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TURKEY. 



the affairs of the province. Every canton will have 

 a council, elected by each of the ditfereut commu- 

 nities, for the management of its own affairs. The 

 communes will be administered by elective munici- 

 pal councils. Primary education is obligatory. The 

 interpretation of the laws belongs, according to their 

 nature, to the Court of Cassation, the Council of 

 State, and the Senate. The constitution can only 

 be modified on the initiative of the ministry, or of 

 either of the two Chambers, and by a vote of both 

 Chambers, passed by a majority of two-thirds. 

 Such modification must also be sanctioned by the 

 Sultan. 



In the second session of the conference, on 

 December 28th, it was resolved to extend the 

 armistice up to March 1st, after but little op- 

 position from General Ignatieff. 



A ministerial crisis occurred in Roumania 

 in February. The Minister of Education had 

 refused the salaries of two irremovable pro- 

 fessors in the budget, and on that account was 

 censured by the Senate. The entire minis- 

 try was about to resign in consequence, when 

 the Senate declared that it had only meant the 

 Minister Majorescu. The latter then resigned, 

 and was replaced by M. Carp. The Foreign 

 Office was given to Oalceanu, and the Finances 

 to Strat. In March, M. Strat, in presenting 

 his estimates, showed that there was a deficit 

 of 12,537,894 francs in 1875, and that there 

 would be one of 12,894,427 francs for 1876. 

 If the amounts voted by the Chamber during 

 the present session be added, the total deficit 

 would amount to 28,675,426 francs. In order 

 to provide for the deficit, he proposed to take 

 up a loan of 30,000,000 francs, or to issue 

 Treasury notes. In consequence of this propo- 

 sition the President of the Second Chamber, 

 Prince Ghika, resigned, and was succeeded 

 by the vice-president, M. Boerescu. The 

 Chamber of Deputies finally refused to con- 

 tract a new loan, and permitted the Govern- 

 ment to issue Treasury notes to the amount 

 of 16,000,000 francs only. As the Senate re- 

 fused to agree to this measure, it was closed on 

 March 15th, and new elections were ordered. 

 The elections for the Senate took place in 

 April, and resulted as follows : thirty-four Na- 

 tional Liberals, twenty-six Conservatives, and 

 eight boyars of the Ghika-Boerescu party. 

 The ministers in consequence handed in their 

 resignations, and General Florescu was called 

 upon to form a new ministry. On April 27th 

 the extraordinary sessions of the Chambers 

 were opened by General Florescu, who read 

 the message of the prince in both Houses, and 

 then explained the ministerial programme. In 

 the foreign policy the strictest neutrality was 

 to prevail, while at home law and order and 

 economy were to be the rule of the day. 

 Among the Government bills was one to re- 

 duce the expenditures in the budget by 3,000,- 

 000 francs. After considerable trouble with 

 the Senate, the new ministry resigned early in 

 May, and another, belonging to the party 

 Bratiano-Vernescu, took its place. With this 

 ministry the Senate declared itself satisfied ; 

 and although the Chamber of Deputies declared 



that it would put no obstacles in its way in 

 the financial question, it was dissolved. The 

 new elections, which took place in June, re- 

 sulted in a complete victory for the National 

 Liberals. The Chambers were opened on 

 July 3d. The Lower Chamber immediately de- 

 manded the indictment of the former minister, 

 Lascar Catargiu. This led to the resignation 

 of the ruling ministry, and a new one was 

 formed, with Joan Bratiano at its head. But 

 little business was transacted during the short 

 session that now followed. The Chambers 

 met again in November, when the former 

 ministers, Florescu and Catargiu, were in- 

 dicted. 



Of the three Sultans who reigned in Turkey 

 in the course of 1876, Abdul-Aziz and Abdul- 

 Hamid have been treated in special articles. 

 (See ABDUL-AZIZ and ABDTTL-HAMID.) The 

 immediate successor of Abdul-Aziz, Sultan 

 Murad V., occupied the throne for a few weeks 

 only. He was educated in Paris, and it was 

 therefore expected that he would show him- 

 self, as Sultan, favorably inclined to Western 

 civilization, and introduce far-reaching reforms. 

 But during his stay in Paris he had unfortu- 

 nately given himself up to dissipations to such a 

 degree that his health was seriously threatened. 

 Having returned to Turkey, he continued his 

 excesses, being especially a victim of intem- 

 perance, so that his nervous system was shat- 

 tered. Upon the dethronement of his uncle, 

 Abdul-Aziz, in May, 1876, he was called to the 

 throne ; but it soon became evident that his 

 mind was affected, and that he was not able 

 to fulfill the hopes placed in him. In conse- 

 quence, his brother, Abdul-Hamid, was ap- 

 pointed Regent on July 29th ; and on August 

 31st Murad was dethroned, and Abdul-Hamid 

 proclaimed Sultan in his place. 



By far the ablest among the three grand- 

 viziers who succeeded each other during the 

 year was Midhat Pasha, who was appointed in 

 December. He was born at Constantinople in 

 1822, and was educated there. His father was 

 a cadi. At the age of twelve Midhat entered 

 the public service. When nineteen years 

 old he accompanied Faik Effendi, member of 

 the Audit-Office, to Syria, as his secretary. 

 After three years' stay in Syria he returned to 

 his office at Constantinople, and was shortly 

 appointed secretary to the Governors of Konieh 

 and Caramania, in Asia Minor. He next be- 

 came chief reporting-clerk to the Council of 

 Justice at Constantinople. A few years later 

 he was again sent to Syria on a financial mis- 

 sion, and on his return became second secre- 

 tary to the Council of Justice. During the 

 Crimean War he was sent to put down brig- 

 andage on the east coast of Roumania, and was 

 completely successful. In 1857 he was sent to 

 inquire into the conduct of the ex-Governors 

 of Rustchuk and Widin, and to pacify Bulga- 

 ria. He now obtained a short leave of absence, 

 during which he visited London, Paris, etc., 

 and on his return was made first secretary of 



