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jecting beyond the walls, offers an agreeable shade, and in its external alcoves are sofas more or less rich or gaudy. Numerous loiterers are usually found lingering about the portal, applicants for justice; and there, in former times, when the Ottomans were indeed Turks, scenes of injustice and cruelty were not unfrequently witnessed by the passer-by.

This lofty portal generally bears a distinct title. At Constantinople it has even grown into one which has given a name to the whole government of the Sultan. I am not aware, however, that the custom here alluded to was ever in force in that capital, though it certainly was in other parts of the empire of Othman. It is not improbable that it was usual with all the Sultans, who, at the head of their armies, seldom had any permanent fixed residence, worthy of the name of palace. Mahomet the Second, who conquered Constantinople from the degenerate Greeks, may, for some time after his entrance into the city of Constantine-still called in all the official documents, such as Firmans,' or 'Royal Orders,' Kostantinieh - have held his courts of justice and transacted business at the elevated portal of his temporary residence. The term 'Sublime Porte,' in Turkish, is Deri Alieh, or the elevated and lofty door; the Saxon word door being derived from the Persian Der, or Dor, in common use in the Ottoman language, which is a strange mixture of Tartar, Persian, and Arabic. The French, or rather the Franks, in their earlier intercourse with Turkey, translated the title literally La Sublime Porte,' and this in English has been called, with similar inaccuracy, 'The Sublime Porte.'

Long since, the Ottoman Sultans have ceased administering justice before their palaces, or indeed any where else in person. The office is delegated to a deputy, who presides over the whole Ottoman government, with the title of Grand Vezir, or in Turkish, Veziri Azam, the Chief Vezir, whose official residence or place of business, once no doubt at the portal of his sovereign, is now in a splendid edifice in the midst of the capital. At Constantinople the Ottoman government is also called the 'Sublime Government,' Devleti Alieh, a word closely bordering on that of superiority and preeminence claimed by the 'Heavenly Government' of the empire of China. The Sultan, in speaking of his government, calls it My Sublime Porte.' The Grand Vezir being an officer of the highest rank in the empire- a Pacha, of course, in fine, the Pacha - his official residence is known in Constantinople as that of the Pacha, Pacha Kapousee, i. e., the 'Gate of the Pacha.' The chief entrance to the 'seraglio' of the former Sultans, erected on the tongue of land where once stood the republican city of Byzantium, called the 'Imperial Gate,' or the Babi Humayoon, is supposed by some to have given rise to the title of The Sublime Porte,' but this is not correct. It may have once been used as a court of justice, certainly as a place where justice was wont to be executed, for not unfrequently criminals were decapitated there; and among others, the head of the brave but unfortunate Aâli Pacha, of Yanina in Albania, the friend of Lord Byron, was exposed there for some days previous to its interment beyond the walls of the city.

The title of porte, or door, is used in Constantinople to designate other departments of the government. The bureau of the Minister of War is called the Seraskier Kapousee, or the Gate of the Serasker, (head of

the army,) and those of the Ministers of Commerce and Police are called, the one Tijaret Kapousee, and the other Zabtieh Kapousee. These, however, are sufficient, without mentioning any other facts, to explain the origin and nature of the title of the Ottoman government, known as 'The Sublime Porte.'

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The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire is known by his subjects under the title of Sultan, which word signifies a ruler; and generally as Shevketlu Padischah Efendimiz, His Majesty the Emperor our Lord;' and all foreign governments now recognize him as an Emperor, and call him by the title of Imperial Majesty. The definition of the word Padischah is supposed to be Father of Kings,' and originally was Peder Schah, the first part of it (Peder) being the origin of our Saxon word Fâder, or father. In his own tongue he is called Khân, in Persian Shah, and in Arabic Sultan, all meaning, in extensu, the same, viz.: King, Sovereign, or Prince. He reigns over one of the most extensive empires of the world, all possessed or acquired by inheritance from his ancestors, who obtained it by conquest.

Until the reign of the late Sultan, Mahmoud the Second, the Ottoman sovereigns had their residence in the 'Seraglio' before alluded to, in the city of Constantinople. Its high walls were not, however, sufficiently strong to protect them against the violence of the Janissaries, and after their destruction the remembrance of the scenes of their cruelty induced the late and present Sultan to forsake it for the safer and more agreeable banks of the Bosphorus. The extensive and very picturesque buildings of the Seraglio are now left to decay; they offer only the spectacle of the 'dark ages' of Turkey, gloomy in their aspect, as in their history, and yet occupying one of the most favored spots in the world, on which the eyes of the traveller are fixed as by a charm in approaching the great capital of the east, and on which they dwell with a parting feeling of regret as he bids the magnificent City of the Sultan' farewell.

