Travels to the City of the Caliphs, Along the Shores of the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean (Volume 1); Including a Voyage to the Coast of Arabia, and a Tour on the Island of Socotra - James Raymond Wellsted

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1840. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... 368 DAMASCUS REVISITED. CHAPTER XX. Damascus revisited--Death of a Pacha--Capuchins--Visit Lebanon, its Cedars--Hurricane--Reflections. I Paid a second visit to Damascus some months after the former, and found a considerable change had taken place in the politics of that city. For many centuries it had stoutly withstood the impost of any taxes, when Selim Pacha was directed to replace my old friend (who proceeded to India), and, as the price of his appointment was to carry into effect certain ad valorem taxes, a rebellion was the result, and Selim took shelter in the castle, where he was starved, for the time, into an abandonment of his designs. It was, however, but for a time, for he had no sooner collected together a party, than he again endeavoured to enforce the same measures. Nothing less now than his life would satisfy the infuriated townsmen, and one morning they rose simultaneously, and marched to his dwelling. Selim PACHA'S DEATH. and his adherents defended themselves bravely; one by one his followers fell, until at length he was left alone; retiring then to a small apartment furnished with a massive door, he for a long time resisted the utmost efforts of his foes to force it. Here he continued to fire through one of the apertures until twenty-three are said to have fallen by his hand; his bullets were now expended; collecting, therefore, all the powder (it was in a magazine) into a heap, he placed upon this his cushion, and there seated himself to await the moment when they should force the door. By the aid of fire, this they at length effected--it burst open. "Benim (enter)," said the Pacha, coolly turning his pipe over on the powder, and in an instant, he and some hundreds of his foes were blown to pieces. The matter was now ended, and on th...