them also. Then they were forced to defend their lives, and those dependent on them, so that a combat took place between the two parties, and, in spite of the small number of the villagers, and the superiority of the Christians in that respect, it did not take long before these latter were routed and put to flight, so that the Druses returned home.

On the same day, the band of Zahleh, stationed in the village of KabrElyas, went out into the mountain with the view of finding Ali Bey El'Amad, who resided there in the village of 'Ayn-Dara, for the protection of the Damascus road, as he was commissioned to do. When they approached the entrance to that village with their bands, which amounted to about 3,000 fighting men, the said Ali Bey went out to drive them away, attended by his servants and the people of the village, who were under 200 fighting men in number. A battle took place between the two in the Debur valley, which lies near the village. The noise of the combat reaching to the adjacent districts, successive arrivals of brave men brought him succour, and the struggle was prolonged until the band from Zahleh was routed and returned to the caravanserai Khan Morad, situated near to the village of Kabr-Elyas, where it took up its quarters. The battle was then renewed; they were surrounded by the men, and the fight pressed sore upon them. It took but a short time to rout them again, when they fled in confusion to the various districts of Zahleh. The number of Druses engaged in the whole of this affair did not, however, amount to 1,000 fighting men; and the said 'Ali Bey El 'Amad was wounded in the combat, while the Sheykh Hamud 'Abdu-'I-Melik was slain therein, although he had come solely to make inquiries and to prevent hostilities, and was unarmed, being generally known as one of the chief wishers for peace.

On the above-mentioned day, a band of Christians went forth from Deir-el-Kamar to go to the lower 'Urkub. On nearing the village of Kafr-Nabrakh, the residence of Mulham Bey El-'Amad, the Bey went forth to repel them, and a combat ensued, when they were beaten, and had to turn back again.

On the next day, Wednesday [30th May], the bands of Ba'abda went forth to attack the manor of Upper Gharb. And as soon as news of this expedition reached his Excellency the Governor of the province, he sent his interpreter to them, with several military officers, to advise them to desist from their design, and to caution them as to the consequences of this attack. But they would not listen to this, and proceeded to the place they had in view. And when they entered the nearest parts of the Gharb, and began to set fire to several places therein, the men of the Gharb went out against them, defeated them, and put them to flight; neither did they give up the pursuit until his Excellency the said Governor restrained them, and put a stop to the combat.

On this day, a body of Maronites, collected together in the Metin from Zahleh and other places, advanced against the Druse villages situated in the vicinity of the Christian districts, which villages had already been abandoned by the inhabitants. They set fire to the villages of Karna'il and Kafr-Selwan, with others, and then advanced against the remaining Druse quarters. Upon this, the Druse inhabitants went forth to repel them, when a battle ensued, which lasted a long while, until the Christians were driven back in confusion to their own districts.

On the same day a fight took place in the village of Hamana, and, after a fierce siege, the Christians were routed there also. Again, on the same

date, at about midnight, many shots were heard in various directions in the plain of the Shuwayfat from all the guardians placed towards the west of the village, in the direction of the band of the Muallaka; and, as is usual when such things occur on the part of the guardians, it was understood as a signal of the arrival of a band to attack the place. For this reason, the inhabitants began to take measures of precaution, and to prepare to meet the approaching band. Some few went out to obtain information in the direction of the guardians, and found a multitude of men under arms, and one of the guardians killed. And when they advanced towards them, they fired at them, and moved on towards them; so that they were under the necessity to return the fire of the advancing party. After fighting for a certain while, they were defeated, and left the road leading to the village.

The next day, Thursday [31st May], the bands of Christians who were assembled in Beyt Meri, advanced to attack the Druses of the village of 'Ibadiyya, and the bands assembled in Salima, 'Ubaniyya, Ba'badat, and Bekfiya, to attack the Druses of the village of Ras. When each of the bodies had reached the vicinity of the place it was to attack, the inhabitants came out to repel them, and fighting went on for the space of eight hours, until the Christians cleared away and returned in disorder.

On the day following, Friday [1st June], as a number of Druses from Manasif were reaping a field belonging to them, near to Deir-el-Kamar, a party of Christians from Deir-el-Kamar went out to attack them, and fired at them; this led to a fight.

Another party went out to attack the Druses of the two villages Kafrhamal and Kafr-katra, both belonging to the manor of Manasif; a battle ensued, and the noise was heard in the neighbouring districts. People flocked in promiscuously at the sound, to give succour; and when they had become numerous, the Christians began to set fire to the houses of the Druses, in the Deir-el-Kamar. Upon this the fighting became serious, and attacks were mutually made on both sides; but the Christians were beaten, and took refuge in the village, pursued by the Druses until they had occupied it; and they penetrated it in various places until nightfall, when certain of the leading men came forward and drew them away from fighting; upon which, each of them went away home.