On the Bosphorus are two splendid palaces, one on the Asiatic and the other on the European shore. The first is called Beylerbey, ‘Prince of Princes,' the latter Teherûgiân, The Lights. Both are beautiful edifices, in excellent taste; and, as architecture has done in all ages, they serve to show the advance of the people who erected them in the noblest of the arts.

The Turkish Sultan, in theory, is a despotic sovereign, while in practice he is a very paternal one. As the supreme head of the government, he may exercise unlimited power: few checks exist to preserve the lives and property of his subjects against an influence which he might exercise over them. His ancestors conquered the country, and subjugated its inhabitants to his rule with his troops, consequently it all belonged to him, and could only be possessed by his gift: thus, in fact, the empire is his, and the concessions made by him to his subjects are free-will offerings, which are not drawn from him by compulsion on their part, but are grants on his, in behalf of reform and civilization. The feudal system of land-tenure was abolished by his father, and there is now scarcely a feature of it remaining. It is several years since the present Sultan spontaneously removed all the arbitrary power hitherto possessed and frequently exercised by his predecessors; at the same time he granted all his subjects a

'Charter of Rights,' called the Hatti Sherif of Gulkhaneh, or imperial sacred rescript of Gulkhaneh, named after a summer-house or Kiosckk within the precincts of the Seraglio, where it was read before him by the present Grand Vezir, Rechid Pacha, in the presence of the whole diplomatic corps, and all the ministers and other high officers of the Ottoman government. In this charter the Sultan conceded all the rights and privileges which could be expected from a sovereign prince not reigning with a constitutional form of government. He has never withdrawn any of these privileges, or resumed the power which he then renounced. Moreover, this charter limited the power of all his officers. The only punishments which they can now exercise are fines and imprisonments of limited extent. None can any longer inflict the 'bastinado,' nor capital punishment for crimes of a graver nature; these are reserved for the Councils or Boards at the capital, and the chief towns of each province. The sentences of the latter are, in all cases, subject to the confirmation of the former, and the decrees of the Council of State, held at the Sublime Porte, are laid before the Sultan previous to their adoption as laws. The following extract, translated from a small work in the Turkish language, published by the order of the government in 1848, will serve to show the spirit of the reforms made by the late and present Sultans :

Fifty years ago, certain Governors-General of the provinces of the empire, aided by individuals known as Déré Beys, (petty princes, who had usurped and maintained arbitrary power in the interior of the country,) exercised despotic power over the persons and properties of the subjects of His Majesty. The Sultan, having observed this abuse of authority, ardently desired to suppress so serious an evil; but at that period the Janissaries, the only coërcive force of the empire, formed a powerful body of rebels, which disregarded the rights of the people and aided the plans of the factious. The Sultan endeavored for some time to draw these rebellious forces to a wiser and more salutary course, and even acted with indulgence toward the more criminal, and in this way deferred the accomplishment of his reforms until a favorable moment. The late illustrious Sultan, Mahmoud II., a prince possessing a character full of benevolence and justice, yet of uncommon determination and courage, finding the Janissaries unable to curb their own vicious inclinations, found it imperiously necessary to suppress the entire order, and to create a regular army in their stead, on which reliance could be placed to sustain the authority of their sovereign. In fine, the Sultan, seeing that all his generous motives were unappreciated, and hoping by their disbandment to secure the peace and tranquillity of his subjects, found himself compelled to suppress the order by violent means. It need not be here related that the sudden destruction of the armed force of an empire, before another has been properly created to supplant it, will expose it to the evil designs of its enemies. In this position Sultan Mahmoud found his empire situated some twenty years ago. In the midst of his important reforms he was called upon to protect his empire against the attacks of Russia, to suppress a revolt in Albania, the Morea, and later to carry on an internal warfare with the ambitious Pacha of Egypt. His young army, but half organized, was poorly qualified to take the field against troops which had enjoyed the advantage of instruction under officers of

experience. He even, near the close of his eventful reign, had the sorrow to know that his fleet had proved unfaithful, and gone over to his rebel Governor. An untimely death put an end to the reign of this illustrious and talented, though unfortunate prince; and in the midst of disordered finances, a defeated army, and a misguided marine, the present Sultan, Abd-ul Mejid Khan, succeeded, at an early age, to the throne of his

ancestors.

