The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1860-08-14 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

THE MASSACRES IN SYRIA.  We publish to-day a number of extracts from private letters, which sill be found of great interest : " Bevrout, July 19. • " We are favoured by yours of the -2,411 ult., and in reply to your information that the Sublime Porte had chmiged some governors, end ordered the tlespatth of some soldiers to Is is country, and, in consequence of tho-e measures. hopes were entertained of a speedy settlement of these disturbances, we beg to say that the fearful occurrences in the mountains against the Christians pre totally absortled now in the last events and cruelties at Damascus. On Monday, the 9th inst., a rising of the Moslems took place against the Christians of that capital, and about 6,000 men in three divisions attacked their quarter, and at once commenced burning, pillaging, and mu t tiering, and on the following day Moslems. Bedouins. and Droves of the neighbourhood poured into the town and continued the tragedy. Sane Christians took refuge at the house of Abd-el-Kader, others with some respectable Moslems, and the women and children at the Castle, and at the English and Prussian Consulates, which, being Moslent property, and in the Moslem quarter, were saved. All the Christian quarter, with the other Consulates, to the number of about 1,000 houses, were ',MN:ed and burnt. On the 12th inst., when they hail done with the pillaging and burning of every house, they went into the city, anti there ransacked all the warehouses and shops belonging to the Christians, and, according to the last news arrived from Damascus yesterday, pillage awl murder continued up to the last dote, the 10th inst. The number of killed ionic calculate at 0,000, and .lIIC at more. At the time these horrible demi. began there were about 1,500 regular Tun kish troops and as many Bashi-Basuuks, but they never gave any protection to the Christians, but helped to throw them back into the burning flames when they attempted to escape ; those who are still alive are in danger of meeting their death by starvation. In fine, if we were to write all the details we should require& large volume; mnface it to say,—God save us! At present fears are entertained for the Christians in every place, —at Hums, Hammel', Saida, Latakia, Aleppo, Tripoli, Ileyrout, lyre, Acre, Jaffa, Naplous, and Jerusalem,— lest the saute fearful crimes should be committed then-, as, after these events at IMmaseus, the Droves and klosImes killed the Christians of Horan and Baalbee, pillaged their property, and forced many to embrace Islamism. About half the population of Beyrout have left for Alexandria, Sara, and other parts of Greece, and even for RUIPlia• Two days ago his Excellency Flied Pasha, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and his Excellency Halim Pasha, commander of the army of Damascus, arrived, and before them, and in their company, came regular soldier., sent for the last disturbances in the mountains, as when they left they had not the news of the Damn/. cene sevents ; so we have about 0.000 in Iles-rout, and with the soldiers that went with Mahmer Paulus, the new Governor of Damascus, there will be about 4,000 there; but no one knows what will happen afterwards."