The budget for the year in which the empire was established is given as follows (exchange $40 to £1):—
| Army | $3,810,216 | = | £95,255 |
| Interior | 735,937 | = | 18,398 |
| Finance, &c. | 2,237,389 | = | 55,934 |
| Justice, &c. | 309,293 | = | 7,732 |
| ———— | ———— | ||
| $7,092,835 | = | £177,319 |
But these budgets are not to be trusted, and do not represent the real expenses.
When the accounts were examined subsequent to the fall of Soulouque, it was found that of the coffee monopoly alone £400,000 had been abstracted for the use of the Emperor and some of his Ministers and favourites. The comparative large sums of £40,000, £20,000, and £12,000 were taken at a time, without any account being rendered. During Soulouque’s reign over $28,000,000 were added to the currency.
In June 1863, General Dupuy, Finance Minister to President Geffrard, published a very clear financial statement. The total debt remaining due to France was £1,436,000. The custom duties produced:—
| In | 1860 | £511,666 |
| ” | 1861 | 463,333 |
| ” | 1862 | 566,000 |
Minor taxes, £26,341.
Deficits.
| In | 1859 | £30,276 |
| ” | 1860 | 35,904 |
| ” | 1861 | 81,193 |
| ” | 1862 | 81,483 |
These were calculated on the amount of paper money signed to meet them, but at the close of 1862 there was £79,834 in hand.