Endowed with a character eminently distinguished for its sentiments of justice, clemency, and the most unbounded benevolence, his present Imperial Majesty, on ascending the throne, formed the design of allaying all the troubles and dissensions which were preparing the ruin of his country, and destroying the confidence of his subjects in the stability of his government. Measures were at once adopted to reorganize the army and improve the education of its officers; the Egyptian question, one of great gravity for the welfare of the empire, was, by judicious management, settled in a manner satisfactory to the sovereign and his Governor-General, and the imperial fleet returned to its natural obedience. By reforms in the administration of the government, the tranquillity of his Majesty's subjects was secured against molestation on the part of their authorities; and the acts of tyranny, become so common from the governors of the more distant parts of the empire, were suppressed. Thus, in a short time, the Sultan was enabled to render his accession illustrious by acts which secured to every individual his life, fortune, honor, and the faculty of pursuing his affairs free from all apprehension.

"The prosperity of his country and the happiness of his people having thus been secured, His Majesty was left to effect the most sincere wish of his heart by carrying out the task which he had assumed, of instituting salutary reforms in all the branches of his government, based upon principles of strict justice and equity. Actuated by sentiments of generosity and clemency, he desired also that the expenses of the government should be diminished; and the results of his paternal administration, by a gradual increase of his revenues, enabled him to do so without any loss or detriment to the public service.

'The military force of the empire, which at the commencement of his reign was only 50,000 troops, without scarcely any organization, by care, at the present moment amounts to 150,000 regular troops, and 150,000 more as national militia, all provided with arms, and exercised; thus offering a force of some 300,000, which may at any time be called into active service. In the marine of the Sultan there are now 15,000 seamen, all under strict organization and regular instruction.

'It has been the constant desire of His Imperial Majesty to maintain and strengthen with all friendly powers relations of peace and sincere amity; relations which, as much as any other, promote the prosperity and well-being of the empire and the welfare of his subjects.

'Beside the naval, military, and medical academies established at the capital, many young men have been sent to be educated in London, Paris, and Vienna, in all the branches of knowledge, the arts and sciences. Instructors and architects have also been engaged from Europe and America, for employment in the marine and army of the Sultan, and the great benefits arising from their labors are daily extending.

'It may also be added, with the assurance of its being regarded as a strong evidence of the salutary administration of the government of the Sublime Porte, that the many families which forsook their native soil to seek a shelter and a home in foreign lands, where for some twenty-five years they remained exiles from their own country, have, by the wise measures of the Sultan, and the justice which actuates all his acts, happy to return to their homes, solicited permission to do so. This act on their part has not been in any measure promoted by the government, but has taken place wholly from a conviction that the dominions of the Sultan offer them more safety and happiness than those of any other sovereign. "The preceding will serve to show the unprejudiced mind of the reader that the heavy clouds which obscured the reign of the present Sultan, at the commencement of his career, have disappeared; that the past seven years offer a convincing evidence of the generous intentions of His Majesty, and of the salutary nature of the reforms which he designs effecting. What may not be expected from the sway of so enlightened and clement a prince? We submit this question to the minds of all just and impartial men, and devoutly offer the prayer that the life of a sovereign so precious to his empire and people may be prolonged. He is doubtless an agent in the hands of the ALL-WISE, to regenerate the vast country placed by HIM under his charge.'

The

The present Sultan, Abd-ul-Mejid, which name is Arabic, and signifies 'Servant of the Glorious,' (GoD,) is now in his twenty-ninth year: he succeeded his late illustrious father, Mahmoud II., in 1839, when he was but seventeen years of age. His father had inspired him with the desire to improve his empire and promote the welfare of his people by salutary reforms, and frequently carried him with him to observe the result of the new system which he had introduced into the different branches of the public service. Previous to his accession to the throne, but little is known of his life, or the way in which he was brought up. It may be supposed to have been much like that of all oriental princes. Except when he attended his parent, he seldom left the palace. He had several sisters and one brother, all by other mothers than his own. former have, since his accession, died, with the exception of one, the wife of the present Minister of War. His brother still lives, and resides with the Sultan in his palace. The mother of the Sultan, who was a Circassian slave of his father, is said to be a woman of a strong mind and an excellent judgment. She exercised much influence over her son when he ascended the throne, and her counsels were greatly to his benefit. He entertains for her feelings of the deepest respect, and has always evinced the warmest concern for her health and happiness. She is a large, portly lady, yet in the prime of life, and although she possesses a fine palace of her own, near to that of her son, she mostly resides with him. Her revenues are derived from the islands of Chio and Samos.

In person, the Sultan is of middle stature, slender, and of a delicate frame. In his youth he suffered from illness, and it was thought that his constitution had been severely affected by it. His features are slightly marked with the small-pox. His countenance denotes great benevolence and goodness of heart, and the frankness and earnestness of character which are its chief traits. He does not possess the dignified and com

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