[Translation.]
PETITION FROM THE LATE CRETAN GREEK ASSEMBLY TO THE SULTAN.
To His Imperial August Majesty, our Sovereign Abdul Aziz Khan.
Majesty: We, the humble undersigned, having been specially delegated by the whole Christian population of Crete to avail ourselves of the benevolent and philanthropic intentions which the Imperial Government have at all times evinced towards this island, now take the liberty to lay at the feet of your Imperial Majesty the following humble prayer, in the hope that the same may be favorably acceded to:
1. And in the first place, we humbly pray to be relieved from the exorbitant duties levied on all articles of food since the year 1858 up to this day. Contrary to the concessions made to us, verbally and in writing, not only have the duties in question been increased, but new ones have been added, namely, the duties on salt, tobacco, snuff, wine, and spirits, on land rents, porterage, on sales of real and personal property, on sales of animals in general, on weighing, on stamps (which last are particularly heavy), those on dyeing, on sales of fish and meat, etc., and, finally, various others which are onerous and unjust.
We are, moreover, able to prove by statistical accounts that within the last two years we have paid what, with duties and taxes, would exceed the amount of our incomes. Above all things, then, the system of taxation requires imperial solicitude, like unto the care a father would bestow on his dutiful children. The mode of levying duties also requires reform.
The system of farming in operation is not only vexatious and perplexing to the population, but is also baneful to the Imperial Government, inasmuch as the farmers, being bound in sureties, one for the other, at the time of the sale of the articles by public auction incur greater responsibility than they are able to meet when their obligations become due. Hence they oppress the taxpayer by fraudulently exacting more than they ought, while, on the other hand, they often quit the island secretly, thus both damaging their sureties and entailing loss on the public treasury.
The unequal system of levying the taxes in all the provinces of the island, which is contrary to the spirit of the Tanzimat published by the Imperial Government, and which latter secures equal rights to all your Imperial Majesty's subjects indiscriminately, also requires amending.
We humbly pray your Imperial Majesty that the district of Sfakia, hitherto exempt from taxation owing to the barrenness and sterility of its soil, may continue to enjoy the same privilege.