Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/431

APPENDIX. 389 strengthen the friendly relations happily subsisting hetween the two countries. With reference to the religious privileges of the Greek Churches and clergy, the honour of the Porte requires that the exclusively spiritual privileges granted under the Sultan's predecessors, and confirmed by his Majesty, should be now and henceforward preserved unimpaired and in force ; and the equitable system pursued by the Porte to- wards its subjects demands that any spiritual privilege whatever granted henceforward to one class of Christian subjects should not be refused to the Greek clergy. It would he a cause of much regret that the fixed intentions of His Majesty the Sultan in this respect should be called into question. Nevertheless, the Imperial firman now granted to the Greek Patriarchate, confirming the religious privileges, is considered to afford a new proof of his Imperial Majesty's benevolent sentiments in this respect, and the general pro- mulgation thereof must afford every security, and remove for ever from His Imperial Majesty's mind all doubts for the future respecting the religion which he professes, and it is with pleasure that I perforin the duty of making this declaration. In order that there should be no alteration respecting the Shrines at Jerusalem, it is formally promised that, for security in the future thereon, the Sublime Porte will take no step concerning them -without the knowledge of the French and Eussian Governments. An official note has been addressed to the French Embassy also to this purpose. The Sultan consents that a church and hospital should be built at Jerusalem (for the Paissians) ; and the Porto is ready and disposed to conclude a Sened, both on this sub- ject and concerning the special privileges of the Russian monks at that place.