The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-01-04

CURIOUS DIscovERY.-The Monitear contains
report to Prince Napoleon, Minister of Algeria and
the Colonies, from M. Renier of the Institute civ
ing an account of singular discovery of stone
tablet containing customs tariff of the time of
Septimus Severus-that is, of the 202d year of the
Christian era. 1t was found in the ruins of Zraia
the ancient Colonia Julia Zraia, situated in the
subdivision of Batna in the district occupied by
the tribe of the Uuled Sellam; the finders of it
were some employed in digging foundations
for a mill for the Caid of the place, one 81
Moktar.
An impression of the tariff having been taken in
oil paper by an Italian mason, and transmitted to
Paris, the imprint shows that some mutilations
exist in the tablet, but the greater part of what is
cut in it can be perfectly well made out. 1t begins
with the inlperdor ibus CtesdirJus LHci0
Septimio SeverO ct Marco Aurelio Antonino Augus
It's piis Consuiibus; ;-Lec portrs post discessunt
hortis institHta," which is: ''The Emperors and
Caesars Lucius Septimus Severus and Marcus
Aurelius Antonnus, pious and august, being con-
suls, Customs regulations established after the de-
parture of the cohort."
1t then goes on to specify in separate divisions,
and item by tem the duties to be paid for various
objects In the first division, entitled ''Duties to
be paid per head" are the following: GA hare,
IL denarii (this coin worth about 3d. horse
or mare, ~; mule, IL; pig, - (indistnct);
| sucking pig, -; a sheep or goat =" and a note
says that "cattle destined for market are exempt
| from duties"
The second division. "On foreign woven IA
brics," gives, "a table cover, ~ dem. light CO.
lored tuhc, l12 oed covering, 12 apurple sagum,
l." and adds, "Other African stuffs pay per pice'
| The next division is for SKINS but the duties are
| efaced:-'tA skin completely prepared -; a skin
unprepar9d' :; horse. or goat skin, :; cordigi-
cam s per b.; ropG per quintal, =; glue per 10
| lb. :; sponges per 10 lb.-
The next division runs follows: "Principal
Customs regulation; Pasture animals and beasts of
burden are exempt from duty; for other things see
| the chapter which concerns them. An amphora of
wine :; amphora of date wine; = dates,
| per quintal, a den.; pigs per quintal, -; -
per lo bushels; nuts per IL ~ bushels, -; and
turpentine for lamps, =" The colony of Zarai,
! to which this tariff applies, between 136 and
139 of the Christian era the garrison of a cohort,
and it is probable that up to the year 202 the Co
hort charged to defend the frontiers of the empire
was exempted from Customs duties
The colony situated on of the most fire.
quented roads which led from the desert to the
| Cesarian Mauritania. Among the objects men
| toned in the tariff some which still made
in the oasis of the Ziband and Bled ell Djerid, in
the south of the Regency of Tunis. For example,
the eight colored tunics" evidently the haics
! which wealthy Arabs at present, and which
have lately been used by European ladies as shawls
the saga are now the qandouras which form the in
sigma of command in the Regency of Tuns; and the
bed coverings are perhaps the gaily colored blank
cts which are still used in those parts. The date
wine is not the same palm wine, but fer.
mented liquor which readily intoxicated
| Pliny makes mention oft, and it is now replaced
in the oasis by sort of alcohol made from figs
The meaning of the words cordiscum and uopa is
not very clear but perhaps they are not correctly
copied. 1t has hitherto been supposed that the
Customs duties of the Roman empire were uni
formy the 40th part of the value of the goods
that sum having been levied in Italy, Sicily the
two Gauls, Asia Minor, Bithyna, Pontus, and
Paphlagona; but the tablet, which has now been
found proves that the duties not uniform.
1t proves also that in Africa, at all events, they
were inferior to one-fortieth of the value; thus,
Papinianus, law-writer who lived in the time Of
| Septmus Severus, states that the legal price of
slaves was fixed at 20 gold pieces, 500 denarii,
the ortieth part of which is 124 den.; but as may
| be seen, only ll% inscribed in the tariff.
Again, the Theodosian code, which was drawn up
previously to the year 401 of our era, fixes the
price of horses for the cavalry in Numidia at 400
den., the fortieth of which is TO- yet the duty on
horses in the tariff is only ~. The exemption
from duty of oxen destined for the markets, and of
pasturage animals, is explained by the fact that the
government levied market and pasture taxes
them, and could not consequently make them pay
twice over; and as to the exemption of beasts of
burden, it is no doubt owing to the consideration
that it would have been unjust to tax both the
goods and the animal which carried them.-Galig-
| ndni's Messenger.