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

Now that we know more of the massacres in
Syria, we know, unhappily, only more of the in-
tolerable conduct of the Turkish authorities. Take
Damascus, for instance—the largest city of Asiatic
Turkey, with a population of 150,000 inhabitants
at least, about 15,000 of whom are Christians and
the remainder Jews—the real capital of Syria—a
Holy City in the estimation of Mussulmans them-
selves—and the residence of a Governor-General
and Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish forces of
the country—here, if anywhere, we might expect
that order would be preserved, and that the Hatti
Hurmayoun, which Cadis and distant officials might
be expected to contravene, would be sustained in full
force. If the SULTAN cannot secure the lives and
properties of his Christian subjects in such a city
as Damascus, under the eye, too, of a staff of Euro-
pean Consuls, and with ample military means
for enforcing order, where can we expect him to
be competent to do it ?

Yet what is the fact ? We learn from a corre-
spondent of the Daily News, to whom we have been
previously indebted for some of the best informa-
tion, that all the previous accounts are substantially
true ; the details which he gives from numerous au-
thentic sources quite prove that the Turks are
themselves the abettors of these outrages, and that
Mussulmans were the chief perpetrators of
them. After the murder of the Christians
at various places by the Druses, and
tin acquiescence or the aid of the Turkish soldiery
in those atrocities, the low Mussulman population
became very insulting at Damascus. The Chris-
tians were, of course, correspondingly depressed by
the conduct of the men who should have been their
protectors. The origin of the outbreak was worthy
of Turks. Some boys insulted the Christians on the
Sunday (the Bth of June) by drawing crosses on the
ground, and spitting on them. On the Monday
these boys were in chains, sweeping the Christian
quarter of the city—of course to vindicate the rights
of the Christians. Nothing of the kind.
It was intended merely to irritate the
low Mahommedan mob, and the scheme was
but too successful. The Christians immediately
expected a riot. At 2 p.m. some three hundred of
the lowest Moslems of Damascus rushed armed
into the Christian quarter, crying out, " Slay the
dogs of Christians !" and immediasely the work of
plunder, burning, and murder commenced. But
what of the authorities 11 Our informant writes
that " ACHMET PACHA, Governor-General and
Commander-in-Chief of the place--a field-marshal
in the SULTAN'S army—was at once informed of
what had taken place. But although he had at his
disposal some eight hundred regular troops and
several field pieces, not a man nor a gun did he
move. He never showed himself in the streets,
nor took any steps whatever to stop the massacre."
The mob at once attacked the Russian Consulate,
murdered all the Christians who could not reach
' the house of ABD-EL-KADER, who has behaved
most nobly throughout. At evening 300 soldiers
were sent out, but they joined the mob in the
plunder and massacre. As might be expected,
" the whole Christian quarter—which includes
some of the finest palaces to be found in the empire
—was soon one mass of flames ; and (for this there
is the positive authority of a European eye-witness,
who was hiding in the neighbourhood all that
fearful night), as the Christians tried to escape
from the flames they were thrust back on the
burning piles by the bayonets of the Turkish
regular troops troops. However, when we
recollect that one of the military chiefs
who commanded in Damascus was OSMAN
BEG, the miscreant who but three weeks pre-
viously had delivered up at Hasbeyia upwards
of fifteen hundred Christians to be massacred by
the Druses, all wonder at the conduct of the mili-
tary ceases at once. The burning, slaughter, and
pillage went on till the whole Christian quarter
was burnt down, and we road that " What
the Turkish authorities did may be summed up in
one word—" Nothing." • No less than six times did
that gallant old man, Mr. Brant, the English con-
sul, and the Rev. Mr. Robson, Irish Presby-
terian missionary, at the utmost risk of their
lives, go together to the Pacha Achmet, and
urge him to do something to save the lives
of the Christians. No : h e said he could,
and showed that he would, do nothing,
but remained " consulting" in the castle.
Can we wonder that the prevalent opinion should
be that the vs hole is a gigantic scheme of the
'urkish Government to crush Christianity out of
Syria ? So uniform has been the conduct of the
Turkish authorities, so evident their complicity in
the murders, so barbarous their indifference to the
urgent wants of those who are deprived of food
even, that the inhabitants of all classes can hardly
avoid the conclusion that they act on secret orders
from the Government, That such orders can have
come from Constantinople we may well disbelieve.
The SULTAN must know but too well, even
were he the savage to do such things,
which he is not, that prompt awl summary inter•
ference from Powers but too glad of the pretext,
would be the immediate result. But, that his
bigoted representatives iu these remoter provinces
are of one mind—and that the most Satanic which
can be imagined, there is little doubt. It is but too
evident that something decisive must be done.
That the Turkish Government must be made re-
sponsible for peace and security in Syria, or that
the Christian Powers must take the business into
their own hands.

The Earl and Countess Delawarr left town
yesterday for their seat, Buckhurst••park, Sussex, for a few
days.

Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston returned
to London yesterday from Osborne.

Lady de DunstanNille left town yesterday for
Audley-end, on a visit to Lord and Lady Braybrooke.

Lord Clyde has returned to Wallace's Hotel, St.
George's-place, Hyde-park-corner, from Osborne.
THE QUARTERLY REVIEW.—Mr. Elwin, after
six years' superintendence, retires from the editorship of
this periodical. It is understood that the new management
will adopt a more genial :and ',less morose tone towards
men and things.

THE COMMISSION TO SYRIA.—We are glad to
learn from our Parliamentary report that Lord J. Russell
has appointed Lord Dufferin to the responsible post of Bri-
tish Commissioner to Syria. No better choice could have
been mado in so difficult and delicate an appointment, for
to much acquaintance with the country and with the habits
of the people Lord Dufferin unites great tact and ability.
Lord Dufferin only returned from a prolonged tour in Syria
and Egypt tut autumn.