Once for all, Armenia is not America. The Turks, the Kurds, the Circassians, the Georgians, though they may be like Americans, are like American Indians only. The Sultan is not a president, and his divine right to kill any man, appropriate any property, or enjoy any woman, is not like the Constitution of the United States. People who think that the Sultan would not do or be allowed to do such things because no ruler they are familiar with does them, that it is impossible they can happen in Armenia because they could not happen in America, that the Armenians must have provoked them in some way, because it is hard to believe any ruler could do so in pure wantonness or from deliberate policy, are reasoning from wrong premises. They did happen, and are happening,--see the consular reports; were perfectly unprovoked,--see the plentiful proofs that the Armenians carry no arms, and cannot even defend themselves from murder, or their wives from dishonor before their eyes. Why it is done, and how much more is to be done, I have explained repeatedly. THE SUBLIME PORTE AND THE MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION. The Sublime Porte, or in Turkish Babi-Ali, is the cabinet of the Turkish government, as follows:-- 1. The Grand Vezir, or Prime Minister. 2. The Minister of the Interior. 3. The Minister of Foreign Affairs. 4. The Superintendent of the Cabinet Council. 5. The Commander-in-chief, or Minister of War. 6. The Minister of the Navy. 7. The Minister of Finance. 8. The Minister of Commerce and Public Buildings. 9. The Minister of Sacred Properties. 10. The Minister of Education. 11. The Sheik-ul-Islam, or religious head. There is no election in Turkey; all officers are appointed by the Sultan, who can dismiss any of them at any time, and appoint some one else, and I have already explained why he almost always appoints bad ones. The Sublime Porte has no power to decide anything; it is simply a farce council to cheat the European powers; a dumb tool in the hands of the Sultan. For instance, the Sultan calls the Grand Vezir, the president of the Sublime Porte, into his presence, and tells him such a question is to be discussed in such a way, and this or that conclusion reached. "Very well, my Lord and Master," says the Grand Vezir; he goes to the Sublime Porte palace, and says to the council: "To-day I was permitted to come into the presence of His Majesty the Sultan, and he instructed me that I must bring such a question before you, and after we discuss it in such a manner, we must come to such a decision." Then all of them stand up and say, "Sultan's will be done," and that is all; their "decision" is announced to the Sultan, and he "sanctions" it. There is no discussion for days or weeks, as in England or here; it is all cut short. The Sublime Porte can decide any question in a few minutes. This is the sort of thing Mr. Carlyle wanted. You have seen the beautiful effects of it.