The just Governor sent to his dear sovereign 4,000 purses, the surplus of the treasury; and to shew the good old man what his Ahmed could do in the country, 1500 gold okien as a present. Besides this, he had had considerable expenses, had paid one-half of the soldiers more than Kurdshid Basha, had purchased thousands of camels and asses for the Chasua, for the purpose of transport, &c. One would conclude from this, that under this Basha, a complete reform of the system of government, and a flourishing condition of the land, had rendered these supplies of money and gold possible, but the surplus must be sought for in other causes than in the prosperous state of the country. If the direct taxes be very irregularly paid through the conduct of the Kashefs (plur. Koshàf), Ahmed Basha has a number of other means by which to squeeze gold out of the people. Inheritances, where the testator is set aside, and, if necessary, some crime fixed on him; despotic dictation of tributes in money or gold; farming monopolies; selling fruits from the Shona, or the farms of the Basha; net-proceeds of the slave-hunts, &c. In selling the fruits and farming the monopolies, the price is generally raised only in appearance by accomplices, and then in a very courteous manner the affair is hinted first to one and then to the other, who, in gratitude for the gracious punishment, raise their hands to their mouth and head, well knowing that even the latter belongs to the Basha, who commonly presides over such forced broker’s business. It is not a very rare thing for Sheikhs who cannot raise the quantum of gold so arbitrarily imposed, to breathe out their souls under the Nabút. A favourite plan of his, pursuing the same aim, and having an apparent legal ground in itself, is the arrangement of his iron will according to the investigations to be directed towards powerful Kashefs, who do not deliver to him the half of their plunder, or towards honest officials, whom he hates, and whose places he has already beforehand sold to others, when he is certain of the share of the precious gain, which is made on collecting the Tulba. These profitable investigations are especially directed against officers who have the management of the accounts. A fresh revision of their accounts, which perhaps were delivered twelve to fifteen years ago, was entered upon for the second time, and, as he partly made it alone, or by his creatures appointed and assigned for that purpose, or when he thought it advisable, he ordered a bastinadoing for life or death, it has never happened that the people selected for payment were found guiltless.