90 ACRE. 
CHAP. This it was that gave to an old man pent up in 
s. .,« / a small tower by the sea-side the extraordinary 
empire he possessed. Djezzar had with him, 
in a state of constant imprisonment, many of 
the most powerful Chieftains of the country. 
The sons of the Princes of Lihanus remained 
Druses. with him always as hostages ; for the Druses \ 
inhabiting all the mountainous district to the 
north and east of Seide, were constantly liable 
to revolt. Sir Sidney Smith, by cultivating an 
alliance with this people, when the French were 
endeavouring to march through Syria, prevented 
their affording assistance to our enemies. He 
undertook to gauranty their safety from all 
attacks, whether of the French or of Djezzar : 
and when the latter, most unjustifiably, violated 
his treaties with them, he enabled them to pro- 
tect their territory. It was this circumstance 
which, ever honourable on the part of Sir 
(1) A sect of ^ra 6s inhabiting the environs of Mount Liham(s ; so 
called from their founder, siirnamed El Durzi, who came from Perna 
into Egypt in the year 1020. (See Egniont and Hny man's Trav, vol. I . 
p. 293.) Niebuhr and P'blnej/hciye given a full account of their history. 
It has been ignorantly supposed that they are the offspring of a colony 
oi French Crusaders; but their name occurs in the Itineiary oi Ben- 
jamin oi Tudela, written anterior to the CrMsarfe*'; in their language, 
moreover, although speaking Jrahic, they have a dialect of their own. 
Pococke fell into the error of their ('hristian origin. " If any accoiint," 
says he, " can be given ofthe original of the Druses, it is, tlnat theyare 
the remains of the Chrisiian armies in the Holy War." Descript, of 
the East, p. 94. Lond, 1745. 
