Sir Moses Montefiore : a centennial biography with selections from letters and journals

PURCHASED FOR THE

University of Toronto Library

FROM THE

Joseph and Gertie Schwartz
Memorial Library Fund

FOR THE SUPPORT OF

Jewish Studies

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1

SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE.
Afl«r a Pholograi li by F.lliut & Fry. I^udoa.

SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE

2r Centennial BiograpljB

WITH

SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND JOURNALS

By LUCIEN wolf

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE

1885

W

PREFACE.

The following biography has been compiled entirely
from official records and other reliable data. I have to
thank many kind friends for their assistance. Mr. E. H.
Lin do, Secretary to the Spanish and Portuguese Syna-
gogue, and Mr. Lewis Emanuel, Secretary to the Board
of Deputies, opened to me the important archives com-
mitted to their care. Mr. J. B. Montefiore, Mr. F. D.
Mocatta, Mr. H. Guedalla, Dr. L. Loewe, Mr. Edwin
Arnold, and Signor Cesar Olivetti of Turin placed at my
disposal a great deal of anecdotic and other information,
and Mr. Guedalla most painstakingly revised the proof-
sheets. Among the sources of information not acknowl-
edged in the following pages I must gratefully mention
Mr. Israel Davis's Biographical Sketch of Sir Moses
Montefiore, reprinted from the Times i and the files of
a large number of Jewish newspapers, particularly the
Jewish World and Jewish Chronicle of London.

L. W.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE.
The Montefiore Family. — Origin of its Name. — Montefiores at
Ancona. — Settlement of the Family in Leghorn. — Moses Vita
Montefiore Comes to England. — Commercial Career. — Jews in
London in 1760. — Descendants of the Jewish Hidalgos. — Abra-
ham Lumbrozo de Mattos Mocatta. — Benjamin D'Israeli. — Moses
Vita Montefiore's Family. — Adventures of Joshua Montefiore. —
Sir Moses' Father Marries a Daughter of Abraham Mocatta. —
Antiquity of the Mocatta Family. — Mose Mocato a Literary Con-
temporary of Spinoza. — Messrs. Mocatta & Goldsmid of London.
— Connection with the Lamegos and Disraelis. — Joseph Elias
Montefiore. — His Family. — Birth of Moses Montefiore. — Moses
Montefiore's Education and Apprenticeship page 1

CHAPTER n.

COMMERCIAL CAREER.
Moses Montefiore Enters the Stock Exchange. —Jewish Brokers.
— Eminent Jews in the City. — Abraham Montefiore Joins his
Brother.— Nathan Maier Rothschild Establishes Himself in Lon-
don.— Montefiore's Marriage. — Connection of the Montefiores with
the Rothschilds. — First News of Waterloo. — Transactions of the
New Court Financiers. — Death of Abraham Montefiore. — Retire-
ment of Moses Montefiore. — The Alliance Insurance Company.
— Story of its Establishment. — The Imperial Continental Gas
Association.— The Slave Loan.— Park Lane Sixty Years Ago. . 13

CHAPTER III.

FIRST VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND.

May Day, 1827.— The Start from Park Lane.— London to Dover in
Twelve Hours. — Posting through France. — Aged Poor on the
Route. — Dangers of Eastern Travel. — The Greek Insurrection

viii Contents.

and the Powers.— Pirates in the Mediterranean.— Mr. Montefiore
Engages a Schooner and is Convoyed to Alexandria by a Sloop
of War.- Chase of a Pirate.— From Alexandria to Cairo.— Inter-
view with Mehemet Ali.— New Year at Alexandria.— Journey to
Jaffa Disguised as Turks.— Reception at Jerusalem.— The Jews
of the Holy Land.— The Return Journey,— Battle of Navarino.—
Admiral Sir William Codrington Intrusts Mr. Montefiore with
Despatches. — Home Again. — Mr. Montefiore and H. R. H. the
Duke of Clarence page 25

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY COMMUNAL LABORS.
Ineligibility of Minors for Membership of the Synagogue.— Mr.
Montefiore Petitions the Council of Elders for Admission. — Peti-
tion Granted on the same Day that a New Chief Rabbi is Elected.
— Mr. Montefiore's Zeal in the Service of the Synagogue. — He
holds Oflace.— Becomes Treasurer.- Isaac Disraeli's Synagogue
Account. — Reaches the Dignity of Pamass. — Signatures in old
Minute-books. — The * ' Montefiore" Almshouses. — Extra-syna-
gogal Labors. — The Lavadores. — The two "Nations" in the Jew-
ish Community. — Mr. Montefiore Disapproves of the Division. —
Contributes by his Marriage and his Advice to its Eradication. —
Devotes himself to the Emancipation Struggle. — Becomes a
Member of the Board of Deputies. — Throws himself with Energy
into the Work.— Purchases East Cliff Lodge.— Could Jews hold
Land?— Former Residents at East Cliff 36

CHAPTER V.

THE JEWS OF ENGLAND (750-1837).
Early History. — Position in the Country Previous to the Expulsion.
— Jewish Learning. —Jewish Heroism. — Siatutum de Judaismo. —
Expulsion by Edward I.— Legend of London Bridge.— Secret
Visits to England. — Return under Cromwell. — Denied Civil
Rights.— Disabilities in 1828.— Mr. Montefiore Devotes himself
to the Emancipation Struggle. — Early History of the Movement
not Encouraging.— The " Jew Bill" of 1753.— Mr. Montefiore
and the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts. — Interviews
with the Duke of Sussex.— Agitation from 1830 to 1837.— Mr.
Montefiore becomes President of the Board of Deputies.— Sheriff
of London.— Knlghted.—Queen Victoria and Sir Moses Monte-
flora.— Capital Punishment.- Sir Moses Montefiore and Marshal
Soult.— Sir Hoses turns his Attention to his Foreign Brethren. .46

Contents. ix

CHAPTER YI.

SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND.
Jews and Agriculture. — Mr. Cobbett's Taunt. — Sir Moses Monte-
fiore Determines to Introduce Agriculture among the Jews of
the Holy Land. — Journey to the East for that Purpose. — Inves-
tigates the Condition of European Communities on his Route.
— Brussels. — Aix-la-Chapelle. — Strasbourg. — Avignon. — Mar-
seilles.— Nice. — Genoa. — Florence. — Papal States. — Disabilities
of the Jews of Rome. — Lady Montefiore Expresses her Indigna-
tion to a Papal Monsignore. — Dr. Loewe. — The Eastern Ques-
tion.— Arrival at Beyrout. — Progress through Palestine. — Enthu-
siastic Receptions. — Safed. — Tiberias. — Jerusalem. — Sir Moses
makes Inquiries into the Condition of the Jews. — Distributes
Money. — Back to Alexandria. — Interview with Mehemet Ali, who
Promises to Assist his Plans. — Return to England.— Changes in
Eastern Politics.— Defeat of Sir Moses' Plans page 57

CHAPTEB VII.

THE DAMASCUS DRAMA.

The "Red Spectre" of Judaism. — Its History and Origin. — Revival
of the Blood Accusation at Damascus in Consequence of the Dis-
appearance of Father Thomas. — The Fanaticism of the Monks
and the Designs of the French Consul. — M. de Ratti-Menton sets
himself to Manufacture a Case against the Jews. — Secures the
Co-operation of the Governor of the City. — Arrest, Torture, and
Confession of a Jewish Barber. — A Jewish Youth Flogged to
Death. — Further Arrests. — The Prisoners Submitted to Terrible
Tortures. — Wholesale Seizure of Jewish Children. — Ratti-Men-
ton's MoucTiards. — Another Confession. — The Bottle of Human
Blood. — Two of the Prisoners Die under Torture. — Protests of the
Austrian Consul. — A Mass over Mutton Bones. — Attempt to Ex-
cite the Mussulman Populace, — The Prisoners Condemned to
Death.— The " Red Spectre" at Rhodes.— Anti- Jewish Risings.. 71

CHAPTER VIII.

THE MISSION TO MEHEMET ALI.

Significance of the new Blood Accusation to the Jews of England.
— Appeals for Help. — Meeting convened by Sir Moses Montefiore.
— Interview with Lord Palmerston. — M. Cremieux has an Audi-
ence of Louis Philippe. — Action of Prince Metternich. — Mehemet
Ali takes Alarm, and Appoints a Consular Commission of
Inquiry.— French Intrigues.— M. Thiers Protests against the

X Contents,

Inquiry. — Resolve to send a Mission to Mehemet All, headed
by Sir Moses Montefiore.— Debate in Parliament.— Indignation
Meeting at the Mansion House. — Acquittal of the Jews of
Rhodes.— Sir Moses Montefiore arrives at Alexandria, and Inter-
views the Viceroy. — Hesitation of Mehemet Ali,— Intrigues of the
French Consul.— Sir Moses Montefiore's Diplomacy.— Its Happy
Results. — Release of the Damascus Prisoners. — The Eastern
Question. — Egypt and the Quadruple Alliance.— Mehemet Ali
Loses Syria.— Sir Moses Montefiore Proceeds to Constantino-
ple, and Obtains an Important Firman from the Sultan.— The
Journey Home.— Sir Moses Montefiore and Louis Philippe.
— Rejoicings of the Jews. — Royal Recognition of Sir Moses' Ef-
forts PAGE 84

CHAPTER IX.

FIVE YEARS OP HOME WORK.
Synagogal Labors.— Sir Moses' Popularity. — Visits to the Congrega-
tional Schools.— He helps to promote Education in the Jewish
Community.— Jews' College, the Jews' Hospital, and the Free
School.— The Board of Deputies. — Its Constitution and Functions.
—Sir Moses Corresponds with Sir James Graham and Sir Robert
Peel in respect to Various Bills before Parliament. — Foreign
Affairs.— The Holy Land.— Sir Moses Montefiore Establishes a
Loan Fund, a Printing Establishment, and a Linen Factory at
Jerusalem. — Assists Agricultural Schemes, and Founds a Free
Dispensary. — He Raises a Relief Fund for the Jews of Smyrna. —
Promotes the Building of a Khan at Beyrout.— The Blood Accu-
sation at Marmora.'— Sir Moses Montefiore and Sir Stratford Can-
ning.— The Jews of Morocco. — Correspondence with Bokhara. —
The " Reform" Movement in the Anglo- Jewish Community. . 100

CHAPTER X.

THE JEWISH QUESTION IN RUSSIA.

Oppressed Condition of the Jews of Russia. — Seriousness of the
Russo-Jewish Question. — Its Origin Religious, not Secular. — The
Modern Charges Refuted by History. — Review of Russo-Jewish
History. — First Settlements of the Jews in the South. — Conversion
of the Khozars to Judaism, — A Jewish Kingdom in Russia. — The
Civilizing Influences of the Jews.— Inroads of the Tartars and
Extinction of the Khozars.— Jewish Settlements in the West.—
Their Privileges.— Gratifying Results of Jewish Colonization.—
Numerousness of the Polish Jews a Source of Congratulation by
Nfttive Historians.— The Russian Prince Sviatopolk Invites the

Contents. xi

Jews into his Dominions. — The Jews held in High Esteem by the
People. — They Serve in the Army. — They Proselytize on an Ex-
tensive Scale. — Judaism Embraced by the Metropolitan of the
Greek Church. — With the Rise of the Power of the Church the
Privileges of the Jews are Curtailed. — Three Centuries of Ghetto
life.— Four Millions of Jews still Oppressed page 111

CHAPTER XI.

RUSSIAN PERSECUTIONS: MISSION TO CZAR NICHOLAS.

The Board of Deputies and the Russo- Jewish Question. — Sir Moses
Montefiore Invited to St. Petersburg by the Russian Government
to Confer with the Minister of Education on the Condition of the
Jews. — Policy of the Czar Nicholas towards the Jews. —The Per-
secuting Ukase of 1843. — Jewish Appeals to Sir Moses Monte-
fiore.— Temporary Suspension of the Ukase. — David Urquhart on
Russian Persecutions. — Reissue of the Ukase. — Sir Moses Monte-
fiore Appeals to Lord Aberdeen to Intercede with the Czar. — The
Ukase is again Suspended. — Promulgated Once More in 1845. —
A Deputation of Russian Jews Arrives in England. — Diplomatic
Representations to the Russian Government are Ineffectual. — Sir
Moses Montefiore Deputed to proceed to St. Petersburg. — Dangers
of the Journey. — Flattering Reception in the Russian Capital. —
The Ukase suspended for a Third Time. — Interview with the Czar.
— Sir Moses proceeds on a Tour of the Western Provinces. — Ad-
ventures on the Journey. — Willingness of the Jews to follow
his Advice. — Triumphant Progress through Jewish Russia. — Sir
Moses Montefiore and Prince Paskievitch. — Revocation of the
Ukase. — Return to England. — Enthusiasm of the English Jews. —
Royal Appreciation of the Mission. — A Baronetcy conferred on
Sir Moses Montefiore 123

CHAPTER XII.

A BUSY DECADE.

Resumption of the Emancipation Struggle.— Mr. David Salomons
and the Court of Aldermen. — Passing of the Municipal Corpora-
tions Bill. — Sir Moses Montefiore and the Duke of Cambridge. —
Accession to Power of Lord John Russell. — Baron Lionel de
Rothschild is Returned to Parliament. — Prevented from Taking
his Seat. — The Premier Proposes to Abolish Jewish Disabilities.
— The Bill is Passed by the Commons but Thrown out by the
Lords.— Sir Moses Montefiore Organizes an Agitation in Favor

zu

Contents,

of the Bill.— Second Defeat of the Bill.— The End of the Strug-
gle.—Who shall be the First Jewish Peer ?— Condition of the
Foreign Jews.— Another Blood Accusation at Damascus.— Sir
Moses Monteflore proceeds to Paris and Interviews M. Guizot
and King Louis Philippe.— Satisfactory Assurances.— The Jews
of Turkey. — Proposed Readmission of the Jews to Spain. — La-
bors of Mr. Guedalla.— Home Affairs.— Three Missions to Pales-
tine.—The " Judah Touro" Legacy.— Useful Works in the Holy
Land.— Sir Moses Monteflore and Said Pasha.— Conversation
with the Khedive on the Suez Canal page 137

CHAPTEE XIIL

THE MORTARA CASE, ETC.

Lady Montefiore's Health gives Cause for Anxiety.— A Winter in
Italy.— Sad Condition of the Italian Jews.— Return to England.—
The Mortara Case.— Abduction of a Jewish Boy by the Roman
Inquisition on the Ground that he had been Secretly Baptized. —
The Pope Refuses to Surrender him.— Appeal to Sir Moses Monte-
flore.— Excitement in Europe. — Another Attempted Secret Bap-
tism.— The Pretensions of the Papacy. — Action of Christian Pub-
lic Bodies in England. — Indignation Meetings. — Consternation
Among the Jews of the Papal States. — Sir Moses Monteflore In-
terviews Lord Malmesbury. — Representations to Napoleon III. —
The Powers Remonstrate with the Papal Government. — Non Pos-
sumtis. — Sir Moses Monteflore Proceeds to Rome. — Kegotiations
with Cardinal Antonelli. — The Pope Refuses to see Sir Moses or
to Surrender the Child. — Subsequent Efforts unavailing. — The
Labors of 1859, 1860, and 1861. — Miscellaneous Foreign Business.
— The Morocco Relief Fund. — Persecution of the Syrian Chris-
tians.— Appeals of Sir Moses Monteflore and M. Cremieux. — The
" Blood Accusation" Tablet at Damascus 153

CHAPTER XIV.

LADY MONTEFIORE

Death of Lady Monteflore.— Her Early Years.— Education.— Mar-
riage,—Participation in her Husband's Humanitarian Work.—
Accompanies Sir Moses on his Foreign Missions.— Diaries of the
Journeys to Palestine.— Extracts from her Journals.— Home Life.
— Anecdote Illustrative of her Benevolence. — Communal Labors.
— Tlie Fuaeral at Ramsgate.— Memorial Foundations.— The
Tomb oa the East Cliff 167

Contents. xiii

CHAPTER XV.

THE JOURNEY TO MOROCCO.
Trip to Constantinople to Obtain a Confirmation of Firmans from
the new Sultan. — Return to England, and Retirement at Rams-
gate. — Appeal from Gibraltar on Behalf of Moorish Jews. — Arrest
and Torture of Twelve Jews at Saffl at the Instance of the Span-
ish Consul. — Execution of Two of the Prisoners. — Sir Moses Hur-
ries to London and Prevails upon the Foreign Secretary to Tele-
graph to Morocco requesting a Stay of Proceedings. — Correspon-
dence with Morocco Discloses a Sad State of AjBfairs among the
Local Jews. — Sir Moses resolves to Proceed to Morocco. — The
Journey to Madrid. — Interview with Queen Isabella. — Friendliness
of the Spanish Government. — Arrival at Tangier. — Release of the
Prisoners. — The Journey into the Interior. — Arrival at Morocco
City. — Imposing Reception by the Sultan. — Promulgation of an
Edict Protecting Jews and Christians. — Second Interview with
the Sultan. — The Return Home. — Audiences with Queen Isabella
and Napoleon III. — Reception in England. — Parliamentary Tri-
bute to Sir Moses Montefiore.— Freedom of the City of Lon-
don PAGE 188

CHAPTER XVI.

ANOTHER BUSY DECADE.

Drought in the Holy Land.— A new Relief Fund.— The Sixth
Journey to Palestine. — The Locust Pest in Palestine. — Sir Moses
Investigates the Condition of the Jerusalem Jewish Community.
— Promotes Public Works in the Holy City. — Holds an Inquiry
respecting a Charge brought against the Safed Jews by the
Rev. Dr. Macleod. — Suggestions for the Application of the Bal-
ance of the Relief Fund.— Death of Dr. Hodgkin.— Persecution
of Jews in Roumania. — Mission to Bucharest. — Interviews with
Prince Charles. — The Prince's Assurances. — Home Labors. — A
Second Journey to Russia. — Reception at St. Petersburg. — Audi-
ence with the Czar Alexander II. — Improved Condition of the
Russian Jews. — Resignation of the Presidency of the Board of
Deputies.— The Montefiore Testimonial Fund 205

CHAPTER XVn.

"forty days' sojourn in the holy land."

le Seventh Journey to the Holy Land. — Diary of the Journey. —
'• Forty Days* Sojourn in the Holy Land." — Arrival at Venice. —
Admiral Drummond Warns Sir Moses against Cholera. — Ancient

xiv Contents,

Intercourse between the Jews of Venice and London. — The Sab-
bath at Sea.— Arrival at Port Said.— Reception at Jaffa. — The
Jews of Jaffa. — On the Way to Jerusalem. — A Moonlight Ride
from Bab-el- Wad. — Enthusiastic Welcome at Jerusalem. — The
Work of the Forty Days. — Georgian Jews and Jewish Hero-
ism.— Sir Moses Suggests Sanitary Improvements at Jerusalem.
— Return Home. — Scheme for the Amelioration of the Condi-
tion of the Palestinian Jews. — Sir Moses Montefiore and Jerusa-
lem PAGE 222

CHAPTER XVin.
Conclusion 237

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Sm Moses Montepioke. After a Photograph. . Frontispiece

East Cliff Villa. Ramsgate To face page 44

Sib Moses Montefiore. From the Portrait by

G. Richmond, R. A To face page 130

In the Gothic Chamber. East Cliff Villa, Ramsgate.

(Showing Portrait op Lady Montefiore.). .To face page 168

SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE.

CHAPTEE I.

FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE.

The Montefiore Family. — Origin of its Name. — Montefiores at Ancona.
— Settlement of the Family in Leghorn, — Moses Vita Montefiore Comes
to England. — Commercial Career.— Jews in London in 1760. — De-
scendants of the Jewish Hidalgos. — Abraham Lumbrozo de Mattos Mo-
catta. — Benjamin D'Israeli. — Moses Vita Montefiore's Family. — Ad-
ventures of Joshua Montefiore. — Sir Moses' Father Marries a Daughter
of Abraham Mocatta. — Antiquity of the Mocatta Family. — Mose Mo-
cato a Literary Contemporary of Spinoza. — Messrs. Mocatta & Gold-
smid of London. — Connection with the Lamegos and Disraelis. —
Joseph Elias Montefiore. — His Family. — Birth of Moses Montefiore. —
Moses Montefiore's Education and Apprenticeship.

One evening, in the early part of the year 1784, a
highly respectable Jewish merchant of the city of Lon-
don announced to his wife, in their cosey drawing-room
at Kennington, that he purposed paying a visit to Italy
at an early date, to buy some advantageous parcels of
straw bonnets, to which his correspondents had drawn
his attention. In those days, when not merely the bor-
ing of the Mont Cenis, but railways themselves, were
undreamed of, such a journey was no light matter. The
wife, however, was young and adventurous, and she gave
her consent to the proposed enterprise on one condition :
that she was not left behind. The husband prudently
declined to contest his partner's whim ; the conjugal

1

2 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

bargain was struck ; the company of the lady's brother
was invited, and the journey was undertaken. Not the
least important incident in this commercial expedition
occurred at Leghorn, on the evening of the 24:th of Oc-
tober, ITStt. The lady in question gave birth to a boy,
whose name was registered in the archives of the local
synagogue as Moses Haim Montefiore. The travellers
were Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Elias Montefiore, of London,
and Mrs. Montefiore's brother, Moses Mocatta, likewise
of London ; the nouveau-ne was the subject of this book.
In the Yia Reale, opposite the new Leghorn Synagogue,
the house is still pointed out in which this event took
place, just one hundred years ago.

Little is known of the family history of the Monte-
fiores beyond the four generations settled in England.
It is generally assumed that they must have come
originally from the small town of the same name in the
Italian province of Ascoli Piceno. The fact has, how-
ever, been overlooked that there are two Montefiores in
Italy, one in the neighborhood of Fermo, and the other
near Forli. No certain evidence exists to connect the
family with either of these places, although, from the
frequent adoption by Jews of surnames from the names
of the towns in which they have resided, there is a
strong probability that at some period it was domiciled
in one of the Montefiores. At the same time the fact
must not be lost sight of that names of flowers or con-
nected with flowers have always been popular with
Jews, and that the name Montefiore itself appears very
frequently among Jews in the German equivalent
Blumberg, together with many kindred names, such as
Bluinenbach, Blumenthal, Rosenberg, Eosenthal, Ros-
oufeld, Veilchenfeld, Lilienfeld, etc.

^amily and Early Life.

The earliest record which has been preserved of the
Montefiore family is neither engraved on stone nor in-
scribed on parchment. It exists appropriately enough
in the shape of a silk ritual curtain, magnificently em-
broidered, and fringed with gold, which, on festive occa-
sions, is suspended before the Ark in the ancient Jewish
Synagogue at Ancona. In the centre of this curtain is
a Hebrew inscription recording its gift to the Synagogue
in 1630 by Leone (Judah) Montefiore, whose wife Ra-
chel, it states, had embroidered and inscribed it with her
own hands. The Montefiores appear to have occupied
a good position as merchants at Ancona, where, through-
out the middle ages, their co-religionists enjoyed the
reputation of a prosperous and industrious class. When
Pius y. expelled the Jews from the States of the Church
he expressly excepted those of Ancona, in order not to
disturb the trade with the East, which was entirely in
their hands. In the latter half of the seventeenth cen-
tury Amadio Montefiore and Ismael Montefiore appear,
from entries in the Synagogue books, to have been prom-
inent members of the Ancona Jewish Community.

At an early period some of the Ancona Montefiores
settled in Leghorn. The Jews of that city enjoyed
even greater prosperity than their brethren in the Adri-
atic port. Their commercial genius was an important
element in the development of commerce and industry
all over Italy, but in Leghorn the tolerance of the Me-
dicis secured them the freest scope for their activity.
Menasseh ben Israel, in his petition to Cromwell for
the readmission of the Jews to England, attributes the
rise of Legliorn entirely to the industry and " mer-
chandising " of the Jews ; and, indeed, their commercial
influence must have been very great, when we find a

4 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

writer relating, in the early part of the eighteenth cen-
tury, that the inhabitants generally, Jew and Gentile,
observed the Jewish Sabbath as a day of rest from bus-
iness. Early in the seventeenth century there were
Montefiores in Leghorn, who signed themselves " Monte-
fiore d'Ancona," thus placing their origin beyond all
doubt. One of them, Isach Yita Montefiore, was a mer-
chant of standing about 1690. He took into his busi-
ness his nephew Judah, who had come from Ancona to
seek his fortune. Judah, in process of time, married a
daughter of the Medinas, who presented him with four
sons, the eldest of whom, Moses Haim (or Yita^) Monte-
fiore, was Sir Moses Montefiore's grandfather.

Moses Yita Montefiore, the elder, was born Decem-
ber 28th, 1712, and married, on March 29th, 1752, Ester
Hannah, daughter of Massahod Racah, a Moorish mer-
chant of Leghorn. The bride was only seventeen ; and,
according to a portrait of her, still extant, was of re-
markable beauty. Moses Montefiore did not prosper at
Leghorn ; and six years after his marriage he resolved
to emigrate to England, where several of his mother's
relatives had made large fortunes, notably the wealthy
Sir Solomon Medina, who financed Marlborough's cam-
paigns, and was the Rothschild of the reign of Queen
Anne. Accompanied by his youngest brother Joseph
— who stayed, however, but a short time — Moses Monte-
fiore landed in England in 1758, and immediately estab-
lished himself as a merchant, trading with Italy. He
lived and had his offices and warehouses at Nos. 13 and
15 Philpot Lane, in the city of London ; and, according
to his son Joshua, who has recorded the fact in his Bi-

*" Haim" is a common Hebrew name, signifying " Life," or, in Ital-
ian, " Vita." " Hyam " and " Hyman " are forms of the same name.

Family and Early Life. 5

ble, was " of high and respectable standing in society,
and a merchant of eminence." After twenty years of
successful trading, he took a house in Mutton Lane,
Hackney, then a rural district, much affected by wealthy
Jews. Here dwelt at their ease such notable Israelites
as Ephraim Aguilar, the father of Grace Aguilar, and a
scion of one of the most distinguished of the Portu-
guese Jewish families, his kinsman, the generous Abra-
ham Lopez Pereira, who left a substantial sum to the
churchwardens of Hackney to supply the local poor
with coals in the winter season, in addition to noble
legacies to the Synagogue, and David Alves Rebello, the
gifted numismatist and writer on natural history. Close
by, in Bethnal Green, resided many more descendants
of the Jewish Hidalgos, among them Abraham Lum-
brozo de Mattos Mocatta, an opulent Jewish broker,
whose daughter Rachel became the wife of Montefiore's
son Joseph, and mother of Sir Moses. Abraham Mo-
catta was one of the patriotic band of London mer-
chants who, in March, 1774, when the rumors of a
French invasion in favor of the young Pretender were
prevalent, waited on George 11. with an address, ex-
pressing their "resentment and indignation at so rash
an attempt," and declaring their resolution "at this
critical conjuncture to exert our utmost endeavors for
the support of public credit ; and at all times to hazard
our lives and fortunes in defence of your Majesty's sa-
cred person and government, and of the security of the
Protestant succession in your family." Among the Ital-
ian merchants with whom the elder Montefiore com-
peted in business was one Benjamin D'Israeli, of 6
Great St. Helen's, the father of Isaac D'Israeli, author
of " Curiosities of Literature," and grandfather of the

6 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Earl of Beaconsfield, sometime Prime Minister of Eng-
land. Among the Hebrews he must have frequently
met in the ancient Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue
in Bevis Marks were the two Bernals, Abraham Ricar-
do, the father of the economist, Ephraim, Baron d'Agui-
lar, ancestor of General d'Aguilar, and father-in-law of
Admiral Keith Steward, Mordecai Rodrigues Lopez,
grandfather of the present Sir Massey Lopes, l!^aphtali
Basevi, the father-in-law^ of Isaac D'Israeli, and the scions
of many other ancient Hebrew families, such as the
Abrabanels, Mendez da Costas, Yilla-Beals, Alvarez,
Lindos, Lousadas, Francos, Salvadors, Samudas, Nunes,
Osorios, Seixas, Fonsecas, Supinos, da Silvas, Garcias,
de Castros, and Ximenes.

Moses Montefiore not only prospered, he completed
the Mosaic blessing by multiplying as well. His wife
bore him seventeen children, nine sons and eight daugh-
ters. Several of the daughters married well. Of the
sons the first three were born at Leghorn, and the el-
dest, Judah, remained there in the care of his grandpar-
ents ; the second, David, became a tobacco merchant,
and carried on business in the Borough ; the third,
Samuel, married Mr. Abraham Mocatta's daughter Grace,
entered the export business, and settled in Mansell Street,
Goodman's Fields ; the fourth, Joseph Elias, was the fa-
ther of Sir Moses ; the fifth, Abraham, went abroad ; the
sixth, Joshua, became a lawyer and a soldier ; the sev-
enth and eighth, Eliezer (who married a granddaughter
of Simon Barrow, of Atnsterdam), and Jacob, became
partners, established themselves as general merchants in
Camomile Street, City, and subsequently went to the
West Lidics ; a ninth son, Lazarus, died in infancy.

