TURKEY. 



735 



Sheik-ul-Islam (chief of the Ulema, or Judi- 

 cial and Ecclesiastical Supreme Council), Refik 

 Effendi, was dismissed in April, 1868, and the 

 Sultan's own professor, Hassan Effendi, ap- 

 pointed in his place. In 1868, a Council of 

 State was established, which was to prepare 

 the draft of laws, discuss the budget, etc., and 

 is divided into five sections, administration, 

 finance, justice, instruction, and commerce. It 

 is composed of fifty members, Christians and 

 Mohammedans, elected by the Sultan. A Su- 

 preme Court, consisting of two sections, one 

 for civil and the other for criminal causes, was 

 also instituted in 1868. 



Of the Christian churches of Turkey, the 

 Greek Church is by far the most numerous, 

 embracing a population of about 13,300,000 ; 

 the other Eastern Churches together have a 

 population of about 3,000,000 ; the Eoman 

 Catholic Church, including the churches of the 

 Oriental rites which have acknowledged the 

 Pope, number about 700,000 in European Tur- 

 key, 260,000 in the Asiatic possessions, 50,000 

 in Egypt, and 10,000 in Tunis and Tripoli. 

 The total Protestant population of the empire 

 is estimated at about 70,000. 



The revenue for the year 1865-'66 was 

 3,171,880 purses ; expenditures, 3,266,931 : de- 

 ficit, 95,051. (A purse is a little over $24.00.) 

 The public debt, in 1867, amounted to 69,- 

 142,270 sterling. The regular army (Nizam) 

 consists of 100,496 men, divided into six army 

 corps. Not included in this number were the 

 detached divisions (in Crete, Tunis, Tripoli, 

 etc.), about 30,000 men. The reserve (Redif, 

 landwehr) has the same numerical strength as 

 the regular army (100,496 men), as well as the 

 same organization. The auxiliary troops of the 

 semi-independent states, and of several prov- 

 inces not subjected to the Nizam, number to- 

 gether about 100,000. The number of irregu- 

 lar troops (Bashi-Bazouks, Tartars, etc.) is 

 estimated at 90,000. The number of war- 

 vessels, in 1867, was 185, together of 2,370 

 cannon. Of these vessels, 18, together of 498 

 cannon, were iron-clads. The number of ves- 

 sels entering the port of Constantinople, in 

 1866, was 22,300, together of 3,952,540 tons. 



Some of the countries subject to Turkey 

 have almost achieved their independence, and 

 only pay an annual tribute. They are I. 

 EGYPT, which has been treated in a separate 

 article. II. RUMANIA (embracing the two 

 principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia). 

 Hospodar, Prince Charles (Prince of Hohen- 

 zollern-Sigmaringen), elected by the people, on 

 April 20, 1866, recognized by the Turkish 

 Government, October 24, 1866. Population in 

 1860, 3,864,848, nearly all of whom belong to 

 the Greek Church. III. SERVIA. Prince, Mi- 

 lan IV., proclaimed July 2, 1868. As the 

 prince is not yet of age, a regency was insti- 

 tuted, consisting of P. Blasnovac, J. Ristic, and 

 J. Gavrianovic. A new ministry was appoint- 

 ed on the 3d of July, 1868, of which Zemtsch 

 is the president. Population in 1859, 1,078,- 



281, nearly all of whom belong to the Greek 

 Church. IV. MONTENEGRO. Prince, Nicholas 

 I., born 1840 ; proclaimed prince in 1860. 

 Population in 1864, 196,238, nearly all of whom 

 belong to the Greek Church. 



On the llth of May, an important reform 

 was introduced into the administration of the 

 Turkish empire by the establishment of a 

 Council of State (Shural Devlet). The Sultan 

 opened the Council in person, and delivered 

 an opening address, of which the following are 

 the principal passages : 



^ The duty of the state is to protect the rights and 

 liberty of every one. Its action ought not to bo 

 manifested by violence and arbitrary power, but by 

 justice. Every one may seek the satisfaction of his 

 private interests in the common interest, according to 

 the laws based upon equity and justice. In order to 

 defend the rights of its subjects, the state must "be 

 strong. It will obtain strength from the wealth of 

 the people and the prosperity derived from a regular 

 and nonest administration, oppos-ed to abuses. Had 

 Turkey been able to utilize what has been done for 

 the welfare of the country at previous periods, she 

 would rank among the best administered states. But 

 disagreements and antagonism, as well as the absence 

 of confidence and security, cause the ruins of states 

 by preventingthe development of commerce and pub- 

 lic wealth. To make all these difficulties disappear, 

 to guarantee the rights of every subject ? to institute 

 Councils of State, the members of which shall be 

 taken from all classes ; to institute also a high court 

 of justice, establishing the separation of the executive, 

 judicial, and religiouspowers, such are the reforms 

 to be accomplished. The members of those councils 

 are to consider the empire as one body formed by the 

 union of all classes, and to act for the welfare of all. 

 As regards religious belief, every one must be the 

 master of his own convictions. This point cannot 

 be called in question. The different religions must 

 renounce all feeling of contempt and hatred toward 

 each other. 



The preamble of the decree states that " the 

 Sultan, ardently desiring to surround the con- 

 duct of his government and the interests of his 

 subjects with every guarantee of order and reg- 

 ularity, by the successive introduction of such 

 improvements as are felt to be needed in the 

 administration generally and in its different 

 branches, has decreed the creation of a Council 

 of State as one of the most powerful means for 

 realizing that lofty idea, and has sanctioned the 

 following r&glement : 



ARTICLE 1. The Council of State is the central in- 

 stitution of the empire deliberating on the affairs of 

 administration. 



ART. 2. Its functione are 1, to examine and pre- 

 pare all projects of law and of reglement ; 2, to pro- 

 nounce upon all matters of public administration com- 

 prised in the limits of its attributes ; 3, to decide in 

 matters of administrative disputes j 4, to take cogni- 

 zance of conflicts between the administrative and ju- 

 dicial authorities as to their respective attributes ; 



5, to give its advice on the reports and other docu- 

 ments emanating from the administrative departments 

 relative to laws and regulations which are in force ; 



6, to try functionaries whose conduct is submitted to it 

 for investigation by special imperial order, or in vir- 

 tue of the laws of the empire ; if, to give its advice on 

 all questions with respect to which it shall he consult- 

 ed by the sovereign or by ministers, and to decree 

 the improvements proposed by the councils-general 

 of the vilaets, and recorded in the minutes, in concert 

 with the committees, which, composed of three or 



