The Model of the Great amongst the nation of the Messiah, the Ambassador
Extraordinary from the Court of Great Britain residing at my Sublime
Porte, Robert Liston, (whose end be happiness,) has presented to my
Imperial Porte an official note, by which he states that it is agreed by
the Imperial capitulations that the English shall have the right to name
consuls to Smyrna, Alexandria, Aleppo, Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis, and
various other parts of my Empire; and that, when they wish to recall
them no opposition shall be made: that in virtue of this agreement,
Francis Summerers had been named the 3d of the Ramazan, 1217 (6th
January 1802), consul-general in the principalities of Wallachia and
Moldavia, (acknowledged by Imperial Beratt,) to protect the affair of
the English merchants and other subjects who carry on business with
those Countries, as well as to assist the passage of couriers and
letters to and from England, and having resigned that office, the bearer
of this Imperial document, one of the most noble of the nation of the
Messiah, William Wilkinson, has been appointed consul-general in his
place. The aforesaid Ambassador, in notifying his nomination, requests,
that in virtue of the Imperial capitulations, this Imperial Beratt be
given him.
Conforming myself to what has been hitherto practised and to the
imperial capitulations, I give this imperial and august sign to the said
William Wilkinson, and I ordain that he shall have henceforward the
power of exercising the functions of British Consul in the aforesaid
principalities; that he shall, according to the imperial capitulations,
have to direct the public affairs of the English in Wallachia and
Moldavia, and give every assistance with regard to the expedition of
couriers and dispatches to and from England. All individuals, subjects
of Great Britain, shall have to apply directly to him when they
encounter difficulties in their affairs, and none must be permitted to
depart from those Countries without being furnished with a passport from
him.
It is not allowed that the servants of consuls be called upon to pay the
capitation tax called _Haratsh_, nor the common contributions called
_Avariz_, nor any of the arbitrary taxes and imposts levied under the
name of _Russumus_, and _Tekaléfi-Urfié_. No one is permitted to demand
of the consuls _Haratsh_ or other contributions because they may have in
their service slaves of the one or the other sex. No one shall molest
them with regard to their private property, baggage, or provisions; and,
according to former practice, they are exempted from custom-house and
other duties for all such objects. And as consuls are the
representatives of their governments, they shall never be arrested;
their houses shall never be sealed, and no troops shall ever be
quartered in them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account