The most remarkable of all Moses Montefiore's chil-

I

Fannily and Eaiiy Life. 7

dren was his sixth son, Joshua. Possessed of a well-
stored mind and splendid abilities, he might have made
an important name for himself had it not been for his
roving disposition. At eighteen years of age he com-
menced to study law with James Cross, and, in the
same year that his nephew. Sir Moses Montefiore, was
born, he was admitted an attorney-at-law and solicitor
in Chancery by Sir William Scott, Judge of the Ad-
miralty Court, and Notary Public by the Court of Fac-
ulties of the Archbishop of Canterbury. While work-
ing at his profession he obtained considerable success
as an author. His " Commercial and Notarial Prece-
dents" quickly ran through three editions in London
and two in the United States. His " Commercial Dic-
tionary," which was dedicated by permission to Lord
Ellenborough, was long regarded as the standard work
of its kind. He also wrote the " Trader's Compendium,"
the "United States Trader's Compendium," an essay on
the "Law of Copyright," and "Law and Treatise on
Book-keeping." Joshua Montefiore was, however, not
fitted for a stay-at-home life, and he seized the first op-
portunity of exchanging the pen for a sterner weapon.
Towards the end of 1791 a colonizing mania seized the
citizens of London. Several merchants formed them-
selves into a society for the purpose of establishing set-
tlements on or near the coast of Africa, and an expedi-
tion, consisting of 275 adventurers, was fitted out to take
possession of the Island of Bulama. One of the di-
r motors was Moses Ximenes, afterwards Sir Maurice
Ximenes, a prominent and wealthy Israelite, and among
the adventurers was Joshua Montefiore, who gave up
his legal practice to take part in an enterprise which
accorded so well with his venturesome tastes.

8 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

The expedition turned out disastrously, and Joshua
Monteliore was one of the few who survived its many
trials and reverses. On his return home he wrote an
account of his adventures. From this work it appears
that, having a taste for soldiering, the military arrange-
ments of the expedition were from the outset confided
to him. It was he who hoisted the British flag on
landing at Bulama, and he, too, organized the whole
offensive and defensive economy of the colony. Soon
after the adventurers were settled, we find him in com-
mand of one of the vessels belonging to the expedition,
keeping a lookout for suspicious craft, and chasing and
boarding Portuguese slavers. One day the colony was
surprised by a war-canoe full of armed " Indians," and
it devolved upon him to pacify the chiefs by a diplo-
matic palaver. The "Indians" retired, and Joshua
counselled his fellow-colonists, on the next appearance
of the natives, to make overtures to them for the acqui-
sition of the island by purchase, at the same time point-
ing out the injustice of holding by force land which did
not rightly belong to them. His filibustering hearers
stared amazed at this unexpected sermon, and flatly re-
fused to follow his advice. The result was that, when
next the "Indians" landed, a severe conflict took place,
and the new colony was wrecked. Joshua Montefiore
then travelled into the Papel country, met the Antula
Indians, interviewed a native king, and dined with him
on porcupine and squirrels. At Sierra Leone he visited
another dusky potentate, the King of Nambana, whom
he describes as " a very respectable old gentleman."

On his return home he was presented by Lord Boston
to King George HI., at his Majesty's special request, and
was offered knighthood, which he declined. Finding

Family and Early Life, 9

it difficult to settle down to his old profession, he en-
tered the army, and was the first Jew to hold a milita-
ry commission in England. He served in various parts
of the world, and in 1809, as an officer in the York
Light Infantry, was at the taking of Martinique and
Guadaloupe. On his retirement he proceeded to the
United States, where he practised as a lawyer, and pub-
lished a weekly political journal, entitled Men and
Measures^ which was subventioned by the British Gov-
ernment. In his seventy-third year he mai-ried a sec-
ond time, and died in 1843, aged eighty-one, leaving
issue by his second marriage, seven children, the young-
est of whom was only six weeks old. Joshua Monte-
fiore had cast his lot among strangers, but on his death-
bed he called his eldest daughter to his side, and, asking
her for pen, ink, and paper, wrote out from memory
an English translation of the Hebrew burial service,
which he enjoined her to read aloud at his funeral.
He also desired to be buried in his garden at St. Albans,
Vermont, and his wish was complied with. One of his
sons, Mr. Joseph Montefiore, has achieved quite a rep-
utation as a lawyer and journalist, and is now editor of
the Baldwin Bulletin, Wisconsin. Sir Moses Monte-
fiore still retains a vivid recollection of his dashing
" Uncle Josh," whose laced red coat and pigtail, and
cocked hat and sword, together with his fund of tre-
mendous anecdote, rendered him a huge favorite with
his nephews.

On his mother's side. Sir Moses Montefiore's lineage
is of undoubted antiquity. "Mocatta" is an Arabic
name, which carries back the family bearing it to, at
least, the period of the Moorish dominion in Spain.
The Mocattas claim for themselves, however, a more

1*

10 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

remote antiquity, alleging that, as an Eastern Jewish
family, they entered the Peninsula in the wake of the
conquering armies of Tarik and Musa, in the eighth
century. After the expulsions by Ferdinand and Isa-
bella part of the family settled in Venice, traded, flour-
ished, became impoverished, and died out about a cen-
tury ago, leaving their tombs on the Lido, the long
island extending like a breakwater in front of the Vene-
tian lagoon, where the Jewish cemetery was situated.
The branch from which Sir Moses Montefiore is de-
scended emigrated to Holland, and traded there. Some
members presided from time to time over the Amster-
dam Congregation. Others, with literary tastes, made
graceful contributions to the poetical literature of the
Hispano-Jewish exiles. A Mosd Mocato was a literary
contemporary of Spinoza, and one of a band of twenty-
one young Jewish poets who applauded in Hebrew,
Spanish, and Latin verse the publication of Joseph
Penso's Hebrew dramas. The literary traditions of the
family have in recent years been worthily sustained by
Mr. Frederic D. Mocatta, with an excellent sketch of
the history of the Jews of Spain and Portugal.

When, in 1688, William of Orange entered England,
a large number of Dutch Jews took up their abode in
that country. Among them were the Mocattas, or Lum-
brozo de Mattos Mocattas, as they were called. In 1694
Mr. Isaac de Mocatta established in Mansell Street the
firm which, about three quarters of a century later, be-
came Mocatta & Keyser, and in 1783, when Mr. Asher
Goldsmid joined it, assumed the style, which it still pre-
serves, of Mocatta & Goldsmid, bullion brokers to the
Bank of England and the East India Company. Sir
Moses Montefiore's maternal grandfather, Abraham
Lumbrozo de Mattos Mocatta, married, about 1760, the

Family and Early Life. 11

heiress of the Lamegos, another ancient and distin-
guished family, one of the progenitors of which was
Joseph Zapateiro de Lamego, a Jewish navigator of
the fifteenth century, who first brought the intelligence
to Europe that there was a South Cape of Africa, which
could be doubled. Moses Mocatta, one of the sons of
Mr. Abraham Mocatta — the names Lumbrozo de Mat-
tes were dropped by royal license in 1780 — was the
author of several works, and translator of the celebrated
controversial essay of Isaac Troki, " Chizuk Emunah."
He was a fellow-traveller of his sister and brother-in-law
in 1784, when his nephew, Moses Montefiore, was born,
at Leghorn. It may be mentioned that, through the Mo-
cattas, a slight relationship is established between Sir
Moses Montefiore and the late Earl of Beaconsfield.
The motlier of the earl, nee Sarah Basevi, was sister-in-
law to Sir Moses Montefiore's uncle, Moses Mocatta,
and also to Ephraim Lindo, whose brother, David Abar-
banel Lindo, was Sir Moses' uncle, by marriage with
Abraham Mocatta's daughter Sarah. It was David
Abarbanel Lindo who performed on Lord Beacons-
field the ceremony of initiation into the Covenant
of Abraham.

Joseph Elias Montefiore, the father of Sir Moses, was
born in London, on the 15th of October, 1759, soon after
his parents arrived in England. He passed his early
years in his father's warehouses in Philpot Lane, and
eventually established himself on his own account in
Lime Street, Fenchurch Street. Here he carried on a
considerable business in Italian goods, notably Leghorn
straw bonnets and Carrara marbles. On his marriage, in
1783, he took a house at No. 3 Kennington Place, Yaux-
hall, where, in addition to his eldest son, seven children
were born to him — two sons, Abraham and Horatio, and

12 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

^"VQ daughters, Sarah, Esther, Abigail, Eebecca, and Jus-
tina. All the sons did well in life. Abraham, whose
commercial career was identified with that of his elder
brother, was twice married. By his first wife, a daugh-
ter of Mr. George Hall, of the London Stock Exchange,
he had one daughter, Marj, who married Mr. Benjamin
Mocatta, and by his second wife, Henrietta Rothschild,
he had two sons (Joseph Meyer, of Worth Park, and
Nathaniel Meyer, of Cold East), and two daughters,
Charlotte and Louisa, the latter of whom is the present
Lady Anthony de Rothschild. Horatio became a suc-
cessful London merchant. He married Sarah, a daugh-
ter of David Mocatta, by whom he had a family of six
sons and six daughters. His youngest son is Lieutenant-
Colonel Emanuel Montefiore, late of Bombay. Of the
daughters of Joseph Montefiore, the eldest, Sarah, mar-
ried, first, Mr. Solomon Sebag, of London, and secondly,
Mr. Moses Asher Goldsmid, youngest brother of Sir
Isaac Lyon Goldsmid ; the second, Esther, met her
death by an accident in her fifteenth year; the third,
Abigail, became the wife of Benjamin Gompertz, a
well-known mathematician and actuary of the Alliance
Insurance Company ; the fourth, Rebecca, married Mr.
Joseph Solomon, of London ; and the youngest, Justi-
na, found a husband in the same family whence her
elder brother took his wife. She married Mr. Benjamin
Cohen, of Richmond, Surrey, who was for many years
connected with the elder Rothschild. One of their
sons is Mr. Arthur Cohen, Q.C., M.P.

All the sons of Mr. Joseph Montefiore received an
elementary education at a local school, which they left
early for the more serious business of life. Mr. Moses
Mocatta, who lived in Kennington Place, a short dis-
tance from the Montefiores, superintended their studios

Commercial Career. 13

in Hebrew and religion, and it was from him that Mo-
ses Montefiore derived that large-hearted interest in the
traditions and fortunes of his race which has enabled
liim to exert so potent an influence on their more re-
cent history. On leaving school, each of the sons was
taught a trade. Abraham was apprenticed to Mr. Flow-
er, tlie eminent silk merchant, of Watling Street. It is
a curious circumstance that Mr. Flower's grandson, Mr.
Cyril Flower, afterwards became the husband of one of
Abraham Montefiore's granddaughters. Moses entered
a provision house. One of his father's neighbors in
Kennington Place was a Mr. Robert Johnson, head of
the tirnl of Johnson, McCulloch, Sons, & Co., whole-
sale tea merchants and grocers, of 19 Eastcheap. An
intimacy sprang up between the two families, and
young Moses Montefiore became articled to the East-
cheap house. Here, in the closing years of the last
century, he gained his first commercial experience.

CHAPTER II.

COMMERCIAL CAREER.

I Moses Montefiore Enters the Stock Exchange. — Jewish Brokers. — Emi-
nent Jews in the City. — Abraham Montefiore Joins his Brother. — Na-
than Maier Rothschild Establishes Himself in London. — Montefiore's
Marriage. — Connection of the Montefiores with the Rothschilds. — First
News of Waterloo, — Transactions of the New Court Financiers. —
Death of Abraham Montefiore. — Retirement of Moses Montefiore. —
The Alliance Insurance Company. — Story of its Establishment. — Tlie
Imperial Continental Gas Association.— The Slave Loan. — Park Lane
Sixty Years ago.

Young Montefiore did not continue long in the trade
for which his father had destined him. More rapid

14 Tlie Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

fortunes were to be made in the money business, in
which at that period the house founded by his moth-
er's family, Messrs. Mocatta & Goldsmid, "Brokers in
Bullion, Specie, Diamonds, and Pearls, Grigsby's Cof-
fee House, near Bank," occupied a prominent position.
Of a handsome presence, over six feet in height, engag-
ing in his manners, and a Captain in the Surrey Militia,
Montefiore was very much liked by his rich relatives,
and was a frequent guest at the palatial residences of
the Goldsmids at Morden and Eoehampton. At Asher
Goldsmid's house, on one occasion, he met Lord Nelson
at dinner, and chanted the lengthy Grace after meals of
the Hebrew liturgy in his presence. His intimtcy with
Asher Goldsmid's gifted son seems to have strongly in-
fluenced his own character. Isaac Lyon Goldsmid was
an earnest philanthropist, as well as an astute financier.
The friend subsequently of Brougham, James Mill,
Mi*8. Fry, and Robert Owen, a busy advocate of Negro
Emancipation, the restriction of capital punishment,
and the cause of popular education, he was eminently
fitted to be the companion of one who was destined
to rank conspicuously among the philanthropists of the
age.

Moses Montefiore having testified a desire to adopt
a Stock Exchange career, his uncles purchased for him
for £1200 the right to practise as one of the twelve
Jewish brokers licensed by the City. The fact that
the number of Jewish brokers was then limited is an
interesting indication of the restrictions under which
the Jews of England lived in Moses Montefiore's youth.
Sometimes even these restrictions were not considered
suflBciently narrow by enemies of the Jews. On one
occasion when a Jew applied to be admitted as broker

Commercial Career. 15

in the City of London, a petition was presented by the
Christian brokers, praying for its rejection. The terms
of the petition are extremely curious. It was entitled,
"Keasons offered humbly to the Lord Mayor and
Court of Alderman against a Jew (who is a known
enemy to the Christian religion), his being admitted a
broker." The reasons alleged were six in number, and
recited in substance that the Jews had by statute no
right to immunities and privileges of any kind, and that
every branch of trade would be injured by admitting
them as brokers. The statement of fact contained in
these reasons cannot of course be disputed; the pro-
phecy, however, has happily failed to be realized, even
with the abolition of the restriction by which the num-
ber of Jewish brokers was limited.*

On the Stock Exchange Moses Montefiore's amiable
disposition rendered him very popular. His enterprise,
industry, and steadiness, too, obtained for him the con-
fidence of many clients. " Always remember that it is
better to earn a pound, than toss for two," said an old
Scotch friend, to whom he applied for advice when
about to commence business on his own account ; and
this counsel would always occur to him when he felt
tempted to plunge into speculation. His enterprise is
illustrated by his issuing a weekly price-list of securities

* " The last recorded instance of a Jew purchasing the right to
act as broker took place in 1826, when Mr. J. B. Montefiore bought
for 1500 guineas from Sir William Magnay, the then Lord Mayor,
the medal which formed the title-deed of the privilege, and which
had lapsed by the death of the previous owner. Two years after
the absurd limitation was removed." — Piciotto, "Sketches of
Anglo- Jewish History," p. 386.

16 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

at a time when sucli publications were almost unknown.
At first his office was at Grigsby's Coffee House, where
he basked in the prestige of his maternal uncle's patron-
age ; but later on he established himself successively at
!N"o, 1 Birchin Lane, and 3 Bartholomew Lane. In
course of time he was joined by his brother, Abraham
Montefiore, who had realized a small fortune in the silk
trade, but was ambitious to turn over his money more
rapidly than was possible in industrial undertakings.
The firm of Montefiore Bros, carried on business in
Shorter's Court, Throgmorton Street.

The year in which Moses Montefiore was admitted
into the Stock Exchange also witnessed the entry into
the same institution of David Eicardo, subsequently
member of Parliament for Portarlington, and the ablest
economist of his day. David Eicardo had seceded from
Judaism, and left the parental roof as a mere youth ;
and Christian strangers had helped him in his studies
and his financial career. His father, to whom his
apostasy was the source of an abiding sorrow, still carried
on business as a merchant at Garraway's Coffee House.
The Eothschilds of the time were Messrs Benjamin and
Abraham Goldsmid, of 6 Capel Court, whose town
houses were in Finsbury Square and Spital Square, and
who possessed princely estates at Morden and Eoe-
hampton. At this period Lord Beaconsfield's maternal
and paternal grandfathers were still familiar figures in
the City. Naphtali Basevi, or, as he was called in the
Synagogue, Naphtali de Solomon Bathsheba, was a
merchant in Wormwood Street, Broad Street ; Benja-
min D'Israeli had retired from the firm of D'Israeli &
Parkins, of which he had been the head, and was living
in Charles Street, Stoke Newington, but he still occa-

Commercial Career, 17

sionally looked in to the City, and transacted business
at Tom's Coffee House, Comhill.

Witli all their industry and ability it is doubtful
whether the Montefiores would have been as successful
as they eventually were, had it not been for their con-
nection with the boldest speculator and shrewdest
financier of the time, E'athan Maier Rothschild. In
1812, when this connection commenced, Rothschild was
only thirty-five years old, but he had already founded,
on a secure basis, the English branch of the world-
famed house of which he was destined to become the
leading spirit. In his twentieth year, such was his
father's confidence in him, that he had despatched him
to Manchester with £20,000 in his pocket to start in
business as a manufacturer of cotton goods, and within
five years he had increased this capital tenfold. In 1802
his father's financial transactions with England assumed
such large proportions that he found it necessary to
establish a branch of his banking business in London.
He called upon E"athan to undertake its organization
and management. The well-known probity of the
elder Rothschild had made him the depositary of the
fortunes of many of the French nobility, who, fleeing
from the terrors and conquering armies of the Republic,
knew not where to lodge their money for safety. Roths-
child took it into his keeping, and in due time trans-
mitted it to his son in London, who turned it to good
account. Unacquainted with the sources of Nathan
Rothschild's capital, the steady-going city folk of those
days looked askance at the large transactions of the new
financier ; and when, in 1806, he asked the wealthy
Levi Barent Cohen, of Angel Court, Throgmorton
Street, for his daughter, it was not unnaturally thought

18 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

that the speculating stranger was more attracted by the
young lady's dowry of £10,000 than by her personal
charms. Mr. Cohen himself hesitated at first to give
his consent to the marriage, whereupon, it is said, the
future millionaire attempted to calm his intended
father-in-law's fears by the characteristic remark, " If,
instead of giving me one of your daughters, you could
give me all, it would be the best stroke of business you
had ever done."

The year in which the marriage took place (1806)
was a fortunate one for the Rothschilds. It was the
year which saw the power of Prussia broken on the field
of Jena. Immediately after the battle, J^apoleon, with
his usual high-handedness, expelled the Elector William
I. of Hesse-Cassel from his dominions, although he had
previously recognized him as one of the neutral princes.
Before his flight the Elector deposited large sums of
money with Maier Rothschild, who had for some years
acted as his Court agent, and these sums — said to have
amounted to nearly £600,000 — the latter was success-
ful in transmitting to his son in London. With this
accession of capital l^athan Rothschild was enabled to
enter upon a large extension of his financial operations.
The times were propitious to so long-headed a capitalist.
The coalition against ITapoleon drew large sums of
gold from England, and Rothschild became the pay-
master of the allied forces. How sagaciously he utilized
every opportunity for turning over his capital may be
judged from the circumstance that he once bought biUs
of the Duke of Wellington at a discount, then sold to
Government the gold wherewith to cash them, and
finally undertook to convey the money to Portugal to
pay the troops. It was he who organized the vast net-

CommerGial Career. 19

work of agencies all over Europe whicli gave the firm
the earliest political information, and at the same time
the means of turning it to the most comprehensive
account. In the infancy of steam he had special steam-
boats to bring his news from Boulogne to Dover, and
carrier-pigeons to % with it to London. The value of
his Continental agencies was recognized in 1809 by the
British Government, who, during that year, remitted
through his house all the sums despatched to the Con-
tinent to keep up the struggle with l^apoleon. When,
in 1810, the money-market was left without an acknowl-
edged head, owing to the death of Abraham Goldsmid,
Kothschild became, by general consent, the arbiter of
the Stock Exchange.

The connection of the Montefiores with this remark-
able man was brought about in 1812, when Moses
Montefiore married Judith Cohen, a daughter of Levi
Barent Cohen, and sister-in-law of the future millionaire.
Later on Abraham Montefiore espoused as his second
wife Rothschild's sister Henrietta, and their daughter
Louisa married in 1840 Rothschild's second son, An-
thony.

Moses Montefiore took a house in New Court, St.
Swithin's Lane, adjoining the one occupied by his
brother-in-law. A warm friendship sprung up between
the two men, and Montefiore became intimately as-
sociated with Rothschild in all his enterprises. His
business career from this time is inseparable from that
of his brother-in-law, for whom he acted as stockbroker.
In 1813 the transactions of the firm in ]S"ew Court
entered on a phase of unparalleled magnitude. The
allies arrayed an army of nearly a million of men against
Napoleon, and Rothschild strained every nerve to keep

20 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Lord Castlereagli well supplied with funds. In that
year he made his first public appearance as an Enghsh
loan contractor, bringing out a loan for £12,000,000.

The time of the Napoleonic wars afforded a host of
opportunities for the acquisition of wealth; but what
were chances to the majority of speculators were cer-
tainties to the financiers of New Court. Kothschild's
agents kept him supplied with the latest intelligence,
and in his counting-house more was known of the
movements of armies and of the schemes of Continental
statesmen than in Downing Street itself. Both the
escape from Elba and the result of the battle of "Water-
loo were known to him before any other man in Eng-
land. Sir Moses still relates to the few visitors he is
allowed to receive how, at five o'clock one morning, he
was roused by Mr. Kothschild with the intelligence that
Napoleon had eluded the vigilance of the English cruisers
and had landed at Cannes. Hastily dressing himself,
he received instructions what sales to effect on the Ex-
change, and then Mr. Rothschild went to communicate
his information to the Ministry. A French courier had
brought the news, too precious to be intrusted to the
usual pigeon-post, and when, in the evening, he was
given a packet of despatches for the correspondents
from whom he had come, Mr. Eothschild asked him, as
he filled a stirrup-cup, if he knew what news he had
brought. The man answered " No." " Napoleon has
escaped from Elba and is now in France," announced
Mr. Eothschild. For a moment the man looked in-
credulous. Then waving his glass, he shouted " Yive
I'Empereur 1" and enthusiastically tossed off a bumper.
As the courier took his leave Rothschild turned to his
brother-in-law and said reflectively, " If that is the tern-

Commercial Career, 21

per of the French I foresee we shall have some trouble
yet."

Mr. Eothschild was not an ungenerous employer, and
the little Frenchman, to whom he was indebted for
many valuable services, he subsequently set up in busi-
ness in Calais. "When Sir Moses, in after-years, had
occasion to visit the Continent, he frequently visited the
ex-courier and indulged in a chat with him on the stir-
ring times in which he had faithfully borne his part.

A change now took place in the transactions of ITew
Court. The feverish anxieties of war time were over,
and financial operations became founded on a firmer and
more substantial basis. In other respects the character
of the business carried on by Mr. Eothschild and his
colleagues was little altered. Instead of finding money
to pay armies they now had to provide the means for re-
organizing the unsettled European Governments. The
French undertook to give compensation to the allies
for every kind of damage caused by the armies of the
Consulate and Empire, and to pay an indemnity of
700,000,000 francs. Altogether two milliards were
required, and it devolved upon the Eothschilds to nego-
tiate loans for the settlement of this huge claim.

In 1824 Abraham Montefiore died at Lyons, on his
way home from Cannes, whither he had gone for the
re-establishment of his health. He had been excep-
tionally fortunate on the Stock Exchange, and left
behind him an immense fortune. Moses Montefiore
had also accumulated considerable wealth, and now,
past the midway of life, without children to work for
or partner to assist him, he began to consider whether
he might not free himself from the labors and anxieties
of money-getting. As was his wont, he turned to his

22 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

beloved wife for advice, and her counsel — " thank God,
and be content " — ^he followed. The year in which Sir
Moses retired from business was the stormiest the City
had known since the days of the South Sea Bubble, but,
as in 1Y21 so in 1825, the Jewish financial houses stood
as firm as a rock.

With a few companies, of which he was President or
Director, Mr. Montefiore continued his connection.
Among these were the Alliance Insurance Company,
the Imperial Continental Gas Association, the Provin-
cial Bank of Ireland, and the British, Irish, and Colo-
nial Silk Company. Of the two first he was a founder.
The establishment of the Alliance was brought about
by the unsuccessful candidature of Mr. Benjamin Gom-
pertz, a brother-in-law of Mr. Montefiore, for the post
of actuary to the Guardian Office. It was whispered at
the time that Mr. Gompertz owed his want of success
to the fact of his being a Jew, and much indignation
was excited among his co-religionists in consequence.
Dissatisfaction also prevailed in the Jewish community
at the difficulties which the existing companies inter-
posed in the way of granting fire policies to Jews, the
impression appearing to prevail that arson had some
peculiar charm for the Hebrew. Mr. Montefiore con-
sulted Mr. Kothschild on the subject, and suggested the
formation of a new insurance office. In this Mr. Roths-
child concurred, although he was already a shareholder
in the Guardian, and very soon an influential directorate
was brought together. Curiously enough the strong
Jewish character of the new office became an important
element in its success. It had not then been ascertained
that the Jews enjoyed a greater longevity than other
raxjes, and their lives were consequently insured at rates

Commercial Career, 23

determined by the ordinary actuarial calculations. Some
fifteen years later Hoffmann of Berlin, and Bernouilli
of Basle, commenced the elaborate studies in vital sta-
tistics which have since proved that Jewish lives are, on
an average, nearly fifty per cent, more valuable than
those of any other known people.

The Gas Association was at first not so successful.
Its object was to extend the system of gas-lighting to
the principal European cities. Only ten years before
men of scientific eminence, among them Davy, WoUas-
ton, and Watt, had declared that coal gas could never
be safely applied to the purposes of street-lighting, and
an immense amount of prejudice still remained to be
encountered. Progress was extremely slow, and for
seventeen years Sir Moses took no director's fees. Dur-
ing his foreign tours he paid many anxious visits to the
company's Continental establishments. He was fre-
quently advised to terminate the operations of the com-
pany, but he declined. His courage and enterprise
were ultimately rewarded. The company gradually
turned the corner, and is now one of the most prosper-
ous of the commercial societies in the City. Of both
these companies Sir Moses still remains President, and
it is his custom to give an annual dinner to all employed
in their London offices. In 1836 the Eoyal Society
recognized his exertions in the early introduction of
gas by electing him a fellow, as " a gentleman much
attached to science and its practical use." His support-
ers on the occasion were Sir Kichard Yyvyan, Dr. Bab-
ington, Dr. Pettigrew, Colonel Colby, and others.

Sir Moses was also one of the original directors of the
Provincial Bank of Ireland, and so great was his inter-
est in that undertaking that, when its offices were

M The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

opened in Dublin, he made a special journey across St.
George's Channel to issue its first note over the counter.
Later in life he joined the board of the South Eastern
Railway Company on its formation ; and he was also
concerned in financing the loan of £20,000,000 by which
the objects of the Slave Emancipation movement of
1833 were carried out.

On his retirement Mr. Montefiore sold his residence
in New Court, St. Swithin's Lane, to the Alliance In-
surance Company, and, as befitted a gentleman of for-
tune and leisure, took a house in the fashionable West.
This was in Green Street, Park Lane. He afterwards
removed to his present address, 35 Park Lane, then 10
Grosvenor Gate. Mr. Rothschild appears to have taken
a house about the same time in Piccadilly, and the
brothers-in-law were, consequently, still neighbors. The
district was then comparatively new, and as open and
suburban as Kilburn and Willesden at the present daiy.
The row of houses in which Mr. Montefiore took up his
abode was unfinished, and where Marble Arch now
stands were tea-houses and the booths of donkey- and
pony-keepers, who hired out their cattle to children for
a gallop down the Bayswater Road.

First Visit to the Holy Land, 25

CHAPTER III.

FIRST VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND.

May Day, 1827. — The Start from Park Lane. — London to Dover in
Twelve Hours. — Posting through France. — Aged Poor on the
Route. — Dangers of Eastern Travel. — The Greek Insurrection
and the Powers. — Pirates in the Mediterranean. — Mr. Montefiore
Engages a Schooner and is Convoyed to Alexandria by a Sloop
of War. — Chase of a Pirate. — From Alexandria to Cairo. — Inter-
view with Mehemet Ali. — New Year at Alexandria. — Journey to
Jaffa Disguised as Turks. — Reception at Jerusalem. — The Jews
of the Holy Land. — The Return Journey. — Battle of Navarino.
Admiral Sir William Codrington Intrusts Mr. Montefiore with
Despatches. — Home Again. — Mr. Montefiore and H. R. H. the
Duke of Clarence.

It is May Day in tlie year 1827 — a typical May Day.
!N^ot a speck is visible in the gleaming sky, and tlie trees
of Hyde Park are clad in their full robes of green. A
concert of carolling and chirping songsters comes from
the leafy shadows, and the air is laden with perfume
from the flower gardens of the neighborhood. Eight
o'clock has not yet struck, but notwithstanding the
earliness of the hour one of the houses in Park Lane is
already astir. A capacious travelling carriage with four
horses stands at the door, and servants are busy packing
away valises and trunks, and all the requisites for a pro-
tracted journey.

