The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-04-17
The French Encampment at
Beirut.


three French. A single British corvette lay
anchored long way off, in a safer bay
The other vessels of the English fleet had
been ordered to the Adriatic, In few Of the
uncertainties of European politics. Thus,
the French are left nearly alone in the d.
fence or protection of Syria. I presume
Napoleon does not regret bis advantage. and
doubtless will make the most Of it. He oc.
cupies Syria, and you may depend. upon
it he will never leave !
You have been often informed that he
has an army Off, few thousand quartered i /.
the vicinity of Beirut, ana among the noun
tains of Lebanon. had the pleasure of
visiting the French encampment, five or six
miles from the city, containing perhaps
four OF FIVE thousand French and Alger:-
ans.
made the trip over French road, in
French omnibus The road is the beginning O
of the road to Damascus, and means some
thing more than an effort to increase the To-
connective privileges of the residents of Beirut
and Damascus. Very recently, I am told by
gentleman longs resident in Palestine
Napoleon received valuable present of
fortress in the Lebanon mountains, from the
wife ola deceased Pasha. Whatever may
be the future Of French occupancy, the past
and present is to be accredited to the human
desire of the Emperor to suppress the horri-
ble butcheries Of the DruSes. His own
prompt action alone saved the unbutchnrel
Of Syria, and his forces must remain to IN
sure their safety. But to return to the vat
to the encampment. The roads lay amid
mulberry groves and hedges ofcactus. Cafes
for Turks and Frenchmen here spring up
along the way, and seem well patronized, not
wi,hstanding they present little Of the attrac-
tveness Of the cafes Of. the Roulevards cf
Paris. q
The road was filed with French soldiers,
Turkish soldiers, Algerines, Bedouin.,
hrrsemen and footman, donkeys and dom
keymen, camels and camelmen, and women
with various costumes. Our French omni-
bus, with its team of mules and horses, and
its black Nubian driver, added to the strange
mingling Of the European and the O.iental,
the ancient. and the modern, the stereotyped
and the progressive. We stopped in front
of large French cafe close by the encamp.
ment. Here large band were eniivening
the gay scene with martial music, and pe5-
pie Of all nations Were slipping their coffee
and smoking their "Sultana, or "Latakea ,"
The main portion of the French are encam-
pei in ''the Pines fine growth of pine
trees springing out of naked sands. Little if
any arrangement is observable in placing OF
the tents s
The FrencEnan, true to his tastes, seek
to ornament even his camp, though, like
this, It be in sand desert Grass and flow
ers and running vines were growing around
the tents, and spaces were laid out in curves
and angles, and planted in various flowers
and verd ire. Under French taste, even the
desert blossoms as the rose Tie camp fires
were smouldering and The soldiers were sit
ting at their evening meal Their table was
the ground and their seats the ground, and
yet they contrived by digging a trench
around their table not to sit cross legged like
the Turk Most of the tents are smalb and
afford only an Indifferent shelter for the win
ter rains. Various trades necessary to the
camp were carried on, such as tailoring, har-
ness making. blacksmi:hing, &c.
The Al.erine forces are encamped in the
open field, beneath the piercing rays Of Sy-
rian sun. Their horses are in like manner
tied out, exposed to all changes of the wealth.
er. They were preparing their suppers at
their scanty camp-fires, and it was amusing
to see two or three of these wild Algerines
squatting over their pot or pan smoking AMI
chatting their Arabic, while every eye was
fixed ON the meat and potatoes which they
were extemporizing into food. fheir dress
is similar to that of the Bedoun, but their
eyes G keener and their appearance
thought more sprightly. 80
A Hungarian General remarked to me that
l had seen the highest perfection of military
encampment, this is a real army iencamI-
ment, not the snowy demonstration Of annu-
al parades, and am satisfied that many
young military aspirant would be thorough.
ly cured by couple Of months contine-
ment here letters from Rtr Or. Bay
lies. -