead awaiting final orders from the
Admiralty.
The Royal Oak, armoured frigate, 1,000 horse
power screw engines, Capt. H. Hellyar, C. 8., has
been undocked at Portsmouth and berthed along-
side the north wall of the steam basin, in progress
of her somewhat extensive refit—if the refit is only
for one twelvemonth's commission. On Wednesday
while an attempt was being made to lower the
steam launch of this ship into the water of the har-
bour by means of one of the jetty cranes, the for-
ward eyebolt drew from the boat, and the forefoot
of the boat came down with greatforce on the stone
work of the jetty, starting all the wood ends of the
planking from the stem and rendering the boat for
the time completely useless. Yesterday the carpen-
ter of the ship and his crew were busily engaged in
repairing the damage. The boat is required to keep
night guard in Portsmouth harbour.
The drawings and plans for a new unarmoured
improved sloop corvette, from the designs of Mr.
E. J. Reed, Chief Constructor of the Navy, which
is to be laid down at Chatham dockyard, have been
received at that establishment from the Admiralty,
the workmen at the saw mills having been em-
ployed for some time past in cutting out the tim-
bers for the frames. The new vessel will be of
the Juno class, of about 1,460 tons burden, and is
intended to mount an armament of six heavy guns.
The drawings and models of a new unarmoured
screw corvette, of the Blanche and Danac class, to
be named the Briton, are also in course of prepa-
ration for being laid down on the only available
vacant slip at Sheerness dockyard, from which the
Eclipse was recently launched. In the designs for
the new ship Mr. Reed will combine all the latest
improvements in that class of vessel, while a
slightly additional amount of tonnage will be addel
to enable her to mount an armament of increased

weight.
The Warrior, armoured iron frigate, 32 guns,
1,000 horse power screw engines, Capt. H. Boys,
on the conclusion of her present guard duties off
Osborne, is ordered by the Admiralty to be docked
at Portsmouth to clean her hull below the water
line preparatory to making another trial of her
speed over the measured mile, th.Ar Lordships con-
sidering that the trials of speed that:the ship has
lately made at sea have " rendered valueless the last
trial of speed she made at the measured mile in
Stokes Bay."
The fallowing officers at Chatham garrison were
yesterday placed under orders for embarkation, to
join the service companies of their respective regi-
ments—viz., Lieut. George Bow, 2d West India
Regiment, and Ensign William Henry Gordon, Ist
West India Regiment. The Duke of Cambridge
has also granted one month's leave of absence to
Lieut. Reginald Cartwright, 2d Battalion of the
15th Regiment, and to Lieut. Archibald Glen, 2d
Battalion of the 10th Regiment, to the 4th of
February.
A military board has been held at Chatham gar-
rison, under the presidency of Col. the Hon. J. J.
Bourke, commanding the 3d Depot Battalion, for
the examination of various subalterns as to their
qualifications for promotion.

was at the time the strongest piece carried, habi-
tually by European or American ships, it is also
true that there are stronger guns in existence,
originally made in England and now• in the
possession of foreign Powers. Our own 10-inch
gun is about as powerful at 1,500 yards as the 9-
inch is at 70 yards, and even the 15-inch American
gun can throw a shot with higher power than the
9-inch gun, though at considerable risk. The Rus-
sians have a 15-inch smoothbore, but its eh srge is
less than the service charge for the Rodman. True
economy would have been shown in providing for
the future as well as the present, and we cannot
acquit the Government of all blame in this Platter.
Nevertheless, the danger has been much c cagge-
rated. During the bombardment of Fort Sumter
eight Federal Monitors and one iron-plated ship of
16 guns were engaged for 2i hours with the fort.
Their guns comprised 15-inch and 11-inch fraiootli-
bored guns. The Confederate artillery had. 10, 9,
and 8-inch smoothbores, 7-inch rifles, and. sataller
pieces. About 80 rounds were fired from the ships ;
58 struck the fort, which was constructed
of brick in tiers of casetnates, and which
could only reply with 33 guns in all ; yet in 45
minutes the ironsides had to retire ; in one hour
and 40 minutes the Keokuk, a two-turreted
Monitor, was sunk by a 7-inch rifled shot, and
the fleet was eventually forced to retire. The pro-
portion of missiles which struck the fort effectively
was about 4-10ths of the 58 which did not miss their
mark. The proportion of embrasures destroyed to
those exposed was 1-7th. Here was a case of real
warfare, in which the defenders had no iron shields
of any kind. However weak the Gibraltar shields
may be, they oppose a greater resistance to artillery
fire than any ship at present afloat, though they
will soon be surpassed by the Hercules and the
Wilhelm I.

