The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1860-08-08
From the London Times.


From The London Times.
Events are now occurring 10 Syria when
must al once bring the Eastern question
again before the Murld. The .nteFtererce o.
the French Is certain. aud England viii be
patrue IL her nature II she docs not aid IN
repressing atrocities which surpass anything
tina, has Of late years been psrpet1sted, even
nv the snimosity oil race and religion. The
scene IT these horrible tragedies i. the range
az the Lebanon, and the numbers and audsc-
NV of the murderers are such that Damascus
on the cue side anu Beyrout on the olhef
are hardly sale. la the nelgnborhood 81
Mount Hermon, whole villages have been
DESTROYED and their Christian inhabitants
nut TO the sword. Catholics, Greeks, and
the little communities Of Protestants. have
shared the same fate. In some cases the
butchery has been in cold blood. In Others
the villages have been surprised at night and
every male slaughtered. Ia the very neigh
horhcod of Beyrout the murderers have
carried out thr,r designs with 'mpnnlty.
yahleh is only few miles from the coast !;
il isa town OF importance; with number oil
Europeans living in it. There are missions,
both French aud American, IN the place or
neiehborhood, and lite might have been
thought as safe there as in Beyrout ltsell.
But Zahleh has been attacked by perfect
army Of fanatieal bruises, and taken after
defence OF six days. The slaughter was
frishtfu, and the fall Of the place has caused
4 panic throughout Syria. There was nnth,
inc 10 prevent the victorious hordes making
an attempt on Damascus, no guarantee that
even English and French and American in
habitants would be spared from general
massacre.
The feud which has now broken out with
such fury is of long standing. In the noun
famous districts OF Syria the Turkish Gov
eminent, weak everywhere, IS more thar
ordinarily poserless. The ancient race:
which inhabit the Lebanon have been ruled
by their own chief for ages, and used e
carry on their local wars with little attention
from any Pasha at Beyrout or Damascus
The most numerous and powerful are the
Druses. whose origin is lost in obscurlty
aod Of whose religion little is known, except
that il is q paganism which has borrowed
some of the forms of the Mahomedan creed
and which inspires lis yotarles with bite
hatred against Christians OF every kind
This hatred may have been at hrst rattle
political than religious. The Druses ant
Maronites have been always at deadly ieud
and, as the Maronltes profess Catholicism
the Druses have probably extended theI
animosity from the rival race to all who shar
with il the common name q Christians
Howeyer that NAV be, the Druses have o
late wears distinguished themselves by
.ec,arisn ferocity exceeding that OF the Mus
sulmans themselves. who have been elthe
TOO law or too timid 10 modest the Chrlstlai
population. Although not Mussumans. tn,
Druses have made common cause with Turf
and Arab, impelled by their hatred OF III
NaronItes, who have desired only TO be lei
alone TO execute the vengeance with whle
every Mussulmsn would IN his heart sympa
thiLe.
The immediate cause OF this outbreak "
do not know. Ii has probably been Ion
time in preparation. Ever since the wa
he animo.ity between the Christians an
their oppressors has been on the increase.
But now comes the worst part Of this his
tory. Il seems Impossible TO doubt that n
Turkish Military authorities, TO whose guar
dianship the keeping Of the peace IN thes
regions is inirusted, have permitted, an'
perhaps encouraged, the slaughter OF tn
Christians.
And this" an Englishman will exelaiT
els the Government We have saved; this
the Empire, the integrity Of which we a.
hound 10 support" IL Is indeed 30. "
have FOR forty years been placed 10 dIlemm
we have been obliged TO support the mo
wre,ched, 10 order to save ourselves ifo
he most formidable Of despotlsms. ~
sultsu rules IN the North through our jea
uo.y Of Russia, aud IN the South through 0,
jealousy Of France. Had We abandoned hI
IN 1910, both Druses and Maronites migi
now be kept IN order BY an Egyptian ruiz
who would be really FieegereBt Of France
Had We accepted the offers Of the CZi
Nicholas % CIR IL. Seymour, there migl
no; now be sultan al al, aud the DrUs
might be kept in order BY ourselves. EnI
land has remained true to her policy; wheth
RIGHT or sr1ng, she secured syria 10 ABB
Msdi.d. But no political objects can ma
y, forget the claims II humanity. u Z
Porte cannot fppfess these 0dtfages Z
Christian Powers must do It. Nheh .
sultan called upon VI to guarantee bis .
thonty. he gave u the right 70 see that
DID not become curse 10 bis people, 81
uastirgi.rly "a tli1.e 1l our nSh istth.
intervention there must be, aud "e tu
that England .ad France Miil cone.tt me
sures ioi .stihg las Christisns oi syria ifo
destruction.
ssyxs@ssssssS~Dss-ssSs
Nor ~ 81 I.grf. There wasa tprrii
riot AID NIB in ~. Lou. IN Wednssli
nirht Some gns Or twa hpuirei pptso
hasing gathered 10 sack several houses
bad fep8ts, their nanbers were SOM az
tpented 10 thu4.4ud.. WIN devoted ths nig
TO the dsspodtus u sst'ui. offensive ests
lishments. Amounting 10 between thirty a
forty IN number. The path Of the mob y
marked by the blazing fires in which ",
consumed the wreck 81 the furniture IT