The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-31 00:00:00

THE 111ASSACR.E AT DAMABCUS,

The following are extracts of letters from a Er
ropean resident in Damascus to a friend in Ber
rout :

" DAMASCUS, JULY 10, 6.30 A.g.
" A few minutes after I closed my letter of yo
terday an uproar commenced in ;the street opposite
my horse. The Moslems—men, women, and. boyar
began to assemble, crying out that all should go t°
the Christian quarter to plunder, burn, and Mgr
sacre, and threatening not to leave a house or a
Christian. I went to the street and spoke to sool°
of them, hoping it would come to nothing. It gill
rapidly worse. Every one was calling to others not
to come without arms, and the women were violel
exciting the men. There was some fear faxpresoei
of the soldiers, but most declared the soldiers Troll
not interfere with them. I now found it prudent t:
lake the advice of some of my neighbours, ally
keep inside my house. The street past my house
~6
aboutthe shortest road from the Shu.ghoor and P,
Meedan, the two worst districts in the city. S°°'
after I went into my house the ruffians began toaf
return from the Christian quarter with burdens
plunder, while the numbers running towards la
were increasing, and threats, imprecations, 1112,
yells were numerous and loud. Every sort and oil
of thing was carried past my house—mares an
goats, gold and old iron nails, silks and cottons
chests large and small, tables, chairs, books, 611
every imaginable article. There was a reguS,
~,
stream of these plunderers past my door till nil:"
sunset—nearly five hours. Afterwards they
came fewer, but they never ceased all night, &°„„
with the dawn they again increased. As soon
they had plundered some of the houses they °
them on fire. During the night, though th?to..,
was clear moonlight, the flames and smoke Pi
rented a sight as grand as it was awful. Durtffs
the first half of the night the flames present,
an unbroken arc of a circle, as viewed from °,2,
10
roof, of more than 70 deg., extending from a little
north of Bab Shurky to the extreme north point
the Christian quarter. Towards morning the
became shorter, partly because it had. been stencil
approaching me, and the Christian quarter se r,
comes this way grows narrower, and partly, Peso.
haps, because the line of fire was not sweeping o,
houses on the north border of the quarter. co
morningwards the flames also became lower, or .ad
violent, on most parts of the line, and fewer hi)*
were in flames at once. Still the fire is raging r f
fully. Thera ha.. been an. increasing iumutt ajai
cries, of the fire, of breaking open houses, so"
mingled up together. I have no means of •
guessing
the amount of murder committed. Last night CO
partitively feW appear to have been killed, but theme
is said to have been more butchery this morning,
I cannot go out of my door without being in
midst of these hellish ruffians thirsting and crying
for blood and plunder. If one of the native Curia
tians in my house were to go out I believe he eo°
not reach the corner of the street alive. So my
means of information beyond what I see and bet,
W
of the flames and. tumult and plunder are vela
limited. e overhear a good deal of their talk `—
the street and some of the talk of our Mogen"
neighbours on the roofs.

"I believe it would not have needed a great efib...l4
on the part of the Government to prevent all tit'
but not the slightest effort has yet been mad
There were soldiers in the Christian quarter
neighbourhood, others were sent in the evenll3°
with four guns, and more this morning, but the,
have not at all interfered with the ruffians. Yet a int.
jority of the miscreants are actually women, bon.
and girls. I would affirm that there are not in
more than a few hundred men—say, 50A—mcti
the lowest of the low, and miserably armed. Not
one in 20 has a gun. A very large number have
only sticks, the rest swords, pistols, daggers, r
axes. Opposite my door is a sort of stopping"
place for them, and we can overhear their talk, and
I can affirm that from the first, and all throne,
they have had the greatest dread of the interference
of the soldiers, and constantly ask one another se_
they meet whether the soldiers in such and such 1`
direction are stopping the murderers or opposing
them, and this although, during 17 hours,
soldiers have been perfectly passive. I belief'
firmly that 100, or at the most 200 soldiers, Or
armed resolute men, not soldiers, could have P,..1 , down the insurrection at the worst moment.
eaurse it would have been easier to do so Wit'l-
the first hour or two.

---
" This meagre account does not give anYthinig
like an adequate conception of this most horrible;
and most disgraceful affair ; that words coula
hardly do. Horses, donkeys, and mules are en"
ployed to carry plunder, and some of the soldier!
help themselves to a share. There were several
thousands of poor widows, orphans, and other
plundered and ruined refugees here, depending 01
the charity of the Christians for food, shelter, an
clothes. They are now burnt out again amid thg
horrors of last night, and those who were providing
bread for them are now as helpless and miserabl°
as themselves.

" NOON.
" The plundering still continues, but the number
engaged in it seems greatly reduced since morning I
and most of the articles now are of little value
No effort has yet been made to stop this reign oil
terror and destruction, easy as it would seem to be ;1
and a Christian, at least a man, would, probably,.
be in greater danger among the ruffians now thani
at any former period. The houses are still burn.'
ing, though apparently not nearly 80 much api
through the night, but I cannot see so well, as I
cannot go so freely on my roof in the day as I could.
during the night. We have made a peephole over
the street from which we can see and hear without;
rt teins
ofy
being seen ; for if seen we should probably be verl
soon disposed of. These ruffians from the Meedarlf
and the Arabs, gipsies, &c., among them, knot
nothing of me, and rush past thinking only of ftle
Christian
neighbours do net betre,
m
may probably escape, but there are some, 0
aen Id s,
them not to be trusted. We are not in hureitAll
h
but q iuna
he r.
ha If
hands
One infinitely wise and
good as well as infinitely powerful, and wit boll',
His permission nothing can befall us."

THE WESTERN BANK.—The liquidators of the
Western Bank of Scotland have advertised that thiry
now desirous to pay off all the deposits still left in thei;
hands by the public, and any other debts due, and that
after the 31st of August next no interest will be
allowed 011
any money not called for. It must be satisfactor Yto the
partners of that unfortunate concern thus to i• eceive
full relief from the claims of the public. The wig Kling-115
has been conducted very creditably to all concerned, 8,1?1,
the shareholders are deserving a special commendation
for their prompitude in meeting the heavy cal Is whl„
they were required to make, as by thus not o nly suri
plementing, but largely anticipating the realis ation.
,(?„
assets, they have enabled the liquidators, within iqn
more than two years, to discharge upwards of £6,01D0,000
debts.
GOLD AND SILVER.—In the first 6 months of the
present year the registered imports into this countr:r of roW;
and silver bullion and specie amounted to 110,9759,,
and the exports to £10,880,886, or nearly the sarae !."
Of the exports no less than £6,144,527 went to BIORTIdo
transit to India and China, those dry and thirsty la,
which absorb so much treasure. France also took %Ili
us £1,832,145 more than we received from her-
1 Neat
supply which came from Australia; America, and the
Indies amounted to £7,926,410, and little or none flow
back.