The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1840-11-25

lie orks, ror The transaction Of u e bag.
gage Of the troops, or 10 track tie boats
"i The Govern menI e iIs officers. and siiis
without pay or reference 10 The .ta,e IF
their crap.
When MeLeme, All made lis famous
canal from Alexandria 10 the Me. he did
il by forcibIy marching dawn 10000
men from all parts Of the country, and
obligng Them to eScavalc with hheir hands,
as tools they had not, or. perhaps could
not be provided. The excavation Was
completed in three months but 10000
men died in the operation. Then. comes
the course of the conscription, which is
exercised in most cruel and arbitary
manner, without any sort of rule or saw
to regulate it. An order is given to the
chef Of a district 10 furnish a certain num-,
ber of men; these he seizes like wild
beasts whenever he can find them, without
distinction or exemption, the weak as we'll
as the strong, the sick as we'll as those in
health; and as there is no better road to
the Pacha's favor than showing great zeal
in this branch of the service, he, if possi-
BILE, collects more even than was demand.
cd. These are chained, marched down
in the river, and embarked amidst the
tears anu lamentations of their families,
who know that they shall probably never
see them again; for change Of climate,
bad treatment, and above all, despair;
cause mortality in the Pacha's army be-
yond belief; mutilalion is not now con-
sidered an exemption, and the consequence
ofthe system is, that from Assouan, at The
first cataract, 10 Aleppo, you, literally
speaking, never see young man in viii
lage, and such is the depopulation. that if
things continue as they now are, for two
years more, and The Pacha insists on keep.
ing up his army to its present force, it
will be utterly impossible for the crops to
be got in. Or for any Of the operations of
agriculture to be carried on.
The whole of this atrocious system is
carried into effect by The cruelest manner
no justice Of any sort for the weak; no
security for those who are better of; the
bastnado and other torlures applied on
every occasion; anil at the arbitrary will
Of every officer Of The Government In
addition TO this, the natives of the con-
try are rarely employed-never in Offices
Of trust-and the whole Government is
entrusted 10 Turks. In short the worst
features Of the Memaluke and Torkish
rules are still in active operation; but the
method of applying them is much more
ingenious, and the boasted civilization Of
Mehcmct Ali amounts 10 this-that being
beyond doubt man Of extraordinary tal-
ents, he knows how to bring into play
the resources Of the country better than
his predecessors did, but like them, en-
tirely for his own interest, and without
any reference 10 the we'll being of the
people; and that with the aid Of his Euro.
pcan instruments, he has, if may say
so, applied the screw with a master hand,
and squeezed fom the wrctches under his
sway the very last drop of their'blood.
Such is the state Of these two countries.
Syria is perhaps the worst off Of the two;
for the Egypiians, used to the oppression,
bear it without struggle: whilst the Sy-
rians, who had been less harshly treated
in old times, writhe under and gnaw their
chains.