According to
Shaw and Shaw, during the Tanzimat era, the ministry was divided into two departments, a foreign section and a secondary section. The foreign section dealt with foreign affairs, foreign trade, reception of foreign dignitaries, reception ranking and protocols for Ottomans, and foreign press supervision. The second section held old
Imperial Council departments handling internal affairs which itself had two departments: the
Imperial Council itself:
Divan-ı Hümayun Kalemi, which issued and recorded all imperial orders, treaties, letters of the sultan to foreign rulers, officials, and governments, and the sanctioning of travel within and outside the empire; and the Department of non-Muslim Religious Affairs [
Mezahib-i Gayr-i Müslüm Dairesi], which was divided by
millet and issued orders and communiques from not only the Foreign Ministry but from other ministries in the government. Finally there were the two "lesser" sections: the
Translation Office, and the Archives Department, which developed into a general archives of the entire Porte. According to the
Corps de droit Ottoman, it was headed by a minister representing the
Réis Effendi and a six-member council with sub-secretary of state (mustéchar) leading it. Other major figures included the Grand Master of Ceremonies of the head of the
Drogmanat of the Imperial
Divan and the Grand Master of Ceremonies (Techrifati-Hardjié) directed by the Introducer of Ambassadors. Its departments included: • Accounting (
Direction de Comptabilité) • Chamber of Jurists (
Bab-i-ali Istikharé Odassi, Chambre des Conseillers légistes) • Commercial Affairs (
Tidjarié,
Direction des Affaires Commerciales) • Consulates (
Chehpendéri,
Direction des Consulats) • Foreign Correspondence (
Tahrirat-i-Hardjié,
Direction de la Correspondance étrangère) • Foreign Press (
Direction de la presse étrangère) • Litigation (
Oumori-Houkoukié-i-Muhtélita,
Direction du Contentieux) • Nationalities (
Direction des Nationalités) • Personnel (
Sigilli Ahwal,
Direction du Personnel) •
Translation (
Terdjumé,
Direction de Traduction) • Turkish Correspondence (
Mektoubi-Hardjié,
Direction de la Correspondance turque) ==List of ministers==