Mr. and Mrs. Montefiore are about to undertake their

26 The Life of Svr Moses Montefiore.

long-contemplated visit to the Holy Land, tlie cradle of
tlieir race, tlie theatre of the most remarkable episodes
in its stupendous history. Many a time in the brief
holidays snatched from the absorbing occupations of
their City life, the worthy and pious couple had laid
out plans for a visit in the following year to the hal-
lowed soil in which so much of their historic sympathy
centred, but when the time came something always
occurred to prevent it — either political complications
rendered travelling in the Mediterranean unsafe, or Mr.
Montefiore could not be spared from the Stock Ex-
change— and so they were obliged to content themselves
with another peep at Paris, or a short stay at Rome, or
a visit to the birthplace of the Montefiores in the city of
the Medicis, or sometimes only with a ramble along the
South coast, amid scenes consecrated by the recollections
of their honeymoon. Now, however, the City had
ceased to have an imperative claim on Mr. Montefiore's
time, and the cherished project was to be realized.

At six o'clock Mr. Montefiore had gone, as was his
wont, to attend early morning service in the synagogue,
and thither, as soon as the travelling carriage was ready^
his wife proceeded, first stopping for a moment in Pic-
cadilly to wave her adieux to young Hannah Roths-
child,* who had risen thus early to bid her beloved aunt
and uncle God-speed. The carriage clattered into the
City, took up Mr. Montefiore in Bevis Marks, and made
its way towards the Dover Road. Breakfast was taken
at Dartford and dinner at Canterbury, and at the end
of twelve hours the travellers alighted at Dover.

* Afterwards wife of the Right Hon. Henry Fitzroy, and mother
of the present Lady Coutts Lindsay of Balcarres.

First Visit to the Holy Land, 27

Yery interesting is Mrs. Montefiore's diary* of the
journey which commenced so auspiciously on this bright
May morning ; particularly as showing how primitive
still were the conditions of foreign travel fifty years
ago. It is not surprising to learn that, when it took
twelve hours to journey to Dover, three months w^ere
required to reach Malta, and that only after seven weeks
more could Jerusalem be entered. JSTor were the cir-
cumstances of this voyage less striking and romantic
than one might expect from its primitive character,
albeit its date is so comparatively recent.

Mr. and Mrs. Montefiore embarked from Dover un-
der a salute of guns in honor of their fellow-passenger,
the Prussian Ambassador, who was about to take leave
of absence. The travelling carriage was put on board,
and served as a cabin during the passage.- Arrived at
Calais, the Montefiores were joined by their relatives,
Mr. and Mrs. David Salomons, and together they pro-
ceeded to post through France. Boulogne, Montreuil,
Abbeville, Grandvilliers, Beaumont, and Charenton
were reached in rapid succession, the outskirts of Paris
were passed, a brisk run was enjoyed on the Melun
road, the Autun mountain was scaled, and on the 11th
May Lyons was reached. Here the happy party was
saddened by the receipt of letters announcing the death
of a relative, and their depression was not relieved when,
in the course of the evening, Mr. Montefiore discovered
that they were stopping in the hotel in which his
brother Abraham had breathed his last three years be-
fore. So far, however, the journey had been a happy
one. Every now and then we read of Mrs. Montefiore

* Privately printed in 1836.

28 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

enjoying " a stage outside the coach with dear M ,"

" a little variety," adds the diarist, with almost girlish
archness, "which made it pleasing to all parties." Lit-
tle dreaming of the old age that one of their party was
destined to attain, the travellers took an especial delight
in relieving the wants of the aged poor on their route.
At Chambery they assisted a poverty-stricken woman
who was stated to be 114 years old; at Lans-le-bourg
one of the applicants for their bounty was 93; and at
a village on the dreary mountain side of Kadicofani,
" which seems the asylum of poverty, Montefiore gave
the curate a dollar for the oldest person in the place,
who they said had only the heavens for his covering and
the earth for his couch."

Having traversed the Mont Cenis without accident,
and written a few grateful sentences in their prayer-
books for their " safe passage across the Alpine bar-
rier," the travellers arrived at Florence in time to cele-
brate Shehuoth (the Feast of Weeks). The gentlemen
went to the synagogue at seven in the morning, but the
heat was so great that the ladies were obliged to con-
duct their devotions at their hotel. Naples, their last
resting-place on the European mainland, was reached
during the rejoicings of the festa of Corpus Domini,
and here the Montefiores bade farewell to their travel-
ling companions.

Rumors now began to reach the voyagers of the dan-
gers of travelling in the East. The Greek insurrection
had attracted the official attention of Europe in conse-
quence of the cruelties of Ibrahim Pacha in the Pelo-
ponnesus, and the relations between the Porte and the
Powers were becoming strained. It was pointed out to
Mr. Montefiore that under these circumstances a journey

First Visit to the Holy Lcmd. 29

to Palestine was fraught with great peril. The Duke
of Richelieu, on his way home from Egypt, happened,
however, to stop at Naples, and he reassured the travel-
lers. They determined to proceed. The Portia, a 176-
ton brig, was engaged to take them to Messina, whence
they were carried in a litter over the Sicilian mountains,
and at Capo Passero embarked in a sjpercmara, or two-
masted open row-boat, for Malta. General Ponsonby,
the governor, received them most cordially, but did not
allay their anxieties as to the safety of Eastern travel.
So lawless had the high seas become in consequence of
the disorganized state of Oriental politics, that it had
been found necessary to dispatch a large naval fotce
against the pirates. Mr. Montefiore, high-spirited and
sanguine, was with difficulty persuaded from taking
passage in an unescorted merchantman. On the 1st
August news was received that an ultimatum had been
presented to the Porte by the British, French, and Rus-
sian ministers, and again the travellers were warned
that it would be " too enterprising" to proceed until a
reply had been handed to the Powers by the Sultan.
Still Mr. Montefiore " seems bent upon going at all
events," and the Leonidas, a vessel of 380 tons burden,
carrying twenty-two men, " which we trust will be
amply sufficient to repel the attacks of pirates," was en-
engaged for £550 to take him and his wife to Alexan-
dria. Mrs. Montefiore now became indisposed — the
anxieties of the journey had apparently told upon her —
and it was not until the welcome intelligence was re-
ceived that the Leonidas was to be convoyed to Alexan-
dria by the Gannet sloop-of-war, that she was enabled
to leave her chamber.

Having relieved the poor of the Malta congregation,

30 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

and given a farewell breakfast to the chiefs of the Syna-
gogue, the travellers again embarked. On the seventh
day after their departure the Gannet gave chase to a sup-
posed pirate, but " the valiant anticipations of making a
capture were vain." Otherwise the voyage was quiet
and dull. On the twelfth day they arrived at Alexan-
dria, where they passed a couple of days examining the
antiquities of the city. Then, in three days more, they
partly sailed and were partly towed up the IS'ile in a
cangia to Cairo. Here they explored the great Pyramid
under the guidance of a Bedouin, who told them he had
acted in the same capacity to Napoleon, and on the 5th
September they were presented to Mehemet Ali. The
portrait of this remarkable man, sketched by Mrs. Mon-
tefiore, is very interesting :

" The conversation was supported in a lively manner
by the Pacha for three quarters of an hour. He smoked,
and ordered coffee to be served. His pipe was richly
studded with diamonds and other precious stones. He
encourages every new invention and improvement, and
informed Montefiore of his having established silk and
other manufactories in his territories ; and that he had
planted numbers of olive and mulberry trees. His ex-
tensive mercantile transactions were, however, a great
source of jealousy and dissatisfaction to his subjects,
who are thereby deprived of the advantages of compe-
tition and unfettered trade. He would not grant a far-
mer a longer lease than a year, and fixed the price of
all the produce of the land himself. At the age of
forty-five he commenced learning to read and write,
which he persevered in to his satisfaction ; a singular
instance of strength of mind. All his vast transactions
are managed by himself, and every written document

First Visit to the Holy Land, 31

passes under his inspection. He told Montefiore that
he never indulges in more than four hours' sleep during
the night. He might prove a great character in the
world were he entirely unfettered."

This interview laid the foundation of a lasting friend-
ship. Mehemet Ali was so charmed with his Jewish
visitor that he proposed to him to act as his agent in
England. Although Mr. Montefiore's retirement from
business rendered his acceptance of this offer impracti-
cable, he has always maintained relations of a friendly
character with the Egyptian Court. When, in after
years, Said Pacha, a successor of Mehemet, sent his son
Toussoun to England to be educated, his guardianship
was confided to Sir Moses.

Another cangia took the travellers back to Alexan-
dria, but there the chances of being able to reach Jerusar
lem in safety became more than ever remote. The Sul-
tan— or " Grand Signor," as Mrs. Montefiore calls him
in old-fashioned phrase — had not deigned to reply to the
ultimatum of the powers, and war seemed imminent.
Mr. Montefiore was in despair; his good wife, not so ar-
dent to brave danger, philosophized on the " futility and
weakness of all human plans." Their position was any-
thing but enviable. One person told them that Abdallah,
the Pacha of Damascus, was inimical to all Europeans,
and " that a Frank by going to Syria would run the risk
of being massacred." To return was equally out of the
question, for no convoy was available, and the pirates
had assembled in force. " You will certainly be sold
for slaves if you stir," said Mr. Salt, the British Consul,
and so they were obliged to pass the Jewish New Year
" pent up in a miserable room, in a confined street, and
suffocating from the sands and hot blasts of the sirocco

32 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

wind." Mrs. Montefiore adds, complacently, that her
husband " now began to comprehend that travelling is
not always divested of disagreeables."

In this way they were detained several weeks in
Egypt; but eventually they resolved, in defiance of all
danger, to set sail for Jaffa. Mrs. Montefiore donned
the Turkish hernische and white muslin turban and veil,
in order to pass for a Mussulman lady, in case of acci-
dents. Several of the European gentlemen on board
also assumed an Oriental garb; but Mr. Montefiore, gal-
lant as ever, refused all solicitations to disguise himself.
Fortunately Jaffa was reached in safety; and, after some
parleying, the travellers were allowed by the Turkish
authorities to land, and to proceed to Jerusalem.

By all classes of the population of the holy city they
were received with overwhelming cordiality. So de-
lighted were the Jews to welcome one of their own
faith, who was affluent and honored, that the Chacham,
in his enthusiasm, likened Mr. Montefiore's visit to the
coming of the Messiah. The Governor invited him to
his house, offered him pipes and coffee, and ordered a
scribe to add a handsome eulogium to his passport, to
which he affixed his name and seal. The travellers had
entered Jerusalem with the prof oundest reverence ; but
this feehng was soon transformed into pity for its
"fallen, desolate, and abject condition," as Mrs. Mon-
tefiore describes it. This is the account her diary gives
of the state of the Holy Land :

" Many were the solemn thoughts which rose in our
minds on finding ourselves in this Holy Land : the
country of our ancestors, of our religion, and of our
former greatness, but now, alas ! of persecution and
oppression. We hear from every one of the extortions

■

Fi/rst Visit to the Holy Land, 33

that are levied, and that there is no means of support,
except such as is provided by the bounty of other coun-
tries, with the exception of the little help afforded by the
few families who continue here from a principle of re-
ligious enthusiasm, and contribute all in their power to
the support of the necessitous. There are four Syna-
gogues adjoining each other, belonging to the Portu-
guese, who form the principal portion of the Jewish,
community. The Germans have only one place of
worship, and the greater proportion of the population
are from Poland. . . . There is no commerce ; and
shops are not suffered on terms which admit of their
becoming profitable."

On the 21st October they left Jerusalem. During
the whole of the preceding night seventeen Pabbis
sat up praying for them in the Synagogue. The next
morning the Portuguese high-priest came at an early
hour to give them his blessing; and then, amid the
good wishes of a numerous multitude, who followed
them to the gates, they set out on their return
journey.

This visit to Jerusalem impressed the travellers deep-
ly ; it gave a deep-seated and serious purpose to their
lives ; it cemented the foundations of that ardent inter-
est in the fortunes of their oppressed race, and suffering
humanity generally, which has written the name of
" Montefiore" so large in the history of Judaism and
philanthropy. How deeply this influence was felt,
even at the early period of this first journey, may be
seen in Mrs. Montefiore's eloquent words at the close of
her chapter on Jerusalem :

" ' Farewell, Holy City ! ' we exclaimed, in our hearts.
Blessed be the Almighty, who has protected us while

34: The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

contemplating the sacred scenes wMch environ thee !
Thankful may we ever be for His manifold mercies !
May the fountain of our feelings evermore run in the
current of praise and entire devotion to His wiU and His
truth, till the time shall arrive when the ransomed of
the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads.' "

The return journey was undertaken not a moment too
soon ; indeed, had it not been for the slowness with
which news travelled in the year 1827, the departure of
the Montefiores from Turkish territory might not have
been altogether unmolested. The battle of Navarino
had been fought the day before they left Jerusalem, and
they arrived in Alexandria in time to hear the Arab
women lamenting the disaster in the public streets.
Nor had all danger from pirates passed away. Vessels
preceding them had been attacked by the Greek bucca-
neers ; and at Alexandria they witnessed the arrival of
one of these corsairs in the safe custody of a French
cutter. The journey back to Malta was full of anxieties.
Being without convoy, they asked the chief officer of
the ship whether he would offer any resistance were he
attacked. " Oh, certainly !" was the encouraging reply.
"Do you think I should tamely consent to have my
ship pillaged, when I have the promise of Captain Mon-
tefiore's assistance, and four loaded guns to the vessel ?"
" Then we have a chance of having our throats cut !"
blankly exclaimed Dr. Madden, who was of the party.

Their usual good fortune attended them, however ;
and, after a somewhat stormy voyage, Malta was safely
reached. Here they met Admiral Sir William Codring-
ton, to whom they had letters of introduction, and were
entrusted by him with despatches, on the subject of

First Visit to the Holy Land. 35

ITavarino, to the Duke of Clarence, afterwards "William
lY. Homeward, then, they travelled with all speed.
H. M. S. Mastiff carried them in six days to Messina,
and thence to Naples ; and much the same route as
the outward journey brought them in eight weeks to
London.

The despatches, of which he was the bearer, Mr.
Montefiore delivered at the house of the Duke of Clar-
ence before going to his own home. Next morning
His Koyal Highness sent for him to Park Lane, to thank
him personally for his complaisance. In the course of
the conversation that ensued His Royal Highness asked
what people in the East were saying of Navarino?
" That it could not be prevented," was the answer ;
" for, as the British commander himseK said, * when the
British flag is insulted, an EngHsh admiral knows what
is his duty ! ' " To which the Duke replied, musingly,
" Inevitable ! Inevitable !"

36 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

CHAPTER W.

EAELY COMMUNAIi LABOKS.

Ineligibility of Minors for Membership of the Synagogue. — Mr.
Monteflore Petitions the Council of Elders for Admission. — Peti-
tion Granted on the same Day that a New Chief Rabbi is Elected.
— Mr. Montefiore's Zeal in the Service of the Synagogue. — He
holds Office. — Becomes Treasurer. — Isaac Disraeli's Synagogue
Account. — Reaches the Dignity of Parnass. — Signatures in old
Minute-books. — The "Monteflore" Almshouses. — Extra-syna-
gogual Labors. — The Lavadores. — The two "Nations" in the
Jewish Community. — Mr. Monteflore Disapproves of the Divi-
sion.— Contributes by his Marriage and his Advice to its Eradi-
cation.—Devotes himself to the Emancipation Struggle. — Be-
comes a Member of the Board of Deputies.— Throws himself
with Energy into the Work. — Purchases East Cliff Lodge. —
Could Jews hold Land ?— Former Residents at East Cliff.

Foe nearly a quarter of a century previous to the
journey described in the last chapter Mr. Monteflore
had been an earnest and active member of the Syna-
gogue. From his earliest youth he had been a punctual
attendant at the services, and, from the time he attained
man's estate, a generous contributor to the congregational
funds. It was one of the rules of the Portuguese Syna-
gogue that no one should be eligible for membership of
the congregation before his twenty-first year, and this
rule was only waived under exceptional circumstances,
and on receipt of a petition for admission from the
youthful candidate. On the 4th !N"ovember, 1804, an

Ea/rly Oomimmal Labors. 37

important meeting of tlie Coimcil of Elders was held
nuder the presidency of Mr. Jacob Samuda, the Warden
President, for the purpose of electing a new Chief
Rabbi. After a long deliberation the choice fell upon
the learned Rabbi Raphael Meldola, of Leghorn, and a
hope was expressed that this gentleman would succeed
in reyiving the religious spirit of the congregation,
which since the death of the late Chacham Azevedo had
been very conspicuously waning. Towards the conclu-
sion of the meeting the chairman announced that he had
received a petition from Mr. Moses Montefiore, of Yaux-
hall, who, although only twenty years of age, was desir-
ous of being admitted a Yahid, or member of the congre-
gation. A few questions were asked and the prayer was
unanimously granted. To no two men is English Juda-
ism more substantially indebted than Chacham Meldola
and Sir Moses Montefiore, and it is an interesting coin-
cidence that they were elected members of the commu-
nity, though in widely different ranks, on the same day.
The Synagogue authorities had no reason to regret
J their infraction of the law in admitting Mr. Montefiore.

I A more regular attendant at the services had never been
seen within the Synagogue walls. Every morning, at
seven o'clock, he was in his place, piously offering up
his prayers to the God of his ancestors. As his means
improved, so year by year he increased his contributions
to the Synagogue exchequer ; and, at the meetings of
the Yahidim no one evinced a more earnest interest in
the affairs of the congregation. He soon took rank in
the community, and one by one served all the various
officesvconnected with the administration. He was suc-
cessively Pa/rnass or Governor of the Terra Santa and
CoAitmoa funds, of the Hospital, the Burial Society, and

38 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

the Theological College. In 1814 he became Gabay, or
Treasurer, and, in that capacity, had doubtless much to
do with the celebrated Synagogue account, which Isaac
D'Israeh refused to pay in that year, and which eventu-
ally led to the secession of the D'Israelis from the Jew-
ish community. Five years later he reached the proud
position of Parnass^ or Warden-President of the con-
gregation. Six times he has served this important post,
the last occasion on which his towering form was seen
in the Bcmca (warden's box) being in 1864. His assi-
duity in the discharge of his duties may be seen by a
reference to the minute-books of the congregation. He
appears to have been very rarely absent from the vari-
ous meetings, and hundreds of times his signature, in a
neat Italian hand, may be read at the foot of the records
of the proceedings. Previous to 1826 his autograph
appears in the Hebrew style, viz., " Moseh de Joseph
Eliau Montefiore ;" subsequent to that date he adopted
his present signature, " Moses Montefiore," and, except
that it is somewhat firmer, it differs in no respect from
his signature at the present day.

In 1823 Mr. Montefiore presented the Synagogue
with an estate of thirteen houses in Cock Court, Jewry
Street, on the condition that the rents arising during
five years should be invested to form a repairing fund,
and then the dwellings should be occupied by deserving
poor. The " Montefiore Almshouses" are stiU an inter-
esting feature in the Sephardic community.

Mr. Montefiore did not confine his attention to
organizations immediately connected with the Syna-
gogue. He co-operated in all the various societies
which labored for the communal welfare. His un-
ostentatious but practical piety in this respect is iUus-

Early Communal Labors. 39

trated by his connection with the Lavadores^ an extra-
Sjnagogal Society for washing the dead and preparing
the bodies for burial. There is no more sacred duty in-
cumbent on the Israehte than to perform the last offices
for the dying and the dead. The importance of the
duty in Jewish teaching has been beautifully expressed
by Heinrich Heine :

* Drei Gebote sind die Hochsten :
Gastrecht tiben, Kranke pflegen
XJnd zum Grabe bin den Todten
Mit Gebeten zu geleiten."

As a matter of fact the teaching goes beyond mere
prayer at burial. The duty is prescribed of washing
and coffining the corpse, and so highly is this duty
esteemed that the discharge of it is held to be a privilege
to which only the most blameless Jews may be ad-
mitted. Hence in every community a voluntary society
exists charged with this function, and the most jealous
care is exercised over the admission of members. The
wealthiest Jews are frequently found among them, and,
in former years, membership conveyed a higher dis-
tinction than wealth or rank. In foreign countries,
when the Jews desire to render particular honor to an
eminent non-Jew, they elect him an honorary member
of their Chevra Kadisha^ as the society is called in the
German communities. One of these at Grosswardein
recently elected M. Tisza, the Hungarian Premier, a
member, in acknowledgment of his defence of the
Israelites against the Anti-Semitic agitators. The late
Emperor Ferdinand of Austria was a member of the
Chevra Kadisha of Prague, and whenever his name ap-
peared on the rota he never failed to appoint a Jewish

40 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

substitute to perform Ms duties. The English Jews
established their society of LoAiadores in 1723. It con-
sists of twenty-five members, each of whom pays an
entrance fee and an annual contribution towards the
expenses. Mr. Montefiore was admitted a member in
1808. Among the dead for whom he performed the
last offices was the very Chacham Meldola who entered
the Anglo-Jewish community on the same day that he
was elected a Tdhid. On the seventieth anniversary
of his entrance into the society he was reappointed its
Governor, although, of course, unable any longer to
undertake the work attached to the office.

Orthodox in his principles, and strictly observant of
the minute Jewish ceremonial, Moses Montefiore was
still a far-seeing and liberal man of the world. His
superiority to ancient prejudices was illustrated by his
marriage. There was a time when unions between
Spanish and German Jews were frowned upon by the
aristocratic denizens of Bevis Marks. The pride of the
Sephardim, nurtured in the most brilliant age of Spanish
culture, of which they were at once the promoters and
the ornaments, had never been broken. Even the
colossal persecution under Ferdinand and Isabella had
not humbled them, and in their exile they shrunk in-
stinctively from fellowship with their German and
Polish brethren, upon whose sad history not one ray of
light had been shed, and who had been reduced by
ceaseless oppression to a lowly, pettifogging, almost an
ignoble race. The barrier between the two " nations,"
as they were called, although unsanctioned by law or
ritual, continued for a long time after the German
Jews in this country had vindicated their native Hebrew
energy and skill by commercial and intellectual sue-

Early Communal Labors.

41

cesses. As .ate as 1744, when Jacob Bernal, an ancestor
of the present Dnchess of St. Albans, desired to wed a
German Jewess, he had to apply for leave to the Mahor
mad or Council of Elders of the Synagogue, and then
he only obtained permission under the most humiliating
conditions. This and kindred prejudices had never
found a supporter in Moses Montefiore. By his mar-
riage in 1812 with a " Tedesco" — for the Cohen family
belonged to that plebeian section of the community —
he contributed to break it down. The folly and in-
justice of the division between the two " nations" be-
came apparent to him as soon as he made the acquaint-
ance of his wife's accomplished family. "When he be-
gan to think over the struggle the Jews would soon
have to sustain in order to win a legal and social equality
with their Christian fellow-citizens, his intelligence as-
sured him that any such division in the community was
a source of absolute danger to its interests. In almost
every city he has visited during his several missions to
foreign countries, he has preached the necessity of com-
mnal union to his co-religionists. In Jerusalem he
spoke earnestly on the subject to the ecclesiastical chiefs
during his first visit. " Discord and differences in the
bosom of Judaism have been my greatest grief," he
significantly said in 1863, to a deputation which waited
upon him at Pesth, from the most orthodox and un-
bending of the Jewish congregations in the city.

Deeply impressed with what he had seen of the de-
led condition of his co-religionists in the East,
during his tour in 1827, Mr. Montefiore resolved, soon
after his return to England, to take a still more active
part in the public life of the Anglo-Jewish community.
A survey of the condition of his brethren assured him

4:2 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

that it would be impossible for tbem to do anything of
importance for the benefit of oppressed foreign com-
munities. It was obviously necessary that they should
win their own freedom first ; and he was gratified to see,
that for a struggle to this end both the times and the
condition of his co-religionists were favorable. Mr.
Montefiore's views on Jewish emancipation were not of
an heroic kind, but they were intelligent and practical.
" I am an enemy of all sudden transitions," he said in
conversation some years after. " The Jew must, in his
claims and wishes, not outstrip the age. Let him ad-
vance slowly but steadily ; let him gradually accustom
his Christian fellow-citizens to his gradual progress and
success in public life, and what may not be obtainable
even by an arduous struggle, will, after a certain time,
fall into his lap like ripe fruit." Mr. Montefiore thought
he saw these conditions fulfilled as he pondered on the
subject fifty-six years ago. There was union in the
community ; many of its members had won for them-
selves distinguished positions in society, and the ten-
dency of national thought, as illustrated in Parliament
by the Catholic emancipation agitation, was distinctly
liberal.

A representative body charged with the duty of
" watching" all chances of emancipation was already in
existence in the Anglo-Jewish community. The De-
putados, or " United Deputies of British Jews," was
formed in 1746, when the two houses of the Irish
Legislature were quarrelling over a Jewish I^aturaliza-
tion Bill. The Irish House of Commons had twice
passed the Bill, and twice it had been rejected by the
House of Lords. The Bevis Marks Synagogue formed
a Committee of Diligence, to render assistance to the

Early Communal Labors. 43

party favorable to Jewish emancipation, but the Bill
was again and finally negatived by the Peers. Un-
daunted by their want of success, the Jews of London
set themselves to organize their forces. From the
"Committee of Diligence" was formed in 1760 the
" Deputies of the Portuguese nation," and towards the
end of the same year that body admitted to its deliberar
tions representatives of the German congregations in
Duke's Place and Magpie Alley. For many years the
labors of the " Deputies" were not of any great import-
ance. The presentation of addresses to the Crown, full
of assurances of Jewish loyalty, on occasions of public
rejoicing or public mourning, formed the staple of their
work. In 1795 their representations to Parliament pro-
cured the rejection of a clause of doubtful bearing in
the Sedition Bill, and in 1805 they prosecuted the St
Jarms^ Chronicle for the publication of some offensive
articles against the Jews, and obtained an apology from
the Editor.

This body, of which Mr. Moses Mocatta had become
president, was joined by Mr. Montefiore early in 1828.
An inspection of the minutes of the " United Deputies"
discloses from this date a sudden development in their
corporate activity, which it is impossible not to associate
with their new recruit. During the very month of his
election he became a member of a sub-committee charged
draw up a petition in reference to the repeal of the

^est and Corporation Acts, and to present it to the
House of Lords. Indeed in tliis year the agitation for
the removal of Jewish disabilities in England was for
the first time placed on a firm basis. The De^utados
became the soul of the agitation, and Mr. Montefiore the

>ul of the Deputados,

44: The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Two years later Mr. Montefiore solved one of the
Disability problems in his own person, by purchasing
the small East Cliff estate, near Kamsgate, notwith-
standing that many eminent legal authorities still con-
sidered that the Jews could not lawfully possess real
estate in England. It is true that in 1818 Sir Samuel
Komilly had held that Jews born in England were as
much entitled to own land as any other natives, at
the same time pointing out that no one had ever ob-
jected to a title on the ground that the owner was a
Jew ; nevertheless, down to the removal of all disabili-
ties in 1853, this point was still doubted under the statutes
or ordinances of the 54th and 55th Henry III. (c.e.
1269), which declared that no Jew should hold a free-
hold, and it was never definitely settled.

East Cliff Lodge is a charming marine villa, in the
Strawberry Hill or modern Gothic style. It consists of
a centre and two wings, with the summit embattled, and
each wing surmounted by an ornamental turret and
spire. The dining-room, pronounced by local guide-
books " the most elegant specimen of Gothic domestic
architecture in England," is a noble apartment, having
a screen of columns at the lower end, and opening from
a vestibule by folding doors curiously wrought. The
grounds, which cover about thirteen acres, and extend
to the verge of the cliff, are laid out with great taste and
judgment. Their principal attractions are two sub-
terranean caverns, reputed to be the work of smugglers,
which lead from the summit of the cliff by a gradual
descent, 500 yards long, to the beach below. One
cavern diverges in an easterly, the other in a westerly
direction. Both are lighted by a series of arched re-
cesses, excavated out of the solid chalk, and which,

Early Communal Labors. 45

carpeted with turf and covered with shrubs and flowers,
present a very gay appearance during the summer sea-
son. The house was built about 1795 by Mr. Benjamin
Bond Hopkins, who disposed of it to Yiscount Keith,
better known as Lord Elphinstone. It then became the
property of the Marquis Wellesley, brother of the Duke
of Wellington. At one time it was the favorite sum-
mer residence of Queen Caroline, when Princess of
Wales. Mr. Montefiore rented East Cliff Lodge for
some years before he purchased it. One of the first
uses to which he put the land when it became his own
was the building of a synagogue, which he opened to all
comers. The foundation- stone was laid in 1831, and the
building was consecrated in 1833. Soon after he had
thus permanently taken up his abode in Kent he was
appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the county.

46 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

CHAPTER Y.

THE JEWS OF ENGLAND (750-1837).

