108 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



theologians, and jurists, and the great teachers 

 of literature and science, who may lie sum- 

 moned by the Mufti. The principal civic 

 functionaries bear the titles of Ett'endi, Bey, 

 or Pasha. 



Forms of. constitution, after the model of 

 the West Ktm.pean States, were drawn up at 

 various periods by successive Ottoman Gov- 

 ernments, the first of them embodied in the 

 " Hati-IIume'youn" of Sultan Abdul-Medjid, 

 proclaimed February 18, 1856, and the most 

 recent in a decree of Sultan Abdul-Hamid II., 

 of November, 1876. But the carrying out of 

 these projects of reform appears entirely im- 

 possible in the present condition of the Otto- 

 man Empire. 



The Grand Vizier, as head of the Govern- 

 ment and representative of the Sovereign, is 

 assisted by the Med jliss-i-IIass, or Privy Coun- 

 cil, which corresponds to the British Cabinet. 

 The Medjliss-i-Hass consists of the following 

 members: 1, The Grand Vizier; 2, The 

 She'ik-ul- Islam ; 3, The Minister of the Inte- 

 rior ; 4, The Minister of War ; 5, The Minis- 

 ter of Evkaf (Worship) ; 6, The Minister of 

 Public Instruction ; 7, The Minister of Public 

 Works ; 8, President of Council of State ; 9, 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs ; 10, Minister of 

 Finance; 11 > Minister of Marine ; 12, Minis- 

 ter of Justice ; 13, Minister of Civil List. 



The whole of the empire is divided into 

 thirty Vilayets, or governments, and sub- 

 divided into Sanjaks, or provinces, Kazas, or 

 districts, Nahie"s, or subdistricts, and Kane's, 

 or communities. A Vali,or governor general, 

 who is held to represent the Sultan, and is 

 assisted by a provincial council, is placed at 

 the head of each Vilayet. The provinces, dis- 

 tricts, etc., are subjected to inferior authori- 

 ties (Mutesarifs, Ca'imakams, Mudirs and 

 Muktars) under the superintendence of the 

 principal governor. The division of the country 

 into Vilayets has been frequently modified of 

 late for political reasons. For similar, reasons 

 six of the Sanjaks of the empire are governed 

 by Mutesarifs appointed directly by the Sultan, 

 and are known as Mutessarifats. All subjects, 

 however humble their origin, are eligible to, 

 and may fill, the highest offices in tfie State. 



Under the capitulations foreigners residing 

 in Turkey are under the laws of their n- 

 ive countries, and are amenable for trial ( in 

 cages in whicn Turkisn subjects are not con- 

 cerned) to a tribunal presided over bj their 

 consul. Foreigners who own real property 

 are amenable to the Ottoman civil courts in 

 questions relative to their landed property. 

 ('uses between foreign and Turkish subjects 

 are tried in the Ottoman courts, a dragoman 

 of the foreign consulate being present to see 



that the trial be according to the law ; the 

 carrying out of the sentence, if against the 

 foreigner, to be through his consulate. Cases 

 between two foreign subjects of different na- 

 tionalities are tried in the court of the 



defendant. 



* 



Iteligion and Education. Mahometans form the 

 vast majority of the population in Asiatic Turkey, bul 

 only one half of the population in European Turkey. 

 Recognized by the Turkish Government arc tin- adher- 

 ents of seven non-Mahometan creeds namely : 1 

 Latins, Franks, or Catholics, who use the Roman' J.it- 

 urgy, consisting of the descendants of the Genoese 

 and Venetian settlers in the empire, and proselytes 

 among Armenians ; Bulgarians, and others; 2, Greeks; 

 3, Armenians; 4, Syrians and United Chaldeans; 5, 

 Maronites, under a Patriarch at Kanobin in Mount Leb- 

 anon; 6, Protestants, consisting of converts chiefly 

 among the Armenians ; 7, Jews. These seven religion's 

 denominations are invested -with the privilege of |n>>- 

 sessing their own ecclesiastical rule. The Bishops and 

 Patriarchs of the Greeks antl Armenians, and the < 'ha< - 

 hain-Baschi," or high-rabbi of the Jews, pos.-css, in n n- 

 sequence of those functions, considerable influence. 



The Mahometan clergy are subordinate to tin; She'ik- 

 ul-Islam. Their offices are hereditary, and they can 

 only be removed by Imperial irade. A priesthood, how- 

 ever, in the strict sense of a separate class, to whom 

 alone the right of officiating in religious service* be- 

 longs, cannot be said to exist in Turkry. 



The Koran and Multeka encourage public education, 

 and, as a consequence, public schools have been long es- 

 tablished in most considerable Turkish towns; while 

 " medresses," or colleges, with public libraries, are at- 

 tached to the greater number of the principal mosques. 

 But the instruction afforded by these establishments i- 

 rather limited. 



The number of mosques in the Turkish Empire i- 

 2,120, of which 379 a re in Constantinople. The number 

 of the clergy is H,(iOO. Connected with the mosques aro 

 1,780 elementary schools, where education is supplied 

 gratis. The private revenue of the Kvkaf (church), pre- 

 vious to the war of 1878, was 30.20.),OdO piastres (2:.o.0<m/. , 

 per annum, but they have now been reduced to 2ii,<iiio.nni 

 piastres (166,000?.). The expenses a re reckoned at 15,000,- 

 000 piastres (125,OOW.). The stipend of the Shelfk-ul-Islain, 

 7,031 ,520 piastres (59,0007.), and those of the N'uTbs and Mul - 

 tis, 7,876,646 piastres(66.000/.), are paid bv the State. Tin- 

 principal revenues of the Evkaf are derived from the 

 sale of landed property which has been bequeathed it. 

 and which is known under the name ofVacouf. Three 

 fourths of the urban property of the empire is sup- 

 posed to belong to the Vacouf. Purchasers of property 

 of this description pay a nominal annual rent to the 

 Evkaf; but should they die without direct heirs the 

 property reverts to the Church. 



CIVIL LISTS OF EUROPEAN SOV- 

 EREIGNS. 



Austria-Hungary, Emperor of, $3,875,000. 



Bavaria, King of, 1,412,000. 



Belgium, King of, 060.000. 



Denmark, King of, 1*227.775: and Crown 1'ruice. - 



Greece, King of, -60,000, including $20,000 a year each 



from Great Britain, France, and Kussia. 

 Italv, King of, $2,8SS.OOO, of which $180,000 for family. 

 Netherlands, King of, $250.000. also a large revenue 



from domains, ai.d 02,500 for royal family, courts. 



and palaces. 



Norway and Sweden, King of, r>7.V>2.~>. 

 Portugal. King of. si;:;t.4lo. 

 Prussia, King of , $3,852,770: also a vast amount of pri 



vate property, cables, forests, and estates, out of 



which the court expenditure and royal family ar 



paid. 



Koumania. King of, 237,000. 

 Russia, Czar of, has private estates of more than 1,000,000 



square miles of cultivated land and forests, beside 



gold and other mines in Siberia. The annual income 



has been estimated at about !?1'-',0(>0,000. 

 Saxom, King of, 735,000. 

 Servia, King of, $240,000. 



Spain, King of, $1,400,000, besides sCOii.OOO for family. 

 Wiirtemberg. King of, $449,050. 