We cannot calculate with accuracy what the pro-
bability of striking a target is when the guns are
fired on board ship during the ordinary manceuvres
of an action. We have before referred to this point.
It is quite time that some experiments should be
made, an they might be at an almost nominal ex-
pense. We know what the guns can do on land, but
we cannot tell how great a loss of accuracy they
may sustain when fired from the moving platform
of a ship's deck. Neither have we sufficient in-
formation on the strength of iron defences. The
Iron Plate Committee was dissolved at the
very moment when their labours seemed about
to be crowned by many useful and practical results,
and we now suffer from that false step on the part
of the late Government by having to reopen the
question when our forts ought to be almost com-
pleted. There are many reasons for preferring
earthworks in some situations, but in others the ex-
pense of an earthwork would exceed that of an iron
battery, because the cost of the foundations would
be much greater from their increased dimensions,
and every spadeful of material would have to be
brought from a distance. Granite has been con-
demned by the results of every experiment that
has been made, and we have already far too many
of those whited sepulchres, the granite forts. The
Americans, like ourselves, have fallen into this
mistake, and they are now endeavouring to gain
more resistance by facing their many-tiered forts
with iron plates. By the time they have accom-
plished this their magnificent defences will have coat
enormous sums of money. The Iron Plate Com-
mittee declared that no front plates should be less
than Bin. in thickness, and since then the guns have
made vast strides in power of offence. Our opinion
is that the part of any structure which has to re-
ceive the first blow should be strong enough to take
the mischief out of the projectile. Behind the first
plates may come planks of iron or compound back-
ing on Chalmers's or Hughes's principle, and it is
probable that experiments will show the advantage
of an elastic backing behind all. If thick, solid
plates can be manufactured of such strength and at
such a price as to render them available, they may
he used, but in any case the strtutura should be
such as to leave a possibility of strengthening a
weak part indefinitely. Many of our shields are in-
tended for granite casemates, and, as we have long
ago pointed out, the gunners are likely to be buried
under the ruins of the arches before the shields
can be penetrated. With these few preparatory
remarks we now proceed to sketch the results of
experiments hitherto made against the Gibraltar
shield retained in England to be tested.
The first trial proved the weakness of the bolts
and supports. Two chilled shot were fired from the
9-inch gun with a charge representing a range of
400 yards. Many bolt-heads were torn off and
thrown to the rear, and in one case the iron skin
was split, but neither projectile passed through the
shield. The struts were considerably bent and
weakened. The heads of the bolts had been formed
by upsetting the iron bar instead of drawing them
drown from thicker material. They were not, there-
fore, strictly Palliser bolts.
The next experiment was not made upon the
shield itself, but is useful in considering the gene-
ral question, and, as it has not yet been fully
reported, we give it more in detail. Two
5-inch plates were riveted together back to back
with bolts of various forms. The front slab
measured sft. Gin, by sft. sin., the rear one 7ft.
by sft. 4in. They had not been planed, but were
just as they had been
putturn turned
They were held
together by four lines of bolts placed within 8f
geotobteroifn
tthheerroolluigahg,
mill.
inches of the sides and bottom, and 15 inches from
the top, thus forming a square. Five bolts held
the sides together, two were in the top row and two
at the bottom--14 in all. The bolts in the top and
bottom rows were 16 inches apart from centre to
centre, those at the side 131 inches. The seven
bolts on the right had screw heads, which screwed
into the front plate to a depth of about 5 inches.
five threads
21tienhe'hes diameter,
tDoeapnthi
inch.
.thsriexadihoahbeosuot
sihnacohk;
and 6 inches of the point screwed for a nut. The
edges
srinogf i the
the front plate were roundel off to
holes in the back plate were of
avoid
va
oc d edges
4 inches diameter, to take a wooden packing round
the bolt. The conical-headed bolts were of nearly
the same dimensions, but the head tapered from 4
down to 2
.inches, the diameter of the 6-inch
shank. Point screwed for nut 7 inches. These bolts
were made from 4-inch rolled bar iron dravin out
under the hammer, leaving the conical heal. All
the bolts were nutted behind the rear plate with a
3-inch nut and 2-inch locking nut resting on a
inch iron washer. Three bolts on each side were
fitted with an additional wooden washer of 1 inch
elm between the iron washer and the plate. This
target, AO composed, was supported against two
vertical iron bars 12 inches by 5 upon the face of
the hard-used 8-inch target. A. chain, passing
round the upper part of the rear plate, served to
steady the structure. It must be understood that
the experimental target was only supported by its
veteran comrade in the sense that a shield is sup-
ported by the savage who uses it. Tee 9-in gun,
the exact powers of which are now so well known,
was brought face to face with its antagonist, and
three rounds were fired from it.

