The following account of the insurrection in Syria, a matter
of more interest than at first appeared, is abridged from a letter dated lleyruth, Ilth June 1840, which trims communicated to time Journal tics 1)e'hats by a " distinguished inhabitant " of that place.
" After the revolt of the l)ruses of llamian two years at and after the less of an army of 15,000 men, Ibrahim l'acha, not being none to subdue the in- surgents, cunningly sought to accomplish his object by terming the Christians (who had been disarmed after the Egyptian lni rr ssi in) against them, as moun- taineers habituated to guerilla warfitro. Yon know the issite—the pardon granted to the rebels, and the honours which Nsere obtained. by Chebly-el- 13erean, the promoter and leader of the revolt. In recompense or the impor-
tant service then rendered to the by the Christians, Mehemet Ali issued a firman, granting them 2.4,000 muskets, and promi' 1 that the impositions upon them should not be heavier than those taken by the Sultan. arms were for them, for their children, and their children's children, according to the expression employed."
1%Iennwhile, the public works and imposts Iveiglied down time inhabi- tants of Lebanon more and inure. 'file otitsliirt towns became daily crowded with beggars from the mountains---
" Snort' European usurers took advantage of their wants, and deprived them even of the bread destined for their progeny. They lent to the unhappy pea- sants certain sums, on condition of the delivery of the coining harvest of cotton, eorn, &c.; giving than not more than It ill the real value, rat making them pay interest at the rate of from 40 to 3rI pr cent. The ban est arrived: the debtor was unable to pay the quantity stipulated ; the quantity deficient was valued according to the price of thi.i day ; and their creditors compelled them to sign new contracts on the same footing for the coming year. This it was which reduced the mountaineers of Naplint,,,, Nazareth, Mr. to such a state of misery, that whole villages were dc,ci1,11, the people escaping to the moun- tains, where they actually lived upon gross.. Theit ilesplir may be imagined at the time when news arrived in S.% ria that the i.'hristiatis in Egypt Were en- rolled in the National Guard. The prolessms that faith hint always been exempted from military duty of any limn. The entire population of Syria in- stantly lied to the mountains, and this enotra,m, migration was dr,:eted in n single day ; and there they remained until they learned that their fears were prematitre. 'limy gradually returned to fair homes, and tranquillity was nearly restored, when the Government published that most absurd and impolitic order, which required the inhabitants to deliver up their arms, and to pay the impositions fur seven years in adv,dite. Stureiitetion succeeded this act of madness.
itmittittiiticers Ling expert ,l to they frater-
nized with the Druses, their s;%orl., ntara, in reli,jon. It esern.s were posted
all the churches ; and wlmi m: Goverimimment tlirmm, tor the inask, the priests, ,N11() 1111.1 SITIVIly ;:•1' 1'. V1.111, Sp.% Oat, 1111.11,01,11y. From the EVallgerIVIII 1111:141 ,11111!:3,71:,1 11.1.11!■.. I • 1].-.s. The smr:e persons who had so often invok Giiii's :nese on the 1): and the i\l‘ittri!is• Polish them their children, and pk-seti!,:l to the 'la the name of the Sa- viour, to look Imp:mem them as troth,,.. 'Ile 1,,.,!;pier'the 29th of May. Under the pretext of the plmegime ivtiirp prcmm:miii mi at Damascus, the Governor of lleyrath hail that same day (tittered ILO, sanitaire tie() or -Mill troops should surround the town, to stop communication it ith the ex- terior ;" but he was obliged to will:ill:tit. it save the soldiers from being onus- sacred. "Tlw next day 500 very ill firmed mountaineers attacked the Laza- retto, that is situated half it hiiteute leo. the tiri.vn and defended by 200 sol- diers; the following day they again cep..itted the same attack without sneeess; for they were ill-armed, sit had was smm:mrce. The attack of the Lazaretto can:eil the death or (tot ittak.iati,,,,, ,o, one ,ide or the other. Since that time the mamba. of insureeete ;mass_ii to le srly 2.1;o0. it the yulagos of Anti•Lehannn hare revolted, I ;ma ;ailment p uds are ell int,,,,..rted, and
the despatches read. The rebels show. the greatest respect for all th.tt hdongs to tloi Eitrupeauts; the English pasts of Gainaseits and Aleppo, wilhdi had a
great Mal ofel,111 nith till'111, b tic tceu (•4111%"1,c,h 1.1' time imtirg,imts, in order
. • ,
that nothing shoula happ,n .\\ hat 1,i ist,11:■ri•-.:111! 111 this is, that the
" That the 24,000 muskets which were granted to them by Mehemet All at the time of the war of Hauran, and of which they have only received 12,000, should be completed; that the impositions shall not be heavier than those col- lected by Abdallah Pacha ; that Egyptian soldiers who desert their standard abould be free amongst them, and not liable to be pursued as deserters."
Troops were expected every moment. Beyruth contained only 1,500 men. The insurgents, knowing this, reckoned on returning immediately on their arrival to their mountains, where no earthly power can reduce them. They will obstruct the roads, and intercept the communications. They expect the French ; whom from generation to generation they call upon to come and take possession of a land which belongs to them, since it was theirs in ancient times.
A postscript to the letter says that a corvette has just arrived from Alexandria, with despatches for the French Consul.
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