The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-30
THE FRENCH IN SYRIA.


Recent letters from Beyrout speak of very little
progress having been made towards the permanent
settlement Of the country.
The letters further state that ll6 AIgernes who
had followed Abd-el kader to Damascus and were
there maintained out ofthe pension allowed by the
French Government, had left the city and taken
their departure from Beyrout in the last steamer
for Algiers. The alleged reason for their return
to their native land, for which it may be presumed
the permission of the French Government was ne
cessarv, is that they had been prosecuted bv the
MosIems of Damascus, for having saved Christian
lives during the massacre. The statements that
were published at the time showed that A Abdel-
kader had nothing like ll6 men at his disposal
during the occurrence of the massacre, and, when
their superior physical qualities are taken into con-
sideration, it is difficult to understand that they
should have been afraid of what is left of the male
population of Damascus. What is stranger still is
that men who have given such undoubted proofs of
their contempt for death in the service of the Emir
and of their unb0unded devotion to him. should de-
sert him now and leave him to contend against
the persecuti1ns of the Damascus Moslems
When the question of extending the French
patton Of Syria was debated it was asserted that
the Emir afraid of his life that he had asked
permission of the French to take refuge in Egypt
| At that time, also caravans were organized to
! bring Christians down to Bey-out from Damascus
| Which, Coupled with the hight OF the AI&erlnGs
! has created quite panic. Fuad Pacha had deter
mined on going to Damascus, and was to be accom-
panied by either Colonel Fraser or Co )nel Burn
ably. The return of the latter officer to Syria has
Detn SUBJECT ul general cOngratu!atlOn IRON his
knowledge of the state of affairs and his success in
rebuilding the ruined houses in the Meten districts
He is believed to be the bearer of instructions from
| the London Relief Committee to the one in Bey-
r0ut for the distribution Of English charity, with
out regard to creed or race, to the starving fam
lies of ID ruses Metawich, and Moslems as well as
to Maronites and the Greek sects.
Further disturbances are anticipated, especially
among the Christians of the kesrOuan and between
the partizans of Yusouf Keram, the French protcgc
par excellence, and present temporary kaimakan
| of the Christians and the followers of Tcnos
Shahin, the blacksmith, and representative of
| Syrian democracy, Ia JcHnc Syrie as his party
| is called. The disturbed state Of the country is
made apparent by the murders of Druses everv
week. A short time back Druse, Ali Abn-Ali, Of
Besur, and brother to Nuser Din, who accompanied
your late correspondent in Syria through the
mountain before the arrival of the French troops,
brutally murdered, before several spectators,
at midday, on the plain of Bier Hassan, within
half an hour of Beyrout, from which he was return
ing. His murderers were three Christians, the
chief actor being certain Nasit Kamill.
| Nothing done to arrest the principal assas-
sin, for fear of offending the Maronites and their
protectors, although his retreat was known, until
the matter was taken up by one of the European
! Commissioners. Nuser Din, on learning his
brothers murder, set out with his relatives, armed,
| for the purpose of taking vengeance. Fortunately
Sheik Mahmud Talhuk of Beisur interfered with
detachment OF Turkish soldiers he had ridden to
! fetch from Alieh, and induced Nuser Din with his
| friends to return home, or a sanguinary afIray
would have ensued, which might have necessitated
the intervention of the French, and would, Of
course, demonstrate the expediency of extirpating
the Druses, and OF freeing the country from the
Sultan's authority, of permanently occupying it
for him with European troops. mistake
made short time back by four Christians attack
ing with knives one of their co-reigionists bra
him el Rushmani at 10 o'clock at night, just below
| Fuad Pacha's residence at Beyrout.
General Beaufort d 'Haupool has dispatched the
son Of Hassan Shaker, who ENJOYS French protec-
| DTuSp, DTuSe
refugees and inhabitants of the Haouran. The
ture of tn communication had not officially trans
pired, but it was represented to contain sum
mons for them to come in and make submission,
the means of avoiding French campaign in their
district. The Haouran Druses were reported to be
so fanatical and barbarous to have expressed
doubts, il they complied with the summons of the
French being able to insure their being treated
with strict justice by the Turks, and to have OBJ
jected to the risk of being murdered in detail
j or starrad q deaLh m