The fale of fyjrituous liquors forms at prefent nearly one third of the
Ruffian revenue. In every part of the empire, excepting the Ukraine and
* the conquered provinces, the crown alone has the privilege of felling fpiri-
tuous liquors. The vaft increafe of,this branch of finance will belt appear
from the fallowing table. , v
. Until,i752 it was, f a r m e d for £540,000; till 1770 for .¿620,000; till
1774for ¿900,000 and till r778for ¿1,500,000. Ry the new. leafe which
took place in 1779, it . was let . for the four next years at the.fum of
£1,860,000 ; and will probably be raifed at the conclufion of the prefent
leafe of' this :fum Peteriburgh and Mofcow pay ¿464,000,
Stamp duties, monopoly of rhubarb*, pot-alh,, and rich furs, tributes
of furs and ikins, and other taxes which have been. omitted f, .we.
may fairly, ftate at ¿500,000,-. .
Recapitulation of the.feveral articles.
Poll-tax — —F
Revenues of the Ukraine — — *—
Conquered provinces —
Provinces.difmembered from, Poland . —
Cuftoms ' — -
Salt i . sds- 3 — ip f l
Gold and filver from,the mines, copper, profits')
of coinage, duty upon iron at the forge,
Farm of fpirituous liquors —
Church lands- —
Stamp duties, and other taxes, omitted
¿ 1,362,93,5;
49,381..
119,010
• 7 4 4 <'°
ji&àyôao
40.0.00a
679,182
¡,800,00:»
• .400,000
500.00.0
6,144,968
It is curious to obferve how the grptlual increafe of civilization
in the Ruffian empire has been followed by a gradual
increafe in its revenues. At the acceffion o f Peter the
Great, they amounted to ¿1,000,000 ; and at his death to
¿•1,600,000. Elizabeth raifed them to 3,600,000 ; when
the prefent emprefs afeended the throne, they produced
* T h i s monopoly has b e en ab o liih ed’ lin ce I le ft K u f l ia ..
+ P a r t icu la r ly th«.prQfit^-frojp the coinage o f 'th e g o ld and.Hlver which a r e imported.
. - ................ ¿4,400,000;
¿4,400,000 ; now yield above ¿6,000,000 ; and'are ftill CIjAP‘
in an increafing ftate. This fum is fufficient for the peace- >— y— 1
eftabliihment. Of this revenue, the expences o f the army and
navy amount to about¿3 ,0 72 ,4 8 5 ; thofe o f the civil efta-
bliffiment to ¿2 ,2 7 2 ,4 8 3 ; and the remainder, or ¿800,000,
is appropriated to the privy purfe o f the emprefs. But it-
is difficult to conceive how ihe is able to maintain, the magnificence
of her court, the number o f publick inftitutions,
the numerous buildings * which are conftrutfted at her expence,
the liberality with which ihe eneourages the arts and
friences, the purchafes-which Ihe is continually making in
every country in Europe, and the immenfe donations which
ihe confers upon the rnoft favoured o f berfubjeifts.
The revenues of Ruffia may be confrderably augmented
in cafe of emergency, as was evident during the late war, by
the increafe of the poll-tax, and the addition o f many: ne w -
impofts.- It fbould alfo be obferved, that 'id ¡17 7,5 the em-
prefs remitted 57 taxes!, and ten in the following year.
The great fupport o f the laft war was a new bank,- called
the Bank of Affignation, which was eftablifhed during .the
hoftilities againft the Turks, when copper rhoney could not
be. coined with fufficient expedition to.anfwer the necfeffities-
of the ftate. Bank notes, to the value o f ¿ io y ¿ 1 5 +, and
¿20, in copper were iffned. Thefe notes are changed at
the bank in Peteriburgh and Mofcow. The former, which
1 vifited, is a brick building, containingfeveral vaulted rooms,
each capable o f ¡holding. ¿4.60,000 o f copper coin in bags,
piled one- above; another ; in fome the motifey. was already
placed, and the others were preparing for the reception o f
* In time o f peace h e r majefty u fu a lly f Soon a f te r the inftitution o f this bank*
allots £ 200,600 p e r ann um, fo r the p u rp o fe fome notes o f 75 roubles o r £ 15.., b eing
©f building. fo fg e d , th o fe bearing th a t v alue were ca lled
in^uid deftroycd .
the