Early History. — Position in the Country Previous to llie Expulsion.
Jewish Learning. — Jewish Heroism. — Statutum de Judaismo. —
Expulsion by Edward I.— Legend of London Bridge.— Secret
Visits to England. — Return under Cromwell. — Denied Civil
Righta — Disabilities in 1828. — Mr. Montefiore Devotes himself
to the Emancipation Struggle. — Early History of the Movement
not Encouraging.— The "Jew Bill" of 1753.— Mr. Montefiore
and the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts. — Interviews
with the Duke of Sussex.— Agitation from 1830 to 1837.— Mr.
Montefiore becomes President of the Board of Deputies. — Sheriff
of London. — Knighted. — Queen Victoria and Sir Moses Monte-
fiore.— Capital Punishment. — Sir Moses Montefiore and Marshal
Soult.— Sir Moses turns his Attention to his Foreign Brethren.

At what period tlie earliest Jewish settlement took
place in England is one of those difficult historical
questions of which nothing more certain is known than
that it is " involved in obscurity*" A copyist's error in
the Pesihtha Babbathi, by which "Mauritania" was
transformed into " Britannia," has suggested that the
Jews were already acquainted with Britain in the
Talmudic age. It has also been surmised that Hebrew
supercargoes accompanied the Phoenician mariners who
traded with the Cimbri and Damnonii of Cornwall
before the Eoman invasion. The first mention of Jews
in any document connected with English history is in
the canons of Ecbright, Archbishop of York, which

The Jews of England (750-1837). 47

contain an ordinance that " no Christian shall Judaize
or presume to eat with a Jew." These canons were
issued in the year 750.

After the ]N'orman Conquest the Jews of England
became numerous and wealthy. It is a mistake to
imagine, with Professor Goldwin Smith, that they vol-
untarily "streamed" into the country as rapacious
camp followers of the Conqueror. The truth is they
were brought over here by William, with the deliberate
design of their acting as engines of indirect taxation.
" The Jews," says William of E"ewburgh, " are the
Koyal usurers," and it was in this capacity that they
were domiciled in England. How they had become
forced into this position is a melancholy story. Excluded
from markets and trade guilds, prohibited from dealing
in wines and cereals, forbidden to employ slaves at a
time when all manufacturing industry was conducted
by serf -labor, no means of earning their bread remained
to them but usury. The Church smoothed their way
to this occupation, by prohibiting Christians (on the
strength of the passage, Luke vi. 35) from taking inter-
est of any kind on loans. Amid the universal want of
ready money occasioned by the constant decrease in the
stock of gold and silver, and the absence of any substi-
tute for the precious metals, borrowing became a neces-
sity with all classes, and the Jews, who had acquired
considerable wealth by trading, were thus forced to lend.
High interest increased their riches ; and the English
kings, whose taxing power was greatly crippled by the
freedom of the barons, consequently submitted them to
crushing imposts. To enable them thus to make good
the deficiencies in the revenue, they were specially taken
into the Koyal protection, and their rates of interest —

4:8 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

once as liigli as 86f per cent — were sanctioned by Koyal
decree.

It is not surprising that, under these circumstances,
the Jews became hateful to the nation ; but Mr. Free-
man's picture of them, "stalking defiantly among the
people of the land," is purely an effort of fancy. In
their learning and their heroic fidelity to their religion,
we have abundant evidence of their good sense. Jews
taught geometry, logic, and philosophy in the Univer-
sity of Oxford, and Jewish schools or colleges were
established in London, York, Lincoln, Oxford, Cam-
bridge, and "Warwick. Thither flocked Jew and Gentile
to hear distinguished Rabbis expound the principles of
arithmetic, Hebrew, Arabic, and medicine. The cele-
brated Ibn-Ezra visited England in 1159, and delivered
lectures in London. During his stay he wrote his
religio-philosophical work Jesod Mora. Among other
learned Jews who lived in England before the expulsion
were Eabbi Jacob, of Orleans, who taught in London,
and Kabbi Benjamin, of Canterbury, both pupils of
Rabbi Jacob Tam, the famous Tossafist, and grandson
of Rashi. The fidelity of the Jews to their religion was
illustrated by a thousand martyr deaths, but by nothing
more gloriously than their beleaguerment in York Cas-
tle, when five hundred destroyed themselves rather
than apostatize. It is impossible to read Isaac d'Israeli's
vivid sketch of this " scene of heroic exertion" without
feeling that to portray these men as the grasping and
arrogant bullies depicted to us in Mr. Freeman's pages
is little less than a calumny.

Massacres of Jews were, as a rule, sternly punished
by the English kings, who could ill afford to have their
" chattels" injured. When, however, exorbitant taxes

The Jews of England (Y50-183Y). 49

could no longer be squeezed from them, they were ruth-
lessly abandoned to the fury of the populace. The
competition of the Caorsini, who disguised their usury
in commissions and expenses, first reduced their value
in the eyes of the King. The Government tried to ex-
pel the new-comers, but in vain ; they were the servants
of the Pope, and no one dared touch them. With the
gradual relaxation of the Royal interest in the Jews,
the clergy grew bolder in denouncing them as heretics.
The public mind became inflamed ; and to gain popu-
larity Edward I. passed the statute De Judaismo, which,
among other restrictions, prohibited the Jews from
practising the usury they had already been compelled,
to the King's great grief, to abandon. Their expulsion
from the country, amid horrible cruelties, soon followed.

The Jews carried with them into exile the remem-
brance of many an outrage that marked their exodus
from Britain. Of one they preserved the tradition
through no less than ^yq centuries. A number of Jews
were barbarously drowned in the Thames, close by
where London Bridge now stands. When the old bridge
was in existence the fall of the waters at ebb tide caused
a disturbance under one of the arches ; and this, as late
as eighty years ago, the Jewish gossips firmly believed
was occasioned by the wrath of the Deity at the horrible
crime committed there in the year 1290.

It is generally assumed that from this date until the
Protectorate there were no Jews in England. Indeed,
Mr. J. R. Green goes so far as to assert that " from the
time of Edward to that of Cromwell no Jew touched
English ground." Recent researches have proved, how-
ever, that in spite of proscription, Hebrews frequently
visited these shores. The House of Converts, near
8

50 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Chancery Lane, received Jews continuously from tlie
thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries ; and the files of
accounts preserved in the Record Office show that as
many as seventy-two Jews resided within its walls dur-
ing the early years of Edward III.'s reign. In the State
papers relating to the marriage of Katherine of Aragon
with Arthur, Prince of Wales, we are told that Henry
YII. had a long interview with a Spanish envoy to dis-
cuss the presence of Jews in England. Roderigo Lopes,
acknowledged to be a Jew, was Physician to Queen
Elizabeth. The great legal luminaries, Littleton and
Coke, both inveigh against the Jews with a vigor inex-
plicable, except on the hypothesis that members of the
proscribed race were resident in England. It was not,
however, until the time of Cromwell that Jews took up
their abode in the land in any number. ]^o actual revo-
cation of the edict of expulsion seems to have taken place,
but that some sort of permission to return was granted
them it is impossible to doubt. In 1657 they considered
their position sufficiently secure to justify them in pur-
chasing a burial-ground ; and Cromwell's views on their
readmission are put beyond all doubt, by the fact that
he granted Menasseh ben Israel, the Jewish advocate, a
pension of £100 a year.

Until the year 1829, when the Test and Corporation
Acts were appealed, it was held by legal authorities
that Jews in England had no civil rights ; and even as
late as 1846 the Act De Judmsmo was formally on the
Statute Book. In 1673 the Jews were indicted for
worshipping in public in their synagogues ; and in 1685
thirty-seven of their merchants were suddenly arrested
in the Royal Exchange, under the statute 23 of Eliza-
beth, for not attending any church. Two years earlier

The Jews of England (Y50-1837).

51

it had been argued before the King's Bencli by the
Attorney-General, in the case of the East India Com-
pany V. Sand, that all Jews in England were under an
implied license, which the King might revoke, the effect
of doing which would be that they would then become
aliens. Even as great a judge as Lord Hardwicke held,
in 1Y44, that a bequest for the maintenance of a Syna-
gogue was void, because the Jewish religion was not
tolerated in England, but only connived at by the Legis-
lature. This decision was accepted as a precedent in
1786 by Lord Thurlow, and again in 1818 by Lord
Eldon. In 1828, when Moses Montefiore set in motion
the struggle for Jewish emancipation, the English Jews,
according to " Tomlin's Law Dictionary," still labored
under serious disabilities. " A Jew," we are told, " is
prevented from sitting in Parliament, holding any office,
civil or military, under the Crown, or any situation in
corporate bodies. He may be excluded from practising
at the bar, or as an attorney, proctor, or notary, from
voting at elections, from enjoying any exhibition in
either university, or from holding some offices of
:inferior importance."

Wlien Mr. Montefiore joined the Deputados of Bevis
Marks, the question of Jewish Emancipation had already
a Parliamentary history. It had not, however, been en-
couraging. Certainly in 1Y23 a slight concession had
been made in respect to the oath of abjuration, and in
1740 an impracticable Naturalization Act had been
passed for the Colonies ; but the attempt of Mr. Pelham
in 1753 to carry into effect a wider scheme of Jewish
Emancipation for the home country had produced such
an uproar, that, for nearly a century after, the bulk of
the English Israelites shrunk from publicly agitating

52 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

for their rights. Mr. Pelham's Act, historically known
as " The Jew Bill," was at first passed by both Houses
and received the Eoyal assent, but it only lived for a
few months. An alarm for the Church and for religion
spread through the land. It was proclaimed from
countless pulpits that if the Jews were naturalized in
Britain the country became liable to the curses pro-
nounced by prophecy against Jerusalem and the Holy
Land. Every dead wall in the kingdom exhibited in
varied thography the couplet,

" No Jews,
No wooden shoes."

Mr. Sydenham voted for the measure and lost his seat
for Exeter in consequence. A respectable clergyman
named Tucker, who wrote a defence of the Jews, was
maltreated by the populace. The Bishop of Norwich,
who supported the Bill, was insulted on his ensuing
confirmation circuit. At Ipswich the boys called upon
his lordship " to come and circumcise them," and a
paper was afiixed to one of the church doors to state
that " next day, being Saturday, his lordship would
confirm the Jews, and on the day following the Chris-
tians." To such a pitch rose the popular excitement
that the Ministers beat a hasty and ignominious retreat.
On the very first day of the next session the Duke of
Newcastle brought in a Bill to repeal the previous mea-
sure, and it was rapidly carried through both Houses.
The incident elicited a stinging commentary from Horace
"Walpole. " The populace," he wrote, " grew suddenly
so zealous for the honor of the prophecies that foretold
calamity and eternal depression to the Jews, that they
seemed to fear lest the completion of them should be

The Jews of England (Y50-183T).

53

defeated by Act of Parliament. The little curates
preached against the Bishops for deserting the interests
of the Gospel ; and aldermen grew drunk at county clubs
in the cause of Jesus Christ, as they had used to do for
the sake of King James. A cabal of ministers, who
had insulted their master with impunity, who had be-
trayed every ally and party with success, and who had
crammed down every Bill that was calculated for their
own favor, yielded to transitory noise, and submitted to
fight under the banners of prophecy in order to carry a
few more seats in another Parliament."

The remembrance of the intolerant spirit displayed
by the English people on this occasion, rendered the
Jews for many years exceedingly anxious to avoid any-
thing that might direct public attention to them as a
body. The repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts in
1828, however, aroused their hopes, and Mr. Montefiore,
on behalf of the Board of Deputies, with the assistance
outside of Mr. JST. M. Eothschild and Mr., afterwards
Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, endeavored to obtain a re-
moval of the disqualifications pressing upon Jews. Mr.
Montefiore had several interviews on the subject with the
Duke of Sussex, whose sympathy with the Jews had been
already evinced in many substantial ways, and obtained
from him a promise of his interest and support. The
Premier, however, was unfavorable to any concession,
on the ground that it was inexpedient so soon after the
passing of the Catholic Rehef Bill to excite the feelings
of the country by another measure of the same descrip-
tion. The movement consequently fell to the ground.
Not for long, however. In January, 1830, a petition
to Parliament was prepared and a deputation from the
Board of Deputies waited upon the Duke of Sussex, who

64 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

again promised his support. A host of petitions from
Jews and non-Jews all over the country poured into the
House of Commons, and on the 5th of April Mr. Rob-
ert Grant moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the Re-
peal of the Civil Disabilities of the Jews. Mr. Monte-
fiore and his brother Deputies were indefatigable in
their efforts to bring pressure to bear on Parliament to
pass the Bill. A committee of their body sat daily be-
tween ten and four o'clock at the King's Head in the
Poultry, and incurred expenses amounting to little less
than £1000. IS'evertheless, on the second reading of
the Bill, on the 23d May, it was thrown out by 228
noes against 165 ayes. Three years later another effort
was made and with better success. The Commons
passed Mr. Grant's Bill, but in the Lords it was thrown
out. Year by year, for four years more, the campaign
was prosecuted with unwearying zeal, Mr. Montefiore in
the mean time becoming the leader of the movement by
his election to the Presidency of the Board of Deputies
in succession to his uncle, Mr. Moses Mocatta. Each
year, however, the Lords proved obdurate, and a pause
in the struggle took place.

The agitation so far had not been altogether without
profit to the Jews. Mr. David Salomons had opened
the shrievalty to his co-religionists in 1835, and a bill to
enable him to serve passed through Parliament without
opposition. Mr. Montefiore took advantage of the Act
to become a candidate for the same office in 1837, and
was elected. Early in the year he headed two deputa-
tions— one from the Board of Deputies, and the other
from the town of Ramsgate — to congratulate the young
Queen on her accession. When Her Majesty subse-
quently entered the City of London on Lord Mayor's

The Jews of England (750-1837).

55

day, tlie honor of knighthood was conferred on the new
Sheriff as well as on the Lord Major, the famous Mr.
Alderman Wood, father of Lord Hatherley. These
were not the first occasions on which Sir Moses had met
Queen Victoria. In 1834, when the Duchess of Kent
and her daughter were residing at Townlej House,
Kamsgate, they frequently rambled through the pictu-
resque grounds of East Cliff Lodge, and Mr. Montefiore
courteously provided them with a special key to his pri-
vate gate. On his first visit to court he was graciously
reminded of his hospitality. " We always remember with
pleasure the happy days we spent at Eamsgate," cor-
dially added the Duchess of Kent, who was standing
)y the throne.
With another member of the royal family Sir Moses
id also established intimate relations; this was the
Duke of Sussex, uncle to the Queen. His Eoyal High-
ness had taken a deep interest in the Jews. He was a
patron of their hospital, and presided at its anniversary
dinners. A diligent student of the Hebrew language, and
Jewish history and literature, he also actively assisted in
the movement for Jewish emancipation. Sir Moses
Montefiore was the first conforming Jew to receive the
honor of knighthood, and the Duke rightly interpreted
the circumstance as indicating the failure of anti- Jewish
prejudice. He took no pains to hide his satisfaction.
When the ceremony of investiture was performed he was
present, and at its conclusion he seized Sir Moses' hand,
and heartily shaking it exclaimed, " This is one of the
tilings I have worked for all my life !"

The year of office Sir Moses served as sheriff was
distinguished by the large collections made for the City
charities, and by the complete absence of capital punish-

56 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

ment. The latter circumstance is a source of great pride
to Sir Moses. There was certainly one criminal con-
demned to death, but with the assistance of a lady highly
placed, a reprieve was obtained. Sir Moses, at that
period, found few to sympathize with him in his hu-
mane dislike of the death punishment. His representa-
tions on the subject to Lord John Russell were coldly
received, and when, while showing Marshal Soult over
IS'ewgate, he expressed his opinions on the subject to
that inflexible disciplinarian, they evoked only an aston-
ished stare.

During the same year he continued indef atigably to
discharge his duties as President of the Board of Depu-
ties. He began now, however, to turn his attention
more towards the foreign Jews, whose oppressed condi-
tion had attracted his sympathies ten years before. The
emancipation struggle was safe in other hands, and he
felt he could now leave it. His brother-in-law, David
Salomons, his nephew, Lionel de Rothschild, his rela-
tives, Isaac Lyon Goldsmid and Francis Goldsmid, were
all prepared to invade the precincts of Parliament itself
in the interests of Jewish emancipation ; but for so
public a struggle Sir Moses Montefiore had no ambi-
tion.

Second Visit to the Holy Lcmd.

57

CHAPTEK YI.

SECOND VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND.

: Jews and Agriculture. — Mr. Cobbett's Taunt. — Sir Moses Monte-
fiore Determines to Introduce Agriculture among the Jews of
the Holy Land. — Journey to the East for that Purpose. — Inves-
tigates the Condition of European Communities on his Route.
— Brussels. — Aix-la-Chapelle. — Strasbourg. — Avignon. — Mar-
seilles.— Nice. — Genoa. — Florence. — Papal States. — Disabilities
of the Jews of Rome. — Lady Montefiore Expresses her Indigna-
tion to a Papal Monsignore. — Dr. Loewe. — The Eastern Ques-
tion.— Arrival at Beyrout. — Progress through Palestine. — Enthu-
siastic Receptions. — Safed. — Tiberias. — Jerusalem. — Sir Moses
makes Inquiries into the Condition of the Jews. — Distributes
Money. — Back to Alexandria. — Interview with Mehemet Ali, who
Promises to Assist his Plans. — Return to England. — Changes in
Eastern Politics. — Defeat of Sir Moses' Plans.

Amid the engrossing labors of the Disability agitation,
Sir Moses Montefiore had still found time to commu-
nicate occasionally with foreign Jewish communities.
Distress, however remote, never failed to attract his
attention, or to elicit from him sympathetic and sub-
stantial assistance. The interest he evinced in the wel-
fare of his oppressed brethren spread his fame far and
wide among them. Dr. Wolff, the well-known mission-
ary, found, already in 1834, that his name was known
to the Jews of Bokhara, Samarcand, Balkh, Khokand,
and Herat.

Several circumstances now combined to determine
him to a more active and systematic treatment of the
8*

58 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

various problems raised by tbe appeals addressed to him
from abroad. Not only was he enabled by the lull in
home affairs to give these problems more attention than
formerly, but he had convinced himself that it was of
greater importance to the honor and fair fame of Juda-
ism that the Jewish character, as exemplified by the
great mass of his foreign brethren, should be assisted
to rehabilitate itself, than that every effort should be
concentrated on one or two agitations for the repeal of
local disabilities. Mr. Cobbett's taunt that " the Israelite
is never seen to take a spade in his hand, but waits like
the voracious slug to devour what has been produced by
labor in which he has no share," had sunk deep in his
heart, and he resolved to seize an early opportunity of
assisting the more downtrodden communities of his co-
religionists, to improve their condition by agricultural
and industrial labor. He selected the Jews of Palestine
for his first experiment in this direction. His choice of
these communities was determined partly by the fact,
that the Holy Land had a special attraction for him,
and partly because he had reason to hope that his influ-
ence with Mehemet Ali, then lord of Syria, would
enable him to obtain a fair field for his operations.

Accompanied by his devoted spouse, he started on
his second voyage to the Holy Land on the 1st IN'ovem-
ber, 1838. The journey was not a direct one, as the
travellers were desirous of inquiring into the political
and social condition of the Jewish communities of the
Continent. To this task they devoted close upon seven
months.

In Lady Montefiore's private journal * many interest-

* Privately printed in 1844.

Second Visit to the Holy Land.

59

ing particulars are preserved conceming the Continen-
tal Jews at this period. Their condition was not alto-
gether unsatisfactory, although the sun of ciyil and re-
ligious liberty had not yet dawned. At Brussels the
travellers found a community of about eighty families,
possessing a neat little synagogue, in which sermons in
German were delivered weekly. At Aix-la-Chapelle
the community, though very poor, were erecting a new
synagogue, towards the expense of which the travellers
contributed. At Strasbourg ritual reforms had already
been introduced ; but at Avignon, once the home of so
many learned Rabbis, there were no regular religious ser-
vices, and no means of obtaining Kosher food. Marseilles
had some excellent communal schools, in which Hebrew,
French, and Latin were efficiently taught ; but in Nice,
then a town of the kingdom of Sardinia, the Jews were
so oppressed, that the Chacham told Sir Moses it was
with the greatest difficulty he retained his position
in the community. Notwithstanding the disabilities to
which they were subjected, the Jews had, with touching
loyalty, erected a handsome monument, with a Hebrew
inscription, commemorating the visit of the King Charles
Felix to the town.

Skirting the shores of the Mediterranean in their
travelling coach-and-six, the Montefiores arrived on the
3d of January at Genoa, where they attended the ancient
Synagogue, and relieved the poor, principally immi-
grants from Northern Africa. The community they
found in a very impoverished state. Proceeding to
Florence, where there was a Jewish population of 3000,
^they met with the first indications in Italy of a liberal
►licy towards the Jews. The Tuscan Government,
Itliough maintaining many of the old restrictions, had

60 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

recently given its Hebrew subjects considerable freedom
in commercial matters. They were allowed, vnter alia,
to farm the tobacco revenues ; and many of them were
extremely well of. In the Papal States, on the other
hand, the old mediaeval regulations were maintained.
"How painful," exclaims Lady Montefiore, in her
diary, " it is to find our people under so many disadvan-
tages here (Kome) ! Three thousand five hundred souls
are obliged to maintain themselves by shops, and in a
confined part of the city. Arts, sciences, mechanism,
are prohibited. Four times in the year two hundred
are obliged to attend a sermon for their conversion. It
is said that no proselytes are made, except occasionally
from among the most destitute. Leo XII. deprived
them of the privilege granted by Pius YIL of keeping
shops out of the Ghetto." Lady Montefiore did not
confine the expression of her feelings on this subject to
the privacy of her diary. While entertaining a Papal
Monsignore, she tells us, " I did not conceal from him
the indignation with which I should be animated at
finding myself denied all opportunity of acquiring dis-
tinction by the free and honorable exertion of such
ability as might be conferred upon me by the Author of
my being."

It was during this visit to Rome that Sir Moses
Montefiore first encountered Dr. Louis Loewe, a Jewish
scholar, who for close upon half a century has acted as
the benevolent Hebrew's lieutenant in all his philan-
thropic enterprises. An accomplished linguist and earn-
est Israelite, Dr. Loewe was well fitted for duties, the
adequate discharge of which required a wide acquaintance
with foreign languages almost as much as a good Jewish
heart. Dr. Loewe had already obtained considerable

Second Visit to the Holy Land. 61

reputation as a linguist, and while in England had en-
joyed the patronage of the Duke of Sussex. He had
travelled extensively in Ethiopia, Syria, Palestine, Tur-
key, Asia Minor, and Greece. Arabic literature he had
jread with Sheik Mohammad Ayad Ettantavy ; Persian
^he had studied under Sheik Eefa; and Coptic he had
learnt of a Coptic priest. His career had been an ad-
venturous one, and now, on his return from an Eastern
tour, he was prosecuting literary researches in the Vati-
can library, under the auspices of the Cardinals Mezzo-
fanti, Angelo Mai, and Lambruschini. Dr. Loewe
spent Passover with the Montefiores at Home, and read
and expounded to them the Passover service. He sub-
sequently accepted an invitation to accompany them to
the Holy Land.

The Mediterranean was no longer infested with the
pirates who, on the previous journey, had been so
serious a source of anxiety; but the eternal Eastern
Question, in another of its protean shapes, still rendered
the dominions of the Padishah unsafe for European
travellers. Shortly before leaving Pome a private mes-
sage was conveyed to Lady Montefiore from the Baron-
ess James de Rothschild at Kaples, informing her that
there was good reason to believe that the Sultan was
about to make an effort to recover Syria from Mehemet
Ali, by force of arms, and advising her to persuade her
husband not to pursue his projected tour. Sir Moses
was deeply concerned at this intelligence, calculated as
it was to defeat his cherished plans ; but he buoyed him-
self up with the hope that he might effect the object of
his mission before the actual outbreak of hostilities, and
he adhered to his determination to proceed. No sooner
had he arrived at Malta, however, than he was met by

62 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

other and more serious objections. The plague had
broken out in the Holy Land, and the gates of Jerusalem
were closed ; the country was stated to be infested with
brigands; and the heat of a Syrian summer, he was
warned, would severely try a European constitution.
Sir Moses was still not to be dissuaded from his enter-
prise, but he began to feel considerable anxiety on his
wife's score. He suggested to her that he should pro-
ceed alone. " This I peremptorily resisted," writes
Lady Montefiore, ^' and the expression of Euth furnished
my heart at the moment with the language it most
desired to use : ' Entreat me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee; for whither thou
goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge.' "
Two days later the attached couple embarked in the
English steamer Megara, and within a week they cast
anchor in the Bay of Beyrout.

The journey through the Holy Land resembled
almost a royal progress. As the friend of Mehemet
Ali, Sir Moses was received by the authorities with dis-
tinction ; as a benevolent and wealthy Israelite, desirous
of seeing Palestine prosper, he was welcomed by the
poverty-stricken inhabitants with enthusiasm. Immedi-
ately on his arrival at Beyrout, the Governor waited
upon him, and begged him to take up his quarters in his
own house. The following day a numerous congrega-
tion assembled in the Synagogue and offered up special
prayers for the safe accomplishment of his undertaking.
At Safed, where he passed the Pentecost holidays, the
rejoicings were of the wildest description. Deputations
met him on the road and presented addresses. Crowds
of people — young and old, rich and poor — danced
around him, shouted, clapped their hands, sounded their

Second Visit to the Holy Lcmd.

63

Darrabnkas, and chanted songs of praise. As he entered
the city guns were fired, and the streets and the tops of
the houses were thronged with men, women, and chil-
dren. The Governor, Abd-el-Khalim, attended by the
Cadi and other influential Mussulmans paid him a cere-
monious visit, and expressed a hope that, "as Queen
Esther had delivered her people from destruction, so
might the Hebrews, suffering in Palestine under such
accumulated distresses, be relieved by his (Sir Moses')
efforts." Not less cordial was the reception at Tiberias.
Deputations from all the congregations awaited Sir
Moses outside the walls, and the Governor, mounted on
a beautiful Arab steed, and attended by a numerous
suite, presented him with an address of welcome. Then
with music and dancing, and amid deafening cries of
*' Live the protector !" he entered the town. On the 7th
June he arrived outside Jerusalem, but in consequence
of the plague raging in the town, encamped on the
Mount of Olives. The Governor, Mohamed Djisdor,
paid a visit to his encampment and pressed him to
enter the city ; eventually he consented. The conver-
sation at this interview, which was interpreted by Dr.
Loewe, and has been preserved by Lady Montefiore, is
worth quoting :

The Governor. — "May your day be bright and
lessed !"

Sir Moses. — " And yours full of blessings and com-
forts!"

The Governor. — "May the Almighty prolong your
life."
Sir Moses. — " And yours continue in happiness."
The Governor. — " The air is delightful here."
Sir Moses. — "Most beautiful. I should think the

64r The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

breezes of this mountain would convey health and every
other blessing to the Holy City."

The Governor. — "Doubtless all blessings arise from
this mountain; particularly as you have pitched your
tent upon it."

Sir Moses, — "Blessed be he who bestows so much
honor upon me by his kind and flattering expressions !"

The Governor. — " I say what my heart feels, and that
which the whole world witnesses with me !"

Sir Moses. — " I wish it were in my power to show
my friendly feelings towards you, as well as to others
who think so kindly of me."

The Governor. — " I wish to impress on your mind
that not only the Jews, but the Mussulmans, Christians,
and every other class of the inhabitants are most anxious
for your entrance into the Holy City."

Sir Moses. — " I am perfectly convinced of the worthy
and distinguished character of its inhabitants, and that
such it should be is not astonishing, subjected as it is to
the careful observation of such a governor as yourself ;
and had it not been on account of Lady M., I should
have entered the town the very day of my arrival."

The Governor. — " God shall prolong your life. Only
under the watchful eye of our Lord, Ibrahim Pacha, and
yourself, can happiness be increased. At the time when
our lord came to Jerusalem I went to meet him. He
said to me, ' Achmet ! ' I replied, ' Effendina ! ' ' You
know the age when it was said. This is a Christian and
that a Jew, and there is a Mussulman ! but now,
Achmet, these times are past. Never ask what he is :
let him be of whatsoever religion he may, do him justice,
as the Lord of the world desired of us.' "

Si/r Moses. — " These are my sentiments. Make no

Second Visit to the Holy Land.

65

listinction. Be like the sun which shines over the whole
^orld — all are blessed by its light, all strengthened and
refreshed by its warmth, whether they be Jews, Chris-
tians, or Mussulmans."

The Governor . — "Long live Effendina! His sword

is very long ! Look at the spot on which your tents are

pitched. Ten years ago five hundred men would have

)een needed to make your abode here secure. At pres-

it you may walk with a bag of gold in your hand.

'ot a soul would molest you."

