688 



TURKEY. 



irons on the day he was taken to the hos- 

 pital. 



One of the most important reforms announced 

 by the Turkish Government is the establishment 

 of a chfcil code, which will be binding on all the 

 subjects of the Sultan, without distinction of 

 creed. A legislative commission is to be ap- 

 pointed for this purpose, under the direction of 

 Ali Pacha. This commission will be instructed 

 to commence its labors by a careful examina- 

 tion of all the precepts of the Koran relating 

 to the civil organization of society, with the 

 object of using them as a basis for the new 

 code. The Koran will then no longer be, as 

 hitherto, the official text-book for courts of 

 justice, but only be recognized as an authority 

 in questions of dogma and religious practice. 

 This reform will doubtless be violently opposed 

 by the clergy and the Turks of the old school, 

 but it has been approved by the Sultan and his 

 ministers, and steps are already being taken 

 for introducing it. Another question which is 

 now under the consideration of the Council 

 of State is a proposed alteration in the mode 

 of collecting the taxes. At present all taxes in 

 the empire are farmed out to speculators, who 

 pay fixed sums to the Government, which in 

 certain provinces amount to barely one-half 

 of the contributions imposed on the inhabi- 

 tants. The Government will in future receive 

 the taxes through its own officials, as in other 

 European countries. 



It has been the custom for the Sultan to go 

 to the Porte at the commencement of each 

 year to hear his ministers report upon the 

 events of the past year and the state of the 

 country. These reports are never published, 

 and the public is consequently unable to juclge 

 if the information given to his Majesty is borne 

 out by facts. The Sultan's annual visit to the 

 Porte has, hitherto, possessed no interest. It 

 has been looked upon as a mere formality, and 

 allowed to pass with the mere record of its 

 having taken place. Last year, for the first 

 time in the history of Turkey, the Sultan, 

 after receiving the customary report, made a 

 speech, in which he expressed sentiments and 

 made promises which, for good, sound com- 

 mon-sense and liberality, might compare most 

 favorably with the royal declarations of his 

 European fellow-sovereigns. This speech was 

 much commented upon at the time, and has 

 been quoted and referred to continually ever 

 since as a mark of progress on one hand, and 

 as a species of text-book against oppression 

 and injustice on the other. 



The speech, delivered on May 6, 1869, to the 

 first Turkish Parliament, is not less important 

 as a mark of progress in civilization, and, as 

 such, a " sign of the times," and a matter of 

 hearty congratulation to the Government and 

 the country. The speech, though delivered by 

 the Sultan, must, of course, in accordance 

 with usage, be considered as the mere dictum 

 of the Divan ; but, even so, its publication in 

 the public journals, and its submission thereby 



to criticism, are marks of enlightened liberality 

 that few could have foreseen or believed in. 



This important and highly-interesting speech 

 was as follows : 



A .very fortunate circumstance, upon which we 

 cannot congratulate ourselves too highly, has been 

 the public recognition last year of the rights of my 

 Government, and the friendly action of the great 

 powers, my friends and allies. This is the happy 

 result of the respect shown by my Government to 

 the treaties and rights of those powers, as also of our 

 moderation, and our efforts, based upon our own 

 well-being and that of other nations, to preserve 

 peace. And, as I desire in future faithfully to strive 

 for the protection and preservation of our legitimate 

 rights, and also most assiduously to seek .to arouse 

 and develop the friendly sentiments so happily 

 established py treaties with friendly powers, our 

 foreign relations will in future be as much in accord- 

 ance with the rights and honor of every one as with 

 the demands of civilization. 



Another benefit of Providence has been the com- 

 plete repression of the deplorable troubles which for 

 some time, and from various causes, have disturbed 

 Crete. To-day the island and its inhabitants are 

 entirely tranquil, and perfect security prevails. This 

 fortunate result we owe as much to the good and 

 numerous services of the army and the devoted zeal 

 of the officers of every grade, as to the people of 

 Crete who" remained faithful. I rejoice here to record 

 my entire satisfaction. I also repeat that I have 

 given the necessary orders that without negligence 

 or partiality the greatest care should be taken to 

 carry out those laws which have been enacted for the 

 purpose of according to the island all possible pros- 

 perity, and to promote the well-being and security 

 of the inhabitants of the island, both as regards 

 their persons and property. 



As in the case of individuals, the necessities of a 

 state advance equally with the progress of civilization. 

 If one were to say that the necessary expenses of such 

 or such a state twenty, thirty, or even ten, years ago 

 did not represent one-tenth part of the expenses of 

 to-day, it would be no exaggeration. The progress 

 of science and art has produced such numerous dis- 

 coveries in the arms of war ? and all things connected 

 therewith, that a state anxious to preserve its rank, 

 and to place itself in a position to defend its rights, 

 must, according to its position and resources, assure 

 its possession of the means of defence. The present 

 expenses of empires are in fact so much increased 

 that they cannot be compared with those of former 

 times. In one word, civilization and progress mean 

 the advancement of the constituent principles of a 

 state in all its parts. Public credit depends on the 

 richness of the people, that is, on the development 

 of agriculture and commerce, and agriculture and 

 commerce increase by the propagation of science 

 and art. 



The facilitation of trade depends upon the number 

 of the railroads and routes, upon the employment of 

 capital and productive materials, and, lastly, upon 

 the existence of a magistracy guaranteeing the full 

 execution of justice. Whoever knows and judges 

 us with justice will see that our Government has 

 already made great advances on this path, nor shall 

 we stand still, out rather that which we have already 

 performed will excite us on to fresh efforts. "We do 

 not look back upon the road we have travers^dj but 

 our eyes are fixed upon the path before us, until we 

 attain that rank among those civilized nations whose 

 works we see in all things. Our efforts must strive 

 to reach that goal. 



Another important step to reform is the em- 

 ployment of Christians in the army. Hitherto 

 all non-Mussulmans in Turkey have purchased 

 their exemption from military service. The 

 result has been that the Mussulman population 



