The finances of Servia are in good condition.  The income, according to a return made to me from the finance department, is in round numbers, eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand dollars, and the expenditure eight hundred and thirty thousand.  The greater part of the revenue being produced by the poresa, which is paid by all heads of families, from the time of their marriage to their sixtieth year, and in fact, includes nearly all the adult population; for, as is the case in most eastern countries, nearly every man marries early.  The bachelors pay a separate tax.  Some of the other items in the budget are curious:  under the head of “Interest of a hundred thousand ducats lent by the government to the people at six per cent.” we find a sum of fourteen thousand four hundred dollars.  Not only has Servia no public debt, but she lends money.  Interest is high in Servia; not because there is a want of capital, but because there are no means of investment.  The consequence is that the immense savings of the peasantry are hoarded in the earth.  A father of a family dies, or in extremis is speechless, and unable to reveal the spot; thus large sums are annually lost to Servia.  The favourite speculation in the capital is the building of houses.

The largest gipsy colonies are to be found on this part of the Danube, in Servia, in Wallachia, and in the Banat.  The tax on the gipsies in Servia amounts to more than six thousand dollars.  They are under a separate jurisdiction, but have the choice of remaining nomade, or settling; in the latter case they are fiscally classed with the Servians.  Some settled gipsies are peasants, but for the most part smiths.  Both settled and nomade gipsies, are alike remarkable for their musical talents.  Having fought with great bravery during the war of emancipation, they are not so despised in Servia as in some other countries.

For produce of the state forests, appears the very insignificant sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars.  The interior of Servia being so thickly wooded, every Servian is allowed to cut as much timber as he likes.  The last item in the budget sounds singularly enough:  two thousand three hundred and forty-one dollars are set down as the produce of sales of stray cattle, which are first delivered up to the captain of the district, who makes the seizure publicly, and then hands them over to the judge for sale, if there be no claimant within a given time.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Agriculture and Commerce.

Upon the whole, it must be admitted, that the peasantry of Servia have drawn a high prize in the lottery of existence.  Abject want and pauperism is nearly unknown.  In fact, from the great abundance of excellent land, every man with ordinary industry can support his wife and family, and have a large surplus.  The peasant has no landlord but the Sultan, who receives a fixed tribute from the Servian government, and does not interfere with the internal administration.  The father of a family, after having contributed a maximum tax of six dollars per annum, is sole master of the surplus; so that in fact the taxes are almost nominal, and the rent a mere peppercorn; the whole amounting on an average to about four shillings and sixpence per caput per annum.