Sir Moses. — " You are perfectly right. I can myself
>ear witness to the change that has taken place in this
mntry. Twelve years ago, when I visited this town,
often heard the complaints of travellers. Even at that
Ime I personally experienced no inconvenience. But
low that Mehemet Ali governs, we not only travel in
security, but are furnished by his highness with letters
►f introduction to the various authorities of the country."
The Governor. — " Mehemet Ali knows how to appre-
ciate distinguished persons like yourself ; and I assure
rou I am longing to show you every proof of my respect,
lut while you are sitting here in quarantine our means
are limited, and it is impossible for us to manifest the
lelight which would otherwise be evidenced. Follow
ly advice. Enter the city, and I will come and accom-
my yon with the whole of my suite. The day of your
appearing among us shall be a festival to all the people.
I will send you a beautiful Arabian horse; in short,
whatever you like, whether soldiers, horses, or servants.
Depend upon it, by my head, by my eyes, by my beard,
all shall be ready in a moment !"

Sir Moses. — " I feel highly obliged to you, and am
fully assured of your good-will. I promise you that I

66 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

will enter, be it the will of God, on Wednesday morn-
ing, when I shall be happy to avail myself of the kind
offer of your company."

The Governor. — " You have poured torrents of bless-
ings on my head; and I shall not fail to be here, at
whatever hour you desire, with the Khakham Morenu,
whether before or after sunrise. We are all your ser-
vants."

The Governor was as good as his word, and a princely
reception was accorded to Sir Moses Montefiore. We
cannot do better than quote the description from Lady
Montefiore's bright narrative :

" At a quarter past three we were called, in order to
commence early preparations for entering the city. The
Governor arrived at six o'clock, attended by his officers
and suite. Coffee, cibouks, and a plate of cake were
served, his excellency giving a piece of the latter to each
of his suite. After some conversation, we rose to de-
part. M expressed his wish to ride his own horse,

thinking that sent for him too spirited, but the Gover-
nor replied that two young men were appointed to walk
by his side. All the party being mounted, the Gover-
nor led the way attended by his officers. The chief of
the cavalry arranged the order of march, and two sol-
diers with long muskets were appointed immediately
to precede me. The scene produced by this descent of
the Mount of Olives, passing as we were through the
most romantic defiles, and with long lines of Turkish
soldiers, mounted on noble Arab horses and dressed in
the most costly costume, cannot be easily described.
More honor, they said, could not have been paid even
to a king. We entered the city through the Gate of the
Tribes. The streets were narrow, and almost filled ii])

Second Visit to the Holy Land. 67

^p witli loose stones and the ruins of houses which had

fallen to decay. Our guards on each side were busily

engaged in keeping off the people, a precaution rendered

necessary to lessen the danger of contagion. Having

passed through the bazaar, we entered the Jewish quar-

l^» ter of the town, and which appeared the cleanest of any

I^B we had traversed. The streets, every lattice, and all the

I^V tops of the houses were thronged with children and

■^" veiled females. Bands of music, and choirs of singers

welcomed our arrival with melodies composed for the

IH^ occasion, while every now and then the loud, quick

■^■^ clapping of hands gave signal that the whole vast crowd

of spectators was striving to give expression to popular

I delight. Having reached the Synagogue, the Governor
entered with us, and then said, addressing M , he
would leave us to our devotions, and that his oflScer
should attend us, when we pleased to return to our
encampment. M was called to the Sepher, and
offered prayer for all our friends in England, as well as
for those present. I was allowed the honor of lighting
four lamps in front of the altar, and putting the bells on

the Sepher. Blessings were then given for M and

me, and for the party. We then went successively to
three other Portuguese, and two German Synagogues.
Blessings at each place of devotion were offered up for
us, and no sight can I imagine more impressive or de-
lightful than that which was thus exhibited."

I In each of the Holy Cities Sir Moses made elaborate
inquiries into the state of the Jewish population. He
endeavored to acquaint himself so thoroughly with the
condition of every individual, that, in the schemes he
was contemplating, no one Jew should be neglected.

68 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

ing all lie saw, he instructed Dr. Loewe to take a kind
of census of the Hebrew population. For this purpose
statistical forms were prepared and distributed, and
when filled up, thej gave copious particulars respecting
the communities and their institutions. A collection
was also made of such suggestions for effecting improve-
ments, as any thouglitful persons in each locality might
care to commit to writing. The Jewish population
seemed to regard Sir Moses' schemes with much favor.
Elaborate reports were supplied by the Rabbis, in which
many excellent and practical suggestions were made.
Lady Montefiore sums them up in the words : " Energy
and talent exist. Nothing is needed but protection and
encouragement."

But Sir Moses did more than make these statistical
inquiries ; he munificently relieved the pressing wants
of the poor in each of the Holy Cities, and without dis-
tinction of creed. Anticipating that he should find the
people in a very sorry state, through the devastations of
earthquake and plague, and the marauding forays of the
Druses, he provided himself before leaving Alexandria
with a large sum of money in specie, for distribution in
the Holy Land. The safety of this money was no small
source of anxiety during the journey from Beyrout to
Safed. The country was alive with brigands, and Sir
Moses and his companions were compelled to arm them-
selves to the teeth ; even Lady Montefiore carried pistols
in her holsters. One night, when the escort whose duty
it was to look after the tents lost their way. Sir Moses
and Lady Montefiore had to sleep in their rugs, while
Dr. Loewe and the courier kept watch with loaded fire-
arms. With their usual good fortune the travellers
escaped molestation, and the money was successfully

I

Second Visit to the Holy Land. 69

^m distributed at Safed and Tiberias. Careful inquiries
•^" were first made in order to avoid imposture, and then
the poor were admitted to Sir Moses' presence in batches
of thirty, and each man and woman was presented with
a Spanish dollar, and with half that sum for every child
under thirteen years of age. Orphans and children over
thirteen received a full dollar. With rare consideration.
Sir Moses arranged to receive separately in the evenings,
those who shrunk from exposing their poverty to the
I^B public gaze. At Jerusalem he was unable to perform
' this interesting ceremony, as his stock of money had

become exhausted, and there was no banker in the city
to honor his credits ; he was compelled therefore to give
the authorities drafts on Beyrout. One of the happy
results of this importation of ready money was, that in
Safed and Tiberias the price of a measure of corn fell

■ immediately from five piastres to two.
His inquiries completed. Sir Moses made all haste to
lay his plans before Mehemet AH. He reached Alex-
andria on July 13th, and was cordially received by the
Pacha, who listened attentively while he unfolded his
schemes. Mehemet Ali promised every assistance, and
expressed himself anxious to improve the condition of
his Hebrew subjects. " You shall have any portion of
land open for sale in Syria," he said, " and any other
land which by application to the Sultan might be pro-
cured for you. You may have any one you would like
me to appoint as Governor in any of the rural districts
of the Holy Land, and I will do everything that lies in
my power to support your praiseworthy endeavors."
^^^ He further gave instructions to his Minister of Finance,
^H Burghos Bey, to confirm these assurances in writing.

70 The Life of Sw Moses Montefiore.

Land. Sir Moses returned to England with a light
heart, and prepared to put his plans into execution.
But—

**The best laid schemes o' mice an' men,
Gang aft a-gley."

He was still conning over the voluminous data he had
collected, and was constructing in his mind the founda-
tion of a new commonwealth for Palestine, when he
was suddenly called upon to proceed again to the East
— this time, not as a peaceful reformer, but as the cham-
pion of his people, charged to vindicate their honor in
the face of a foul conspiracy. He cheerfully laid aside
his agricultural schemes, and gh-ded up his loins for the
new enterprise. When he returned home in the follow-
ing spring, crowned with laurels, and hailed on all sides
as the deliverer of Israel, his triumph was clouded by
one sad thought — the projects to which he had devoted
the whole of the previous year were no longer possible.
Mehemet Ali had ceased to be lord of Syria, and his im-
proving rule had been replaced by the asphyxiating au-
thority of the Stamboul Effendis, under whom questions
of social well-being could expect little furtherance.

The Damascus Dramfia,

71

CHAPTEK YII.

THE DAMASCUS DEAMA.

The "Red Spectre" of Judaism. — Its History and Origin. — Revival
of the Blood Accusation at Damascus in Consequence of the Dis-
appearance of Father Thomas. — The Fanaticism of the Monks
and the Designs of the French Consul. — M. de Ratti-Menton sets
himself to Manufacture a Case against the Jews.— Secures the
Co-operation of the Governor of the City. — Arrest, Torture, and
Confession of a Jewish Barber. — A Jewish Youth Flogged to
Death. — Further Arrests. — The Prisoners Submitted to Terrible
Tortures. — Wholesale Seizure of Jewish Children. — Ratti-Men-
ton's Mouchards. — Another Confession. — The Bottle of Human
Blood. — Two of the Prisoners Die under Torture. — Protests of the
Austrian Consul. — A Mass over Mutton Bones. — Attempt to Ex-
cite the Mussulman Populace. — The Prisoners Condemned to
Death. — The *• Red Spectre" at Rhodes. — Anti- Jewish Risings.

Some eighteen centuries and a half ago the city of
Alexandria was distracted by an agitation against the
Jews, which, in many of its features, was a perfect
type of the anti-Semitic movements we have witnessed
during the present century. The charges against the
Hebrew people were then the same as now. One
writer discovered that they were an unsociable tribe ;
another affirmed that their religion was a danger to the
State. The Kohling of the day was an Egyptian named
Apion, who declared that the Jews were required by
a secret tradition" to make use of human blood in
leir Passover ceremonies, and that, consequently, they

T2 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

were obliged to sacrifice annually a certain number of
Gentiles. The public mind became inflamed, and
Flaccus Aquilius, tlie Roman Prefect, desirous, like
many a modern functionary, of ingratiating himself
with the people, took no measures to prevent the riots
and massacres that eventually occurred.

No circumstance of this ancient anti-Jewish agitation
has been more frequently repeated than the charge of
the ritual use of human blood. This "Red Spectre"
of Judaism has haunted the whole history of the He-
brew dispersion, and has written the larger portion of
its martyrology. It clung even to the skirts of Chris-
tianity in the early days of its temporal impotence,
when its Hebrew origin was still fresh in men's minds.
Athenagoras found himself compelled to appeal to
Marcus Aurelius for protection against the calumny ;
and Origen, in his reply to Celsus, was obliged to cite
from the Old Testament the many prohibitions ofi the
use of blood as evidence of the impossibility of the
alleged practice. In course of time, however, Chris-
tians themselves adopted the fable, together with many
other of the superstitions of paganism, and, by a tri-
umph of prejudice, fastened it on the very people
whose traditions they had relied on to rebut it when it
was related of themselves. Notwithstanding that the
post-Biblical legal codes of the Jews worked out into
elaborate detail the Scriptural laws on this subject, the
Church obstinately persisted in repeating the charge.
No Christian ever disappeared about Easter time but
the cry immediately arose that he had been murdered
by the Jews. The calendar bristles with saints who
are supposed in the flesh to have been victims of this
"damnable practice of Judaism." Miracles were

Tli6 Damascus Drama.

Y3

wrought by tlieir bodies and their relics; and their
shrines have been visited by thousands of pilgrims.
To this day the accusation is persisted in, and there
are still people in Europe who believe that ritual mur-
der is a practice of orthodox Judaism.

The origin of this extraordinary delusion has per-
plexed many historical scholars. The most probable
theory seems to be that it was only a natural corollary
of the vague impression of the Pagan world that Juda-
ism was a form of sorcery. In the supernatural medi-
cine-chest blood has always occupied an important place.
Even in Biblical times its magical virtue was the bur-
den of a vulgar superstition ; for we read of harlots
washing themselves in Ahab's blood, no doubt under
the impression that some peculiar beautifying property
attached to the blood of a king. Homer, Horace, and
Pliny speak of the magical use of blood. Gower in his
De Confessione Amantis states it to have been pre-
scribed to Constantino for the cure of his leprosy ; but
that he refused to try it, and for his piety was miracu-
lously healed :

*' The would him bathe in childes bloode,
Within seven winters' age;
For as thei sayen, that shulde assuage
The lepre."

It is very likely that the superior healthiness of the
Fews, and their immunity from many epidemic diseases,
lelped to ^x more firmly in the popular mind the idea

lat they occasionally fortified themselves with doses of
mman blood. The specific association of the accusa-
ion with the Passover has been attributed to the red

Lne drunk on the first evening of the festival. Red
4

74: The Life of Sir Moses Moniefiore.

wine is chosen because, according to an old Jewish
legend, when Pharaoh was once seriously ill he caused
his body to be bathed daily in a bath of the blood of
Jewish children in order to regain his health. The
fate of these children and other Jews, stated to have
been murdered in Egypt, is commemorated on the Pass-
over by drinking red wine ; and it is conjectured that
supporters of the Blood Accusation imagine this wine
to be blood.

In the spring of 1840 the Jews of Europe were
startled by a revival of the blood calumny in a peculi-
arly virulent form. Paragraphs appeared in the Times^
the Leipziger Allgemeine Zeitung, the Semaphore de
Marseilles, and other influential journals, announcing
that a charge of ritual murder had actually been brought
home to the Israelitish community of Damascus. Sir
Moses Montefiore immediately caused inquiries to be
made into the truth of the allegation, but it was with
great difficulty that any reliable information could be
obtained. Ultimately, however, the true story leaked
out, and, as its harrowing details assumed tangible form,
it caused a thrill of horror to run through the whole of
"Western Europe.

Early in the year a Capuchin friar, named Thomas
de Calangiano, had, together with his servant, unac-
countably disappeared. The reverend gentleman was
well known all over Damascus, where he exercised the
profession of physician, visiting in that capacity all
classes of the population, Mussulmans, Catholics, Arme-
nians, and Jews. A rumor at first pervaded the town
that a quarrel liad taken place between him and a Turk,
and that the latter had been heard to swear that the
" Christian dog" should die by his hand. It was even

The Damascus Drama.

75

said that a figlit had taken place, Yery mysteriously,
however, the story died away ; and one fine morning a
mob of Christians crowded into the Jewish quarter,
shouting that the Jews had murdered Father Thomas,
to employ his blood in their superstitious rites. Whether
this demonstration was promoted by the Catholic clergy
or not, it is impossible to say ; but the barbarous sur-
mise by which it was actuated does not seem to have
been at all repugnant to the feelings of these holy men.
On the contrary, it appears to have suited their interests
to give it all the support in their power, in order, appar-
ently, to avoid a conflict between themselves and the
dominant Mussulman population, which would have
certainly taken place had an investigation been made of
tlie clew afforded by the rumored quarrel. Besides, as
Graetz has shrewdly remarked, a monk killed by the
Jews would have given them another saint, and fur-
nished them with an additional claim on the purses of
the faithful.

The expediency of the course adopted by the monks
jcommended itself with peculiar force to the tortuous
lind of the French Consul, the Count de Ratti-Menton,
unscrupulous schemer, whose moral character may be
iferred from the fact that he had already been dis-
missed from oflSces of trust in Sicily and Tiflis. He
acquiesced in the accusation against the Jews with alac-
rity, not merely on the score of the personal interests of
the local Christians, but, as he diplomatically thought,
to serve the political ends of France in the East by cur-
rying favor with the Mussulman population. He im-
mediately set himself to manufacture a case against the
Jews ; and for this purpose took into his confidence a
trio of the most notorious rascals in Damascus, Hanna

76 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Bacliari Bej, a well-known Jew-hater, Mohammed El-
Telii, an adventurer, who had ah-eady extorted money
from the Jews on a trumped-up charge of ritual murder ;
and Shibli Ajub, a Christian Arab, who was actually
undergoing at the time a term of imprisonment for
forgery, of which he had been convicted mainly on the
evidence of a Jew. The Governor of Damascus, Sheriff
Pasha, needed no pressing to consent to the proceedings
of the French Consul. Gallic influence was then para-
mount in the councils of Mehemet Ali, who was relying
on the specious promises of Louis Philippe to enable
him to defy the European allies of the Sultan. It was
consequently more than a provincial official's head was
worth to offend a diplomatic agent of the French Gov-
ernment. Besides, Sheriff Pasha was not insensible to
the prospect of plunder held out by a well-devised Blood
Accusation.

The stage thus cleared, the curtain rose on the first
act of the drama. Bachari Bey, after a long and mys-
terious inquiry, discovered a person who was willing to
swear that, on the day of the Padre's disappearance, he
had seen him and his servant enter a house in the Jew-
ish quarter of the city. The tenant of the house in
question, a poor barber, was waited upon by the satel-
lites of the French Consul, and sternly interrogated.
He showed so much trepidation and confusion, that it
was resolved to arrest him, and he was handed over by
Ratti-Menton to Sheriff Pasha for further examination.
This took the form of 500 lashes, but it failed to extort
a confession. More exquisite torture was resorted to,
but still the poor barber steadfastly denied all knowledge
of the crime. He was then thrown into a pestiferous
dungeon to regain strength for further torture. During

The Damascus Drama.

77

his incarceration Shibli Ajiib made his acquaintance as
a fellow- prisoner, and, acting upon instructions from
without, endeavored to gain his confidence, with a view
to eliciting from him the fate of Father Thomas. But
still he protested that he knew nothing about it ; and all
the machinations of his wily interlocutor were powerless
to induce him to incriminate either himself or any of
his brethren. At last, growing impatient, Shibli de-
clared himself in his true character. Adopting an im-
perious tone, he called upon the half -distracted barber
to confess his guilt at once ; he told him that he was an
aojent of the Pasha, and if the truth were not imme-
diately avowed, the tortnre would there and then be re-
sumed. In an agony of terror the miserable creature
threw himself at Shibli's feet, and frantically implored
his mercy. Shibli coldly repeated his interrogatories,
rhen the barber, yielding to his fears, gasped out that
le was guilty. So, at least, Shibli reported to his supe-
iors, at the same time stating that the barber had men-
ioned as his accomplices several Jewish merchants of
Damascus, who all, curiously enough, turned out to be
rery wealthy men.

In the mean time Sheriff Pasha had sent for the Jew-
ish ecclesiastical chiefs, and had commanded them to
discover the criminals within three days. The whole
community were in consequence summoned to the
Synagogue by the Rabbis, and a proclamation was read
calling upon any Jew who knew aught that might lead
to the detection of the murderers to instantly make it
known under pain of excommunication. The com-
munity were likewise enjoined to institute a diligent
search for the criminals. In consequence of this proc-
lamation a young man, a Jew, who kept a tobacconist's

78 TJie Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

shop in the Moslem quarter, close by one of the city
gates, came forward, and stated that the missing priest
and his servant had passed by his door at six o'clock on
the evening of the day on which he was last seen ; that
he had solicited them to purchase turribehi^ but that they
had passed on to the house of a Turkish merchant,
which they had entered. The young man was taken
before the Pasha, to whom he repeated his story ; but
the latter, instead of inquiring into its truth, angrily
accused him of being an accomplice, and ordered him
to be mercilessly flogged. The youth perished under
the bastinado. He was the first martyr in this terrible
tragedy.

Ratti-Menton lost no time in communicating to
Sheriff Pasha the nature of the barber's alleged confes-
sion; and seven of the most influential Jews in the
town — David Arari, his son and two brothers, Moses
Abulafia, Moses Saloniki, and Joseph , Laniado, the
latter a man over eighty years of age — were forthwith
arrested. Examined by the Governor, they one and all
asserted their innocence. At the suggestion of Ratti-
Menton the bastinado was called into requisition ; but
still they denied all knowledge of the missing monk.
Then they were submitted to the most excruciating tor-
tures. They were soaked with their clothes for hours
at a stretch in large tanks of cold water ; their eyes
were punctured ; they were made to stand upright
without support for nearly two days ; and when their
wearied bodies fell down, they were aroused by the
prick of soldiers' bayonets; they were dragged by the
ear until their blood gushed ; thorns were driven be-
tween the nails and flesh of their fingers and toes ; fire
was set to their beards till their faces were singed;

The Damascus Drama.

79

and candles were held under their noses, so that the
flames burnt their nostrils. But still no admission of
guilt passed their lips. Sheriff Pasha then bethought
himself of another and still more fiendish plan. He
ordered sixty Jewish children, ranging in age from
three to ten years, to be forcibly torn from their
mothers, and locked up in a room without food, in the
hope that the bereaved parents would frantically de-
nounce the murderers. This infernal expedient also
failed. Then maddened by their want of success, Sheriff
Pasha and Ratti-Menton invaded the Jewish quarter
with a troop of soldiers, and demolished several houses
ostensibly to find evidence. Nothing was discovered ;
and the enraged Governor before taking his leave swore
a tremendous oath, that if the body of Father Thomas
were not soon produced, many hundred Jewish heads
should pay the penalty.

All this time Ratti-Menton's mouchards had not been
idle. They had managed to -obtain for themselves the
entree to the houses of the imprisoned Jews, and day
after day they had spent in cajoling the servants. Mo-
hammed El-Telli had specially attached himself to one
of Arari's servants, Mourad El-Fallat, and eventually he
prevailed upon him to admit that he had killed Father
Thomas at his master's orders, and in presence of the
other prisoners. This was held by Ratti-Menton to be
a confirmation of the barber's narrative, notwithstanding
the discrepancy that both the self-accusers claimed to
have alone committed the deed. A search for the
remains of the murdered man was at once instituted,
and resulted in the finding of a piece of bone and a
rag in a drain near Arari's house. The bone was de
Glared by Ratti-Menton to be a portion of the priest's

80 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

skull, and the rag a part of his cap. The guilt of the
accused was now considered established, and all that
remained to be discovered was the blood, for the sake
of which the Padre was alleged to have been murdered.
The seven prisoners were again dragged before the
Pasha and examined, but to no purpose. Torture was
then once more tried. The aged Laniado died under
the bastinado. Worn out with pain, one of the prisoners
whispered to a jailer that he had given the blood to
Moses Abulafia. The latter, after receiving another
thousand blows, and hardly knowing what he was saying,
stammered out that he had hidden the bottle in a certain
closet. Abulafia was carried on the backs of four men
to the closet indicated by him, where, of course, no
traces of blood were found. The tortures were then
resumed, but without any other result than that David
Arari shared the fate of Joseph Laniado, and Abulafia
purchased immunity from further molestation by turn-
ing Mussulman.

Towards the beginning of March suspicion fell upon
six more Jews, among them one Isaac Levi Picciotto,
an Austrian subject. He appealed to his Consul, M.
Merlato, for protection, and the latter, who had watched
the proceedings of Katti-Menton with undisguised
abhorrence, refused to deliver him up. All kinds of
so-called evidence of his guilt were offered, and threats
were even used towards his protector, but M. Merlato
proved immovable. About the same time more bones
were discovered, and although they were pronounced by
physicians to be sheep's bones, Eatti-Menton declared
them to be the skeleton of the missing priest. He even
went to the extent of ordering the monks to celebrate
a mass over the remains, and then sent another insolent

The Damascus Drama.

81

message to the Austrian Consul, demanding of him the
Jew Picciotto.

M. Merlato now thoroughly lost his patience. The
horror with which he had silently watched the French
Consul's proceedings became intolerable, and he felt
compelled to remonstrate with him publicly. This he
did in no measured terms, at the same time threatening
to communicate with his government. The gravity of
his position seems to have now dawned upon Katti-
Menton for the first time, and he hastily devoted liim-
self to the task of transferring the responsibility for
the outrages from himself to the Mussulman popula-
tion, who, strange to say, had taken but a very languid
interest in the whole affair. In order to excite their
fanaticism, he caused to be translated into Arabic a
lying anti-Jewish work, the Pompta BibliotTieca^ of
Lucio Ferrajo, in which the ritual use of human blood
by Jews is sought to be demonstrated by forged
extracts from the Talmud. The riots he anticipated
would follow from this publication did not, however,
take place. Then he resolved to put a bold face on
the whole matter. He held a mock judicial inquiry,
at which he admitted the Pomjpta Bibliotheca as
evidence, and his own creatures as witnesses, and
ultimately decided (1) that the Jews used human blood
\m their Passover services, and (2) that the imprisoned
Jews had murdered the priest Thomas de Calangiano
for the purposes of their Passover. As a result of this
finding, he formally demanded of the Governor the
execution of the prisoners ; and Sheriff Pasha, with an
equally ostentatious respect for legal procedure, prom-
ised to apply immediately to Cairo for a confirmation
of the death sentences.
4*

82 The Life of Sir Moses Montejlore.

While this tragedy was being enacted at Damascus,
a no less unhappy revival of the Blood Accusation
occurred in Rhodes. In that island, a Greek boy, ten
years of age, had disappeared, and a rumor at once
spread that the Jews had killed him. The Consuls
of the European powers, in their zeal for Christian
interests, called upon the Mussulman Governor, Jussuf
Pasha, to adopt severe measures against the Jews.
Among the bitterest accusers of the persecuted Hebrews
were the British Consul, Mr. Wilkinson, and his son.
The Austrian Consul alone protested against the dis-
graceful return to mediaeval superstition. On the rep-
resentations of two Greek women that the missing boy
had been last seen in the company of a certain Jew,
this unhappy individual was seized and thrown into
prison. Then, to the lasting shame of Christian civili-
zation, the Consuls attempted to extort a confession by
torture. They flogged their prisoner, they burnt his
flesh with red-hot irons, and dislocated his bones on the
rack. The result was, of course, the same as at Damas-
cus— the wretched Hebrew, delirious with pain, aim-
lessly moaned out the names of several of his co-re-
ligionists. These were in their turn seized and charged,
not only with the murder, but also with having
extracted the blood from the body of the missing
boy, and transmitted it to the Chief Rabbi at Con-
stantinople. No confession being forthcoming, they
were also tortured and imprisoned. Then the gates
of the Ghetto were ordered to be closed, and no food
was allowed to enter for three days. Still no discovery
was made ; and it was finally attempted to manufacture
a case by smuggling a dead body into the Jewish

The Damascus Drama.

83

[uarter at night. Tlie vigilance of the Jews defeated
this infamous plan.
The news soon spread that another Jewish ritual

icrifice had been detected, and popular risings against
the Israelites took place in several towns of Syria.
What Eatti-Menton had been powerless to effect by his
transparent intrigues, was brought about by the con-
sternation caused by the new discovery at Rhodes. At
Djabar, near Damascus, the mob rose and sacked the
synagogue. At Beyrout and Smyrna serious riots,

»roke out. For a moment it seemed as if the whole of

lastern Judaism was about to be ingulfed in a wave of
Fanaticism.
This was the horrible story that startled the Jews of
estern Europe about the middle of April, 1840.

84 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

CHAPTEE YIII.

THE MISSION TO MEHEMET ALL

Significance of the new Blood Accusation to the Jews of England.
— Appeals for Help. — Meeting convened by Sir Moses Montefiore.
— Interview with Lord Palmerston. — M. Cremieux has an Audi-
ence of Louis Philippe. — Action of Prince Metternich. — Mehemet
Ali takes Alarm, and Appoints a Consular Commission of
Inquiry. — French Intrigues. — M. Thiers Protests against the
Inquiry. — Resolve to send a Mission to Mehemet Ali, headed
by Sir Moses Montefiore. — Debate in Parliament. — Indignation
Meeting at the Mansion House. — Acquittal of the Jews of
Rhodes. — Sir Moses Montefiore arrives at Alexandria, and Inter-
views the Viceroy. — Hesitation of Mehemet Ali. — Intrigues of the
French Consul. — Sir Moses Montefiore's Diplomacy. — Its Happy
Results. — Release of the Damascus Prisoners. — The Eastern
Question. — Egypt and the Quadruple Alliance. — Mehemet Ali
Loses Syria. — Sir Moses Montefiore Proceeds to Constantinople,
and Obtains an Important Firman from the Sultan. — The Jour-
ney Home. — Sir Moses Montefiore and Louis Philippe. — Re-
joicings of the Jews. — Royal Recognition of Sir Moses' Efforts.

To the Jews of England the new Blood Accusation
was a source of the deepest anxiety. Under any cir-
cumstances the revival of so sinister an appeal to vulgar
fears and prejudices would have been of serious mo-
ment, but occurring in the midst of a critical struggle
for their emancipation, and in connection with political
complication, which rendered an adverse decision by no
means improbable, its aspect in 1840 was of an exceed-
ingly grave character. The Roman Catholic Church
had irrevocably committed itself to the guilt of the

The Mission to Mehemet Ali. 85

Damascus Israelites, and France, masking her designs
on Syria by a Pharisaical championship of the Eastern
Christians, had bound herself to a similar conclusion.
In the diplomatic conflict between Lonis Philippe and
the Quadruple Alliance, a French success meant certain
conviction of the imprisoned Jews at Damascus ; and, in
presence of M. Thiers' warlike attitude, such a success
was by no means unlikely. To the Powers it was prob-
ably a small matter, in the aggregate of interests at stake
in Egypt, whether a few Jews were or were not found
guilty of murder ; but, to the Jews as a body, and par-
ticularly those of England, no more serious question had
occurred for many years. The alleged murder was, it
must be remembered, a ritual murder, and for a civilized
European power like France to give its countenance,
however incidentally, to the theory of the possibility of
such a murder, was to arm the enemies of the Jews —
and they were by no means few — with the most power-
ful weapon they had possessed for ages. Far-seeing
Jew^ in England felt this. They saw, too, its practical
bearing on their own struggle for freedom, and their
action was consequently prompt.

