ith military power. Each of the military chiefs has
command of one of the six divisions of which the army is composed. All
these officers receive a fixed salary; and the people, no longer subject
to their avarice and tyranny, pay regular rates of taxation.

The reforms I have mentioned, great as they were, were only preliminary
to the publishing of the hatti-scheriff of Gulhana, the magna charta and
bill of rights of Turkey. The son of Mahmoud, Abdul Medjid, on ascending
the throne, published this ordinance, which was to effect a reform in
the internal administration more beneficial than any other, either
before or after the destruction of the Janissaries. The ulemas, state
officers, foreign ambassadors, and a vast multitude of subjects had
assembled on the plains of Gulhana. The illustrious writings (as the
name signifies) were read aloud in the presence of this solemn assembly
by Redschid Pasha. The sultan, 'under the direct inspiration of the Most
High and of his prophet,' desired to look for the prosperity of the
empire in a good administration. The ulemas addressed a thanksgiving to
heaven amid the acclamations of the assembled thousands. These reforms
were threefold: The first guaranteed security to life, honor, and
property; the second is a new system of taxation; the third, a
remodelled plan for levying soldiers, and defining their time of
service. The subject can best be illustrated by quoting a few extracts
from the hatti-scheriff itself:

'The cause of every accused person shall be adjudged publicly, in
conformity to our divine law, after due inquiry and investigation;
and as long as sentence shall not have been regularly pronounced,
no one shall, either publicly or privately, cause another to perish
by prison or any other deadly means.'

'It shall not be permitted to any one to injure another,
_whosoever_ he may be.'

'Every man shall possess his own property, and shall dispose of it
with the most entire liberty. Thus, for example, the innocent heirs
of a criminal shall not be deprived of their legal rights, and the
goods of the criminal shall not be confiscated.'

'The imperial concessions extend to _all_ subjects, whatever may be
their religion or sect; they shall reap the benefit of them without
exception.'

'As to the other points, since they must be regulated by the
concourse of enlightened opinion, our council of just