The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-08

THE INSURRECTION IN SYRIA.

L
-- HOW zAHLEH FELL-CRUEL-IEs OF THE DRUsEs
Beirut, Syria, July 2.-The fall of Zahleh has
been followed by the most awful barbarities, un-
PARALLEL by the massacres of Cawnpore and India
generally at least so far as numbersare concerned.
Lahleh was taken by stratagem, planned, it is said
by an EDglishman, who, having married native
wife, has been living for veral wears in Mount
Lebanon. Surrounded BY fifteen thousand men, of
the Druses, Gypsies Metouaes and Bedouin
Arabs, the ten thousand fighting men of Zahleh
were thrown hors du combat, and defeated, or
rather driven out of their strongholds to the
mountains of the Kesrouan. The attacking
party divided themselves and attacked at different
points at the same time leaving one place only un-
menaced. -
While the Christians of the town were fighting
valiantly at the various points of danger a letter
was received purporting to be from noted Chris
tan Chief, promising to come to their relief with
band of two thousand men at a certain hour. This
gave new life and energy to the Christians within
At the appointed time two thousand men. fully
armed, were seen approaching from the direction
which promised them aid, and when they perceived
the Christian standard floating over the adv ncin
army, they renewed the conflict and rushed upon
the Toe. Alas for the poor Christians so cruelty
betrayed! The letter was forgery, the Christian
standard stolen one, and the two thousand armed
men entered the only exposed part of the town as
frlends, but proved to be their deadest foes who
set flre to the houses and attacked the beseiped in
the rear. The remaining Christians formed square
around their women and children and fought their
way out, gradually retreating, and thus evacuated
the town, leaving it to be sacked, plundered and
burnt.
The Druses not satisfied with this triumph, and
determined to exterminate the Christians, then
rushed upon Dier ell Komar, which had previously
surrendered and given up arms throwing itself
upon the protection of the Turkish Governor and
garrison Here, in one day, these fends brutaly
chopped in pieces every male inbabitant with
hatchets, axes, swords, knives, and every other
available weapon. More than fifteen hundred men
and boys thus persisted, under the Governor, a
TnrE ond aid hrrfh a Il,
hellish work. The remainder of the six thousand
inhabitants are wanderers and fugitives cut down
wherever they are found, without mercy. Two
thousand women and children, many of whom were
wounded, have been brought to Beirut by English
ships of war, who picked them up along the sea-
coast, and by Americans, who aided BY guards
from the United States Consulate, brought many
OF the doomed and the perishing upon their own
horses to Beirut. -.
During this war English and Americans have
been treated by all parties with great respect, and
all Protestants who placed themselves under the
protection of the Druses have been saved, for the
sake OF the missionaries to whose congregations
they belonged. Our missionaries have thus been
able to relieve the distressed unframed and to res
cue scores whose lives they have preserved by go.
ing to the of action under the protection of
the American Consulate, being accompanied by a
january or consular guard with his silver-headed
staff of office. Some of the wounded have been
brough to the sea-saore by of the Druse chiefs,
who allowed his men to do the work of slaughter,
and then tried to save his own head in the day of
reckoning, by his attention to the wounded and his
absence from the scene of massacre.
AN APPEAL FOR SYRIA. .-.
To the British and American public on behalf of
seventy-hve tho sand Christians, sufferers by the
recent sanguinary war between the Druses and
Christians of Lebanon: H -
OF this large number of sufferers large proper
tion have been plundered of their personal proper
ty; very large majority have, moreover, had
their houses burned, (there having been upwards
of one hundred and fifty towns, villages and ham,
lets destroyed by fre,) and are, therefore, now
houseless wanderers; while upwards of ten thous-
and'are now made widows and orphans, the major
ity not in legitimate warfare, but by cold-booded
massacre at Rasheya, Hasbeiya, Deir-el Komer,
anu 9, The neghborhood of Sidon. l.. ft-a- q ai
"a aliy thousands of these wretched victims have
for beirut, Damascus, Sidon and other places
v;nn abo,,. crowding every available shelter, and
aas.a.;". IN the open air, depending for the daily
neoeo p res vi lie upon the charity of the iphab-
IanLs. pu. Is obvious that, however liberal this
unaiiy nay oe, \. must soon be exhausted, while
.ne oestituson anu suffering, instead of diminish.
ing, must become vastly more intense on the an
proach of winter, when better shelter. clotb;ng and
food will be essential to the preservation Of Their
lives. In order to assist in providing the means nf
alternating so dire calamity, a committee. whose
names are subjoined, has been formed from amongst
the British and American residents of Beirut and
vicinity to solicit aid from their benevolent follow
eountrymenin Great Britain and the United States.