Round I.—Solid Palliser shot of 2501 b., charge
251 b., to represent a range of 1,600 yards. The
projectile struck with a velocity of 1,082 feet ; total
energy 2,029 foot tons, or 72.4 foot tons per inch of
shot's circumference. The blow took effect nearly
in the centre of the front plate, which it pierced.
The rear plate was indented and slightly cracked
behind. No effect upan the bolts appeared to have
taken place.
Round 2.—Same gun and projectile, charge 371 b.,
to represent a range of about 400 yards. The
shot struck low under the hole made by round 1,
penetrated the front plate, and showed its nose
through the back plate. Several cracks were de-
veloped in the front plate from the shot-bole
to the adjacent bolt-holes. One bolt at the bottom
left-hand corner (conical head, iron washer)iwas
broken at the head. The next bolt had its head
drawn into the plate one inch, but held well.
One bolt with screwed head and iron washer was
broken off behind at the nut. The iron struts
were permanently deflected about half an inch.
Velocity on impact, 1,275 feet ; total energy,
2,818 foot tons, or 100.6 foot tons per inch of cir-
cumference.

Round 3.--This time a full bervile, charge of 431 b.
was used. The shot struck about 16 inches above

No. 1, and perforated both plates, digging its nose
about an inch into the Bin. target behind. Both the
upper corner bolts were broken, one being screwed,
the other conical-headed, both with iron washers.
The struts were deflected about three-quarters of
an inch. Various cracks in the front plate ran
from the hole.

This was not bad endurance for so small a tar-
get, and the gunners behind would have been pro-
tected from all danger at 400 yards. A plate with
a larger surface would probably have cracked less,
and four bolts only out of 14 were broktn, none of
which had wooden washers.

