No. 488.
Mr. Van
Dyck to Mr. Hunter.
Sir: In its issue of Tuesday, the 21st of October, 1879, the newspaper called the Phare d’Alexandrie gives a statement of the revenues of the Egyptian Government that have been collected and paid in to the finance ministry during the half-year ending June 30, 1879. Thinking that it might interest you to see that statement, I herewith inclose an English translation of the same for such use as you may think proper to make of it.
According to that table, the half-year’s revenues are about four and one-fourth millions of pounds Egyptian; and if the second half-year gives the same yield, the revenues of the Egyptian Government for 1879 will be, in round numbers, eight and one-half million pounds Egyptian.
The bonded debt of the government requires for the payment of interest thereon, at the rate hitherto paid, about £4,648,000 every year. But there are other debts besides the bonded debt, which require for the payment of interest thereon about £300,000. So that, in round numbers, the government has to pay about 5,000,000 pounds Egyptian every year interest on its debts. This sum deducted from the eight and one-half millions, would leave only 3,500,000 pounds Egyptian for all expenses of administration during the year 1879, which is far too small; the yearly current expenses being in round numbers, at the very least, 4,500,000 pounds Egyptian, and, in my opinion not less than five millions. So that at the end of this year there will be another deficit of at least £1,000,000, or, possibly, a deficit of at least 1,500,000 pounds Egyptian; and this after having realized the whole of the Rothschild domanial loan of 1878.
The finances of Egypt are in a very bad state, and will, I think, grow much worse, unless the rate of interest on all debts be so reduced as to leave of the revenues for the current expenses of administration, about five million pounds yearly, instead of the three and one-half millions given above.
I have, &c.,