point a Greek, as no other race
in Turkey combined the requisite knowledge of languages with the tact
and adroitness essential for conducting diplomatic negotiations. The
first chief dragoman of the Porte was Panayot Nikousia, who held his
office from 1665 to 1673. His successor, Alexander Mavrocordato,
surnamed Exaporritos, was charged by the Turkish government with the
delicate and arduous negotiation of the treaty of Carlowitz, and by his
dexterity succeeded, in spite of his questionable fidelity to the
interests of his employers, in gaining their entire confidence, and in
becoming the factotum of Ottoman policy. From that time until 1821 the
Greeks monopolized the management of Turkey's foreign relations, and
soon established the regular system whereby the chief dragoman passed on
as a matter of course to the dignity of hospodar of one of the Danubian
principalities.

In the same way, the foreign representatives accredited to the Porte
found it necessary, in the absence of duly qualified countrymen of their
own, to engage the services of natives, Greek, Armenian, or Levantine,
more or less thoroughly acquainted with the language, laws and
administration of the country. Their duties were by no means confined to
those of a mere translator, and they became the confidential and
indispensable go-betweens of the foreign missions and the Porte. Though
such dragomans enjoyed by treaty the protection of the country employing
them, they were by local interests and family ties very intimately
connected with the Turks, and the disadvantages of the system soon
became apparent. Accordingly as early as 1669 the French government
decided on the foundation of a school for French dragomans at
Constantinople, for which in later years was substituted the _Ecole des
langues orientales_ in Paris; most of the great powers eventually took
some similar step, England also adopting in 1877 a system, since
modified, for the selection and tuition of a corps of British-born
dragomans.

The duties of an embassy dragoman are extensive and not easily defined.
They have been described as partaking at once of those of a diplomatist,
a magistrate, a legal adviser and an administrator. The functions of the
first dragoman are mainly political; he accompanies the ambassador or
minister at his audiences of the sultan and usually of the ministers,
and it is he who is charged with the bulk of diplomatic negotiations at
the palace or the Porte. The subordi