A still later experiment was made with the Gib-
raltar shield on the 19th of December, when two
rounds were fire I at it from the 9in. gun with Pal-
liser shot and a charge of 371 h., representing by the
velocity given a range of 400 yards ; two Palliser
shells with a charge of 401 b., the full charge of the
gun ; and one Ameriean cast-iron shot, with 501 b.
of English powder (equal to 601 b. of American),
from the Rodman gun, the range in all eases being
70 yards. The effect was a general shaking and
disintegration of the parts of the target, which was,
however, fairly penetrated by only one of the various
projectiles—the first Palliser shell fired from the
rifled gun. With this one exception the gun be-
hind the shield would have remained undamaged
after having received in all seven rounds, and the
use of a rope mantlet protects the men quite suf-
ficiently from broken bolt-heads. The American
shot rebounded from the shield, but seriously
damaged the already weakened supports. The shell
which passed through struck near the point where
the longitudinal junction of the two front plates
crosses the vertical junction of two plates forming
the second layer—a rather weak spot. The second
shell, also fired with a full charge of 431 b., failed
to penetrate. Bulges there were in plenty, fis-
sures in the skin, and bending of supports ; but,
while the experiments have shown the necessity for
front plates of at least eight inches, the question of
backing to them cannot be considered as definitely
settled until other constructions have been tried
behind the same plate, or other shields at the
same price proved by experiment to be stronger.
We believe that the cost of each Gibraltar
shield was about £9BO, and though the pre-
sent examples have been shown to be deficient
in strength, there is no proof yet that the system
must be condemned. Weight does not form any
element of the question. The object must be to
obtain the greatest strength at the least cost.
Coming experiments at Shoeburyness, the prepara-
tions for which we lately described, will bear upon
many important points ; but, after all engineering
questions have received full investigation, military
and financial reasons may prevent the adoption of
the best model, except in the most exposed posi-
t tions. Above all things, let our artillerymen and
sailors bear in mind that more depends upon their
courage and upon the rapidity and accuracy of their
fire than upon the thickness of the walls with which
they will be surrounded. Tegethoffs wooden ships
dashed boldly into the thick of the battle, and not a
boat was lost. Albini was more prudent, and the
result was the defeat of the Italian fleet with the
loss of two ironclads.— Times.

THE PROGRESS OF TELTGRAPHI ITV
THE YEAR 1867.

The events connected with the extension of tele-
graphic communication in 1866 were the most me-
morable ever recorded in history, for in that year
not only was a complete cable, uniting the Old
World and the New, successfully submerged, but
another, which was considered irretrievably lost by
the general public, was recovered from the depths
of the Atlantic. It !night have been expected that
the marvellous success achieved by tilos: who by
indomitable perseverance and scientific skill esta-
blished such valuable agencies of correspondence
between England and America would have prompted
others to initiate enterprises of a similar character
in usher directions, but the commercial depres-
sion of last year acted detrimentally on the
advancement of telegraphy, as it did on almost
every speculative scheme. Still, some of the
facts connected with its history and progress
during the year 1867 are peculiar and inte-
resting. The first prominent occurrence was the
repairing of the Atlantic cable of 1866, which had
broken some two miles from the Bay of Heart's
Content. It appears that when the shore end of
the cable referred to was being laid the Great
Eastern, from which it was paid out, was in
a fog, and it was laid in a shallower part of the
