The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-08-26
Christian Turks.

ARRIVAL. IN NEW YORK OF A FAMILY, FROM
49, II DAMASCUS
80. Among the Storage passengers by the
steamship Wyoming, from Liyerpool which
arrived at New York late on Tuesday, was
n family OF Christian Turks, consisting OF
,he father and mother. six sons, and one
daughter. They left Beyfout, Syria, on
:Jnly 18th, taking steamship To Liverpool,
whence they sailed for this country. The
name OF the father is Yusef Awad ell Ar
balm. Of Damascus. He has lived to see hye
massacres by the Mussulman rulers OF DIS
country. In one OF them hfs house was
Numbered and burned, and with great Diff
tictlty he escaped with bis life. bis charac.
ter as an intelligent teacher and advocate OF
the Christian religion rendered him espe.
cially obnoxious to the fanatical leaders OF
the Moslems, and his danger was the greater
on this account.
-Awad is an intelligent man, fifty-seyen
years old, and has been for many years
teacher OF the Righ-School OF the Greek
Patriarchate and director OF the Christian
schools in Damascus. He has been en-
ployed, also, by the English and American
missionaries in that city as q teacher OF
Arabic He has assisted the Rev. DR.. Van
Dyck, the representative OF the American
Bible Society at Damascus, in the work OF
translatins the Bible into the original
Arabic. He is said to have been one OF the
best native scholars in Syria. The two oldest
sons are graduates Of the medical depart
ment OF the Syrian Protestant College.
They also have been for four years members
oil the Young Mems Christian Association
at Damascus. Awad said that his object
in coming to this country was to
escape the tyranny of the Turks md
to afford his children an opportu-
nifty for higher education denied them in
their own land. Since the war, he said, the
Turkish Government had sent to Syria. to
watch and guard the Christian population,
nearly 100000 Circassians, to whose pre-.
sence In Europe the Powers had objected.
He feared that at any moment the Christian
inhabitants Of Syria might be subjected by
these fierce hordes to the same fate that befel
the Christians in Bulgaria. He described
the Mussulman inhabitants OF Syria as, OF
the lowest order. With him Awad brings
many credentials from Protestant mission
aries, the British and American consuls, and
from many OF the Syrian church djgnitaries
and noblemen. These certificates, which re-
fer to AWad In the highest terms, are signed
by the Rev. Smyle Robson and the Rev. John
Crawford, American missionaries in Tur-
KEY, and by the Rev. DR.. Van Dyck, who
says that he has known him for thirty years
as worthy man. Eli Jones, the we'll
known Friend, OF Maine; Ellen Clare
Miller, OF Edinburgh; and Alfred Floyd
Fox, OF Falmouth, Eng, who visited Da-
mascus in 1867. endorse the certificate by
saying that they had been greatly interested
in the liherality and Christian spirit mani
tested by him. The Rev. DIR. Van DYck
refers to the family two days previous to
their: departure, from Beyrout 4 in these
words: Like many other Christian sub
jects Of the Turk, this family are seeking re-
lief from the CALLING yoke which neither
they nor their fathers were able to bear,
and which British interests seem to be
rivetting more firmly and making more
heavy 81 u.i.s.......
il Awad is anxious to get employment as
teacher OF Arabic, which he is able to teach
without the use Of any other language. He
desires also that his three youngest boys
may be placed in school, and for the prose
cution OF their education he would accept
aid. He had sufficient money for the jour-
Dey here, but now his means are nearly
exhausted.
Thefamily formed yesterday a picturesque
group at Castle Garden, clothed in. their
national dress. The sons have fine, intelli-
gent features. The oldest is twenty-eight
years Of age, and the youngest lad OF nine
years. This is the first Syrian family that
has arrived in the United States. others
will follow should this family be successful.
The father claims that at the breaking out
OF the Russo-T Turkish war he was taxed
$4,000 by the Sultan, and received In re-
turn worthless bonds.-Ne,o Yorhc Tribune.