On the 21st Apnl Sir Moses Montefiore convened a
meeting at his residence in Park Lane to consider the
news from the East. Many Jews eminent in the com-
munity attended, in addition to the members of the
Board of Deputies; Mr. Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, Mr.
David Salomons, Mr. A. A. Goldsmid, Dr. Loewe,
and Dr. Barnard Yan Oven were among those present.
M. Cremieux, then Yice-President of the Consistoire
Central, and a busy advocate at the French bar, at-
tended on behalf of the Jews of France. The story of
the sufferings of the Eastern Israelites was placed before

86 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

the meeting in the shape of letters from Damascus,
Bejront, Alexandria, and Constantinople, and a com-
munication was also read from the Eev. S. Hirschel, the
then Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, solemnly repudiating
the charge of shedding liuman blood for ritual purposes.
After a spirited discussion, a series of resolutions was
adopted, expressing the concern, disgust, and horror of
the meeting at such unfounded and cruel accusations
against their Eastern brethren, and at the barbarous tor-
tures inflicted upon them ; entreating the Governments
of England, France, and Austria to take up the cause of
the unhappy Jews, and appointing a deputation to wait
on Lord Palmerston (who was at the time Her Majesty's
Secretary for Foreign Affairs), with Sir Moses Monte-
fiore at its head.

The reception accorded to Sir Moses and his col-
leagues at Downing Street was extremely gratifying.
Lord Palmerston expressed abhorrence of the persecu-
tion at Damascus ; assured the deputation that the influ-
ence of the British Government should be exerted on
behalf of the Jews, and promised that instructions should
immediately be sent to Colonel Hodges, at Alexandria,
and Lord Ponsonby, at Constantinople, directing them
to use every effort to prevent a continuance of the out-
rages. On the same day M. Cremieux had an audience
of the French King, but with not quite so satisfactory
a result. " I know nothing of all you have told me,"
coldly replied Louis Philippe, " but if, in any part of
the world, there are Jews who appeal to my protection,
and it is in the power of my Government to afford that
protection, you may depend upon it that it will be
granted." In Austria, on the other hand, very efficient
action was taken. Prince Metternich, pleased to find

The Mission to Mehemet Ali. 87

that his diplomatic agents in the East had ah'eadj de-
clared themselves on what he was shrewd enough to
perceive would prove the side of justice and right, ad-
dressed a personal remonstrance to Mehemet Ali, and
instructed the Austrian Consul Laurier to insist upon
the fullest reparation to the Damascus Israelites.

The result of these vigorous movements on the part
of the Western Jews was to cause great uneasiness in
the mind of the Egyptian Viceroy. M. Cochelet, the
French Consul at Alexandria, did his best to laugh
away Mehemet's anxieties, and for a time the latter
yielded himself up entirely to the Frenchman's advice
and consolations ; but at last a joint representation by
the foreign Consuls convinced him that the Powers were
in earnest, and he hurriedly sent orders to Sheriff Pasha
to stop the outrages, and directed that an armed force
should proceed to Damascus to quell disturbances and
maintain order. He also appointed a Commission of
Inquiry, consisting of the English, Austrian, Eussian,
and Prussian Consuls, with permission to take evidence
at Damascus, and to conduct their proceedings accord-
ing to European rule.

Nothing could have been more satisfactory to the
Jews. Unfortunately the political atmosphere was too
heavily charged with intrigue for so straightforward a
course to be pursued to the end. The warlike policy of
the French Ministry had brought about serious differ-
ences between M. Thiers and his Eoyal master, and the
former was desirous, at all hazards, to obtain for himself
the support of a majority in the Chambers. Just at that
moment the Clerical party were equally anxious that no
inquiry should be held in respect to the Damascus out-
rages, and, to conciliate them, M. Thiers instructed M.

88 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Cochelet to protest in the strongest possible maimer
against the appointment of the Consular commission.
Mehemet Ali, apprehensive amid his increasing diffi-
culties of alienating his only friend among the Powers,
allowed himself to be intimidated, and forthwith can-
celled the appointment.

It now became necessary for the Jews of Europe to
renew their agitation. Conferences and meetings were
lield at Sir Moses Montefiore's house, and commimica-
tions were opened with foreign and colonial communities.
Eventually, on the 15tli June, it was resolved to send
a mission to Mehemet Ali, and the zealous President
of the Board of Deputies was asked to undertake its
leadership. With his usual devotion to the interests
of his brethren he accepted the onerous appointment,
and a subscription to defray the expenses was imme-
diately set on foot. The Sephardi congregation in Bevis
Marks handsomely gave £600 from their Cautivos fund ;
other Synagogues offered according to their means.
Meetings in support of the action of the London Israel-
ites were held, and contributions were raised at Ham-
burg, Leghorn, E^ew York, Philadelphia, St. Thomas,
and Jamaica. M. Cremieux was deputed by the Jews
of France to accompany Sir Moses Montefiore, but he
failed to obtain from the French Government the
slightest support ; even recommendations to French
officials in the East were denied him. M. Thiers had
been irritated by a debate on the Damascus affair that
had taken place in the French Chamber at the instance
of M. Achille Fould, and this was doubtless his revenge.
It had a very desponding effect upon M. Cremieux, who,
on his arrival in London, bitterly declared, " La France
est contre nous 1"

The Mission to Mehemet Ali.

89

Before the departure of the mission two significant
emonstrations in its favor took place in London, the
first in the House of Commons, the second at the Man-
sion House. The debate in Parliament was initiated
by Sir Robert Peel, who, " in the interests of general
humanity," called upon the Ministry to insist upon an
investigation of the Damascus mystery. " Thus," said
the speaker, " they will be enabled to rescue that great
portion of society, the Jews, who, in every other coun-
try in which they live, have, by their conduct in private
life, conciliated the general estimation and good-will of
their fellow-subjects, from a charge which is founded on
prejudice, and must subject them to the most grievous
injustice." Lord Palmerston's reply was all that could
be desired. Full reports had not yet been received from
the East, but strong representations had been made to
ehemet Ali. "Upon hearing of the circumstance,"
id the Minister, "I immediately instructed Colonel
edges at Alexandria to bring the subject under the
rious attention of the Pasha of Egypt, to point out to
im the effect which such atrocities as these must pro-
nce on the public mind of Europe, and to urge him,
for his own sake, to institute such inquiries as would
enable him to punish the guilty parties, if guilty parties
there are, and to make such an atonement as is in his
power to the unfortunate sufferers." The demonstra-
tion at the Mansion House was still more gratifying. It
was convened by the Lord Mayor, Sir Chapman Mar-
shall, in response to a memorial signed by 210 members
of Parliament, merchants, bankers, etc., and was influen-
tially attended. The speakers included Mr. J. A. Smith,
M.P., Dr. Bowring, Lord Howden, and Daniel O'Con-
uell, and among the company were Sir Denham Nor-

90 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

rejs, M.P., Mr. James Morrison, M.P., Mr. W. Attwood,
M.P., Mr. Martin Smith, M.P., Mr. S. Gurney, the
Hon. and Rev. Baptist IToel, Sir C. Forbes, Mr. John
Dillon, and Thomas Campbell, the poet. Several effective
speeches were delivered, and, amid much enthusiasm,
resolutions were passed setting forth the commiseration
felt by all true Christians for the persecuted Jews of
Damascus and Rhodes, declaring their abhorrence at the
use of torture and their disbelief in the confessions ob-
tained thereby, and expressing their deep regret that, in
this enlightened age, a persecution should have arisen
against the Jews, originating in ignorance and inflamed
by bigotry. The Lord Mayor was empowered by the
meeting to present copies of these resolutions to all the
foreign ambassadors as well as to the British Govern-
ment. Thus encouraged. Sir Moses Montefiore left
London on the Ytli July accompanied by Lady Monte-
fiore, M. Cremieux, M. Munk, Mr. Alderman Wire, Dr.
Loewe, and Dr. Madden. Before his departure he was
graciously received by Her Majesty the Queen, and was
furnished by the Foreign Office with recommendations
to the diplomatic agents of Great Britain in the East.
He was also provided by the Jewish ecclesiastical
authorities with important documents formally repudiat-
ing the charge of ritual murder.

Notwithstanding the hostile attitude of the French
Government, the Mission were well received at their
various halting-places in France, especially at Avignon,
Nimes, Carpentras, and Marseilles. At the latter town
good news reached them from Rhodes. A special
tribunal, under the presidency of Rifaat Bey, had, after
a short but exhaustive inquiry, come to the conclusion
that the accusation against the Jews was unfounded.

TJie Mission to Mehemet Ali. 91

The prisoners had been restored to their homes, and
Jnssuf Pasha, the Governor, dismissed from his post by
the Sultan. At Leghorn, on the other hand, discourag-
ing intelligence was received from Syria. That province
was in open rebellion against the rule of Mehemet Ali ;
Suleiman Pasha, one of the Viceroy's generals, had been
attacked and taken prisoner, and Beyrout was blockaded.
The dangers of the expedition were pointed out to Sir
Moses Montefiore, but he declined to desert the cause
he had undertaken, whatever the risks to which he might
be exposed. On the 2Yth July the Mission arrived at
Malta, where they learnt that the insurrection in Syria
was on the point of being quelled. Continuing their
voyage, they reached Alexandria on the 4th August.

Sir Moses Montefiore at once delivered his credentials
and despatches to Colonel Hodges, and requested that
he would procure for him an immediate audience with
the Pasha. At the same time all the foreign Consuls,
with the exception of M. Cochelet, tendered their sup-
port to the Jewish representative. On the 6th August
Sir Moses was courteously received by Mehemet Ali, to
whom he presented a petition asking for permission to
proceed to Damascus for the purpose of obtaining evi-
dence on behalf of the imprisoned Jews, and to see and
interrogate the prisoners. He further prayed that safety
should be guaranteed to the members of the Mission and
all persons giving evidence. Mehemet Ali promised to
consider the petition. Two more interviews took place,
but no decision was arrived at. On one pretence or an-
other Sir Moses was then put off from day to day, and
it soon became evident that intrigues were being carried
on against him, the nature of which he could only sus-
pect from M. Cochelet's frequent interviews with the

92 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Yiceroy and his open unfriendliness to the Mission. M.
Cochelet had daringly shown his animosity by declining,
contrary to all etiquette, to present M. Cremieux to the
Viceroy.

Sir Moses proved equal to the difficulties of the situ-
ation. The embarrassment of Mehemet Ali in respect
to Syria was becoming daily more critical, and it was
obvious that, while there was still a hope of peace, he
would not care to strain his relations with the Powers
by a conflict with the entire consular body. Sir Moses
accordingly arranged that another petition should be
drawn up, but this time by the Consuls, who should
present it in person to the Pasha. This move had its
desired effect. The day before the petition was to be
presented an English merchant of Alexandria, Mr.
Briggs, called upon Sir Moses and informed him that
the Pasha was willing to release the prisoners provided
the whole matter was allowed to fall into oblivion. The
Jewish Mission had not desired merely the release of the
Jews, but a new trial to enable them to clear their char-
acter. Considering, however, the perturbed political
state of the country. Sir Moses agreed to waive his
demands for a trial, provided Mehemet Ali discharged
the prisoners at once. Mr. Briggs repeated the obser-
vation to Mehemet Ali, whereupon His Highness,
still under the influence of M. Cochelet, made out the
Firman in the shape of a pardon. This was, of course,
not acceptable to Sir Moses, who returned it, with the
remark that the discharge must be granted as an act of
justice, or he should not be able to accept it at all.
Ultimately the firmness of the Jewish champion pre-
vailed, and the Firman was amended as he wished.
Subsequently an order of general protection to the

The Mission to Mehemet Ali. 93

Jews was also given, together with permission to the
members of the Jewish Mission to proceed to Damas-
cus. At a concluding interview Mehemet Ali person-
ally assured the Hebrew embassy of his complete dis-
belief of the Blood Accusation.

Sir Moses Montefiore and his colleagues had intended
to carry the Firman themselves to Damascus, but their
design had to be abandoned, partly in consequence of
the dangers of the journey, and partly because it was
feared that an outbreak of fanaticism on the part of the
Christians might follow such a visit. An authenticated
copy of the order of release was forwarded to Sheriff
Pasha by other channels, and the British Consul was
requested to see that it was carried out. The Firman
arrived on the 6th September. M. de Ratti-Menton
endeavored for a time to oppose its execution, but un-
availingly. The nine prisoners — seven of whom had
become crippled for life by the tortures to which they
had been subjected — were released, and it was publicly
made known that the Jews who had fled might return
to their families. To a large proportion of the Moliam-
medan population the Firman gave great satisfaction,
but the Christians did not disguise their disappointment.
With solemn pomp they erected in the Church of the
Capuchins, over the mutton bones discovered by Ratti-

IMenton, a memorial tablet, setting forth that beneath
were interred the remains of Father Thomas, " who had
been murdered by the Jews."
The members of the Jewish Mission, before return-
ing home, attempted to sow the seeds of some permanent
improvement in the condition of the Eastern Israelites.
Sir Moses Montefiore made a careful study of their po-

94 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

advantages of secular education. The latter then left for
Europe, and received a perfect ovation on his liomeward
journey.

Sir Moses was preparing to follow his colleague's ex-
ample, when a change in the political situation necessi-
tated an alteration in his plans. An open rupture had,
at last, taken place between Mehemet Ali and the Quad-
ruple Alliance, and at Kaleb-Medina the Egyptian forces
had been totally defeated. Alexandria itself was block-
aded by Admiral Napier, and at Damascus the monks,
taking advantage of the new complications, were fiercely
preaching a crusade against the Jews. Sir Moses Monte-
fiore rightly judged that, to accomplish the mission with
which he had been entrusted, it was now necessary to
obtain from the new master of Syria the same assur-
ances that he had received from the old. He accordingly
sailed for Constantinople, and on the 28th October
was received in audience by the Sultan, Abdul-Medjid.
He has himself described his interview with the Com-
mander of the Faithful. In a letter to the Board of
Deputies he wrote as follows :

"At the appointed time, accompanied by George
Samuel, Esq., D. W. Wire, Esq., and Dr. Loewe, with
Frederick Pisani, Esq., first Dragoman to the British
Embassy, I proceeded to the palace. We went in state.
On our arrival we were saluted by a guard of honor and
a military band, and ushered into an elegant apartment,
where H.E. Eeschid Pasha and Kiza Pasha awaited our
arrival. Pipes and coffee were handed round. In a
few minutes an oflScer announced that his Imperial
Majesty was ready to receive us. Preceded and fol-
lowed by a great many officers, we walked across a
garden, and were introduced into the State apartments,

h

The Mission to Mehemet AH. 95

where we found His Majesty seated. We advanced to
the right, when the great officers of State took their
places on the left of His Majesty. I read an address,
which was translated into Turkish by Mr. Pisani. His
Majesty made a most gracious reply, which was after-
wards reduced into writing, and sent to me by H.E.
Keschid Pasha. As soon as His Majesty had finished
liis reply, he requested me to come nearer to him, when
I was presented by H.E. Reschid Pasha, and His Majesty
then desh-ed I would present the gentlemen accompany-
ing me, which I did, severally, by name. Immediately
we retired from the presence we were conducted to a
room below, where sherbet was served round, and we
received the congratulations of the ministers present;
after which we left the palace and returned home, in
the same state with which we went. Thus ended an
audience most gratifying to my feelings, because I was
assured the honor conferred upon us reflected back upon
those who sent us, as well as upon all our co-religionists.
This is my apology for being so minute in detailing cir-
cumstances which might otherwise appear unimportant.
I have not yet got the Firman, but I have no reason to
doubt that I shall receive it in sufficient time to enable
me to leave here by the next packet for Malta. So im-
portant, however, do I consider it, that I shall not hesi-
tate to make a further sacrifice of my comforts, and
winter here rather than leave the city without its being
in my possession."

On the 11th November he received the Firman
from Reschid Pasha. In this document not only is the
groundlessness of the Blood Accusation demonstrated,
but the equality of the Jews with the other subjects of
the Padishah is declared, and any molestation of them

S6 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

in their religions or temporal concerns prohibited. Sir
Moses does not overrate the importance of this Firman
in the following extract from one of his letters to a
friend in England :

" There can be no doubt but that the Firman will be
productive of lasting benefit to our people. It has been
received with joy I cannot describe by those to whom I
had the pleasure of reading it, and by those to whom its
contents were made known during the course of our
voyage. ... In the East it is as much appreciated as
were the Acts for the Repeal of the Catholic Disabilities
and the Test and Corporation Acts at home, by those
who were interested in such repeal. It is, indeed, the
^ Magna Charta ' for the Jews in the Turkish dominions.
How can I express my gratitude to Him in whose hands
are all our affairs, that He has been pleased to prosper
our labors, and enabled us to vindicate the innocence of
our brethren ! Thus the clouds that hung over them,
and which for a time threatened to obscure the bright-
ness and glory of our religion, have, by the merciful
goodness of God, been driven away ; I trust forever.
And I pray that peace may now be upon all Israel 1 I
cannot but congratulate you, and all our friends in Eng-
land, upon the triumphant success which has attended
our labors. Sustained by God — upheld by your prayers
and sympathies — we have surmounted many difficulties,
endured much privation and anxiety, and at last have
been rewarded for all, by the assurance that we have
not left our country in vain."

Before quitting Constantinople Sir Moses Montefiore
devoted considerable attention to the educational wants
of his brethren in the Turkish capital. At a meeting
of the principal men in the community he rebuked

The Mission to Mehemet Ali. 97

■

l^»them for their unwisdom in concentrating all their
^H energies on the study of Hebrew, without giving due
^H attention to the vernacular of the land in which they
^H lived. He then requested Dr. Loewe to draw up a kind
^^" of proclamation to the Jews of the Ottoman Empire.
, pointing out the importance of studying the Turkish

Y^k language. Copies of this proclamation were distributed
"^^ broadcast, and posted on the portals of every synagogue.

Sagacious statesmen in Turkey cordially approved of this
Y^m action of Sir Moses. Reschid Pasha is reported to have
I^H said to him, " If you had done nothing more than this
I^B in Constantinople, you should consider yourself amply
I^B compensated for the trouble and fatigue you have un-
I^B dergone. In advising your brethren to acquire a knowl-
I^K edge of the Turkish language you have been instru-
I^B mental in enabling them to raise themselves to some of
I^H the highest offices in the Empire." Events have justi-
I^K fied this remark of Abdul-Medjid's shrewd Yizier. To-
^^B day many posts of dignity and usefulness at the Sublime
^^B Porte are occupied by Jews.

I^B On his way home Sir Moses Montefiore, with charac-
I^H teristic thoroughness, gave two more finishing-touches to

the great work he had so happily completed. At Rome

I he saw Cardinal Rivarola, the head of the Capuchin
Order, and obtained from him a promise that instruc-
tions should be sent to Damascus, commanding the
removal of the memorial tablet to Father Thomas,
which described the Padre as having been murdered by
Jews. The order was sent, but the Damascus monks
i^H disregarded it, and for twenty years the stone with its
I^H lying inscnption was allowed to remain. At Paris Sir
I^B Moses was presented to the French King by the British
I^B Ambassador, and handed to His Majesty a copy of the

98 The Life of Sir Moses Montefim^e.

Sultan's Firman declaring the innocence of the Damas-
cus Jews. Louis Philippe congratulated the Jewish
champion on the success he had achieved, although he
could not but have felt some degree of humiliation in
doing so. It was not only that the Firman marked the
defeat of French ambitions in the East, but the circum-
stances of the interview itself seemed full of sly mock-
ery at the mistakes of France. That a Jew should read
a lesson on toleration to a French monarch was in itself
bad enough, but that he should read this lesson on the
authority of a Turkish Sultan, who had just got the
better of France in a political struggle, must have been
extremely awkward.

In England Sir Moses Montefiore was received with
great rejoicings. A Day of Thanksgiving was ap-
pointed for the 8th March, 1841, and special services
were held in the Synagogues. A testimonial monument
in silver designed by Sir Gr. Hayter, and measuring
three and a half feet in height, was presented to him by
the Jews, and the Queen showed a graceful apprecia-
tion of his labors by granting him permission to add
supporters to his arms, a privilege usually only accorded
to peers and knights of orders. All over Europe and
America, and even in the far East, the Jews celebrated
with enthusiasm the success of their champion. In
Germany it was proposed to institute a new Purim in
his honor, and Isaac Erter, the most elegant of modern
Hebrew stylists, wrote a considerable portion of a work
in Biblical verse to be read in the Synagogue on each
anniversary, as the Book of Esther is read on the daj^
which commemorates the defeat of the conspiracy of
Haman.

The Jews did not overestimate the significance of Sir

The Mission to Meheinet AIL 99

Moses' triumph. It has had far-reaching consequences
in Hebrew history, the beneficial effects of which are
still unexhausted. " Damascus " became the watch-
word of a new struggle for freedom, which reached from
the shores of the Persian Gulf to the banks of the
Thames — a struggle to throw off not only political
shackles but the demoralizing effects of centuries of
persecution. It taught the Jews the necessity of a
common effort to raise themselves to the level of
modern culture, so that not only might they win a
political equality with their fellow-men, but that their
traditions might be worthily sustained. It founded
Jewish solidarity on a new and intelligent basis, and to-
day the Alliance Israelite Tlniverselle^ with its brilliant
record of political successes and its network of schools
covering the East from Bagdad to Salonica, is its
practical outcome.

The Jewish triumph derived no small amount of its
lustre from the straightforwardness and honesty with
which it had been obtained. Amid the dark intrigues
of the Eastern imbroglio of 1840 the conduct of Sir
Moses Montefiore and his colleagues is one of the few
circumstances on which the mind can dwell with pleas-
ure. More than one offer of venal assistance was made
to them, but they were scornfully rejected. The rich
id vivacious table-talk of Sir Moses Montefiore com-
)rises no more striking anecdote than that in which
he is wont to relate how he subsequently repelled the
charge that the Firman of the 12th Eamazan had
cbeen bought. In the course of his negotiations with
Jardinal Antonelli on the Mortara affair he had occa-
sion to refer to the Firman, whereupon the Cardinal
jlyly asked how much of Kothschild's gold he had paid

100 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

for it ? " Not so much," warmly answered Sir Moses,
" as I gave your lackey for hanging up my coat in your
hall."

CHAPTEE IX.

FIVE YEARS OF HOME WORK.

Synagogal Labors. — Sir Moses' Popularity. — Visits to the Congrega-
tional Schools. — He helps to promote Education in the Jewish
Community. — Jews' College, the Jews' Hospital, and the Free
School. — The Board of Deputies. — Its Constitution and Functions.
— Sir Moses Corresponds with Sir James Graham and Sir Robert
Peel in respect to Various Bills before Parliament. — Foreign
Affairs.— The Holy Land. — Sir Moses Montefiore Establishes a
Loan Fund, a Printing Establishment, and a Linen Factory at
Jerusalem. — Assists Agricultural Schemes, and Founds a Free
Dispensary. — He Raises a Relief Fund for the Jews of Smyrna. —
Promotes the Building of a Khan at Beyrout. — The Blood Accu-
sation at Marmora. — Sir Moses Montefiore and Sir Stratford Can-
ning.— The Jews of Morocco. — Correspondence with Bokhara.
— The " Reform" Movement in the Anglo- Jewish Community.

MiscELLAc^Eous work in the community at home oc-
cupied the next ^nq years of Sir Moses Montefiore's
life. This was the work nearest his heart, and he de-
voted to it all his energies. To labor for the ancient
Synagogue round which so many solemn traditions gath-
ered, to assist in administering the affairs of its dej^end-
ent institutions— monuments to the benevolence and in-
telligence of his own kith and kin — were almost passions
with him. He attended the meetings of every institu-
tion to which he belonged with old-world punctuality.
In the President's chair at the Board of Deputies he

Five Years of Home Worh.

101

repj'esented the political interests of his brethren with
dignity and zeal. The Synagogue knew no more fa-
miliar figure than his. On Sabbath mornings, when in
town, he would religiously walk from Park Lane to
Bevis Marks, accompanied by his affectionate wife, the
Law prohibiting riding on the Day of Eest. In the
afternoons he generally attended MincJia service at the
Western Synagogue of the German Jews in St. Alban's
Place, St. James'. At the time of which we are writing
he had already been four times Pa/rnass^ or Warden
President, of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation,
viz., in 1819, 1826, 1832, and 1840.

His co-religionists recognized his piety, and repaid his
devotion to their interests with affectionate homage. In
the small community which centred at Bevis Marks he
was regarded almost as another " Prince of the Captiv-
ity," and he acknowledged this high estimation of him-
self by a generous discharge of the responsibilities of
his implied seigniory. One of the sights of the London
Jewery forty years ago was his annual visit to the
^Spanish and Portuguese Congregational Schools. This
Iways occurred at Purim time, on the occasion of the
distribution of prizes. It was the great gala day of the
institution. The classes would assemble in their full
strength to receive him, as, beaming with smiles, and
bowing right and left, he made a kind of Royal prog-
ress of the establishment, the boys and girls meanwhile
singing a hymn of welcome in their lustiest tones. Lady
[ontefiore and Dr. Loewe usually accompanied him on
lese pleasant pilgrimages, and behind him marched the
Jeadle of the Synagogue, Mr. Genese, carrying a heavy
)ag of newly-minted silver coin, the clink of which sent
thrill through the school. When the formal business

102 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

of the day had been disposed of, and the prizes distrib-
uted, Sir Moses would deliver a brief address, and then
each of the pupils, over three hundred in number,
would be called up to receive a present — ranging from
a florin to a crown piece — from the " lucky bag" carried
by the Beadle. With each present came a hearty shake
of the hand and a cordial " I wish you a merry Purim."
The less bashful scholars would answer, "Thank you.
Sir Moses, I wish you the same ;" whereupon the philan-
thropist would say, " Thanks ; I hope we shall all be
happy," with grave emphasis on the " all." Lady Mon-
tefiore was passionately fond of children, and she would
pet and caress the younger pupils as they toddled up to
the platform to receive their present; sometimes she
would take them in her lap and kiss them. ]S"o one was
forgotten on these happy Purim visits. When the
" lucky bag" was emptied, there were equally lucky
slips of paper for the teachers, and a golden guinea or
so for the door-keeper. To this day the ceremony is
continued by a representative of the venerable baronet.

Sir Moses Montefiore's activity in the promotion of
education was not confined to these schools, or even to
the Sephardi " nation." He had been, in earlier years,
a governor of the " Beth Hamedrash," or Talmud ic Col-
lege, founded in 1734 by the pious Benjamin Mendes
da Costa, and he continued to take a deep interest in the
work of that institution. The theological literature re-
sulting from the studies pursued within its walls found
in him a generous patron. He particularly encouraged
the Eev. D. A. de Sola in his literary enterprises, and
the subject and plan of that gentleman's useful work
on "The Blessings" originated with him.

Of Jews' College, a theological seminary established

Five Years of Home Work. 103

some years later by leading members of the German
community, lie was one of tbe founders. The scheme
originated in 1838, but it was only after the return from
Damascus, in 1841, that any measures were taken for
its realization. Mr. Jacob Franklin, the editor of the
Voice of Jacobs was its most active promoter, and it was
his wish that it should be established as a memorial of
the success of the Jewish Mission to Mehemet Ali. Sir
Moses Montefiore wrote to Mr. Franklin from Constan-
tinople approving the plan, and when, on his return to
England, he paid over to the treasurers of the Damascus
Fund a personal contribution of £2200 towards the ex-
penses of his Mission, Mr. Franklin very reasonably sug-
gested that this sum should be utilized for the purposes
of the proposed college. The growing differences in
the community at the time prevented the realization of
the project, and Sir Moses' £2200 were distributed
among the contributors to the Damascus Fund as repre-
senting a surplus in the accounts. It was not until 1845,
when Dr. Adler was appointed Chief Eabbi, that the
scheme was revived, and then still eleven years elapsed
before it was carried into effect. When, ultimately,
the College was started in 1856, Dr. Adler and Sir
Moses Montefiore, to whose exertions its establishment
was in a great measure due, became respectively its
President and Yice-President.

In the Jews' Free School and the Jews' Hospital, two
more educational establishments of the German Jews,
Sir Moses also took considerable interest. At the time
of which we are writing he had passed the President's
chair of both institutions. Of tlie latter, a creation of
the Goldsmids, he was elected President in 1837, suc-
ceeding his relative, Mr. Sheriff, afterwards Sir David

104 Tlie Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Salomons. In 1843, when the Duke of Sussex died,
he was instrumental in persuading the late Duke of
Cambridge to succeed his brother as a patron of the
institution. Also, in the provinces. Sir Moses was an
active worker in the cause of education. The same
year that he interviewed the Duke of Cambridge in the
interests of the Jews' Hospital, he laid the foundation-
stone of the Hebrew National Schools, at Birmingham,
and in the following year he presided at their formal
opening.

