Letters from Barcelona, dated the 26th June, state that that
city continued to enjoy tranquillity. The French Ambassador, M. Mathiea de in Redorte, had presented his credentials to the Queen. The intelligence from Syria is almost exclusively derived from the Srayrna journal, or those of Malta and Marseilles. The various state- ments are fragmentary, contradictory, tinged with partisan views, and anonymous. The only intelligence accredited by a name, that has yet come to our knowledge, is a letter from a nephew of the celebrated Arago, published in the National of Wednesday. Its statements have sufficient vraiseniblance; they give a comprehensive view of the trans- action ; and if they do come from a partisan, they come from one who honestly avows himself such, and, by affixing his name, renders him- self responsible for their accuracy. On this account we have pre- ferred laying this version of the Syrian transactions before our readers to any other we have snot with.
d4 M. Aram) has communicated to us a letter which Le has received from his nephew, al. Antonin Arago, Aide-de-Camp to Solimatt Paeha. The letter, dated Sada, the 15th June 1840, contains some details respecting the insur- rection in Syria, which, under existing circumstances, appear to us calculated to interest the public in a high degree.
" ' My dear Uncle—I think I mentioned to you in a former letter, the im- pending departure of my General on a tour of inspection along the coast of Syria. We were to have made the excursion by sea. A corvette at anchor in the roads was in waiting for us; when suddenly, on the 27th of May, an in- surrection breaking out in Lebanon, deranged our projects, and obliged Soli- man Paella to remain at his post. " • It appsars that for the last three or four menthe, the inhabitants of Le- banon, discontented with their condition, and excited by it is not Ivell known who, have been preparing a revolt among the Drusesand Christians against their Fmk and the Egyptian Government. A pretext for the explosion of the plot was still wanting; wlien an order from Mehemet Ali to the Emir Decide to collect all the tire-arms formerly distrilmted among the Christians of the mountain furnished one. The incendiaries persuaded the credulous peasants that the only reason for biking their arms from them at present, was to deprive them of the means of resisting the grinding exactions it was resolved to intimate upon them in Ibture. They told the Druses that they were menaced with a new Conscription ; the Christian that Mehemet Ali, reduced to extremities, seemed resolved to demand their contingents also. These are unworthy falsehoods. Mehemet All has on foot more troops than Ile meals. He only demanded back the arms formerly itttrusted to the Christians for a temporary purpose—to arm, without drawing upon his magazines of reserve, the new recruits levied in Egypt. But the incendianies did not confine themselves to this calumny : they have spread a report that a 'Russian army and an English squadron were about to invade Syria; that they would arrive to assist the mountaineers at the first report ofthe insurrection. " Instiee teat by these lidsehnotls,the influence of which was strengthened by Their miserable condition, the mountaineers resisted the summons of the Emir to deliver up their arms, and marching in groups of some hundreds each, they made a simultaneous movement upon SCitta, Beyrouth, Djehail, nod Tripoli, where they attempted to force the lines of posts stationed half a league from the walls, as cordons sanilaires ; they thus interrupted the communications by land in all directions.
EnVing WIC(' in their attack on the posts—not daring to attack the towns, for there were strong garrisons; in them—the insurgents contented themselves aitls ravagieg the mighbourbood, stud stationing themselves in difficult posi- tions, with a view, I think, of tempting the regular troops to attack them there. But Soliman Paella had delettched by vessels to all parts of the coast orders not to attack the insurgents, except in the event of their assaulting the walls and gates of The cities. The General was of opinion, that if the insur- rection was widely :Treed through the country., a rash engegement might create a risk of its extension ; that if it was only an enterprise of some worth- less individunls backed by a few imbeciles, it would die away, and was not worth the shedding of blood. "4 In effect, we saw after the second day, the party which is stationed near Sada return towards the village of Mahout, where about 2,000 men had been drawn toga:tine, Then return, and retreat a second and a third time. These onliwtma toss liad no plan, no influential chiefs, no resources; they ran from village to ii lege in search of food. " • During this time the Emir Beeltir endeavoured by his representations and those of Ids emissaries to quiet the insurgents slut rend them to their avoca- tions. lie succeeded in this by degrees. The party at A in-Mazbout dispersed in a few days; those of Beyrouth and Tripoli remained in the vicinity of these towns. At Tripoli they did not dare to attempt any thing; at Beyrouth the band attempted an attack upon the lazaretto, and tot some men without effecting any thiog. Affairs remain in this attitude. III the interior of the mountain Li ry thing has remained quiet, or has been restored to under. The roads are opt ii in all directions. If the 1,000 or 1,500 blockgunrds who per- sist in their insurrection do not soon return to their homes, force will be em- ployed ogainst them, and a few battalions will sullice to track them like a baud of thieves.
The insurrection may therefore Ihr the meanwhile be regarded as at an cud ; it no Imger disquiets the authorities in the slightest degree. But here is a curious circumstance that has been discovered. A certain Count Ilonfroy and a Piedmontese, engaged as an instructor in the Turkish army, have been seen amoug the insurgents. The former, it is said, has been several mout Its on the mountain, on the pretext of learning the Amide lan- guage. lie has pushed to revolt as ninny men as he could seduce in the dis- trict of Zouk, peopled entirely by Christians, mid has given each armed indi- vidual who came to him a pound and a hall of powder, bulls, and a ceckade or- namented with a cross as a mark of recognizance. To some of these pour de- luded people he has paid 2.!: piastres per diem. Wbo is this Count llonfroy ? whence does he come ? what does Ile Mtn at ? is he a fanatic come to plant the Papal banner and preach a massacre of the Saracens ? is he an emissary salaried by some power which has an interest in perpetuati ii g the troubles of Syria? This latter supposition seems the more probable. The presence of the Pied- montese instructor in the service of the Porte, who has played the saute pane as M. Ilonfroy, gives room to suspect an intrigue from Constantinople. " In a few dey.s we will see clearly. Meanwhile, observe in what a pain- ful and dangerous situation. the delays of European politics place the Govern- went of Mehemet AIL I do not believe that such riots as the present can seriously endanger the well-established !authority of the Viceroy ; lint they ruin the country ; they render abortive, by throwing discredit on them, the pro- gressive tendencies of the Government. This may suit the views of the Porte ; or flatter the secret amhition of certain eftbitieta in Europe; but does not France perceive the iusidious bias given to her protege and herself? '" *
Previous page
