_ 257 _ the office of the Grand Vizier and of the Dīvāni Humāyün; that is, for most purposes, of the Ottoman government. To them have been added many of the finance records previously separately preserved elsewhere. For the early part of the Ottoman period the main source is the 263 volumes of the Mühimme Defteri (Defter of Public Affairs), running from 961/1553-4 to 1300/1882-3(A); a day-by-day record of correspondence, containing the texts of outgoing communications of all kinds. The texts are in simple chronological order, without any classification whatever. For the first sixty volumes summaries have in recent years been prepared and an alphabetical subject index is in preparation for the volumes from 61 onwards. A large proportion of the letters is addressed to Ottoman officials and others in the Arab lands in Asia and Africa.(B) In course of time a number of separate series were started dealing with matters formerly included in the Mühimme Defteri. From 1059 to 1155 (1649 to 1742-3) (A) Earlier volumes may yet come to light. An odd volume covering the years A.H. 951-2 was found recently in the Saray (cf. Belleten, v, 1941, p. 638). There are occasional gaps in the series. (B) The first published facsimile from the Mühimme Defteri appears in Halil Inalcık, Osmanlı-Rus rekabetinin mensei ve Don-Volga kanalı tesebbüsü (1569), Belleten, xii, 1948, pp. 349-402.
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