ocean than was originally intended by the engi-
neers. It was found that an iceberg, which had
grounded in 27 fathoms, was the cause of the acci-
dent, and the cable was repaired in the marvellously
short space of 48 hours, under the supervision of
Mr. Henry Clifford, C.E. The same rope broke
again in July about 87 miles from Newfoundland.
Thirteen miles of it were picked up by the ship
Chilton, under the direction of Sir Samuel Can-
ning, and laid in a deeper channel than that which
it had formerly been deposited. This was the first
case of what may be called ordinary repair to the
Atlantic lines, as contradistinguished from pick-
ing up and splicing, and the promptitude
with which it was effected afforded another proof of
Sir Samuel Canning's ability and skill. It may be
here remarked that not the slightest interruption
has yet occurred in the cable of 1865. A cable has
been laid between Havannah and Key West, Florida,
and a second line between Key West and Punta
Rossa. The first is sheathed in iron and weighs
2.15 tons to the nautical mile. The route of it is
across strong and variable currents and over about
1,000 fathoms. A curious miscalculation took place
while this line was being constructed. Owing to
the phenomenon of under currents the cable assumed
a direction over the stern as if the current was con-
tinuing to go west (as it actually did- during the
first 20 miles) when it was really going east. The
result of this miscalculation was that the supply
of materials ran short, and the line had to be
completed with part of the Key West and Punta
Rossa wire, and the latter finished with a portion
of what was intended for a Red Sea cable. The
whole length of the section is 120 miles, and
on the Havannah coast the shore end runs into
450, and on the Key West into 136 fathoms.
The shallowness of the ned on which a great por-
tion of the Key West and Punta Rossa lice lies ex-
poses the gotta percha covering to a severe test in
the tropics. Some of it is laid on mud banks, where
the normal temperature is between 80 deg. and 90
deg., and it has no other " serving" to preserve it
from rust. We may here add that during the pro-
gress of the expeditions in which these lines were
established considerable loss of life took place among
the staff which superintended its construction. A
line has been laid from Placentia to Lloyd's Cove,
Sydney, and touches at the French island of St.
Pierre. Unlike the Atlantic cable, this is sheathed
in iron wires and weighs 2.25 tons per nautical mile
generally, and 11 tons per nautical mile at the shore
end. The whole length of the section is 301 nau-
tical miles, and every indication has been given
that its general insulation is perfect. The
South Foreland and La Panne, in Belgium,
have been also united by a line of tele-
graph which contains four conductors, two of
them consisting of recovered portions of the Cromer
and Emden cable. The La Panne line is 47 miles in
length, and the wire is covered with asphalte and
an outer " serving." In Persia a special loop line
from Khanakeen to Teheran and another from Te-
heran to Bushire have been erected. These are,
however, of no very great importance as alterna-
tive lines, for which they are intended, between
Bagdad and Bushire, for the line between Bagdad
and Bassorah is working well, and that between
Bassorah and Bushire has never been interrupted.
Considering, however, the Russian position, the
line between Teheran and Bushire is not without its
value. For the purposes of the Abyssinian expe-
dition Major Champain, R.E., has taken out mate-
rials and a staff for the construction of a semi-per-
manent line from Anuesley Bay to the final head-
quarters. 'Phis will consist of copper wire, and the
insulators will bo attached to bamboo supports.
For flying telegraphs forty miles of Hooper's wires,
without iron covering, have been supplied. This
eculiar species of wire resists the power of the
sun better, it is said, than any other, and by

