Statute of the 6th of September 1864, and the subsequent history
of the Lebanon Druses is one of gradual withdrawal from the jurisdiction
of that state, in which they see their ancient independence
irretrievably compromised, and their religion subordinated to Christian
supremacy. Many now emigrate, when occasion offers, to America.

Meanwhile, the Hauran, the old seat of the Shehab family and Hermon
Druses, had been steadily receiving a Druse influx, since the day of Ain
Dara (see above). Towards the close of the 18th century some 600
families left Lebanon for the Hauran, in discontent with the rule of the
Shehab dynasty, and their place and property were taken by 1500 families
driven out of Jebel Ansarieh by Topal Ali in 1811. The Hauran Druses
increased by the middle of the 19th century to 7000 souls. They had
successfully resisted Ibrahim, the Egyptian, in 1839 in the Lija, and
asserted complete independence of the Turks, living under a theocratic
government directed by the chief Akil in Suweda. A great effort, made by
Kibrisli Pasha in 1852 to subdue the Hauran, came to nothing. In 1879
the population numbered 20,000, and by a murderous raid attracted the
attention of Midhat Pasha, then vali of the province of Syria. After
experiencing one disaster he defeated their forces and imposed a
_kaimakam_, at first drawn from the Talhuks, but subsequently chosen
from the Atrash family of Kunawat. But the Druses still refused to pay
taxes, to serve in the Ottoman army, or to recognize the _kaimakam_, and
maintained their contumacy under the lead of the Jumblat, till 1896;
when, as the result of a military expedition under Tahir Pasha and a
great defeat at Ijun, a compromise was arrived at, under which the
Druses agreed to pay taxes, but to serve in their own territory only as
a frontier guard. The government was put into the hands of a mutessarif
resident at Sheikh Saad, under whom are _kaimakams_ at Suweda and
Salkhad. Since that epoch there has been comparative peace between the
Druses and the government, largely because the latter, having learned
wisdom, leaves the people very much to itself, maintaining only a small
garrison of regular troops, and enlisting Druse police for service in
Jebel Druz itself. The Druses are allowed to carry on their feuds with
the Bedouins of the E. Desert as they will, so long as they do not
disturb western districts. With the recent opening out of the W. Hauran
by railway, the Druse sheikhs a