The Sun.
London, England, 1804-06-04 00:00:00

WAHABFES.

The career of this aspiring sectary has been
equally audacious and successful. The destruetion of
the magnificent Sepulchre of Houssein, the Martyr,
occurred in April 18oz. In tracing the subsequent
progress of the \Vahabees, we find that in February
following, their forces, under the command of the
eldest son of Abdul Aziz, the Wahabee Sheik of
Nagged, after several obstinate conflicts with those
of the Zeriffe of Mecca, in which the former expe-
rienced considerable losses, invested Tail. The Ze.
rifle, finding himself closely pressed, and that his
mansions at Tail were a prey to the flames, retreat-
ed to Mecca, incrusting to his brother Abdul fvloien
the defence of the termer place. Faithless, however,
to his trust, Abdul Moein immediately deserted to
the \Vahabees, and decided their success against
Tail. Exasperated by the resistance they had met
with, they ransacked this beautiful city, and, putting
its inhabitants to the sword, without respect to age
or sex, reduced it to a heap of ruins ; having re-
course even to manual labour to demolish what
flames could nor consume. Not satisfied- with
this work of destruCtion, they next wreaked their
vengeance on the celebrated gardens in the vicinity,
and destroying every tree and shrub, converted this
once fertile region into an absolute desert.
Their booty here is reported to' have Been im-
mense ; a considerable portion of the Zeriffes' tea_
sure falling into their hands.
On the 28th of the same month, their army, ac-
companied by Abdul Muien, having advanced with-
in a few miles of Mecca, the Zeriffe, in the course
of the night, leaving his house in fl.trn,es,. fled to
Judda ; when, on the following morning.they entee-
ed the sacred city without opposition.- Theirap-
proach to Mecca was so unexpeited and sudden, that'
they intercepted a great number of Pilgrim's-who
had not time to escape, all of whom were prohibit S-
. from leaving the place.
The first,objen that now occupied the Wahabees„,
was to extinguish the fire in the Zeriffe's house,
which they soon accomplished.
They next rewarded the treachery of Abdul Moien,
placing the keys ,of the Ca..lw. ao,l toe 3overeign-
Power in his hands. Having promised the inhabi-
tants proteClion in 'heir persons and property, in
case of non-resistance, they proved themselves faith-
ful to their pledge ;: except in a few instances, they,
however, spewed no. mercy .on the•Lombs of descend_
.
ants of the Prophets and other
,aints ; all hands '
ingcompelled to assist in theirllestruftion ; in a shoit
space of time, upwards of thirty of them, the proud
ornaments of Mecca, became levelled to the ground ;,
and so ardent was the ze-al :Of the depredators, that
many of them were buried in the ruins. Seve-
ral places within the_ railing _surrounding the
Caaba, met with the same fate ; such as the places,
of the Hanafies, the Shafies, the Hanibalies, and the
Malakies.

The Tomb of Ismael was also stripped of its cover
of golden cloth, which was thrown on the top of the
Caaba. Every one was forced to deliver up his
beads, and to burn his Hooka, but the metal of the
latter was returned ; ccffee was prohibited, and all
the coffee-houses- pulled down.
Having satiated their vengeance, and arranged mat-
ters at Mecca, and leaving the ZerifFe's brother to
rule the-city, the Wahabees, on the 15th May ad.
vanced to Judda with about 6000 men, on which
they made a desperate attack ; the Zeriffe, how-
ever, having prepared for their reception, by landing
cannon from the ships in the roads, and burning the
suburbs, that it might. not afford them cover, they,
were here repulsed ; not discouraged by one ad-
verse event, their attack was persevered in, and
frequently renewed without success. They, how-
ever, reduced JudJa to the greatest distress, from
being in a great mea'ure in command of all their
supplies and particularly the most essential one,
water. The Zeriffe, and principal people of Judda,
despairing of completely repelling the invaders, had,
as the last alternative, recourse to negotiation, and
succeeded-in purchasing a truce for the sum of ace lac
and thirty thousand dollars ! ! ! when. the Waha.
bees returned to Mecca.

In• Yemen, their success has not been so r470;:al
which is attributed to the imp;:litic conduel of the
Zeriffe of AbthArish, who had not been long mas.
ter of Loheia,, before, in violation of his promise to
respe& the property of those who surrendered with,
out resistance, he imprisoned all the Banyan grid
Mohammedan merchants of the place, keeping them
on dates and water, till from the former be exaded
the sum of seven thousand, and from the latter five
thousand dollars. Whilst the other inhabitants were
robbed of every thing they possessed, even to the
doors and windows of their houses,- which were
carried to Abu.Arish.

From the surrender of Loheia, about the end of
February, the fOrces of the Zn-iffe of Abu-Arish
were employed in pillaging and reducing the coun-.
try between that place and fixlieda till the zest
April, when fifteen hundred of them appeared be-
fore the latter town, taking possession of the wells
from which it is supplied with the only water fir
for drinking ; during the night, parties skirmished
about the town, and on the zzd, the wile attacked
it, but were repulsed ; they then 'retired to some
distance, and dispatched parties of horse to pillage
the country round Beetul-Fakeh and Zibid ; both
of which towns have, since that time, been in little
better than a state of sirge.

(Tv be continued. )

The 111ercnu, from Cork, is arrived at Barba-
does ; parted with t;.e Mermaid Frigate, and her
convoy, from Cork, bound to the West Indies, in
a fog•