The same day a party of Christians started from Jizin to attack the Druses of the village of Niha. The inhabitants went out to meet them, a fight ensued, and fresh combatants kept coming up to the assistance of both parties. The combat waxed fiercer and fiercer, until the result declared in the rout of the Christians in the whole of those districts.

On the same day again, Yusuf, the bleacher, delegate of the Christians of the district of Tuffah, went out with a band he had collected in the village of Derbu-'s-Sin, to attack Kasim El-Yusuf, who was on the river of the bridge of Sidon, keeping guard over the possessions of Sa'id Bey Janbulat, situate in that direction. When we neared the spot, they met and fought, when the bleacher and his party were discomfited.

On Monday, the 17th of the same month (4th June, 15th Zi-'l-Ka'da), the bands of Zahleh, stationed at Humma-Kafr-Selwan, attacked the Druses of the village of Fatugha; and, as it chanced that his Excellency the great Governor of the province had set out on the road to Damascus to prevent a gathering which he had heard there was a particular intention of forming, his Excellency prohibited any succour being sent to the Druses, and sent the most peremptory orders to their chiefs in the vicinity to prevent any

relief from being sent to them; but, as the village of Falugha is near the village of Karnail, a party of Druses resident there had already set out to assist before the orders arrived, so the fight waxed hot, and the Christians retired defeated. His Excellency immediately sent some men of note among the Druses to turn them back, and to put out the flames of this misadventure.

After that, the Druses had arrived in the neighbourhood of Zahleh, and, on Tuesday, the 24th of the month (12th June), took place the arrival of the levies of the Hawran and of the valley of Tim and their environs, in the Bekâa; for, so soon as the news was received in those quarters that the Maronites of the Druse Mountain, with their co-operators belonging to other sects, had risen openly to carry out what they designed in respect of extirpating all traces of the Druse nation from the Druse Mountain, and establishing their own supremacy there, and that they had begun to form bands and to attack the Druses, their zeal for their kinsmen was kindled, and a large body of them came forward to ascertain the truth and to assist.

The next day, Wednesday (13th June), as a small party, established at Ber-Eliyas (Kabr-Elyas ?), about an hour and a-half's journey from Zahleh, were attacked by the horsemen of Zahla, a combat ensued between them, and the flames of war raged until the horsemen of Zahleh were worsted and retired into the village.

Then, as had been the case from the beginning, the utmost endeavours were used to prevent the least thing from happening, and to take away all cause of (trouble), and to bring about the return of tranquillity; and, since the presence of those levies in the places mentioned was a cause of disquiet, instant efforts were made by the Kaimakam to restrain the said army, and cause them to return home quietly. He sent for Sheik Mahmud El-'Ïd, one of the chief priests [or elders] of the Mountain, whose love of peace and security was well known, and commissioned him to go and advise them, and set them right, employing all possible means to effect that purpose. He went to them, and, after much discussion, he received from their sheikhs and chieftains the promise to undertake nothing for the space of three days, founded upon the consideration that every pains was being taken to effect a reconciliation between the two nations; that delay expired without the accomplishment of this purpose, and then a fresh term of four days was arranged with them.

But, on Monday, the 29th of the month, on which this second delay was arranged, as some Druse horsemen were picketed (?) in the lands of Sa'dNa'il, at about an hour's distance from Zahleh, a body of Zahleh horsemen fell upon them, and a battle was begun. The remaining bodies of Druses present thereabouts gathered by degrees to the noise of the combat; fresh parties issued from Zahleh, and the flames of war raged outside of the village between them. Before very long, the bands of Zahleh retreated to the village, and intrenched themselves there. The parties of Druses surrounded it, attacked it, and entered it by storm, sword in hand. Those who were therein fled in disorder to the Mountain.

On Wednesday (20th June) the first of Zi-'l-hijja, news spread over most districts of the Mountain that fighting had occurred at Deir-el-Kamar, and that it was undergoing a siege. Then men began to flock there from places in the vicinity. When the more advanced parties of these gatherings arrived there, and shots began to be fired from the houses, a certain number of these Druses were struck. Then it was they attacked the place,

and took possession of the whole town, killing a large number of those Christians whom they found therein.

When his Excellency the Governor of the province heard of this, he instantly mounted his horse, and, taking with him a part of the regular and of the hired troops, set out in haste for the village. On arriving there, he ordered the fighting to be stopped, and the evacuation of the place by the Druses, who were there. He then received information that affairs were in a critical state in the city and its environs, upon which he returned thitherwards, and, after giving the necessary directions and orders, he again went out to the camp of the regular troops.

