New-York tribune., 1866-12-29


redress. Our Government at home should sustain him.
There is no danger Of the subject The suggestion
simply ludicrous The Turks will yield when they see
that the United States Government Will not De tnhed
with Our Home Government can now in the most legal
and honorable manner by firm and straightforward
course establish principle which in the present rotten
and decaying state o. the Turkish Empire Will be hailed
with JOY pledge Of safety and protecuon 10 every
American citizen In the land That the TURKISH Govern
ment IS gong down no one IN the East can doubt How
foT down they going or how long II VIII take to get
there, is not for me 10 say.
Dr. Thompson author Of "The Land aud the Book"
who has lived m SYRIA for 50 wears sadlnmy hearing
that the Turks had been on their last legs for 30 years and
he thought their prospect of life not much worse now
than then. the crash should come IN our day VIII be
satisfaction 10 Government to know that II has done
all that could be done 10 shield its citizens III The East
aud that Their rights and privileges not less regarded
than those Of fourth class European States
For the benefit OF your scientific readers, and moro
especially OF an old friend Prof Newton of Yale College,
viii give brief account of the meeorc showers Of Nov.
II ard II: Prof Newtons announcement in
the public journals duly noted, and, in order
TO draw the attention Of the people OF SYRIA
10 the subject, one Of the American mis-
sonarcs in our city wrote an article IN Arabic Tor me
weekly Arabic newspaper requesting the pnhhe To Walch
during the nights Of the 18Th and 4ih for grand display
oi falling stars. The notice was read with astonlshment
by and with rdcule by others Have they prophet
America who know when the stars will fa Who tod
them One old shekh, famous Arabic scholar, declared
he should not believe until he saw IT, The thing was
Incredible. 1t piece OF Western assumption to make
out that they know more than we Fasteners do, %c.
On the morning Of the lth Sunday, at little aiieT
midnight some young men IN Beirut, who were OUT OF
doors what they described rain of fire. the stars
seeming to have got loose and be running about the sky
in disorder Soon after errlhc thunder storm set ID,
and for two hours there was an almost uninterrupted cTash
of thunder and glare of shcet-llghtnng.
On the night Of the lth and l2h nothing was seen, as
was cloudy and rainy. On the night Of the l2tn ana
18Th watching bv the bedside OF sicS irend ana
though looked out every hour ln the n9h coid see
nothing IN the shape ot mcteorS though the clouds were
dense duung nearly the whole night ON the morning OF
the l4th at o'clock WA awaEed from sleep by one OF
sN. D.. shf
coming down. aIOse Immediately and spent the rest OF
the night with friends guests in my house walking
upon the hOusetop The sight was indeScuDaby grand ana
beautiful. slight mist obsmctcd the view toward he
south, but over Lebanon and the sea- the sky was clear
and the mctcorS were pouring down IKE ram OF hIe'
Some were small and others large, and almost every one
left long train of fire behind IT, 50 that the effect was
beautiful in the extreme. One immense green meteor
down Lebanon, nearly as large, to appearance
the moon and burst with loud noise leaving green
pillar Of light in the train. Many Of them roarcd through
the air aud exploded before reaching the earth.
While looking toward Lebanon the whole sky became
suddenly ilumined if by the light of uoonday, ana
turning around saw an immense column Of hghi TO inc
northwest the sea, being evidently the tram le by
some enormous meteor which had fallen INTO the sea IL
was in vain 90 count them ard the display cOntn ed
until the dawn, when their light was obscued by the KIN
dav The young who aroused Inc from sleep sdd tha
half hour UrcWous az half past three the sight was
terrific and he ran into the house for fear Of being over
whemed with ire. IL was, ne SAID continuous hre ap
Of large and small for more than half an hour when
he remembered my request ard ran 10 give me Woid.
The alarm was trs given by native Waterman IN ihe
Preparatory Department of the Syrian Protestant College
who bad heard of the expected display ana was on the
lookout have Just received the Arabic newspaper ~
tds weeks ISSUE and find in it the following news about
the meteors which, for your benefit VIII translate ie
rally:
BEIRUT DouE>uC NIELucENcE.-There has preceded tins
notice IN No al Oi journal OF the falling mcteos ON
e l2th and 18Th Of Noycmbond there happened mar, eops
l4ih of e said month many OF the people Of Beirut
a f " ir ,1 o w ~ '' S oSf fS5 Of a. & h % . mill - . % ai
scattered through the heavens living from every aae ana l}
10 Cd rI Nfff
sion and they compared their extent u TIE heavens 10 we
spreading ont o thc ocuss 90 ihr SKY Ana we nave news
nom Damascus these events seen there ana he
Som,u Ihen 10 .c ~ .'t' t d ,I ro Of Gre ,rcat
and small dashed and iro between them and FILLING % ING
e,I % s & & tb ,I,i,rdc of he 7cte,r. N different szes
wa, impossible for observing them To tell how many ieh
iu minute
The Arabic journal then gives highly oqcItu e;tor on
the subject from of the learned men H Damascus the
scholar Soleyman E1eud So0leh, who says;
IN this pat night which corresponds 10 e morning ol
Wednesday The lh Of our nonlh N0'tmleI u' Z s's W & m
the war from the east % the west aud Hom e souh o'
northern side. They dashed 100 Tie pace q" htil sua nu
gouls that you could not distinguish Tie iaars Ton te
Hyades iOr the passing q" Lt mti'ih "''Us M ,, % - o
te1,iy Of ue bghn.s But yon now h3lsll lsai le M"
stars 30 Leo nose bad been dispersed ana , - w. VA @
gotten his spcar end thinking ouy Of hs own safety ana
Major about the extent Of his wound and e oi{ pole had
fallen hc claws Of e eagle and ne hedheah Eas pro-.
no an the heavens Ike sphere o hTe or praniuE '
sparAs excepting That Ac fire and sparks wee hai.'5 not
boreutp who continued t morning beating one anoihr m
single combat gave protection and peace ihis VINE i'F
His Exceleucy our Prince the sultan Ahdm A<Ahan MAY
God peIpetuate c seat of biz government 10 lc end o rNh
Ieto.utiOr i r.,--.-...... . .
This will do fO Oriental description Of the ineteois oi
IS66 / .b0uld state ~ connection with this subject,
that The great majority OF all the meeoIs seen IN Beirut
seemed 10 from point N space about Nort East
and 10 move an parallel columns towards lLe tafIn ~
westerly course The old ncreduous sheikh IN Bernt,
who refused to believe reused up by hs sons ana saw
al with his own eyes, eXclaimiug- Inc "lI
~ God he done Thanks 10 Professor Newton for giving
MS notice OF The wonderful performance Alsy be lave 10
see the next the year 1910