Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-07-11
FRIGHTFUL ATROCITIES IN SYRIA.


The following details have come to hand through
a private letter. of the chickering's that have re-
Gently taken place in Syria:
"a civil war, and one of determination, reigns
at this moment in the mountain, between the Druses
and the Christians, and during the last fifteen days
the horrors we have seen perpetrated around us
dreadful. On every side the sounds of battle
are heard, and nothing is seen but fire and flame
houses, villages, and churches, and converts being
reciprocally prey to the flames At the moment
| write MAY ~ we have before lis the appalling
spectacle Of no less than eleven villages and a
number of Maronte churches and converts in
flames, and what is worse, when the Christians are
victorious, they enter the Druse villages putting
to the edge of the sword, men, women, and chill
dren; the Druses following the example when they
victorious. All the silk-worins of both parties
the sole support Of the Syrian population, have
been burned. The converts of the AIaronites and
Catholics have been burned and the bodies of their
priests, after death, have been burned by the Dru-
Every horror is practised on their enemies
for example, to kill by famine, massacre, and
thousand other acts of barbarlsm are momentnrly
committed The Christians at the commencement
were victorious over their enemies but our Pasha
who is out with his regular troops as soon as he
sees the Christians victorious, points his artillery
against them, loaded with grape, and compels this
unfortunate sect to take to flight. The Druses I'M
mediatey enter their villages, sacking them, burn
ing their houses, goods, &c. | do not doubt but
the Pasha has secret orders from his Government
to destroy and ruin the Christians entirely or he
could not so openly aid and assist their enemies
"Thc fanatcism of the Turks on the coast is
daily becoming more and more visible, and we are
menaced by Il terrible revolution. In Saida they
rose few days since, to massacre all the Chris
tans but thanks to some European ships ot-war,
and to Reschid Pasha who left suddenly for the
seat of disturbance calm, perhaps momentary,
has succeeded. Here, in Beyrout, a rising also
took place few days ago, to put the Christians to
death; but, thanks to the energy of the consus,
and to some of the rich Turkish proprietors calm
has succeeded.
cat this moment with the help Of our glasses,
we see unfortunate fugitive Christians --women and
children, to the number of COCO or 1000 on the
coast. Two ships Of war, one French and one
Austrian, and five or six small vessels, chartered
by the mercantile body have sailed to collect and
save them from the dreadful death which awaits
them from famine. l do not know what SO many
people will do here to live what we all shall do
from the great existing scarcity of water, when the
population of our city will be augmented by $4,000
or 20,000 souls.
"This, you may rely on it, is no exaggeraton.
do not know how European Powers can tolerate
such denominations, or the ianatcisn of the barba-
rians, and remain inactive, when n handful of
troops, of any Christian nation, would suffice to
cause their insolence to cease and to bring them
to proper sense Of reason.
"MAY 20.-Firc and battle continue to reign
with destructive violence all sides around us,
and the news we have at this moment is, that the
Christians have been obliged to fire on the regular
troops, which places us in very alarming position
as we fear revolution of the Turks against all the
Christians, and we are now all prepared, weapon
in hand to defend our houses and the lives of our
families. Yesterday the Pasha wrote to the con-
sular body that it was impossible for him to recon-
Gle the hostile parties, and demanded assistance
from them. But what can the Consuls do between
two nations equally stupid, Ignorant fanatica and
supersttious? Our city is already full of unior-
tunate mountaineers, OF the Christians, men, wo-
men, and children, dying of hunger whom the
Consuls here are constrained to support in common
charity"