His Excellency had already given orders for the two Kaimakams of the Mountain to come into Beyrout, with as many as were necessary of the lords of manors, members of local councils, and persons of distinction among the inhabitants, in order to deliberate upon what might be necessary to be done in the actual condition of affairs, so as to change this into a state of peace and calm.

In pursuance of that mandate, the two Kaimakams, and the others, came in, and, after lengthened discussions between the two parties upon the several questions above mentioned, the mutual consent and agreement of both parties was given, and peace was made as occurred between the two races after the war of '61; which is, that each agrees to give and forget the past (to let bygones be bygones), to bring no actions, and raise no claims either now or in future, from the time when these troubles broke out into general warfare until the present time; and hereupon binding contracts were written.

On the 23rd September Lord Dufferin sent to Lord J. Russell a copy of a narrative he requested Mr. Robson to draw up of the circumstances under which the massacres of Damascus have occurred. Mr. Robson was an Irish Presbyterian missionary. He was a person of sober judgment and great intelligence. He has been a resident at Damascus for eighteen years; he spoke Arabic perfectly; and was naturally in a position to speak with very considerable authority on everything connected with the country. His narrative, combined with that of Mr. Graham's, will form a trustworthy and connected history of the deplorable events which have deluged this province with human blood.

MEMORANDUM.

From the commencement of the war between the Christians and the Druses in Lebanon, the Christians of Damascus were in the greatest alarm, for their Moslem fellow-citizens indulged constantly in very threatening and very insulting language towards them. Whenever they went into the bazaars or streets in the Moslem quarter of the city, men and boys applied offensive and degrading epithets to them and their religion, cursed them, and often spoke of a rising against them. The repeated successes of the Druses increased the insolence of the one party and the terror of the other. The murders of the Christians in Kinakir, known in the city on the 11th of June; the massacres in Hasbeya and Rasheya; the outrages committed by the Moslems and Druses in villages in every direction in the surrounding country, and the sight of the wretched fugitives who flocked to the city for safety and food, to the number of 5,000 or 6,000, excited and emboldened the Moslems, and intensified the terrors of the Christians.

The impression began to prevail among all sects and classes that the Government itself desired and intended the destruction of the Christians. They were retained in the city only by the impossibility of escaping to any safe place. The fall of Zahleh, and the massacre in Deir-el-Kamar, added to the exultation of the Moslems, and rendered the panic of the Christians extreme and universal.

During all this time the Moslems became more assuming, insolent, and threatening; the insults heaped on the Christians more numerous, shameful, and alarming; while the Christians became more terrified, subdued, and cringing. They seemed to yield up at once all the rights and liberties which they had gained during the last twenty-seven years. They did not venture to ride any animal in the city; they ceased to resent any insult, or complain of any injury; they abstained from demanding payment of debts or enforcing claims against Moslems; they submitted in silence to impositions, and sometimes to assaults. To avoid the abuse to which they were exposed they ceased to frequent the cafés, the walks in the gardens, and other places of public resort, and almost abandoned their shops and business in the city. Few of them hoped that the approaching feast of the Kurban Beiram would pass without an attack on their quarter; and during the four days of the feast they confined themselves almost entirely to their houses and their own quarter.

The festival began on the 29th of June. On that day troops were stationed in the Christian quarter, and gave some encouragement to them. But they knew that the Imperial troops had been present at all the massacres of their brethren in the mountains, and that some of the officers and many of the men sent to their quarter had been themselves at those of Hasbeya and Rasheya; and the more they talked of these circumstances and reflected on them, the greater became their anxiety and their distrust of the soldiers.

The Beiram passed over, and they breathed a little more freely; but as the bearing of the Moslems did not become less insolent and hostile, and as Christians and Christianity were as much insulted as before, great anxiety and terror were still felt.

However, by Monday, 9th July, as nothing serious had happened in the city, and as there had been no further massacres elsewhere, the Christians had generally persuaded themselves that the danger which had distressed and terrified them so much and so long was nearly over.

It appears that some Moslems took pains to reassure them. On the previous evening, the now infamous Mustafa Bey-el-Hawàsaly called on several of the principal Christians to persuade them that there was no longer any reason to fear, and that they might go to sleep with their doors. open, and he would guarantee their perfect safety. On the 9th July, therefore, the poor Christians congratulated one another that they had escaped, and they generally returned, after a long intermission, to their usual occupations. The Government clerks went to the seraglio; the shopkeepers resumed their business; the tradesmen went to their work; the children were sent to school.

On that day the Pasha ordered two young Moslems to be put in irons for insulting Christians, and about two o'clock P.M. they were sent to sweep the streets. Immediately, as if this had been a preconcerted signal, the people in the principal bazaars began to shut their shops, call on the religion of Mahommed, curse infidels, excite one another to arm and attack