The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-23 00:00:00

MABBACRX OF

'8 AT SIDON.

BEYROUT, Jose 7.
On the evening of Saturday, the 2nd instant, let-
ters from Sidon (about 10 hours' journey by land,
and 3 hours' by sea from Beyrout) reached Mr.
Moore, the English consul-general, saying that a
number of Christians, who had fled to that town for
refuge from the southern parts of Mount Lebanon,
had been killed in cold blood by the Moslems and
Drone population of the place. Coming as it did
from an authentic source, and the arrival of a
Russian frigate making Beyrout comparatively
safe from any emeute our consul-general at
once d tched her iAajesty's steamer Firefly,
Captain Hansel (a small vessel, here on surveying
duty), down the coast. On his arrival at Sidon,
the captain found the tale but too true. No less than
200 poor creatures—men, women,and children' inclu-
ding several Maronite monks, nuns, and priests—who—who
on the burning and sacking of their own villages on
Lebanon had fled to Sidon for refuge, were set upon
by the Moslem population of the suburbs, assisted
by the few Drones who live there, and brutally
butchered in cold blood, at the very gates of, and
in, the town itself. The Turkish soldiers on guard
were seen by credible witnesses—the gentlemen
of the American mission at Sidon—to bayonet the
unfortunate Christians coming into the town for
@better. Captain Mansel found the Christians of
the place in a perfect panic, and the Moslems of
the town ready at any moment to break out again.
The number lying dead in the streets was calculated
at not lees than 200, but the official report of the
English Vice-Consul at Sidon numbers them at
three hundred, besides nearly twice that number
wounded. Captain Mansel went at once to the
Turkish governor who declared his sorrow for what
had taken place, but his total inability to prevent
it. Captain Mansel then took such pre-
cautions as on enquiry he deemed necessary to
secure the safety of the Christian population of Sidon,
and then returned to Beyrout. In the meantime,
three large and very wealthy Greek catholic monas-
teries on Mount Lebanon, just above Sidon, have
been burnt to the ground? and the monks obliged
to fly. Some are hiding in caves and huts on the
mountain, and only, this day a party has started to
rescue them, having just heard of their where-
abouts. Today letters from Sidon state that the
excitement of the Moslem population commenced
again upon the Firefly leaving, and that the fanatics of
that creed were yesterday parading the town, vow-
ing vengeance on all dogs of Christians. I should
tell you that the cause of this excitement in the first
instance, and that which led to the subsequent mas-
sacre of the fugitive Christians from Lebanon,
was the sight of these veryfugitives. By all accounts
the horrors of the massacre were not exceeded even
at Jeddah, two years ago.
I must now revert to what I witnessed myself
on Mount Lebanon, on Saturday, the 2nd,
Sunday, 3rd, Monday, 4th, and Tuaday, sth inst.
All regular communication between Beyrout and
the Druse districts of Lebanon had been cut off for
some time, but it was known on the 30th ultimo
that the Drums had mustered • very large force,
and intended to attack the town of Dheir-el-Kamar,
containing a wealthy population of about 6,000
souls, almost exclusively Christian, although
situated in the Druse country. Wishing very much
to see for myself what was passing on the moun-
tain, 1 tried for some days to proceed either there
or to the neighbourhood, but found it impossible to
procure an escort. At lent, on Saturday, the
2nd instant, I heard that the ftev. Dr. Thompson,
of the American mission, intended to try and force
his way to Abeih and Dheir-el-Kamar, in order to
carry provisions for the establishments which the
American mission has in both those towns on
Lebanon. I directly wrote to that gentleman and
asked leave to accompany him, which he very
kindly granted. It was by the greatest exertions that
he obtained mules to carry the provisions ; and
this he did only by becoming answerable
~, for their full price should anything happen
i to them. No Christian muleteers would
accompany Dr. Thompson, as they feared for their
lives if seen paining through the Drum districts.
But after immense exertion on the part of the mis-
sionaries and the American consul, only four,
instead of ten mules could be procured. By two
p.m. we got away, the party consisting of two
Moslem (the Moslems do not fear the Druses),
boys to drive the mules, a Moslem Cavern from the
American consulate, two Moslem irregular horse-
men given by the Turkish authorities, the Dorta,
and myself. We passed out to the south-east of
the town, through the pine forest, paatthe formerly
beautiful and wealthy Christian villages of Hadet
and Bhabda, which on the previous Tuesday had
been flourishing, prosperous places, containing au
industrious, thriving population of 3,000 souls, no
less than six silk reeling establishments, more
good well built houses than any places
of their size in all Syria, and several large
churches, but were now blackened heaps of ruins,
without so much as a dog to be seen in their struts.
These villages had been burnt down by the Druses
on Wednesday, the 30th, the Pacha of Beyrout,
who, with a force of some 600 regulars, was en-
camped within four hundred yards,. calmly looking
on until they were in flames, his irregular troops
• resisting greatly in the work of inm, and
doing nearly all the plundering. Anything more
melancholy than the picture of desolation presented
by these villages it was never my lot to see.
A little past Bhabda we commenced the ascent of
Lebanon, and in half an hour were fairly in the
Druse districts. Here and there pickets of Druses,
in threes and fours, could be seen on the heights,
and occasionally we met them on the road. The
Druses showed us the greatest respect, as they
have always done in their wars, to all
Franks. Pushing on to the village of Ains-
noob, we stopped to let our animals drink at
the fountain, and there heard the news that Dheir-
el-Kamar had that morning surrendered to Bechir
Beg, a Druse chief, who had not taken the people's
arms, but had burnt a great part of their town.
This, our informants said, had happened about
mid-day, and as Dheir-el-Kumar is upwards of five
hours' Journey off, I was greatly inclined to doubt
the report. My companion (whose experience of
Lebanon extends over more than a quarter of a
century) told me that this singular people have
means of communicating the most minute details
of intelligence from mountain to mountain, and
that we most likely should find the news perfectly
true in its main features, and this afterwards turned
out to be the case.
Owing to the lateness of the hour at which
we left Beyrout it was quite dark before we
reached the village of Abeih, and took up our
quarters at the house of the Rev. Mr. Cal-
houn, the American missionary stationed there.
We found his house full of native Christians
of all denominations, all of whom had from
the first breaking out of the war crowded to
him for an asylum. His courtyard, spare room,
school-house, and every available spot, were full of
men, women, children, and even priests, who only
felt safe when under the protection of a Frank.
During the past week there had been a goat many
alarms at Abeih, but no actual danger. The village
is governed by three brothers, Druse chiefs of the
house of Abou-Neked, and it contains a population
of about 800, of whom half are Druses and half
Christians. Hitherto it has been kept quiet
by the exertions of the chiefs, and, with
the exception of the great want of provi-
sions, and all communication being cut off, we
found the people better off than we expected. The
lbmy given
tiowro
thmuelepolt:dar
were of ricepa,rtanlyd flourw
sold anhdichpawrte
away by the missionaries to those who had most
need of them, and they certainly vanished as if
by magic. At Abeih there was no certain news
of the actual state of Dheir-el-Kamar. Mr.
Calhoun, the Abell), missionary, had done his best
OD the previous day to get a mule load of provi-
sions into the place, but had found it impossible to
do so, as the besieging party of Druses were
around the place, and the firing on both sides was
too hot for any one to venture in. Mr. Calhoun
had then returned to Abeih, which is about four
hours' journey from. Dheir-el-Kamar, and endea-
voured to communicate with the English and Ameri-
can consuls in Beyrout, but found it impossible to in-

