ible ones is as a storm against a
wall.

A caravan has just come across the desert from Aleppo, with a guard of
500 men, consisting of 300 camels. Letters brought by a Tartar from
Constantinople have all been detained by the Pasha, except a few on
mercantile concerns which have been delivered. So many packets sent by
Constantinople have been in one way or another detained, that I have
no other hope of letters than what my most gracious Lord's approved
love gives me; all which he really desires me to have I shall receive,
and more I would desire not to wish for.

We have just heard, that Major T----'s brother, and the gentlemen who
left Mousul were pursued by 500 Arabs; but all escaped except a horse
of the Capidji,[13] an officer of the Sultan's, which was laden with
money, collected by his master for the government at Constantinople;
he could not go fast enough, so he fell into the hands of the Arabs.

[13] A Capidji Bashi is a messenger of the Porte, to collect
money, or bear especial messages of any sort.

The Roman Catholic bishop has received accounts that Algiers is taken
by the French, and also some forts in its neighbourhood. Aleppo is
quiet, though the Arabs are in the neighbourhood.

Our new Moolah has expressed his surprise at the contents of the New
Testament, and wonders how Mohammedans can speak against it as they
do. He intends coming to our Armenian schoolmaster on Sundays to read
it with him; may the Lord most graciously send down his Spirit upon
them, that the one who undertakes to teach what he does not know, may,
by discovering his ignorance, be led to the fountain of all wisdom;
and may the other learn to love him whose holy, heavenly, and divine
name he has blasphemed.

The cholera is much about, but the Lord preserves us all safe.

The Pasha has made up his differences with the Arab tribe, and all the
troops have returned, except those under Mr. Littlejohn, which still
remain out for fear of an attack before all the harvest is thrashed
and brought in.

There are symptoms of great fear on the part of the Pasha, that a
struggle is actually going on among those around him for superseding
him in his Pashalic, in which they have apparently much probability of
success, as the Porte has been greatly injured by his unwillingness to
meet her necessities and afford her pecuniary help. Our security,
however, is in this, that amidst all, the Lord knoweth them that are
his, and will defend them a