During his temporary absence in the East in 1840
his place as President of the Board of Deputies had
been filled by Mr. Hananel de Castro ; but immediately
on his return to England he was re-elected by acclama-
tion. The Deputados had special reasons for holding
Sir Moses in high esteem, independent of the considera-
tion that his mission to Damascus had earned for him a
fame which reflected upon the body over which he pre-
sided. It was due to his intelligent administration that
the Board had become the most important representative
body in the Anglo-Jewish community. E'o sooner had
he been elected its President in 1835, than he set him-
self to remodel its constitution in such a way as to make
it the accredited mouth-piece of the Jews of England.
At his instance a scheme was elaborated for admitting
to the Board delegates from every Jewish congregation
that might desire the privilege of being represented ;
and this not only enhanced the importance of the Board,
but it had the larger effect of promoting and consolidat-
ing the union of the community for political purposes.
A mass of miscellaneous business of a highly important
kind now occupied the Board. Under the Marriage
Acts it became the duty of its President to certify Syna-

Five Years of Home Work,

105

gogue secretaries as registrars for marriage purposes ;
and this imparted to it a certain official standing, whicli
no other Jewish institution enjoyed. Under the provi-
sions of the constitution of the old Committee of Dili-
gence, of which it was the heir, it had to watch the
progress of legislation at home, in order to safeguard
Jewish interests ; while in consequence of the exhaustion
of the Cautivos Fund of the Spanish and Portuguese
Congregation, the duty devolved upon it of receiving
and considering such appeals as were formerly addressed
to that body by oppressed foreign Jewish communities.

Upon the multifarious duties arising from these func-
tions Sir Moses entered immediately on his re-election
to the Presidency. In addition to taking part in the
various measures promoted by the Board for sustaining
the Civil and Religious Liberty agitation, he was inde-
fatigable in pressing upon Government Jewish griev-
ances and claims in respect to minor legislative mat-
ters. Thus, in 1842, we find him corresponding with,
and interviewing Sir James Graham on the operation
of the Poor Laws, by which pauper Jews were excluded
from out-door relief. During the same year he induced
Sir Robert Peel to introduce a clause into the Income
Tax Bill, placing Jewish Synagogues on an equal
footing with other places of worship in respect to im-
posts on property and income. In the following year
again he was in correspondence with Sir James Graham
on the subject of a Burials Bill and a Factory Bill. In
almost every instance he succeeded in obtaining valuable
concessions for his co-religionists.

The foreign business of the Board had a more especial
attraction for him ; for he alone of all its members knew
how real were the hardships of Jewish life in the Ghettos
5*

106 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

of the Continent and the East. It so happened, that,
as the Deputies had no funds of their own — their annual
expenses were assessed on the Synagogues they repre-
sented— and could not therefore act with the requisite
promptitude in emergencies when immediate relief was
required, the larger portion of the foreign business fell
to Sir Moses' personal administration, which was un-
hampered by circumlocutory statutes and standing
orders. His name, too, was so much better known
abroad than that of the Board, that in the majority of
cases the appeals were addressed direct to him in his
private capacity, and only brought under the notice of
the Board when public action became necessary. This
was especially the case with the business connected with
the Holy Land.

The changes in the suzerainty of Syria having de-
feated for a time the agricultural schemes he had elabo-
rated in 1837, Sir Moses endeavored by other means
to effect an amelioration in the lot of the Palestinian
Hebrews. In 1842 Colonel Churchill, whose acquaint-
ance he had made in the East, addressed to him some
very interesting letters, proposing that efforts should
be made by the Jews of Europe to promote a re-estab-
lishment of the Kingdom of Judah in Palestine. Sir
Moses, who is a devout believer in the literal restora-
tion, answered Colonel Churchill sympathetically, but
expressed his opinion that the time was hardly ripe for
a practical consideration of the project. At the same
time as Colonel Churchill was about returning to the
East for a stay of several years, he asked him to take
charge of a fund he was desirous of providing, for the
promotion of thrift among the Jews of the Holy Land,
by advancing loans to the industrious poor in amounts

Five Years of Home Work.

107

rarying between 500 and 1000 piastres. During the
ime year he labored assiduously to introduce useful
Industries among the Jews of Palestine. He sent a
^printing-press to Jerusalem, which gave employment
to several persons, and produced many useful works, and
he also estabhshed a linen manufactory on a considera-
ble scale, with a girls' school attached to it. To insure
the factory being conducted on the best modern prin-
iples, he sent out a technical instructor to take charge
^of it, and had three native Jews brought to England,
and taught the art of weaving at Preston. The needle-
women and laundresses of the Holy City he also as-
sisted to carry on their trades efficiently ; and, with a
view to attaching the Jews of Safed, Tiberias, Hebron,
and Jaffa more firmly to husbandry, he supplied them
with oxen and all the necessary appliances of agricul-
ture. The charitable requirements of the communities
were also not neglected. Among many other matters.
Sir Moses took a deep interest in a scheme put forth in
1842 by Dr. Philippson, of Magdeburg, for the estab-
lishment of a Jewish hospital at Jerusalem. Appeals
for subscriptions were issued, and Sir Moses had the
necessary architectural plans prepared. The realization
of the project, however, lagged, and, as there was at
the time much sickness in the Holy City, Sir Moses, at
his own cost, despatched thither a medical man. Dr.
Friinkel, and established a dispensary, which he has
ever since maintained. The large amount of good
achieved by this prompt action is sufficiently illustrated
by the fact, that the very first day the dispensary was
opened sixty patients were treated, and the number in-
creased daily.
But it was not only the Jews of the Holy Land for

108 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

whom Sir Moses Montefiore labored. A few months
after his return from Constantinople, a disastrous fire
destroyed the Jewish quarter of Smyrna. Urgent ap-
peals were addressed to the Western communities, and
Sir Moses raised a considerable Kelief Fund. Two
years later he interested himself in a project for build-
ing a Khan for Jewish travellers at Beyrout, which was
successfully carried out. In 1844 the Blood Accusa-
tion was revived in the island of Marmora. Sir Moses
placed the facts of the case before Sir Stratford Can-
ning, who had succeeded Lord Ponsonby as British
Ambassador to the Porte, and he procured a public
trial at Constantinople, which resulted in the acquittal
of the accused. Sir Moses took the opportunity af-
forded by his correspondence with " the great Eltchi"
to induce him to give some attention to the condition
of the Hebrews in the Ottoman Empire. Sir Stratford
received his representations very cordially, and a month
or two later was enabled to report that he had prevailed
upon the Turkish Grovemment to make a grant of land
to the poor of Constantinople for a new burial-ground,
of which they stood in need. The Jews of Morocco,
Tripoli, Tunis, and Persia appealed in turn to Sir
Moses at this period, and were all more or less as-
sisted. In 1845 he memoriahzed the Emperor of Mo-
rocco to grant his Jewish subjects the same rights as
had been guaranteed to the Jews of Turkey, under the
Firman of the 12th Ramazan, and received a satisfac-
tory reply — satisfactory, that is, as far as promises were
concerned. So extensive had his influence in the East
become at this time, that when Colonel Stoddart and
Captain ConoUy were thrown into prison by the Emir
Nazrullah, of Bokhara, the British Government made

Five Years of Home WorJc.

109

strenuous efforts to convey a letter from him to the
Jews of the Khanate, asking them to interest them-
selves in the fate of the English emissaries. Unfortu-
nately the letter only arrived after they had been put
to death, but in one sense it had the desired effect.
The warm terms in which it was couched led the Bok-
liara Jews to imagine that the English officers were fel-
low-Israelites, and they " interested themselves in their
fate" to the extent of mourning their loss in the syna-
gogues.

In work of this description Sir Moses Montefiore not
only gratified his philanthropic tastes, but found relief
from the cares and anxieties which at this time, more
than at any other period of his career, beset his position
in the Anglo-Jewish community. Towards the middle
of 1841, a schism had taken place among the English
Jews, and a congregation in the West-end of London
had been started on lines differing somewhat from those
which had guided the foundation of the City synagogues
two hundred years before. Sir Moses Montefiore, whose
orthodoxy has ever been of the most rigid type, strongly
pposed the new movement, and the community became
a prey to the bitterest dissensions. In comparing to-
day the so-called " Eeform" synagogue with the Ortho-
dox Jewish congregations, it is difficult to understand
how such a movement could have caused the commo-
tion it did at the time of its inception. Sir Moses
Montefiore himself was not uncompromisingly wedded
to the old order of things, notwithstanding that he led
the Orthodox party on this occasion. We have seen,
for example, how he disapproved of the ancient differ-
ences between the Spanish and German congregations,
and he gave a further and emphatic illustration of his

110 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

opinion on this subject in 1845, by proceeding to
Dover to receive, on behalf of the Jews of England,
the new "German" Chief Eabbi, Dr. ^. M. Adler,
on his arrival in this country. One of the grounds,
too, on which the new synagogue was opposed, was,
that it violated an ancient statute of the Bevis Marks
congregation, prohibiting the establishment of district
synagogues ; and yet, in 1844, Sir Moses himself pro-
moted the establishment of a Western branch of the
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, by offering £5000
towards the expense of its erection. The fact seems
to have been, that the Orthodox party was actuated
rather by vague fears of what might take place if a
dissatisfied section of the community were to establish
a synagogue independent of the constituted authorities,
than of disapproval of what was actually contemplated
by the seceders — fears that have been amply justified
by the dangerous course since pursued by Jewish Ee-
form in America and elsewhere. The " Reform" move-
ment in England, however, turned out to be little
more than a premature anticipation of the natural
progress of forty years. How mild it was is evidenced
by the fact, that when Dr. Frankel, the reforming Chief
Rabbi of Dresden, was asked to place himself at its head,
he declined on the score that it did not contemplate
changes of a sufficiently radical character ; and, a few
years ago, Professor Marks, the Chief Minister of the
West London Congregation of British Jews — as the new
synagogue called itself — publicly declared, in the pres-
ence of the Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler, the Delegate Chief
Rabbi, that there would have been no secession in 1841
had the Orthodox synagogue then been as it is now. At
the present time, there is little appreciable difference

The Jewish Question in Russia. Ill

between the various synagogues of Great Britain. The
Jews of England, as a body, are the most orthodox and
united of Occidental Jewish communities ; and it is in
no complimentary spirit, but as indicative of an impor-
tant and undeniable fact, that all classes among them
concur to-day in paying homage to Sir Moses Montefiore.
They recognize in him the most representative of Eng-
lish Jews — a thorough embodiment of their views and
aspirations.

CHAPTEE X.

THE JEWISH QUESTION EST RUSSIA.

Oppressed Condition of the Jews of Russia. — Seriousness of the
Russo- Jewish Question. —Its Origin Religious, not Secular. — The
Modern Charges Refuted by History. — Review of Russo- Jewish
History.— First Settlements of the Jews in the South. — Conversion
of the Khozars to Judaism, — A Jewish Kingdom in Russia. — The
Civilizing Influences of the Jews. — Inroads of the Tartars and
Extinction of the Khozars. — Jewish Settlements in the West. —
Their Privileges. — Gratifying Results of Jewish Colonization. —
Numerousness of the Polish Jews a Source of Congratulation by
Native Historians. — The Russian Prince Sviatopolk Invites the
Jews into his Dominions. — The Jews held in High Esteem by the
People. — They Serve in the Army. — They Proselytize on an Ex-
tensive Scale. — Judaism Embraced by the Metropolitan of the
Greek Church.— With the Rise of the Power of the Church the
Privileges of the Jews are Curtailed. — Three Centuries of Ghetto
Life. — Four Millions of Jews still Oppressed.

The sessions of the Board of Deputies (1841 — 46),
referred to in our last chapter, were particularly notable
for their connection with the Jewish Question in Russia

112 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

— the most serious question of modern Jewish history.
Through a correspondence opened with Sir Moses
Montefiore in 1842, the Western Hebrews were for the
first time made aware of the terrible condition of their
Russian co-religionists; and, in the subsequent action
of the Board of Deputies, the foundations were laid of
the movement for their relief which has ever since been
gallantly carried on in the happier countries of Europe.
The E-usso- Jewish Question is something more than a
Jewish or even a Russian Question. It is one of the
most extraordinary problems presented by the complex
phenomena of modern society ; and it appeals loudly to
the humanitarian sense of civilized Europe for a speedy
and equitable solution.

The ostensible reason for the oppression and perse-
cution of the Jews of Russia is that they constitute a
pernicious element in the Empire ; as a matter of fact,
they are the victims of religious hatred. The struggle
between Judaism and Christianity has been more serious
in Russia than in any other country ; and, consequently,
the hatred of the Jew has become more deeply rooted
in the national sentiment. How unfounded is the popu-
lar theory of the Russo-Jewish Question is shown by
the fact that, whenever the Jews in Russia were politi-
cally unrestricted, they exerted a distinctly beneficial
influence on the country. Their history is, indeed, at
every step a refutation of the charges now brought
against them.

About the year 726 Leo the Isaurian, Emperor of
Byzantium, published at Constantinople his celebrated
Edict against Image Worship. The clergy and monks
rebelled, and the Emperor was on all sides denounced
as a Jew. In order to show that, notwithstanding his

The Jewish Question in Russia, 113

enlightened opposition to miracle-working fetiches he
was in other respects a good Christian, Leo attempted
to persecute the Jews into embracing the Cross. Many
conversions were effected ; but a large number of the
Hebrews, whose ancestors had established themselves
in the land long before Christianity, fled further afield,
to seek an asylum among the more tolerant pagans.
Thus it came about that Jewish settlements were
formed in the Cimmerian Peninsula of Tauris (the
lodern Crimea), and Hebrew communities were
bunded at Theodosia (now Kaffa), Kareon polls (Eski
Irim), Phanegoria (Taman), and Bosphorus (Kertch).
I'rom the Crimea these Grseco-Jewish communities
spread to the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea, and the Mouth
>f the Volga. These are the first authentic appearances
>f the Jews on Russian soil.
The inhabitants of the region thus invaded were the
^hozars, or Togarmi (as they subsequently called them-
jlves), a Finnish tribe, who, after the break-up of the
Impire of the Huns, had established themselves in the
^neighborhood of Astrachan, whence they had gradually
extended a powerful dominion. Successful in a war
with the Persians, they disputed the sovereignty of the
East with the Byzantine Emperors, and both the Bul-
gars and Russins paid them tribute. Upon this semi-
barbarous people the Jews exercised the happiest
influence, and ultimately one of their sages, Isaac San-
gari, converted their King, Bulan, and a large portion
of the nation, to Judaism. In a subsequent reign, that
of a King named Obadiah, Judaism was formally ac-
knowledged as the religion of the State. Learned Jews
crowded the Court ; synagogues were built and public
colleges established for the study of the Bible and Tal-

114 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

mud. While the West and South were distracted by
an anarchy of sectarian wrangling, and the North and
East were shrouded in an impenetrable shadow of bar-
barism, the shores of the Caspian and the Euxine flour-
ished in the benignant light of a Jewish civilization.

The Jews persuaded the Khozars to abolish slavery,
to tolerate all races and religions, to acknowledge the
sanctity of family ties, and to cultivate literature and
the sciences. One of their kings, Joseph, corresponded
with Chasdai Ibn-Shaprut, the famous Jewish Yizier
of the Caliph Abderrahman III., of Cordova. The
power of this Jewish State increased rapidly. Even
the Byzantine Emperors paid tribute to it, and there
was at one time a chance of Kliozar-Judaism spreading
all over Russia. The country was, however, saved to
Christianity by Sviatoslav of Kiev, the Charles Martel
of Muscovy, who in 965, on the field of Sarkel, inflicted
a severe check on the power of the Togarmi. From
this date the importance of the Khozars gradually de-
clined. Under the influence of Judaism they had be-
come a peaceful people, and they were no longer able
to withstand the inroads of the martial Slavs and Rus-
sians by whom they were surrounded. The kingdom
shrunk until it became confined to the Crimea. In the
reign of a King named David they made a last effort to
re-establish Judaism in the provinces they had lost by
sending Jewish Rabbis to convert the Russin Prince,
Vladimir the Great, but he, under the influence of his
wife, a sister of the Emperor of Constantinople, pre-
ferred the doctrines of the Greek Church, and was
baptized. David was the last of the Khozar kings. In
1016 the Crimea was seized by the Russins, and the
Jewish State was suppressed. The Khozar princes and

The Jewish Question in Russia. 115

nobles fled to Spain, where many of their descendants
became distinguished for Tahnudic learning. The
people, equally true to their Judaism, held aloof from
the conquerors, and gradually merged themselves with
the Karaites, who had become numerous in Taurida.
The modern Karaites of the Crimea, with their fair
complexions and un-Jewish features, are descendants
of this intermixture of Jewish Khozars and Karaite
Jews.

In the mean time other Jews had effected an entrance
into Eussia* from the West. The circumstances were
curiously similar to the Southern immigration. Chris-
tianity had been introduced into Germany, and one of
its first results was a persecution of the Hebrews, w^ho,
like their brethren in the Byzantine Empire, had pre-
ceded by some centuries the arrival of the new faith.
Compelled once more to take in hand the wanderer's
staff, the German Jews sent a deputation to the Pagan
Leszek, Prince of Poland, asking to be permitted to
take refuge in his dominions. The names and condition
of the members of this embassy throw an interesting
light on the degree of culture attained by the Jews of
Central Europe at this early epoch. They were Kabbi
Hezekiah Sephardi, Eabbi Akiba Estramaduri, the
mathematician Emanuel Ascaloni, the rhetorician Kabbi
Levi Baccari, and Rabbi Nathaniel Barcelloni. At
Gnesen, in the year 893, they interviewed the Polish
Prince. Rabbi Levi was the spokesman of the party,
and delivered a short address in Latin, describing the

* The Russo - Jewish Question being largely a Polish - Jewish
question, the term " Russia" is used here in its most extended geo-
graphical sense.

116 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

persecutions to which his brethren were subjected in
Germany. He prayed that they might be allowed to
find an asylum in Poland, and, anticipating some anti-
Jewish prejudice among the subjects of Leszek, sug-
gested that a remote and unpopulated district might be
assigned to them to inhabit and cultivate in peace.
Leszek inquired what were the tenets of Judaism, and
then promised to take counsel with the national priest-
hood on the petition. Three days later Rabbi Levi
and his companions were summoned into the presence
of the Polish potentate to hear his decision. Christian
Russia of to-day might learn a lesson from the liberality
of this pagan and semi-barbarous prince of nearly a
thousand years ago. Not only did he open his domin-
ions freely to the persecuted Hebrews, but he declined
to accept their humble suggestion to limit their rights
of residence. He permitted them to settle freely all
over Poland, and to follow agricultural, industrial, com-
mercial, or any useful avocations without let or hin-
drance. In the following year, 894, a great concourse
of Jews settled in Poland.

According to the theories of the modern persecutors
of the Jews, Leszek's liberal policy should have resulted
in disaster to the whole country. Strange to say, the
very contrary was the case. We have seen how bene-
ficial was the Jewish settlement in the South while it
lasted; in the West it proved equally advantageous.
For nearly seven hundred years the Jew.s managed,
with but slight intermission, to preserve the privileges
granted to them in 894, and we have it on the testi-
mony of countless chronicles that they deserved the
liberty they enjoyed. This period, marked by the dy-
nasties of Piast and Jagellon, was the golden age of

The Jewish Question in Russia. 117

Polish history, and the Jews contributed not a little to
the reigning prosperity. It is one of the creeds of
modern Anti-Semitism that Jews in large numbers must
be injurious to a country, while a few may be economi-
cally useful ; and yet at this period the Jews were pro-
portionately more numerous in Poland than at the
present day. The tolerance of the Polish rulers at-
tracted them from all parts of Europe. They flew
thither from the restrictive laws of the Hungarian and
Bohemian rulers, and from the popular outbursts in
Germany and France. The expulsion from England
in 1290 furnished a large contingent. Albertrandy
states that in 1264, in some of the Polish provinces,
they constituted one eighth of the population.

Can it be because Anti-Semitism had not then become
a scientific movement, that men of intelligence congrat-
ulated the country on the numerousness of its Hebrews ?
Hardly. A large number of Jews forced to ply a few
not very wealth-making trades may be an undesirable
element in a country, but when this large number is
unhampered by invidious legislation, and distributed in
every department of industry, it is valuable in propor-
tion to the intensity of the inherent energy and skill of
its individuals. The Jews in Poland, between the
eighth and sixteenth centuries, were unrestricted in
their avocations, and their industry and intelligence
constituted them a mainstay of the agricultural and
mercantile prosperity of the land. The foreign trade
was entirely in their hands, and their transactions ex-
tended even to Asia and Africa. A work, published
in 1539, states that while handicrafts were almost un-
known among the Polish Christians, and there were not
more than 500 Christian merchants in the country, the

118 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Jewish merchants numbered 3200, and the Jewish
mechanics three times as many. Casimir the Great
was, probably, the wisest monarch that ever reigned in
Poland, and he ostentatiously recognized the utility of
the Jews by confirming and extending their privileges.
It was principally with Jewish money that he built the
seventy towns with which he endowed Poland. The
historian Mickiewicz, reviewing the influence of the
Jews, says truly, " Ce n'est pas sans une raison provi-
dentielle que plusieurs millions d'Israelites existent
depuis tant de siecles au milieu des Polonais et que
leur sort se lie intimement avec celui de la nation polo-
naise." Indeed, so obvious was the value of the Jews
in Poland that, towards the end of the eleventh cen-
tury, the Russian monarch, Sviatopolk, invited a num-
ber of them to Kiev, and granted them important
privileges with a view to the promotion of the trade of
the city.

The best proof, however, that the Jews did not con-
stitute a pernicious element in Kussia in the days of
their freedom, is afforded by the estimation in which
they were held by their native fellow-countrymen.
Mr. Freeman's theory of the mediaeval Jew, protected
by nobles but hated by the people, would not find a
shadow of confirmation in Russian history. Czacki,
writing of the reign of Casimir the Great, says, " The
Christian in his Church and the Jew in his Synagogue
offered up thanks to Heaven for their happiness in liv-
ing in the same country, and for their enjoyment of
equal rights." Cardinal Commandoni, Papal Nuncio
at the Court of Sigismund Augustus, at the time when
Roman Catholic influences were just beginning to
darken the political horizon, expresses astonishment at

The Jewish Question in Russia. 119

the favorable position of the Jews. " There are," he
says, " a large number of Hebrews in these provinces
who are not held in contempt as in other countries.
They do not live on the ignoble profits of usury and
brokerages, but they possess lands, are engaged in com-
merce, and devote themselves to literature and science.
They are rich, and enjoy a reputation for honesty. No
badges are worn by them to distinguish them from
Christians, but, on the contrary, they carry swords and
possess equal rights with other citizens." The Cardinal
was not disposed to paint a favorable picture of the
Jews, for, in the same document, he inveighs fiercely
against the Poles for their indulgence to such "infidels."
The Jus militare held the Jews equally liable to mili-
tary service with other Poles, and instances of their
valor are noted more than once in Polish history.

Judaism itself was held in high esteem, and at one
le, when the country was distracted with sectarian
jealousies, the Jews proselytized with such success that
for a moment the whole edifice of Polish and Russian
Christianity trembled at its base. In Poland the un-
compromising attitude of Peter Gamrat, Bishop of
Cracow, who condemned several of the converts to the
stake, damped the proselytizing ardor of the Jews ; but
in Russia their success was most remarkable. The soul
of the movement was a Jew of Kiev named Scharja or
Zacharias, a learned and accomplished man, well versed
in the literature and sciences of his day. In 1471 he
came to Novgorod in the train of the Prince Michael
Olelkovich, and his reputation as a savant brought him
into contact with a distinguished circle. The first con-
verts he made were two priests named Dionysius and
Alexius, Gabriel, the proto-papas of the Cathedral of

120 Thxi Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Novgorod, and the Bojar Tutchin, a layman of high
rank. With the assistance of several learned Jews
from Lithuania secret communities of converts were
organized at Novgorod and Pskov, and the propaganda
was proceeded with industriously. When Novgorod
became a portion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Dio-
nysius and Alexius were appointed proto-papas of the
two principal churches in the capital. Here they suc-
ceeded in making the most extraordinary conversions.
Kooritzin, the secretary of the Grand Duke, his brother,
Ivan, the Princess Helena, and Zozimus, abbot of the
convent of St. Simeon, were among the converts ; and
on the latter being elevated in 1490 to the dignity of
Archbishop of Moscow a circumcised believer in Juda-
ism became the head of the Kussian Church. There
was every likelihood of the history of the Khozars being
repeated on a larger scale in Russia proper, when the
heresy was discovored by Gennadius, Bishop of Nov-
gorod. Its spread was promptly stopped. Dionysius
and Gabriel were imprisoned for life, Zozimus resigned
his high position and retired to a convent, and Koorit-
zin was burnt alive. The moment was, however, critical
for Russian Christianity. It is said that not a single
town in the whole country was free from a taint of Juda-
ism. The movement split up into many sects, of which
the modern Molokani and Subotniki are the remains.

In Poland the Jews continued for a hundred years
longer to enjoy their ancient privileges, but in Russia
their doom was sealed. Christianity recognized in
them its direst foes, and persecuted them unmercifully.
Very gradually the hostile feeling spread to Poland ;
but it assumed no tangible form until the rise of the
Jesuit power towards the end of the Jagellon dynasty.

I

The Jevnsli Question in Russia. 121

I

Then, one by one, all the restrictions of Ghetto life
were introduced. The oppression was avowedly re-
ligious ; no pernicious influences of an economical kind
were alleged. With a full conviction of the righteous-
ness of their conduct, and in the name of a merciful
God, the representatives of Latin and Greek Christianity
set themselves to the task of demoralizing a million hu-
man beings.

If, then, to-day there is anything objectionable in the
character of the Polish Jew, who is to blame ? Do the
Russians expect a people to emerge from a seclusion of
three centuries un dazed, un cramped, familiar with the
progress achieved in their absence ? The wonder is that
the Jews are not infinitely worse than they really are.
It is marvellous that throughout their oppression they
should have so completely conserved their moral purity
and their intellectual power. To-day they are nearly
four millions in number, and are still enchained by
odious disabilities. Over and over again in modern
times they have proved their capacity for progress, and
demonstrated the falsity of the charges brought against
them. But, apart from all controversies as to their
character, they are human beings, and this surely should
be sufficient to enlist the sympathy of the boasted
humanity of the century in their behalf. It will read
curiously in the pages of some future historian that the
age which gloried in having freed the Negro, silently

I acquiesced in the oppression of the people to whom the
world is indebted for the Decalogue.
1

122 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

CHAPTER XI.

RUSSIAN PERSECFTIONS : MISSION TO CZAR NICHOLAS.

The Board ot Deputies and the Russo- Jewish Question. — Sir Moses
Montefiore Invited to St. Petersburg by the Russian Government
to Confer with the Minister of Education on the Condition of the
Jews. — Policy of the Czar Nicholas towards the Jews. — The Per-
secuting Ukase of 1843. — Jewish Appeals to Sir Moses Monte-
fiore.— Temporary Suspension of the Ukase.— David Urquhart on
Russian Persecutions. — Reissue of the Ukase. — Sir Moses Monte-
fiore Appeals to Lord Aberdeen to Intercede with the Czar. — The
Ukase is again Suspended. — Promulgated Once More in 1845. —
A Deputation of Russian Jews Arrives in England. — Diplomatic
Representations to the,Russian Government are Ineffectual. — Sir
Moses Montefiore Deputed to proceed to St. Petersburg. — Dangers
of the Journey.— Flattering Reception in the Russian Capital.—
The Ukase suspended for a Third Time. — Interview with the Czar.
— Sir Moses proceeds on a Tour of the Western Provinces.— Ad-
ventures on the Journey. — Willingness of the Jews to follow
his Advice. — Triumphant Progress through Jewish Russia. — Sir
Moses Montefiore and Prince Paskievitch. — Revocation of the
Ukase.— Return to England.— Enthusiasm of the English Jews. —
Royal Appreciation of the Mission.— A Baronetcy conferred on
Sir Moses Montefiore.

At a meeting of the Board of Deputies, held on the
12th September, 1842, Sir Moses Montefiore announced
that he had received an important communication from
the Russian Government, inviting him to St. Peters-
burg to confer with Count Ouvarov, Minister of Educa-
tion, on the condition of the Russian Jews. The letter,
which was couched in very complimentary terms, stated
that the Jews were in so retrograde a state, that it would

Russian Persecutions: Mission to the Czar. 123

be impossible for some time " to pronounce the word
* Emancipation ; ' " but that with a view to their ulti-
mate affranchisement the Emperor desired to introduce
among them an advanced system of education. Un-
fortunately the Government had found in the *' bigotry
and ignorance" of the Jews an invincible obstacle to the
realization of their benevolent desires. They therefore
appealed to Sir Moses for his co-operation. " You, Sir,"
declared the letter, " enjoy the fullest confidence of the
Russian Jews : your name is uttered with the most pro-
found veneration by them." The Government, there-
fore, hoped that, with his assistance, the scheme they
had in contemplation might be made acceptable to his
co-religionists. At the same time other letters were re-
ceived by Sir Moses from several of the Jewish com-
munities, urging him to seize the opportunity of plead-
ing their cause before the Czar.