duoe any one to go down. He fully intended starting
himself, when his plans were changed by the arrival
of our party, and on the following day (Dr. Thomp.
son being unable to ride farther from a severe sprain
of the ankle, caused by his maze falling between
Beyrout and Abeigh)at an early hour, he and I
proceeded onwards tepheir-el-Kamar, eking with
us two mule loads of rice and flour. All along the
road we met parties of Druses returning from the
siege of Dheir-el-Kamer and other fights. On every
spot where a Christian village or a convent was
situated there was smoke and flames rising to the
skies. Our route after leaving Abeigh led round
the shoulder of a high mountain, then
down a breakneck goats' path to the Tissir-
el-Kadie, a bridge over the river Damonr, and
more than 2,000 feet below the level of Abeigh.
From this the road led upwards, giving us,
as we got near the top, a view of moun-
tain, pine woods, river, olive-trees, vallies, ravines,
and villages, with the far-off blue sea seen between
two receding hills. I suppose in the whole world
the scenery of this road could be hardly matched.
On and on we went, every now and then meet.
ing Druaes who questioned us but were perfectly
civil, and told us that the fighting at Dheir-el-
Kamer was over for the present. And thisian our ar-
rival we found to be perfectly true. We alighted at
the home of the Rev. Mr. Bird, who, with his family,
we found to be quite safe, and right glad to see us.
What we had heard the previous day at Ainanoob
was perfectly true. The town, after defending
itself for eight hours, had surrendered to Bechir
Bey, the Druse chief who bad bes.eged it, ou the
morning of Saturday. Dheir-el-Kamar, unlike the
rest of Lebanon, has since 1840 been under the direct
government of the Sultan. It has a Turkish
governor, and a garrison of 300 regular troops.
During the siege, the inhabitants had asked him to
defend them against the Druses, but he said he
could do nothing, and allowed the Christians to
defend themselves as best they could, although his
troops were quite strong enough to beat off
the besiegers. But not a shot did he fire. The
Christians had to give in, both on account of
their ammunition failing, and also because
the Drums had command of the wells from
the heights. The Governor afterwards allowed
the Druses to burn down 130 houses of the
Christians. When we arrived the actual fighting
was over, but the place was full of prowling
Druses, who plundered and murdered every
Christian on whom they could lay hands. The
house of the Rev. Mr. Bird, the American mill.
sionary, was even more full of people than Mr,
Calhoun's had been. Bishops,ud priests, men,
women, children—all had so t and obtained a
refuge with this family, who , in fact, given
up the whole of their house to the fugitives. But
it is time to close this, so I must tell you in my
next what we saw during our sojourn at Dheir-el-
ICamar.