The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-02
BALTIMORE.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1860

We scarcely needed to be reminded by history
that the Druses of Houran, and, indeed, of the
mountains of Lebanon generally, who recently
put to death, under circumstances of the most
horrible atrocity several thousands of Maronite
Christians in Hasbeyah Zahleh, Damascus, and
many other Syrian cities and villages, are lneally
descended from that ancient sect of Assassins,
whose ferocity, fanaticism, and selfdevotion to
the will of their chief, the famous Gold man of
'the mountain, form the theme of many a stir
ring episode in the chronicles of the earlier cru
sades. Between the Druses and the Syrian Chris
tians a feeling of intense hatred has existed for
many centuries. This feud, which resembles IN
many of its aspects and consequences the oiood
"reyenpes" that once kept the wild clans OF the
Scottish Highlands almost perpetually at war
with each other, has recently been greatly exas-
perated, in part by the acts of the Maronites
themselves--who, though protesting the Christian
belief, are by no means strict observers of Chris
tan precepts-and in part, also, by the fierce
passions of bgoed Moslems, who have become
alarmed at the influence exered in the councils
of the Sultan by the Western Powers. Although
the Druses were the active and most prominent
agents in perpetuatng that series of terrible
massacres which is now attracting the attention
of the civilized world, it is well known that many
Arabs and Asiatic Turks encouraged them in the
work of slaughter; participated in the sangunary
onslaught, and were sharers in the spoil. In all
the remoter provinces of the Empire, the au-
thority exercised by the Sultan has long
been merely nominal. Extortion, corruption
and peculation have bankrupted the Imperial
exchequer, and conj0ined TO the intense religious
fanacism which has developed itself of late years.
particularly among the Asiatic followers of the
Prophet, the chief causes of that widespread
spirit of disafection, which only waits favora-
BILE opportunity for breaking out into open and
general revolt If the Sepoy rebellion in India
which itself was fonented by Mussulman in
trigues-had resulted in re-establishng member
of the old Mogul dynasty on the throne of Delhi,
a popular rising against the Christians in Turkey
would inevitably have followed As it was, the
feeling spent itself for time, on the massacres at
Jaffa and at Jeddah-the former being the COM
mon landing place of the pilgrims who 60 to Je-
rusalem and the latter being that at which pill
ioin that vast multitude of Moslem devotees who
annually assemble there on their way to the Holy
cities of Mecca and Medina. OF the immediate
cause of the present outbreak, we have at present
no particulars That it has been sweeping and
merciless is evident from the general uniformity
of the accounts received, from missionaries and
others who have been brought into communica-
ton with the fugitives. That the number of viii
lagos reported to have been pillaged and burned,
as also the number of the victims, has been
grossly exaggerated, we may take for granted
reference to a single instance will show the loose
ness of the statements which have been made
public. DER ell Kamr is included in the list of
towns which have been sacked and burned by
the Druscs who are reported as having put to the
sword, every Christian male inhabitant of the
town, to the number of two thousand or more. AS
DER el Kamr is actually the Capital of
the Emr of the Druses, and contains few
or no Christians within its walls, it
is scarcely conceivable that the Druses would fire
and plumber their own chief city, and still less
would it be possible for them to massacre two
thousand male Christians in place which did not
contain two hundred. But after making due al
lowance for all that is maniiestly wild and i'm
probable in the accounts which have reached US,
enough still remains to justify the grave alarm with
which the news has been received in Europe, and
to demand promper action than has been taken by
the Western Powers. The recent protest Of Russia
against the prosecutions endured by the Christian
subjects of. Turkey now acquires a significance
which it will be impossible for England and
Il. 80,
deprecatory letter to NAPOLEON III. shows, is evil
IDENTIFY apprehensiye that the countenance given to
the Syrian massacres by Turkish officials will be
used by Russia as an argument in favor Of imme-
date Intervention. Lord BRoUGHAM also, who
has always been strenuous advocate for strict
observance of the principle Of non-intervention in
all cases Of difficulty that may arise between
sovereign and his subjects, intimated during
discussion of the Syrian question, but little more
than two weeks ago, that the case was eycep-
tional one, which, from the weakness and incapa-
city of the Turkish Government, might excuse
departure from the rule he had so often pre-
viously laid down, and the international policy he
had so frequently defended. Lord STRATFoRD DE
REDcIIFFE, whose long residenceat Constantnople
qualities him to speak auhoritativcy upon all mat
tiers relating to the government of the Sultan, was
likewise forced to acknowledge that the Emperor of
Turkey ''only existed, politically, and on suffer-
ance;'' that the complaints which had been made by
Russia in respect The treatment experienced by the
Christian subjects of the Porte were well founded,
and that those States which had protected Turkey
from Russian aggression were under an obligation
to see ''that the security which had been given to
''the Turkish government in 1858 be not made use
"of as screen for their negligence and for faults of
administration which allow Of the preparation of
''arocites such as those which have taken place
Tin Syria" The views thus expressed by leading
English statesmen, and concurred in by Lord
Palmerston and the chiefs of his administration,
when taken in connection with the closer political
accord which has existed, of late between France
and Russia, foreshadow change of policy which
will either lead, eventually, to the dismemberment
of Turkey or to thorough revision of that clause
of the treaty of 1856 which gives to the Sultan the
sole right to interpose for the protection of the
Christian inhabitants of his widely extended but
loosely organized dominions. At present there
seems to be general desire TO ascertain whether
the government of the Porte still retains sufficient
vigor to vindcate, eectualy, its violated author
ity in the Southern Provinces If, in undertaking
this duty, the utter incapacity of the Sultan to
repress the rebellion and TO adequately punish
the malcontents be made apparent, it will become
matter of necessity the part of the protecting
Powers to make such notifications in the policy
they have heretofore pursued as may be dictated
by the gravity of the emergency.
ruzs.-----z-xz
Our neighbor, The Sun, took US to task yester-
day for our comments upon its course in relation
to the purchase of the Park. In Characters
tcally involved article it charges us with having