768 



TURKEY. 



The condition of pauperism and crime is 

 shown by the following statistics : 



Total population 818,579 



Number of persons receiving support during the 



year ending June 1, 1870 204 



Cost of annual support $21,219 



Total number receiving support, June 1, 1870 



Native 



White 



Colored 



Foreign 



Number of persons convicted during the year 



Total number of persons in prison, June 1, 1870. 



Native 



White 



Colored 



Foreign 



202 

 177 



73 

 104 



25 

 260 

 732 

 602 

 237 

 365 

 130 



TURKEY, a country in Eastern Europe, 

 Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Reign- 

 ing sovereign, Sultan Abdul-Aziz, born Feb- 

 ruary 9, 1830, succeeded to the throne at the 

 death of his elder brother, Sultan Abdul- 

 Medjid, June 25, 1861. Sons of the Sultan: 

 1. Yussuf Izzeddin Effendi, born October 9, 

 1857; 2. Mahmoud Djemil Eddin Effendi; 3. 

 Mehmed Selitn Effendi, born October 8, 1866; 

 4. Abdul Medjid, born June 27, 1868. Heir- 

 presumptive to the throne, Mohammed Murad 

 Effendi, eldest son of the late Sultan Abdul 

 Medjid, born September 21, 1840. By the 

 present law, the crown is inherited according 

 to seniority by the male descendants sprung 

 from the imperial harem. The Sultan is suc- 

 ceeded by his eldest son only in case there are 

 no uncles or cousins of greater age. 



The area and the population of Turkey are 

 only known by estimates. According to the 

 latest calculations, the possessions in Europe, 

 Asia, and Africa, had the following population : 



Inhabitants. 



Europe (including the dependencies of Rouma- 



nia, Servia, and Samos) 16,035,000 



Asia 16,463,000 



Africa (Tunis, Tripoli, and Egypt) 10,000,000 



42,498,000 



In the estimates for the financial year, be- 

 ginning March 13, 1872, and ending March 12, 

 1873 (year of the Hegira, 1288), the revenue 

 was set down at 19,488,375, and the expen- 

 ditures at 19,458,570, leaving a surplus of 

 29,805. The actual revenue and expen- 

 ditures of the Government differ, however, 

 widely from the estimates, there being no 

 surplus, but immense deficits. The foreign 

 debt of Turkey represents a nominal capital 

 of 84,918,420; the larger portion bears an 

 interest of 6 per cent., with a sinking fund of 

 either 1 or 2 per cent. The internal and float- 

 ing debt of Turkey is estimated at from 30,- 

 000,000 to 40,000,000. 

 Some progress has of late been made in the 



construction of railroads, and in 1872 about 

 500 kilometres (against 298 in 1871) were in 

 operation in European Turkey, and 231 in 

 Asia Minor. 



An official return of the shipping, for the 

 years 1870 and 1871, shows that 24,055 ships, 

 representing 5,402,009 register tons, entered 

 and cleared the harbor of Constantinople dur- 

 ing the year 1870 ; and 23,686 ships, represent- 

 ing 5,483,518 register tons, in 1871. It will 

 be remarked that, if the number of ships is 

 somewhat smaller in 1871, the tonnage is 

 larger, and there is no doubt that, but for the 

 outbreak of cholera, which lasted nearly six 

 months, the amount of shipping last year 

 would have been far more considerable. Brit- 

 ish shipping supplies 1,595 sailing-vessels (502,- 

 467 tons), and 759 steamers (445,535 tons), to 

 the return of 1870, and 1,131 sailing-vessels 

 (367,205 tons), and 1,224 steamships (763,788 

 tons), to that of 1871. In both returns Brit- 

 ish steamers present the highest tonnage, 

 while British sailing-vessels come in the third 

 place only in 1870 and in the fourth in 1871, 

 being surpassed by the Italian and Hellenic 

 sailing-vessels in 1870, and by these and the 

 Austrian in 1871. 



The legislative and executive authority is 

 exercised under the supreme direction of the 

 Sultan, by two high dignitaries, the Grand- 

 Vizier, as head of the temporal Government, 

 and the Sheik-ul-Islam, as head of the Church. 

 The fatter is appointed with the nominal con- 

 currence of the " Ulerna," a body comprising 

 the clergy and chief functionaries of the law. 

 The Grand- Yizier is President of the Divan or 

 Ministerial Council, and, by virtue of his office, 

 is Minister of the Interior. The Divan is 

 divided into eight ministerial departments, 

 namely, the Ministers of War, Finance, Ma- 

 rine, Commerce, Public Works, Police, Justice, 

 and Public Instruction. Frequent changes 

 occurred in 1872, as well as in the preceding 

 years, in the composition of this Divan, am 

 even the post of Grand-Vizier was filled ii 

 1872 no less than three times. On Octob< 

 19, 1872, Rushdi Pacha was appointed to tl 

 place as successor to Midhat Pacha, and, a fei 

 weeks later (November 8, 1872), Ahmet Nunk- 

 tar Effendi was appointed Sheik-ul-Islam. It 

 was believed that both these appointments 

 were chiefly caused by the desire of the Sultan 

 to change the existing law of succession by 

 substituting for it the system which prevails 

 in all the other monarchies of Europe. It 

 is known that a strong party at court now 

 urges the Sultan to make the change and de- 

 clare his eldest son his heir. The old Moham- 

 medan party, however, is strongly opposed to 

 such a course, which it considers would in- 

 volve a departure from the precepts of the Ko- 

 ran, and, as, under the Koran, a Mohammedan 

 is only bound to obey his sovereign in so far 

 as he keeps within its restrictions, this opposi 

 tion, it is feared, may lead to very serious re- 

 sults if the Sultan were to adopt the above 