experiments performed in England it was proved
that artillery might pass over it without doing it
any material injury. Great improvements have
been made—certainly not before they were urgently
demanded—in the staff which directs the working of
telegraphs in India. Some of the members of it
have visited England and received instruction from
the most experienced engineers in London, and the
staff has been recruited by the addition of some
skilled electricians from Europe. The use of old
instruments has been superseded, so that we may
shortly expect that the ridiculous medleys of words
which are sometimes seen in messages from the east
will be no longer allowed to occur. Thirty miles of
wire have b:±en sent out to Turkey, which are to
form a line across the Bosphorus, and a similar quan-
tity has been transmitted to Brazil. At home little
has been done, owing to the suspense created by the
proposed scheme of the Government to take the
telegraphs under their own control. Considerable
a,elvance has, however, been made in the construc-
tion of telegraphic instrunents. The details re-
garding these are, as may be expected, almost
entirely technical, but we may observe that during
the past year some very successful essays have been
made to convert mechanical power into electricity.

LOSS OF LIFE BY FIRE AND BY TVA 7 ER.

It is gratifying to observe some diminution in
the number of persons burnt in London in the year
1867. In 1858 the deaths registered in the metro-
polis from burns and scalds amounted to 309, being
in the proportion of 11.6 to 100,000 of population ;
in 1867 the number of deaths was 302, or in the
ratio of 9.7 per 100,000 of population. In the ten
years, 1858-67, 3,258 lives were destroyed by burns
and scalds. In England and Wales no less than
51,160 persons —25,345 males and 25,815 females
—were burnt or scalded to Bath in the 18 years
1848-65. The annual sacrifice was 2,842. It is
worthy of remark that the number of girls and
women burnt in 1865 was less than the average.
Thus, the average annual number in previous
years was 1,434 ; in the ye a 1865 the number
fell to 1,369 ; 65 lives were saved. The pro-
portion to 100,000 of population in each of the two
periods was 14.7 and 12.7. Among children the rate
of mortality in 1865 to 100,000 living was as fol-
lows :—Males under 5 years, 57.0 ; females under
5 years, 45.1 A certain proportion of the 1,473
children whose deaths were referred to burns and
scalds were suffocated through drinking scalding
water, the larynx in such cases being closed. At
the age of 5 and under 10 years the proportional
numbers were—males, 12 ; females, 21 ; at age 10
and under 15 they were—males, 4 ; females, 6 ; the
difference in the mortality of the two sexes at these
ages was due to the great inflammability of cotton
dresses. Of the 14,193 males dying of burns
and scalds under 5 years of age in the 18 years
1848-65, 910 were under 1 year of age, 3,482 were
1 year and under 2, 3,619 were 2 years and under
3, 3,382 were 3 years and under 4, 2,725 were 4
years and under 5.. Of the 11,676 females dying
under 5 years of age, 919 were less than 1 year of
age, 2,743 were 1 year and under 2, 2,762 were 2
years and under 3, 2,834 were 3 years and under 4,
and 2,418 were 4 years and under 5. Young chil-
dren drank scalding water out of the spout of the
tea-kettle, or fell into scalding water. This hap-
pened often among the lower classes, when the
mother was out at work and the children were left
at home alone. It may be stated that in the year
1855 the deaths by burns and scalds (3,177) were
more fatal than in any other year. The cold led to
an increase in the consumption of coal ; people ap-
proached nearer the fire than in ordinary years, and
the cold was thus the indirect cause of raising the
mortality by burns. In 1858 271 deaths in London
were ascribed to drowning, being in the proportion of
10.1 per 100,000 of population ; in 1867 the deaths
were 379, or 12.1 per 100,000 of population. In
the ten years 1858-67, 3,367 deaths were registered
from this cause--viz., 2,965 by accident, and 402
by suicide. In England and Wales the avenge
annual number of deaths by drowning in the years
1858-64 was 2,629-2,414 by accident, and 215 by
suicide, the deaths in 1865 from this cause were
3,053-2,823 by accident, and 230 by suicide. The
annual rate of mortality from drowning by accident
to 100,000 of population was 14.0 in the five years
1850-51; 13.2 in the five years 1855-59, and 12.2
iu the five years 1860-64. In 1865 it was 13.6.
Thus the deaths in England and Wales iu the eight
years 1858-65 by the two elements of fire and water
were 45,009—viz., 21,454 tiy drowning, including
suicide, and 23,555 by burns and scalds.

The Taxi.tion of Ancient Persia.

(Prom " RawlinEon's Aucient Monarchies.")

