e. This news was brought by priest Bernardus, of
Gzir, mentioned in Shidiak's statement.

3. The brother of J. about whom he was so solicitous, returned last
evening in safety, with the following letter in Asaad's own hand
writing.

"To our respected brother J. ----. After expressing my love to you, I
have to say, that your letter by your brother ----, arrived in safety,
and I have understood it. In it you and ----, inquire after my health.
May the Lord pour out his grace upon you, and follow you with his
blessings. As to me, I am at present in health, with regard to my
_body_, but as to other circumstances, your brother will give you
information. Love to cousin ----, your wife. Pray send me word
respecting you every opportunity, and may the Lord lengthen your days.
From your brother.

"ASAAD ESH SHIDIAK."

This letter is certainly genuine, and is a full proof of what nature the
insanity is, under which he labours. It has greatly relieved the anxiety
we felt from the report of yesterday.

From the verbal account, given by the lad who brought the letter, the
following are selected as the most important particulars. He entered the
convent on his arrival, and seeing nobody but the keeper of the
prison-room, obtained leave to go in, and see Asaad alone. He found him
sitting on the bare floor, _with a heavy chain around his neck, and
firmly fastened at the other end into the wall_. His bed had been
removed together with all his books and writing materials, and (what is
considered here the extreme of privation,) he was left without a pipe.

The lad continued with him an hour or two, without being discovered by
any one but the keeper. During the conversation, Asaad observed, that
not long since he was sent to Koshia, as a man possessed of a devil, and
that he escaped from that place and had arrived near Tripoli, when he
was taken by a party of Maronites, and brought back to the patriarch. He
had, since that time, been kept regularly at Cannobeen, subject
occasionally to beating and insult, from such as might call in to see
the heretic. We understood the man to say, that the patriarch even
instructed the common people to spit in his face, and call him by odious
names, in order to shame him into submission. Asaad gave his advice that
we should either send some one with a horse, and get him away by
stealth, or get the consul to interfere by writing to the pasha. The
letter w