The evils of absolute power are aggravated in this country by the ignorance and effeminacy of those who are called to exercise it. The princes of the blood arc, from their infancy, confined in the Cafesse, a palace in the seraglio, attended by only four or five eunuchs as their pages, and a few fe male slaves old enough not to become mothers. Sequestered from general society, they are kept in complete ignorance of what is passing in the empire. With minds uncultivated by education, and bodies enervated by idleness and indulgence, they are little prepared for the important and diffi cult duties which may await them; and consequent ly, when they are called to the throne, they often abandon the affairs of state to the mercy of their eunuchs and flatterers, who are equally ignorant of the art of governing as their master. Perhaps a favourite page, a black eunuch, rendered hideous by his physical impotence, becomes the dispenser of the dignities of the empire, and, by a word, ap points and changes the first officers of the state. When a sovereign of this country, therefore, at any time rises superior to the difficulties of his situ tion, and, in spite of a neglected and degraded edu cation, directs with energy and discretion the re sources of the state, he must be possessed of no common talents.
Under the sultan, the civil or temporal govern ment of Turkey is carried on by the vizier and other principal ministers, who form the divan or great council of state, which, on solemn occasions, is called upon to direct the sovereign by their ad vice; when the sultan witnesses their deliberations, but is separated from them by a curtain or latticed window. The members of this body are, the grand vizier, the capudan pucka or lord high admiral, the two cazy-askers or military judges, the grand trea surer of the empire, the second treasurer, chief of' the war department, the grand purveyor, and the nishandji effendi, who affixes the cypher of the grand signior to public acts.
The grand vizier is the vice-regent of the sultan, and has the charge of the imperial seal. All the affairs of the empire come under his inspection. To him the grand admirals and pachas address their official reports. He is the supreme judge in civil and criminal affairs, from whose sentence there is no appeal; and he commands the army in time of war. But his responsibility is in proportion to his power. As his most important duty is to keep the empire and capital quiet, he is held ac countable for all the misfortunes which befal the state; and in scarcities, defeats, or any other ca lamity, the resentment of the people is directed in the first instance against the person and adminis tration of the grand vizier. Such are the dangers to which this minister is exposed, that he rarely escapes confiscation and exile, or a sudden death.* The other officers of state are, the minister of the interior, who bears the title of kethkudai sadri aly, the reis-efendy, or minister of foreign affairs, the dcfter-dari-chikki-evvel or minister of finance, the eapudan paeha or grand admiral, and others of in ferior importance. They all remain during the day at the vizier's palace, and superintend the affairs of their several departments.
The government of the provinces is intrusted to paellas or viziers, beys and agas. The pachas are distinguished, after a Tartar custom, by three horse tails on the side of their tents, and receive by cour tesy the appellation of beyler beg or prince of princes; but this title, by way of eminence, belongs only to the pachas of Romelia, Anatolia, and Da mascus. The next in rank are, the pachas of two tails, the beys who are honoured with one tail, and the agas or military governors, who have only the sanjae or standard. There are also vaivodaliks, which are in general small districts, or single ci ties or towns separate from the greater govern ments, as being in most instances the appanage of a sultana, or of a great officer of state. Though unequal in dignity, every governor represents the sultan within the limits of his own jurisdiction, and is accountable to him alone. The revenue, the ad
ministration of justice, and the military force of the province, are intrusted to his hands; and he exercises these prerogatives in all their fullness. With all their power, however, they are, to use a Turkish phrase, but "statues of glass," which a single blow from their master may dash in pieces in a moment. As they owe their appointment to his favour alone, they are deposed and punished without the liberty-of complaint or remonstrance; and at their death their accumulated wealth goes into the coffers of the state. " It is a fact," says Mr. Thornton, " of public notoriety, that govern ments of every description are sold at the Porte; they are held for the term of one year only, and at the ensuing Bairam the leases must be renewed, or transferred to a less parsimonious competitor. In the public registers, the precise value of every im portant post under government is recorded; and the regular remittance of the taxes and tribute is the only acknowledged criterion of upright adminis tration.
The theocratical or spiritual branch of the Otto man constitution is exercised by the ulema. The members of this body form a distinct class in the community; and consist of the doctors of law, the judges, and the ministers of religion. The Soutaks or clerical students, from among whom all the ule mas must be taken, receive their education at the Medresses or religious schools annexed to the impe rial mosques. They are chiefly from Syria and Asia-Minor, and are very numerous. Constantino ple alone contains above ten thousand of them, who are declared to be the most savage, the most fa natical. the most turbulent. and the worst subjects among the Turks. When these students have ac quired a sufficient stock of learning, and have attained the proper age, they are permitted to de vote themselves either to the interpretation of the laws. the administration of justice, or the ministry of religion. The officiating ministers of religion form the lowest class, and require the fewest years of study. Their duty is confined to the ceremonies of public worship and the services of the mosques, from whose revenues they are maintained. This class, however, can scarcely be said to belong to the ulema in the restricted acceptation of the word; and are even arranged under a separate jurisdic tion, being subordinate to the civil magistrate, who has the privilege of suspending and removing those whose conduct is reproachable. and who arc UDC (pal to the dignified discharge of the duties of their office. In the larger mosques there arc sheiks or preachers, kiatibs or readers; imams, who recite the prayers, muezzins or criers; and cayyims or sex tons. In villages or small parishes, the imam per forms the whole duty. and also acts as the hoeia or schoolmaster. Besides these regular officiating ministers there are several orders of derrises, who are held in great veneration by the vulgar; but most of whom are immoral and profane characters. Of these there are thirty-six distinct orders in the Ot toman empire. " They %rear a very sorry habit." says M. Corneille le Bruyn, " with a large high crowned hat upon their head, lead a sort of monas tic life, and affect to pass for santos or saints: though, to speak the truth, they arc loose souls. no torious hypocrites, and commonly great drunk ards." The next in order of rank to the ministers of reli gion are the niehhkeme kiatibi, or clerks of tribunals; naibs, or substitutes of the judges; eadis, or judges of the lesser towns; mollahs, or judges of the principal towns or cities; the istambol effendi, or master of police at Constantinople; the two or supreme judges of Romelia and Anatolia; and the highest in dignity is the grand Mufti, who is also called sheikislam, prelate of orthodoxy. The cere mony of girding on the sabre or a new sovereign, which answers to our coronation, is performed by the mufti; and he :done has the honour of kissing the sultan's left shoulder.