BULGARIA, Caxat.t. Svnta, &e. Besides those sive provinces which are under the immediate sovereignty of the Sultan, this empire contains the following vassal states :—Mosesvia; Wass-acet• ; Seems ; Ecru; TVS'S; TInYOLL Those vassal states have also beeu treated under their several heads.
The Turkish empire Is divided into eyelets or general governments each administered by a pulse, who is generally styled Vali, or vice roy. The eyelets are divided into Lives, governed by Kaitnakaue, or lieutenant-governors. The Livia are subdivided into Cases, or districts, and these again iuto Nehigcs, or communes, containing Tillages and hamlets.
Turkey in Europe contains 15 Eyelets divided into 43 Lives, aud 3:6 Casa( Turkey in Asia Is divided into 19 Eyelets, 7S Lives, and 858 Cases; Turkey in Africa into 3 Eyslets,17 Lives, and 96 Cazas. The following table gives the names of the Eyelets, with the chief town of each, extracted from 31. Ubicinfe recent work upon Turkey :-- The total area of the Ottoman empire, including the tributary provinces, is estimated at 3,220,000 square miles, of which about 300,000 are in Europe, 560,000 in Asia, and 360,000 aro in Africa..
With regard to the admiuistrative division of the empire it must bo observed, that neither the eyaleta nor the sanjake, or lives, have such invariable limits as provinces in Europe usually have; and with regard to the population, it is clear that, deducting the numbers placed opposite the tributary but almost independent states of Servia, 3Iol davia, Wallachia, Egypt, Tripoli, and Tunis, the inhabitants subject to the Porte do not much exceed 26 millions.
Gorernment.—The Sultan of Turkey is absolute in this sense, that there is no political body in the empire which has any recognised power to check his will : but he is obliged to reign conformably to the religious, political, aud civil principles contained in the Korrin; conformably to the Surma, or the words of Mohammed preserved by tradition ; and to the unanimous decision of the assembly of the uleume (wise men), in which the mufti presides; and conformably to the Kanumndm6. The Kanuneatimd is a kind of code containing decision/mud institutions which have been made since the beginning of the empire, aud conformably to the Kean. This legislation is also called Urfi; or the arbitrary legislation, because it treats of such matters as have only been decided in a general way by Mohammed. However, as the principles of absolute monarchy contained in the Koran are very large, and the Sultan is the chief of the Mohammedan religion as successor of the kalifs, his power is less checked by law than it is by custom, by public opinion, and by the rebellious spirit of his subjects.
The civil and religious law having only one source, the Koran, the highest dignitary is the Mufti, or Sheik-ul-ialam, who is the supreme authority with regard to the legality of religious, civil, and political acts : he is the patriarch and the high chancellor of the empire. The
Sultan does not declare war nor conclude peace : nor does he under take anything of importance without previously asking the mufti and his ulemas if it is conformable to the law ;' and the mufti decides the matter by a fetwa. Ulema is the general name of theologians and jurists, who are bound to aid the mufti with their advice when he summons them to his assemblies.
State dignities are of two classes—Dignities of the Pen and Digni ties of the Sword. Dignities of the Pen are divided into three classes, namely, Itij11, Khoja, and Agile. The members of the class Rijsl form the Sublime Porte of the grand-vizir, or the state ministry and state council, tho president of which is the grand-vizir. Under him are the kiaya-bey, or minister for home affairs; the reis-efendi, or foreign minister ; the chaush-bashi, or minister of the executive power.—The members of the class Ehojii form the ports of the defterdar, or the ministry of finance, the director of which is the first defterdar. Under him are the second and the third defterdar ; the nishanji-bashi, or secretary of state for the Sultan's signature (seal-keeper); and the defter-emini, or the superintendent of the office of finance, who have the rank of ministers. The ministers have the title of Vizir, aud their assembly is called the Diwan.—To the class of Agha belong, or belonged, several military and civil officers, such as the bostanji-hashi, or com mander of the guard of the gardens within the seraglio ; the topji bashi, or commander of the artillery ; the mirValem, or bearer of the btandard of the prophet ; the ibtisab-agha, or prefect of the public markets; the kapijilerliayazi, or great chamberlain; and others. Several of these functions have beeu abolished, To the class of Dignities of the Sword belong the governors of the eyelets, or heyler-beys, who are pashas of two tails; the governors of the saajaks, or livaa, who ere pashas of one tail ; and the governors of subdivisions of the livas, who are not pashas, but only begs. The vizirs are pashas of three tails and so is the serasker, or general-field marshal; but the rank of a vizir is often given to the governors of eyelets, and the governors of the eanjaks are very often pashas of two tails. The governor of an eyelet has always a sanja.k, or sometimes several, of which he is also the governor ; and be has little authority over the subordinate governors. The pasha., combine the functions of military commanders, of judges, and of receivers of the taxes.