Smyrna times., 1860-08-09

correspondence Of the London Neps, writin
from Beyrout, July LIST, says:

from Beyrout, July LIST, says:
Until last evening had hoped that this mail |
would take home more cheering news respect. |
ing this unhappy province. Unfortunately, our
prospects get darker each day, for each hour
brings either news of fresh atrocities commit |
ted by the Druses, or more decided proof that
the acts of the latter are connived at by the
Turkish Government. II lie now ascertained,
and nominal list OF them has been made, that
up TO last night the Druses have burnt and
p.llaged no lesa than I51 Christian villages
since The 29lh Of May lasi, while no less than
from 10000 to $4,000 Christian inhabitants of
Lebanon-many of whom were a month ago
wealth men, others in quite easy circumstances.
and all strangers to anything like poverty or
want-are homeless beggars, depending on ac-
tual charity for their daily bread.
Over and above the number of Christians shot
in actual warfare, between seven and eight
thousand have been butchered-hacked to death
would be the better term--as no butcher ever
used in his calling half the cruelty of these
oioodthlrsty miscrea nts--in cold blood by the
Druses. And. besides this, more than 5000
widows, who, until this Druse campaign, were
happy wives and mothers, have lost their hus.
bands, brothers, fathers and all male relatives,
even to the male infants at the breast; and six
teen hundred children are now orphans. All
these figures have been very carefully campar.
ed with others. and wighed 10 the balance Of
English (ocaD opinion, before being given as
facts. And after conyersing, comparing and
digesting all hear, after bringing my own
four years experience in Syria to bear upon
the subject, am bound to say that / have con-
sIderably understated the case. Moreover,
nifty millions sterling wsuld not pay for the
towns, villages, hamlets and silk factories de-
stroyed throughout the mountain all the pro-
perry OF the Christians. There is, besides, q
fearfully long list Of converts, churches and
nunneries belonging 10 the same people, all of
which had been pIundeied and DESTROYED by
the Druses. In short, what commenced as
civil war between the two sects can no longer
be called by that name.
For the las. twenty days il has been nothing
less than wholesale massacre of Christians by
the Druses. and q wanton destruction of all
property belonging TO the former by the latter.
10 give you some idea what these Druses are,
l will enumerate few instances o their frigh-
fol barbarity, all ofwhich have heard from
the unfortunate sufferers themselves, now ref.
uges from Lebanon. One poor woman-I
knew both her husband and herself well at
Deir-ei-Kamar, where they were wealthy peo-
ple-told me thar when the buses attacked
the town the second time q should mention
that 1t had surrendered, and all the inhabitants
had given up their arms some twenty days pre-.
viously to the Drnses, aud promised protec.
ton by their sheiks) her husband was hacked
to pieces before her eyes by the large knives
OF the Druses. who then declared that they
must kill all male children ia the house. The
mother tried 10 hide her two sons. one Is, the
other 3 years old. The Druses, however. found
them out. and she begged and prayed for their
a nd d. al =.
ner with her person. but the Druses hacked al
the lads over her shoulder, and gashed them
until they both dropped down apparently life.
less. es-sa7
The Druses then made of, and the woman,
thinking her two sons dead, remained in q SORT
of stupor for two hours--Ho far ss che can cal.
culate. At last she was aroused by hearing
the eldest lad call her in faint voice, trying
TO assure her that he was not yet dead. On
this she fe!, the body Of the youngest boy, and
found his heart seating. She got some water
and after giving ! " both Of her children--sc
far as she could get Them to drink it--starteC
into the town TO see whether she could procure
assistance TO get her and her boys away. She
: got as far as the seralio, or government house
! but there she found that some 500 Christians
: who had taken refuge, were being cut to pieces
: by the Druses. who had been invited TO enter
the precincts Of TIE building by the Turkish
soldiers of the garrison, these latter helping in
the butchery. and being so fsr worse than the
Druses, that they abused in the most infamous
, manner all the women. Seeing no help could
be obtained here, the poor woman turned to
fly, when she came across an old Druse, wins
had formerly been q farm servant of her hus-
bands.
After great deal of entreaty on her part
the man consented 10 protect her and her chill.
dren down to The sea coast, about Il ur hours
! journey. on condition of receiving an order or
! her brother, wealthy man in Beyrout, for 10,
900 piastres. To this she agreed, aud they re.
turned together 10 he- house. She had mo-
: been absent more than an hour, but she found
her two children cut into pieces joint by joint
limb and trunk severed Ito use her words.'
"as butchers cut up sheep"-head, legs, arms
and bodies being hacked up in shapeless mas
. Of blood, flesh and reeking bones Some Other
: poor women then jdined her, and together they
. made their way toIs, mulberry plantation out
side the town, where they passed the night
, AT aybreak they wore discovered by party
/; of Druses. who, after stripping them to fnt
y whether they had any money on their persons
e and taking away what little they possessed
y told them they might go where they liked
0 Four of the poor creatures had babies, all unde
I year old.
y OF these infants two were girls and two boys
: The former they did not touch. but the latte
! they said might grow up 10 be men and bea
! arms against the DFuses they therefore tool
the poor little creatures, and before their moth
Q ers' eyes tore them Up the middle, and limb b.
limb" exactly" ID use the poor woman
own expression, CAB you tire up fowl that il
to be cooked with Pill Iau" Remember, al Thu
= was done not in the heat Of Sighting, bus DELHI
u erately, id cold blpbd. And have head o
e eleven other exactly similar cases Of child-de
'r slrueiion by the Druses, in nine OF which i'm
: plicitly believe, having every reason TO do So
= DER el-Kamar contained a month age,
o. population of 5000 s,uls. Of which about 400
we're men and lads. $500 women and grls, ao
500 children under lan years old. OF the me-
% not more than $50 hsve escaped, ofthe wome