The year 1858 may therefore be fairly regarded as a
normal year under the present Papal system. For this year the net
receipts of the Government were,
Scudi.
Direct Taxes . . . . 3,011571
Customs . . . . . . 5,444729
Stamps . . . . . . . 947184
Post . . . . . . . . 111848
Lottery . . . . . . 392813
Licences for Trade . . 174525
Total 10,082670
Now the census, taken at the end of 1857, showed a little over 600,000
families in the Papal States. The head therefore of every family had, on
an average, to pay about 16 sc. and a half, or 3 pounds. 7_s_. 9_d_.
annually for the expenses of the Government, which for so poor a country
is pretty well. Let us now see how that money is professed to have been
spent,
The net expenses are,
Scudi.
Army . . . . . . . . 2,014047
Public Debt . . . . 4,217708
Interior . . . . . . 1,507235
Currency . . . . . . 15115
Public Works . . . . 681932
Census . . . . . . . 88151
Grant for special
purposes to Minister
of Finance . . . 1,415404
Total 9,949592
Now the Pontifical army is kept up avowedly not for purposes of defence,
but to support the Government. The public debt of 66 millions of scudi
has been incurred for the sake of keeping up this army. The expenses of
the Interior mean the expenses of the police and spies, which infest
every town in the Papal dominions, and the grant for Special Purposes,
whatever else it may mean, which is not clear, means certainly some job,
which the Government does not like to avow.
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