Weekly national intelligencer., 1860-08-04
ENGLISH OPINION ON AFFAIRS IN SYRIA.
From the London Times of July 1s.

From the London Times of July 1S.
The accounts received yesterday from the coast of Syria
have realized worst fears On the 9th of this month
the city of Damascus attacked by the Druses and
five hundred Christians said to have pershed. The
Consuates with the exception of the English, burnt
down. In short the whole place to have been at the
mercy of the maraudng army, the Turkish authorities
having shown their usual completely with the aggressors
This ghtu event must the scrupes of the most
cautious politician Instant action must take place to
the world from crimes which will be reproach to it
for ages. No tell what another week may bring
forth. The next mail from Beirout may inform that
Aeppo has shared the fate of Damascus that Jerusalem
Christians of every nation and church, including number
of Protestant Engshmcn have been put to the sword
Whatever may have been the beginning of this move
ment there be no doubt that it has assumed most
formidable character Yesterday it feud between
two mountain tribes tomorrow it may be the onslaught
OF the Mussurnan the Christians, whom recent
events have caused them to look upon with increasing
hatred and dread Before arrive before the
Turk be made to feel that Europe will stand trng
in this matter it may be that every village in Syria, nay
in the whole OF Asia, may be stained with blood Races
which have lived in security for centuries under the pro-
lection of the European Powers be swept from the
earth by this fierce outbreak of fanacism all hopes of
better future may be destroyed and the regeneration of
these unhappy lands made impossible forever by single
month of unchecked awlessness. When too late, may
be discovered that civilization has been
emed by deuge it was beginning to blossom and to
| give hopes of bringing forth fruit.
tits strange that land which the cradle of Christianity
should continue after to be the place of its shapes
trial 1t would almost if spell hung that
renowned and holy of Asia and condemned it to
keep forever its former likeness to furnish prosecutors
and martyrs, frenzed muttudes demanding blood and
md Governors giving up the gultless TO DEATH Since
the days when the Parachates of Antioch and Jerusalem
went down under the first shock Of Arab invasion, the
Christians of Syria and Palestine have been the most ill
used subjects of the most fanatca part of Islam Their
fate has somewhat resembed that of the tribes whom Is
rae ages before found in the land They have been
exerminated, reduc to the condition of slaves,
forced to conform to the victorious faith The small
Der of Christians in Syria and Egypt compared with
the vast muttudes whom the first Caphs found in those
countries shows how active have been all these of
| depopuation.
In the earlier periods of the conquest the slaughter
prodgous In later times misery has done the work of
the sword The population has died out, merged into
the dominant When ancestors engaged in the
Crusades they had real justification in the evils endured
by their fellow Christians and probably from those days to
these there has been time when the religious spirit
which prompted such adventures would not have found
pretext in act of cruelty In Europe and in Asia
Minor the Christian has had only to do with the Turk
whose bgotry has been tempered by his qualities poll
cian and ruler Nowhere in the western parts of the
empire have slaves Greeks had to undergo the habu
lusage and the periodical violence which has been the
portion of the Syrian Christians from their Arab per-
secutors.
What is to be done with country which these things
often happening and in which they may happen at
any hour Are to give up the land which has higher
interest than other TO the human that every
of religion may be extermnated from it, and their
place possessed wholly by the most savage populations of
i the East? Are we, who have kept the Sultan on his
throne, to acquiesce state of things which will make it
difficult for Engshman to visit the of Chris
an history to penetrate into the mosques of Mecca
Are we to permit Aeppo Damascus, Jerusalem, and per-
haps every city far Bagdad to be closed Europeans
after their native Christian population has been massacred
driven Out Are prepared to hear of missOna
being put to death turned out of the country with
orders to set foot it again. and to be unable to
ture mile from the Mediterranean coast without guard of
Mussulman cayassesl
But all this must be conceded and too unless
ready to deal serny and summary with these Druse
and Arab rans and the connyDg Turkish authorities 1t
is likely indeed, that for the moment the Porte will be
her frightened We have doubt that NJ. Musurus has
informed his Government of the temper of the English
ton, and the ambassador in Paris will doubtless make
equally pressing representations. The troops will be
dispatched with something like alacry to Beyrout and
Fuad Pasha will do his best to put stop to the disorders
But what Constantnope politician, that he should be
able to dam up the current of Asatc natclsm which has
broken its bounds and flooding the southern pro-
vnces of the Empe The perpetrators of these ourages
and which they would extemnate with much pleasure
as they do the Christians Only the most resolute de-
meanor and the most active operations will be of any
The question, then whether Fuad Pasha indeed any
Turk is endowed with the requisite energy and resources
tuad Pasha will show any real activity in Furnishing out
which every true believer in its ranks considers be
holy work. Ii, however it should prove that the Porte
incapable of keeping order it will then be time to
slider whether the Turk has not been long enough there
and whether Christian nations ought take counsel
to the future OF this interesting and most unhappy land