The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-10 00:00:00

DISTURBANCES IN SYRIA.

ALEXANDRIA, Nov. 23.—1 forward to you by the
Oriental an account of the occurrences in Mount Lebanon.
When I told you that the deposing of the old chief,
Emir Beschir, by the dragoman of Lord Ponsonby, or by
Admiral Stopford, was an impolitic act, I knew that my
statement would be soon borne out, and you see that I
was right. Now that the Druses have gained the upper
hand, it will be impossible for the old Emir to return to

the mountains, because the Druse Emirs have been his
mortal enemies ever since he loaded them with irons,
and sent them captives to Egypt. The loss on both
sides is calculated at about 4,000 men.

The following document, containing an account of the
origin and progress of the war, is translated from the
Arabian :

" 14 RAMAZAN (OCTOBER 19.)—About a fortnight
ago, the Emir Beschir Kassim, Governor-General of Le-
banon, called an assembly of the nation at Deir-el-Ka-
mar, to apportion the tribute due to the Government.
'This tribute amounts to 2,000 purses. The Druses,
'on hearing of this meeting, determined to profit by
it to attack the Christians. Their, chiefs re-
paired thither, accompanied by armed men,
part of whom concealed themselves in the houses
of the Druse quarter of Deir-el-Katuar, whilst
others remained in the neighbourhood. The Christians,
not suspecting their intention, were simultaneously at-
`tacked in and out of the town. The Druses began by
plundering several shops and houses, and afterwards
sacked and burnt a quarter of the town contiguous to
that of the Druses. The Christians, having recovered
from their surprise, killed 350 Druses in the houses,. and
wounded as many, having lost themselves 52. Such an
engagement never occurred before in Syria, having lasted
from Wednesday to Saturday, and continued day and
night without interruption. Fortunately the inhabi-
tants of Deir-el-Kamar are old giants, for, having been
surprised by the Druses, they would not otherwise have
made such a resistance. The Druses, masters of the
country, intercepted the communications, and besieged
Deir-el-Kamar. This having been made known to
Selim Bey, of Beyrout, he proceeded to Deir-el-Kamar,
to prevent further hostilities. In the meantime, how-
ever, the spirit of war had spread through the country,
and the Druses, who marched from Deir-el-Kamar, hav-
ing been joined by others, assembled on four points-Ist,
at Elshut; opposite Ghezin and Bake ; 2d, at Ebbaz; 3d,
at Babde ; and 4th, near Deir-el-Kamar.

" Two engagements took place in the province of
Ghezin, between the Christians and the Druses of
Elshuf. In the first the Druses lost about 400 men, and
fled, with their chiefs, to Saida ; and, in the second, the
Christians having divided their forces into two bodies,
placed the Druses between two fires, killed upwards of
300 of them, and, having routed them completely,
burned Niha and several other villages. The Christians
thus gained the victory in Ghezin.
" The Christians at Ebbaz were also victorious, and
burnt all the surrounding villages. The day before yes-
terday, the Druses, having again assembled at Ebbaz,
were attacked by the Christians, who pursued them as
far as the Tomb of Samson ( Kabr Samshun), where
they put them to flight, the fugitives escaping, thanks to
the obscurity of the night.
" Those of the Babde and the inhabitants of Arkub
were also beaten by the Christians, with the loss'of 300
killed. In the various encounters several shells, or
chiefs, remained on the field, and, amongst others, the
Druse Abbas, son of Nazif Abuneked.
"The Patriarch furnished succours to the Christians
by calling out all the men capable of bearing arms, within
a distance of four days from his residence, and demanded
money, provisions, and ammunition of the 96 convents
under his jurisdiction. He soon collected 10,000 purses,
and in ease of need he knew that, besides the provi-
sions, he could obtain 100 purses more from each con-
vent, so that he might rely on an additional sum of
10,000 purses. The Christians wish to exterminate all
the Druses.of Mount Lebanon, because the Druses meant
to treat them in the same manner. It is believed that
all this is the work of the English, and of the Mussul-
mans, for we see the Pachas, now in Syria, secretly aid-
ing the Druses.
" Down to this date no other occurrence has taken
place, and we find the Druses beginning to repent. Their
repentance, however, will .not serve them. The Druses
have entreated the Turkish Government to mediate, and
are now suing for peace .; the Government is doing its
utmost to effect a reconciliation, but the nndersigned
thinks that its endeavours will prove vain, because the
Christians can place no faith in the DruSes, and dread the
repetition •of similar horrors.
" Before taking the field, the family of the Emir
Nekeb killed all its old servants, merely because they
were Christians. That example was followed by all the
Druses, who put to death the Christiang.who unfortu-
nately happened to be in their service. One and all pro-
claim aloud that the Mussulmans anxiously desire that
the Druses should be victorious, and yet the Druses do
not believe in God nor in his prophets.
By letter, dated Beyrout, the 3d inst., we learn that
the Druses subsequently recovered the advantage, killed
numbers of Christians, plundered and burned many vil-
lages and convents, and amongst others those of Mash-
mushc, Reshmaye, and Amik, and the college and con-
vent of Ainelghoze.
Official advices from Beyrout state, that Selim Pasha
and the five Consuls having had an interview with the
Druse sheiks, the latter declared that they would no lon-
ger obey the Emir Beschir Kassim as Governor of the
Movntain. Selim told them they should be governed,
pro tempore, by the Musselim of Beyrout, Fiteyha, who
is a Mussulman.
I was forgetting to mention that the Commander of
the British station at Djouni had publicly disclaimed all
participation on the part of the English Government in
fomenting the civil war.

. _
_ 3
THE SABBATH WORSHIPPERS.—We are glad
to find one Edinburgh paper, at least, denouncing these
h vooorites with becoming spirit. In the Observer, of
liesday, is the following notice of the case brought
before the'Arbroath Inquisition, which was reported at
length in The Sun :—" In this single case we have some
of the rarest elements of clerical oppression. A member
of the Established Church is debarred from the privileges
of the Church by a petty parochial despot, for burying
his child on a Sunday, and the majority of a Presbytery
attempt to protect the tyrant by shutting up such pro-
ceedings from public imlignati i on. Both acts. are alike
unlawful, and the ease, doubtless,will lead the people of
Scotland to scout the professions of our itinerant orators
of reverence for Christian privileges' and-popular rights.' "
The Pekoe, Keen, which sailed from Calcutta for Lon-
den, but put back again, after being ashore, has been con-
demned. The cargo has been transhipped.
How TO REMOVE INR!STAINS FROM PAPER.
_Dip the feather of a pen in tauriatic acid, and gently
pass it over the part of the paper which is inked,. this will
turn it to a red ,colour ; afterwards dip the feather in
boiling water, and.pass it over the same part several
wid uU tliceit the ink will be goner