(mektubcı). The latter post entailed close proximity to the Grand Vizier and was a springboard for the highest offices. On rare occasions, the person chosen as reis ül-küttab was not one of the Grand Vizier's mektubcıs, but the secretary of the Kahya Bey, the Grand Vizier's lieutenant. Functions The reis ül-küttab served in close contact with the Grand Vizier, accompanying the latter to his audiences with the Sultan, as well as to the Grand Vizier's own audiences with foreign ambassadors. However, although the reis ül-küttab attended the meetings of the Council, arriving before and leaving after the viziers, he had no right to speak himself in it or directly to the Sultan, and was obliged to do so via the Grand Vizier. His main role was as the head of the Department of the Imperial Council (divan-i hümayun kalemi), which in turn was divided into three bureaux: the beylik, under the beylikçı from the mid-17th century on, which was responsible for drafting and publishing all imperial decrees (firman) or ordinances (evamir), and for keeping an archive of the originals of all laws and regulations (kanun) and treaties with other states; the tahvil, which was responsible for issuing every year the diplomas (berat) of provincial governors, judges, and timariots; the ru'us ("provisions") office, charged with provisioning various officials, as well as paying pensions from the treasury or from charitable establishments (vakf). All state correspondence, except for military or financial matters, was in his hands. Another subordinate official, the amedcı divan-i hümayun ("referendar of the Imperial Council"), was responsible for diplomatic correspondence and for keeping records of the memoranda (telhis) and reports (takrir) presented to the Sultan by the Grand Vizier, acting on behalf of the Imperial Council. The reis ül-küttab brought these in a special bag (kise) to meetings of the Imperial Council. There they were read by the Grand Vizier to the assembled ministers, and then taken by another special official, the telhiscı ("memorandum writer"), who presented them to the Sultan. Rise in importance Until the early 17th century, the reis ül-küttab was junior in rank and subordinate to the nişancı, but a succession of capable reis, coupled with the inability of some of the nişancı appointees resulted in the decline of the latter and the rise of the reis to prominence. Becoming attached as a clerk to the Grand Vizier allowed the reis to break loose from the control