any class whatever
of the subjects of my empire inferior to another class, on account
of their religion, language, or race, shall be forever effaced from
the administrative protocol. The laws shall be put in force against
the use of any injurious or offensive term, either among private
individuals or on the part of the authorities.

"As all forms of religion are and shall be freely professed in my
dominions, no subject of my empire shall be hindered in the exercise
of the religion that he professes, nor shall be in any way annoyed
on this account. No one shall be compelled to change their religion.

"The nomination and choice of all functionaries and other employes
of my empire being wholly dependent upon my sovereign will, all the
subjects of my empire, without distinction of nationality, shall be
admissible to public employments, and qualified to fill them
according to their capacity and merit, and conformably with rules to
be generally applied.

"All the subjects of my empire, without distinction, shall be
received into the civil and military schools of the government, if
they otherwise satisfy the conditions as to age and examination
which are specified in the organic regulations of the said schools.
Moreover, every community is authorized to establish public schools
of science, art, and industry. Only the method of instruction and
the choice of professors in schools of this class shall be under the
control of a mixed council of public instruction, the members of
which shall be named by my sovereign command.

"All commercial, correctional, and criminal suits between Mussulmans
and Christian or other non-Mussulman subjects, or between Christians
or other non-Mussulmans of different sects, shall be referred to
mixed tribunals.

"The proceedings of these tribunals shall be public; the parties
shall be confronted, and shall produce their witnesses, whose
testimony shall be received, without distinction, upon an oath taken
according to the religious law of each sect.

"Suits relating to civil affairs shall continue to be publicly
tried, according to the laws and regulations before the mixed
provincial councils, in the presence of the governor and judge of
the place. Special civil proceedings, such as those relating to
successions or others of that kind, between subjects of the same
Christian or other non-Mussulman faith, may, at the request of the
parties, be sent before the councils of the Patriarchs or of the