| Finance and commerce | £89,558 |
| Foreign relations | 46,714 |
| War and marine | 167,568 |
| Interior and agriculture | 111,931 |
| Justice | 36,095 |
| Public instruction | 82,245 |
| Public worship | 12,586 |
| District chest (communes) | 75,160 |
| Sinking fund | 202,876 |
| ———— | |
| £824,733 |
The latest budget I have before me is that of 1881. It is as follows:—
| Finance and commerce | £67,610 |
| Foreign relations | 48,954 |
| War | 214,837 |
| Interior | 298,913 |
| Justice | 54,565 |
| Public instruction | 115,037 |
| Public worship | 13,875 |
| ———— | |
| £813,791 |
The amount of the income to meet this expenditure is not stated.
The circulating medium in the early days of Haytian independence consisted of foreign gold and silver coins, and then some fabricated in the country, of inferior quality and appearance, of both silver and copper. In 1826, President Boyer beginning to feel the pressure of his engagements with France, issued paper notes of different values. Being irredeemable, they soon fell to a heavy discount, 3½ to 1. The succeeding Governments, as I have noticed, continued the same course, until, on the accession of Soulouque to power, the exchange was about 4½ to 1. The unchecked emissions after he ascended the imperial throne gradually lessened the value of the paper, until, in 1858, it was 18 to 1.
Some order having been put into the finances by General Dupuy, the exchange in 1863 was more favourable, being 12½ to 1; the troubles which succeeded in 1865 sent it to 17 to 1; and with the revolutionary Government of Salnave and the civil war that followed it went down like the assignats during the French Revolution,—in 1857, 30 to 1; in 1859, 3000 to 1.
The issues of Salnave’s Government were so discredited that they were at one time exchanged at 6500 paper dollars for one of silver. Until lately the American dollar and its fractions, with a plentiful bronze currency, sufficed for all wants. Now, however, a special Haytian dollar is being coined, with the object apparently of preventing its export—a very futile expedient, as experience proves.
A sort of National Bank, managed principally by Frenchmen, was established a few years since, but its operations do not as yet appear to have had much influence on the country. As the bank, however, has some control over the collection of duties, it may introduce a more honest perception of these imports; but I do not think the managers will find that their lines have fallen in pleasant places.
THE END.