The substitution of definite burtbens on the sub-
ject in lieu of variable and uncertain charges was
aimed at rather than effected by the new arrange-
ment of the revenue which is associaLd with the
name of Darius. This arrangement consisted in
fixing everywhere the amount of tribute in money
and in kind which each satrapy was to furnish to
the crown. A definite money payment, varying,
in ordinary satrapies, from 170 to 1,000 Babylo-
nian silver talents, or from £42,000 to £250,000 of
our money, and amounting, in the exceptional case
of the Indian satrapy, to above a million sterling,
was required annually by the Sovereign, and had to
be remitted by the satrap to the capital. Besides
this, a payment, the nature and amount of which
was also fixed, had to be made in kind, each pro-
vince being required to furnish that commodity, or
those commodities, for which it was most cele-
brated. This latter burthen must have pressed
very unequally on different portions of the
empire, if the statement of Herodotus be
true, that Babylonia and Assyria paid one
third of it. The payment seems to have been
very considerable in amount. Egypt had to supply
grain sufficient for the nutriment of 120,000 Per-
sian troops quartered in the country. Media had
to contribute 100,000 sheep, 4,000 mules, and 3,000
horses ; Cappadocia, half the above number of each
kind of animal; Armenia furnished 20,000 colts ;
Cicilia gave 360 white horses and a sum of 140
talents (35.000) in lie of further tribute in
kind. Babylonia, besides corn, was required to
furnish 500 boy eunuchs. These charges, how-
ever, were all fixed by the crown, and may
have been taken into ems deration in assessing
the money payment, the main object of the
whole arrangement evidently being to make the
taxation of each province proportionate to its wealth
and resources. The assessment of the taxation
upon the different portions of his province was left
to the strap. We do not know on what principles
he ordinarily proceeded, or whether any uniform
prinliides at all were observed throughout
the Empire. But we find some evidence that, in
places at least, the mode of exaction and
collection was by a land-tax. The assess-
ruent upon individuals and the actual collection
from them, devolved, in all probability, on the
local authorities, who distributed the burthen im-
posed upon their town, village, or district as they
they thought proper. '1 hus the foreign oppressor
did not come into direct contact with the mass of
the conquered people, who no doubt paid the calls
made upon them with less reluctance through the
medium of their own proper magistrates.
If the taxation of the subject had stopped
here, he would have had no just ground of com-
plaint against his rulers. The population of the
empire cannot be estimated at less than forty
millions of souls. 'I he highest estimate of
the value of the, entire tribute, both in money
and kind, will scarcely place it at more than
ten millions sterling. Thus far, then, the bur-
then of taxation would certainly not have ex-
ceeded five shillings a head per annum. Per-
haps it would not have reached half that amount.
But, unhappily, neither was the tribute the sole
tax which the Crown extracted from its subjects,
nor had the Crown the sole right of exacting
taxation. Persian subjects in many parts of the
empire paid, besides their tribute, a water rate,
which is expressly said to have been very produc-
tive. The rivers of the empire were the King's ; and
when water was required for irrigation, a state
officer superintended the opening of the sluices, and
regulated the amount of the precious fluid which
might be drawn off by each tribe or town-

ship. For the opening of the sluices a large sum
was paid to the officer, which found its way into
the coffers of the State. Further, it appears, that
such things as fisheries—and if so, probably salt
works, mines, quarries, and forests—were regarded
as Crown property, and yielded large sums to the re-
venue. They appear to have been farmed to respon-
sible persons, who undertook to pay at a certain fixed
rate, and made what profit they could by the trans-
action. The price of commodities thus farmed
would be greatly enhanced to the consumer. By
these means the actual burthen of taxation upon
the subject was rendered to some extent un-
certain and indefinite, and the benefits of the
fixed tribute system were diminished. But the
chief drawback upon it has still to be mentioned.
While the claims of the crown upon its subjects
were defirite and could not be exceeded, the
satrap was at liberty to make any exactions that he
pleased beyond them. There is every reason to be-
lieve that he received no stipend, and that, conse-
quently, the burthen of supporting him, his body-
guard, and his court, was intended to fall on the
province which had the benefit of his superintend
ence. Like a Roman proconsul, be was to pay him-
self out of the pockets of his subjects, and, like
that class of persons, he took care to pay himself
highly. It has been calculated that one satrap of
Babylon drew from his province annually i❑ actual
coin a sum equal to £lOO,OOO of our money. We
can scarcely doubt that the claim made by the pro-
vincial governors were, on the average, at least
equal to those of the Crown ; and had the disadvan-
tage of being irregular, uncertain ; purely arbitrary,
Thus, what was gained by the new system was not
so munh the relief of the subject from uncertain
taxation as the advantage to the crown of knowing
beforehand what the revenue would be, and being
able to regulate its expenditure accordingly. Still
a certai❑ amount of benefit did undsubtedly accrue
to the provincials from the system 1 since it
gave them the Crown for their protection. As
long as the payments made to the State were
irregular, it was, or at least seemed to be, for the
interest of the Crown to obtain from each province
as much as it could anyhow pay. When the state
dues were once fixed, as the Crown gained nothing
by the rapacity of its officers, but rather lost, since
the province became exhausted, it was interested
in checking greed, and seeing that the provinces
were administered by a wise and good satraps.