Such of the political occurrences as were of sufficient general interest have also been touched upon. The effect of England's action in the Valley of the Nile, so far as it relates to the moral and material condition of the country, has yet to be dealt with.
It is no exaggeration to say that never in the pages of history has there been an instance of such rapid recovery as that of Egypt during the last seventeen years. Unfortunately the exigencies of space will not admit of more than a brief reference to the work which has been accomplished. For further and more complete information the reader would do well to consult Sir Alfred Milner's "England in Egypt," a book already more than once quoted in these pages. In every direction a transformation has taken place. Finances have been put in order; revenue has increased; taxation has diminished; additional land has been brought into cultivation; the cotton crop (Egypt's most valuable product) has been doubled; foreign trade has augmented; railway, postal, and telegraph services have been developed; the administration of justice and the prison system have been reformed; sanitary matters have been taken in hand; education has progressed, and lastly, the population has increased to an extent hitherto unknown.
In support of the preceding statements a few figures may ere be given with advantage.
The augmentation of the revenue may be seen from the following table:—
| £E. | ||
| 1882 | 8,852,857 | |
| 1883 | 8,934,675 | |
| 1884 | 9,403,294 | |
| 1885 | 10,169,678 | |
| 1886 | 9,726,937 | |
| 1887 | 9,774,684 | |
| 1888 | 9,868,124 | |
| 1889 | 9,992,758 | |
| 1890 | 10,432,889 | |
| 1891 | 10,828,733 | |
| 1892 | 10,475,766 | |
| 1893 | 10,425,353 | |
| 1894 | 10,444,650 | |
| 1895 | 10,698,023 | |
| 1896 | 11,015,702 | |
| 1897 | 11,442,937 | |
| 1898 | 11,347,980 | |
| 1899 (estimated) | 10,600,000 | [180] |
A noteworthy circumstance in connection with the growth of revenue is that it has been accompanied by an important diminution of taxation. Taxes to the annual amount of £E.1,132,666 have been remitted since the commencement of the Occupation, and the burden of taxation per head of the population has been reduced from £E.1 2s. 6d. to 17s. 9d., a diminution of 20 per cent.
Whilst the revenue was steadily increasing, the expenditure was so well kept in hand that the chronic deficit which so long figured in Egyptian Budgets was replaced in 1887 by a surplus, and this, with the exception of the year 1888, has continued ever since.
The following table shows the general financial results obtained since the commencement of the British occupation:—
| SURPLUS. | DEFICIT. | |
| £E. | £E. | |
| 1883 | — | 920,000 |
| 1884 | — | 460,000 |
| 1885 | — | 697,000 |
| 1886 | — | 684,000 |
| 1887 | 111,000 | — |
| 1888 | — | 1,000 |
| 1889 | 160,000 | — |
| 1890 | 591,000 | — |
| 1891 | 951,000 | — |
| 1892 | 769,000 | — |
| 1893 | 720,000 | — |
| 1894 | 785,000 | — |
| 1895 | 1,088,000 | — |
| 1896 | 630,000 | — |
| 1897 | 690,161 | — |
| 1898 | 1,376,000 | — |
Out of the surpluses thus arising a "General Reserve Fund" has been created, by which the stability of the finances has been secured, and a fund provided for expenditure on productive public works, and for other beneficial objects. On the 31st December, 1898, the sum to the credit of the "General Reserve Fund" amounted to £E.3,893,000, of which £E.2,616,000 was pledged for the execution of public works. In addition to this Fund there is another Reserve Fund, consisting of the accumulated economies resulting from the partial conversion of the Public Debt, and destined to form eventually a Sinking Fund. This amounted at the last-mentioned date to £E.3,218,000.