Sir Moses was unable to accept this invitation for
private reasons; but had he proceeded to St. Peters-
burg, it is doubtful whether he would have found the
Russian Government as anxious as they professed to be
to ameliorate the lot of his brethren in faith. The real
history of the remarkable invitation of Count Ouvarov
has yet to be written. Read in the light of the cruel
and arbitrary policy pursued by the Emperor Nicholas
towards the Jews since his accession to the throne in
1825, it cannot but suggest some arriere-jpensee at issue
with its well-intentioned tone. No section of the Rus-
sian population had felt the weight of the Czar's iron
hand more heavily than the Jews. In 1827, when he
was engaged in the organization of a navy, it was sug-
gested to him that the serfs were too clumsy and loosely
knit to make good sailors, but that the Jews, with their

124 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

lithe and active figures, might be very advantageously
employed, especially if trained for the purpose in their
youth. The Emperor acted upon the suggestion with
the literal and reckless promptness that always charac-
terized him. In one night 30,000 young Jewish chil-
dren were torn from their mothers' arms, and carried
away to the shores of the Black Sea to be inducted into
the mysteries of seamanship. From the moment of
their seizure they were submitted to the most rigorous
discipline, and were so cruelly treated, that not more
than 10,000 of them survived to enter the navy. Shut
out from communication with their families, the Czar
also closed against them the portals of their religion,
and had them brought up in the tenets of the Eusso-
Greek Church. This was not the only occasion on
which his Majesty showed that his attitude towards the
Jews was biassed by religious considerations; for in
1828 he tried to have all the Jews in the Kussian army
forcibly baptized.

But, besides isolated instances of persecution such as
these, the Emperor Nicholas had made himself specially
conspicuous in Kusso-Jewish history, by codifying on a
comprehensive scale the laws for the oppression of the
Jews, which had been formulated at different times by
his Russian and Polish predecessors. The ostensible
object of the new code, which was promulgated in
April, 4835, consisted " in a regulation of the position
of the Jews, which, while enabling them to earn their
livelihood by agriculture, and industrial occupations,
as also to educate their children, would at the same
time remove all inducements to indolence and illegal
pursuits." The effect was, however, very different.
Prince Demidoff San-Donato, in his admirable work on

Russian Persecutions: Mission to the Czar. 125

" The Jewish Question in Kussia," which has recently
been translated into English, under the auspices of Sir
Moses Montefiore's nephew, Mr. H. Guedalla, says of
this code, " From the sense of its enactments it would
appear that, according to the views of the Legislature,
the Jews, per se, do not possess any of the rights inher-
ent to all men and citizens. Thus, for instance, with
regard to all Russian subjects, with the exception of
Jews, the fundamental legal principle is that everything
not prohibited by law is allowed ; whereas for the Jews
the maxim is that everything which is not positively
allowed by law, is to be considered prohibited." This
is the legislation by which the Jews of Eussia are
governed to-day. Well might Baron Henry de "Worms
exclaim on a recent occasion, that it was tantamount to
a ban of excommunication !

The only recognizable explanation of Count Ouva-
rov's invitation to Sir Moses Montefiore was, that the
Russian Government had seen the error of its ways in
respect to the Jews, and had resolved to mend them.
This theory was, however, rudely dispelled in the follow-
ing year. In consequence of the smuggling which took
)lace on the Western frontiers, and in which a few
Wews were thought to participate, the Czar, with his
usual drastic precipitancy, issued a Ukase, on the 20th
April, 1843, ordering the removal into the interior of
all Jews domiciled within a zone of 50 versts (close
upon 35 English miles) along the German and Aus-
trian frontiers. This reckless measure was worthy
of the man who, heedless of engineering difficulties,
commanded his railways to be built in mathematically
straight lines. It was calculated to break up no less
than a thousand Jewish congregations, and ruin over

126 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

three hundred towns and villages. Its effect on the
commerce of the Empire would have been disastrous in
the extreme. To the communities at which it was
levelled, it was of terrible significance. It meant the
destruction of all their little property, and their means
of livelihood ; it meant the break-up of homes which,
however miserable, were still brightened by loving do-
mestic reminiscences, and hallowed by the recollection
of ancestors whose ashes reposed in the immediate vicin-
ity. For wanton cruelty, the whole legislation even of
autocratic Russia may be searched in vain for the equal
of this decree.

Nearly three months elapsed before any intelligence
of the new persecution reached Western Europe. One
morning in July, Sir Moses Montefiore was shocked to
receive a letter from the Jews of Konigsberg describing
what had taken place, and appealing for help. With his
customary promptness he called upon Baron Brunnow,
the Russian Ambassador at the Court of St. James, and
urged him to inform his Government how dire wxre the
hardships the Ukase was calculated to inflict. At the
same time he wrote a friendly letter to Count Ouvarov,
soliciting his good offices to obtain an abrogation of the
decree. The effect of these representations was, that
the Ukase was suspended for some months.

In January, 1844, an intimation was forwarded to the
Jewish communities, that the Ukase would shortly be
enforced, and agonizing appeals were again addressed to
Sir Moses Montefiore. The cause of the persecuted
Jews was, on this occasion, generously taken up by the
whole European press. In England, David Urquhart,
then in the acutest throes of his Russophobia, thus wrote
in the Po^'tfoUo :

jRussian Persecutions: Mission to the Czar, 127

" Hitherto there was one People who, obedient Beasts
of Burthen, could excite neither the Fears nor the An-
tipathies of Russia, who presented neither a political nor
religious Bond, or Hold, or Opposition to Her. These
were the Jews. Suddenly they too are added to the
number of the sufferers. First, came a Ukase, subjecting
them to Military, not Service, but Conscription ; and
now an Imperial Command converts them into home-
less and destitute Wanderers. Half a Million of Human
Beings are thus smitten, but the very Option is not left
to them of what was the Doom of the Jews of Spain.
They dare not even fly from their Oppressor and seek a
Refuge in less inhospitable lands, or that Mercy from
the Mussulman that the Christian denied. They are
expatriated yet firmly grasped. Hopelessness of Refuge
is added to Destitution — their Fate is completed in the
Words, to move fifty versts into the interior of Russia,
.... Russia, who had outraged every Commandment
of God, and every Law of Man, fills up with this last
Atrocity the Measure of Iniquity. Russia having
already, by such Crimes committed with Impunity,
steeped the IlsTations of Europe in Infamy, by this last
fills up the Measure and the Proof of their Degrada-
tion."

Convinced this time that direct appeals to the Rus-
sian Authorities would be useless. Sir Moses Montefiore
resolved on public and organized action. In consulta-
tion with the Board of Deputies, he determined to lay
the facts of the persecution before the British Govern-
ment. Accompanied by his nephew. Baron Lionel de
Rothschild, he accordingly waited on the Earl of Aber-
deen, who, on behalf of Her Majesty's Ministers, prom-

5d to use his friendly offices with the Czar. A couple

128 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

of months later, the Emperor himself appeared in Eng-
land on a visit to the Queen. Sir Moses sought an in-
terview with His Majesty, but in vain. He prevailed
upon him, however, to receive and consider a memorial,
and again it was notified that the operation of the edict
would be suspended.

E"ot for long, however. The Emperor's heart was
apparently set on the execution of his grim scheme, and,
towards the end of 1845, he resolved on the reissue of
the Ukase. This determination, after twenty months
of tranquillity, took the Jews of Europe by surprise.
For a time they hesitated as to the course they should
pursue. Their apparent inactivity drew upon them the
scornful reproaches of David XJrquhart, expressed with
his usual array of italics and capital letters. Writing
in the Portfolio, he thus contrasted the energy they
had displayed in the Damascus affair with their seeming
apathy in face of the Russian persecution :

" How Can this Indifference of a Body so proverbially
attached to each other, and which ha#e recently mani-
fested that Attachment in so signal a Manner, be ac-
counted for under this, the heaviest Blow that for
Centuries has fallen on their Head ? This there is no
Difficulty in accounting for. The Persecutor is Russia.
That says all ! Who dares to question, aye, or even to
wince, when he knows that it is her hand that applies
the Lash? That Moment, those who were heard the
loudest, and who looked the fiercest, are heard no more,
and their Eye is on the Ground. It is all one, Jew or
Gentile, Stockbroker or Field -Marshal, Clothesman or
Sovereign, Montefiore or Gordon, Eothschild or Guelf,
they are all Servants to the same Master, and Beasts of
Burden — there is Pasture for them in the same Yalley,

Russian Persecutions : Mission to the Czm*, 129

Harness for them in the same Stall; they feed, and
perform their Task !"

Urquhart was mistaken. Soon after the publication
of this article, a deputation of Eussian Jews arrived in
England to lay their grievances before Sir Moses Monte-
fiore, and he once more endeavored to interest the
British Government in their behalf. At the same time,
at Vienna, Baron Solomon de Rothschild publicly called
upon the Eussian Ambassador to intercede with his
Government. These representations proved fruitless.
The Jews of Western Europe now became thoroughly
aroused. Supported by the leading journals, Dr.
Frankel, the learned Chief Eabbi of Dresden, published
a vigorous appeal to the world for help. The Eussian
Government mockingly answered with an expulsion of
foreign Jews. Notwithstanding the irritation caused
by this last measure, no European Power ventured on
a remonstrance. To avert the impending disaster the
Jews evidently had only themselves to rely upon. In
this crisis Sir Moses Montefiore gallantly came forward
and offered to proceed to St. Petersburg to plead the
cause of his brethren personally with the Czar.

This proposal was received by the Jews with enthusi-
asm. As soon as the necessary preparations were com-
pleted, special prayers for the success of the Mission
were offered up in all the synagogues of the British
Empire by order of the Chief Eabbi, and even the
Eeform Congregation in Burton Crescent sent forth an
applauding " God-speed " from its proscribed pulpit.
On the 26th February, 1846, Sir Moses Montefiore,
accompanied by Lady Montefiore and Dr. Loewe, and
attended by a numerous suite, set out on his second
important expedition. The wintry weather was exceed-
6*

130 The Life of Sir Moses MonUfiore.

ingly severe, and the journey long and tedious. On the
snow-bound roads the travellers were frequently alarmed
by the howling of hungry packs of wolves, and they
had to keep a gong perpetually sounding to frighten
them away. St. Petersburg was not reached until the
31st March.

The reception accorded to Sir Moses in the Eussian
capital was very flattering. Apart from the recom-
mendations with which he had been furnished by the
British Government, and which, under any circum-
stances, would have secured him ceremonious attention,
the political whirligig had brought about a modification
in the Czar's view of the obnoxious Ukase which enabled
him to be more gracious to the Jewish champion than
might have otherwise been possible. Sir Moses was
treated not merely as a distinguished private individual,
but as the representative of a people. He was asked
to consider himself the guest of the Emperor; State
carriages were placed at his disposal, and a Government
official was ordered to be in constant attendance on him.
During the Passover holidays he worshipped in the
synagogues used by the Jewish soldiers of the garrison,
which, for the occasion, were handsomely decorated at
the expense of the Czar.

The presentation of the Memorial of which he was
the bearer took place on the 9th April. Previous to
the arrival of the Hebrew philanthropist in St. Peters-
burg, the counsellors of the Czar had ventured to point
out that, while it was doubtful whether the proposed
removal of the Jews into the interior would have the
contemplated effect of checking smuggling, it was cer-
tain that so sudden a change in the social condition of
the Western Provinces would bring about grave eco-

Hussicm Persecutions: Mission to the Cza/r, 131

Domical evils which would react upon the entire Empire.
The Czar had listened to these representations with
more attention than he usually bestowed on advice
opposed to his preconceived opinions, and on the 22d
March the operation of the Ukase had been suspended
for four years. This action had not, however, removed
the raison dJetre of Sir Moses Montefiore's Mission.
He was charged to procure, if possible, the entire revo-
cation of the decree, and also to obtain a general reform
of the laws affecting the Eussian Jews.

Sir Moses gave the following account of his audience
with the Emperor in one of his letters :

"I have the pleasure to inform you that, with the
blessing of God, I have had the opportunity of plead-
ing the cause of our brethren in this Empire before
the mighty monarch. On Thursday I was honored
with an audience by the Emperor, was most gracious-
ly received, and all my statements listened to most
patiently. His Majesty said I should have the satis-
faction of taking with me his assurance and the assur-
ances of his Ministers, that he was most desirous for the
improvement of my co-religionists in his Empire, and
that object engaged his attention at present. His
Majesty intimated a desire that I should visit my
brethren in those towns in which they were the most
numerous, and he would put me in communication with
his ministers."

The conversation here referred to occupied half an
hour, and was conducted without witnesses. In honor
of the occasion the Palace guard for the day was com-
posed of Jewish soldiers. After the Emperor had read
the Memorial he turned to Sir Moses and said, in the
most affable manner, " A present causons.^^ He then

132 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

chattily descanted on the difficulties of the E-usso-
Jewisli problem, gave his visitor some details of alleged
Jewish demoralization, which. Sir Moses subsequently
declared, " made every hair of my head stand on end,"
and expressed a desire to deal liberally with the Jews,
if only the ancient laws of the Empire would allow
him. " But your Majesty might alter these laws," in-
terposed Montefiore. "I hope I may succeed," an-
swered the Emperor. Referring to the Jewish sentries
on duty, Nicholas said he had 100,000 brave Israelites
in his army, and complimentarily described them as
" veritable Maccabees." It appeared to Sir Moses that, in
spite of the Czar's liberal protestations, he was strongly
possessed by a perverted estimate of Jewish character.
In concluding the interview, the Emperor made the
suggestion, referred to in Sir Moses' letter, that he
should himself visit the Jewish communities in the
"West, and he advised him to counsel his co-religionists
to lay aside their old-fashioned dress and mediaeval cus-
toms. In taking his leave. Sir Moses observed, " Sire,
I commend my Jewish brethren to your protection."
" They shall have it if they resemble you," courteously
answered the Czar.

Sir Moses lost no time in acting upon the Emperor's
suggestion that he should visit his Eussian brethren in
their homes. The earnest spirit in which he undertook
this important investigation is indicated in a letter he
addressed to a friend in London. He wrote :

" To-morrow, please God, I proceed on my visit, in
compliance with the desire of his Imperial Majesty, to
several towns in which the Jews principally reside.
After witnessing their situation, I have the assurance of
the Ministers that any report or suggestion that I may

I^K propoE

Russian Persecutions: Mission to the Czar, 133

: proper to make shall have their earnest attention,
and a promise that my letter shall be placed in the
hands of the Emperor himself. I have had long and
frequent intercourse with the principal Ministers on the
subject of the unfortunate condition of our co-religion-
ists in this Empire; and I feel confident that there is a
great desire for their improvement, but I fear tliere is
the greatest poverty among them. The most likely
remedy for this evil would be their employment in the
cultivation of land and the establishment of manufac-
tories; these pursuits require capital, which, I appre-
hend, it will be difficult to raise in this country. I have
been much pleased with two Synagogues, which I have
had the gratification of attending during the holidays,
with the consent of His Majesty, who was graciously
pleased afterwards to inquire if I was satisfied with
them. Both buildings were crowded wdth Jewish
soldiers ; and it was a gratifying sight to witness their
orderly conduct and great devotion. The Hazanim
were soldiers, and the prayers, Parasa, etc., were
extremely well read, and would have done credit to any
Synagogue in London."

Armed with letters to the provincial authorities and
with the privilege of using the Government relays. Sir
Moses left St. Petersburg on the 21st April. His
journey is said to have resembled a royal progress. At
Wilna, the capital of Jewish Poland, — one third of the
population are Jews — he spent eleven days. Immedi-
ately on his arrival he was waited upon by the Military
Commandant, General von Mirkowiez, while the wives
and daughters of the principal officials paid their re-
spects to Lady Montefiore. A round of festivities was
proposed by the authorities, but declined by Sir Moses.

134 Tlie Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

He found the Jews willing to follow his advice in every
particular. They expressed their readiness to engage in
agriculture, and the administrators of the communal
schools undertook to have the boys instructed in the
vernacular and in branches of useful secular knowledge.
At every town at which he stopped he gave largely to
the poor of all denominations, and at Wilna left 10,000
silver roubles for the Jewish poor alone. The journey
was not without its adventures. In crossing the Dwina
the ice gave way, and one of the servants was drowned.
The Montefiores themselves narrowly escaped with their
lives. The general results of Sir Moses' observations
are tersely described in one of his letters to London.
Writing from Warsaw, under date of the 20th May, he
says:

" There is much to be done in Poland. I have al-
ready received the promise of many of the Hasidim
to change their fur caps for hats, and to adopt the Ger-
man costume generally. I think this change will have
a happy effect on their position, and be the means of
producing a good feeling between their fellow-subjects
and themselves. I have received the assurance of many
that they would willingly engage themselves in agricul-
ture if they could procure land ; and his Highness the
Viceroy is desirous that they should do so. I therefore
hope that those Jews in this kingdom who have the
ability will purchase land (which I am told is very
cheap), and will employ their brethren in its cultivation.
Our co-religionists are most willing to work ; they are
good masons, bricklayers, carpenters, etc., and of course
tailors, shoemakers, bootmakers, weavers, etc. I was
pained to witness how some labor for a bit of bread :
there were thousands of them on the roads breaking

Eussian Persecutions: Mission to the Cza/r. 135

stones ; and truly happy when they could get even that
humiliating employment. The Jewish schools are
most deserving of commendation ; the females are quite
equal in talent to the males."

At Warsaw Sir Moses was somewhat rudely reminded
of the insincerity of the Russian authorities in their
assumed benevolence towards the Jews. In an inter-
view with Prince Paskiewitch, the Governor- General
of Poland, he represented how advantageous it would
be to admit Jewish pupils to the public schools. " God
forbid !" cynically replied the Prince. " The Jews are
already too clever for us. How would it be if they got
good schooling ?" This remark, spoken probably in
jest, throws a flood of light on the Russian policy to-
wards the Jews. The opinion is not new in Russian
history. It reminds us of a remarkable letter written
some sixty years before by the Empress Catherine to
the Governor of Moscow, who had complained of the
difficulties he experienced in establishing schools. " Mon
cher Prince," wrote the Empress, "vousvous plaignez
de ce que les Russes n'ont pas le desir de s'instruire.
Si j'institue des ecoles, ce n'est pas pour nous, c'est pour
I'Europe ou il faut maintenir notre rang dan»l' opinion ;
mais du jour, ou nos paysans voudraient s'eclairer, ni
vous ni moi, nous ne resterions a nos places."

His tour of the Jewish communities completed. Sir
Moses Montefiore returned to England by rapid stages,
bringing with him the news that the Ukaze which had
occasioned his journey had been finally abrogated. As
a further result of his mission, an Imperial rescript was
subsequently issued, granting Jews the right to acquire
land, and to enroll themselves in commercial corpora-
tions. The conditions attached to this permission were.

136 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

however, not sufficiently favorable to admit of the
Jews availing themselves very extensively of its pro-
visions. The personal advice and example of Sir Moses
did more to stimulate the Russian Hebrews to an im-
provement of their condition than all the grudging
concessions of the Government. If the Jews are to-day
better off than they were in 1846, it is only in a very
small measure due to the exertions of the authorities.

In England Sir Moses Montefiore's co-religionists
received him with an enthusiasm hardly inferior to that
which greeted him on his triumphant return from the
East in 1840. His efforts on behalf of his persecuted
brethren were graciously appreciated, too, by the high-
est personages in the realm. An entertainment in his
honor, given by his sister-in-law, the then Dowager
Baroness de Rothschild, at Gunnersbury Park, was at-
tended by more than one member of the royal family ;
and the Queen testified her interest in his humanitarian
work by conferring upon him his baronetcy.

A Busy Decade,

137

CHAPTEE XII.

A BUSY DECADE.

Resumption of the Emancipation Struggle.— Mr. David Salomons
and the Court of Aldermen.— Passing of the Municipal Corpora-
tions Bill.— Sir Moses Montefiore and the Duke of Cambridge-
Accession to Power of Lord John Russell. — Baron Lionel de
Rothschild is Returned to Parliament.— Prevented from Taking
his Seat. — The Premier Proposes to Abolish Jewish Disabilities.
—The Bill is Passed by the Commons but Thrown out by the
Lords. — Sir Moses Montefiore Organizes an Agitation in Favor
of the Bill.— Second Defeat of the Bill.— The End of the Strug-
gle.— Who shall be the First Jewish Peer ? — Condition of the
Foreign Jews. — Another Blood Accusation at Damascus. — Sir
Moses Montefiore proceeds to Paris and Interviews M. Guizot
and King Louis Philippe. — Satisfactory Assurances. — The Jews
of Turkey. — Proposed Readmission of the Jews to Spain. — La-
bors of Mr. Guedalla.— Home Affairs. — Three Missions to Pales-
tine.— The ' ' Judah Touro" Legacy. — Useful Works in the Holy
Land. — Sir Moses Montefiore and Said Pasha. — Conversation
with the Khedive on the Suez Canal.

HE meridian of Sir Moses Montefiore' s career was
reached in the period we are now approaching. At
an age when with most men " the years have stolen fire
from the mind, and vigor from the limb," he was in
the prime of life. Time had dealt its gentlest with
him. Almost within sight of the Psalmist's limit of
age, his appetite for work was unslaked, and his ener-
gies unexhausted. The ten years ending on his seventy-
third birthday were the busiest in his whole career.

138 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

The session following his return from Russia found
him again hard at work in the President's chair of the
Board of Deputies. One of the first questions he was
called upon to consider was the resumption of the
Emancipation struggle in England. Strange as it may
seem, it is nevertheless a fact that Sir Moses Montefiore,
a Baronet of the United Kingdom, ex-sheriff of Lon-
don and Middlesex, and high sherijff for the county
of Kent, a Commissioner of Lunacy for London, and a
Magistrate of Middlesex, Deputy Lieutenant for Kent,
and a Magistrate for the Cinque Ports, who had been
twice honored by his sovereign for his labors in the
cause of oppressed humanity, and whose example had
taught his co-religionists in the remotest countries to
regard England as the home of liberty, was himself in
1847 still a victim of political disabilities. Two years
before he had initiated, after a lull of eight years, a new
campaign against the disqualifications under which the
English Jews labored ; but he had not been able to
achieve more than the opening to them of Corporation
offices. The occasion of this campaign was the annul-
ment of the election of his brother-in-law, Mr. David
Salomons, as Alderman for the ward of Portsoken in
the City of London, in consequence of his inability to
subscribe to the declaration " On the true faith of a
Christian," with which the oath of office concluded.
At a meeting of the Board of Deputies held on the
23d of January, 1845, Sir Moses Montefiore brought
the circumstance officially under the notice of his col-
leagues, and moved " that the time is now fitting for a
recommencement of the agitation for Jewish emancipa-
tion." The resolution was adopted, and a special com-
mittee appointed to act upon it.

A Busy Decade. 139

This body met frequently at the chambers in Capel
Court, occupied by its chairman in his capacity as Presi-
dent of the Alliance Insurance Company. At one of
these meetings (10th February) it was resolved to seek
a conference with Her Majesty's Government, and, ac-
cordingly, on the 19th February, Sir Moses Montefiore,
accompanied by his nephew, the late Baron Lionel de
Kothschild, had an interview with Sir Robert Peel at
Downing Street. The Premier stated that a measure
for the partial repeal of Jewish Disabilities was under
his consideration, but that he was not then prepared to
disclose it. On the 4th March another interview took
place, when the Minister showed Sir Moses Montefiore
a Bill enabling Jews to fill corporation ofiices. This,
he said, was the extent to which the Government was
inclined to go. Sir Moses expressed his regret that no
larger measure of repeal was contemplated, but hoped
that in a subsequent session the Ministry would present
the Jews with a final instalment of relief.

The Bill was introduced into Parliament, and passed
oth Houses without opposition. In the Lords it was
armly commended by the Duke of Cambridge, uncle
the Queen, and a patron of the Jews' Hospital, who,
the course of his speech, made some interesting refer-
ees to Sir Moses Montefiore. His Royal Highness
id:

*'I have had occasion for some time to know the
ood which persons professing the Jewish religion have
one, and particularly with reference to the different
harities to which I belong ; and I can certainly say that
it is to them that we owe a great deal, and that they
ntribute a very large portion of the funds of all the
arities over which I have the honor of presiding.

140 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Two of tlie individuals whose names were mentioned in
the speech of my noble and learned friend on the Wool-
sack are personally known to myself. One was for-
merly High Sheriff of the county of Kent (Mr. Salo-
mons), and I can bear witness to the good which he has
done. Also, there was Sir Moses Montefiore, who,
about Ja.wQ years ago, was Sheriff of London, and I must
state, in justice to him, what occurred between him and
me whilst he held that office. I happened to be re-
quested by the Bishop of Winchester to preside at a
meeting for the purpose of increasing the number of
churches in that diocese. I went down to Winchester,
and I happened to be walking in the garden, when I
met Sir Moses Montefiore, who had come down on a
very melancholy occasion, to attend the deathbed of a
favorite niece. He came up to me, and learning what
was the object of the meeting which I was about to at-
tend, he gave me a very handsome sum which he desired
me to present. I will not mention what the sum was,
for it would be a violation of good taste to do so ; but I
think it only just to mention his name, and to show
that I really feel that we owe a great debt of gratitude
to gentlemen professing his persuasion for the good
which they have done."

During Sir Moses Montefiore's absence in Russia, an
important change took place in the direction of politi-
cal affairs at home. On the 25th June, 1846, Sir Rob-
ert Peel was defeated on the Irish Coercion Bill, and
two days later his Ministry resigned. The hopes of the
Jews rose high when Lord John Russell, the author of
the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, and a
prominent sympathizer with the cause of Jewish eman-
cipation, was invited by the Queen to form a new ad-

I

A Busy Decade. 141

ministration. At the very first meeting of the 1846-4Y
session of tlie Board of Deputies, Sir Moses Montefiore,
who enjoyed the personal friendship of the new Premier,
promised to use his influence to obtain the repeal of the
remaining disabilities. Unfortunately other urgent po-
litical questions so completely absorbed the time of the
new Ministry that they were unable to give any imme-
diate attention to the Jewish question. On May 22d,
184:7, however, Parliament was dissolved, and at the
general election which followed, Baron Lionel de Eoths-
child was elected one of the members for the City of
London. Being unable to take his seat in consequence
of the obnoxious wording of the oath, the Government
were forced to take action in accordance with their well-
known proclivities.

On the 16th December Lord John Eussell, in an able
nd exhaustive speech, moved in the House of Com-
ons, "That this House resolve itself into a Commit-
e on the Kemoval of Civil and Keligious Disabilities
affecting Her Majesty's Jewish subjects." An interest-
ing debate ensued, and the motion was carried by 256
to 186 votes. A Bill was introduced on the 20th De-
cember. The unimpeachable conduct of the Jews in
the municipal offices they had filled afforded their par-
liamentary friends a new argument in their favor ; and
the high character of Sir Moses Montefiore, Sir David
Salomons, and Baron de Rothschild was quoted more
than once by the partisans of the Bill. The Prime
Minister in his opening speech made very dexterous use
of this argument. He said :

" We have been told, also, that there is a very solemn
denunciation in the prophecies which should prevent
our granting to the Jews the rights they claim. But, I

14:2 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

would ask, where it is that those who use this argument
would draw the line ? In this country we have much
relaxed the rigor of our enactments respecting them.
A Jew has been a magistrate ; a Jew has been a sheriff.
By a late statute, which was introduced by the Eight
Honorable member for Tarn worth, Jews may hold offices
in corporations ; and it was but the other day that a
Jew was admitted to the office of Alderman in the Cor-
poration of the City of London. I ask you what right
or business have you to interpret a prophecy so as to
draw the line between an Alderman and a Commissioner
of Customs, between a Justice of the Peace and a per-
son having a right to sit in Parliament ?"

These observations derived especial force from the
circumstance that " the Eight Honorable member for
Tamworth," Sir Kobert Peel, had at first declared him-
self against the Bill. On the second reading, to the
great surprise of the House, the ex-premier announced
that he had changed his mind and both spoke and voted
in its favor. In this speech Sir Eobert several times
referred to Sir Moses Montefiore. The following pas-
sage may be quoted :

" I have other motives that weigh with me. There
are countries in which the Jews are still subject to per-
secution and oppression. Twice within the last three
or four years has a British subject, distinguished for
his benevolence and philanthropy. Sir Moses Montefi- *
ore, repaired to distant lands, in the hope of mitigating
the hard lot of the suffering Jews. He repaired to St.
Petersburg for the purpose of imploring mercy towards
the Jews in Poland. He repaired to the East for the
purpose of relieving, if possible, the Jews in Palestine,
from shameful wrongs, perpetrated on the pretext that

I

A Busy Decade, 143

they murdered Christian children in order that their
blood might be available for the Passover. He carried
with him letters of recommendation from British
Ministers, certifying his high character for integrity
and honor, and the purity of the motives by which he
was actuated. How much more persuasive would
those letters have been if they could have announced
the fact that every ancient prejudice against the Jews
had been extinguished here, and that the Jew was on a
perfect equality, as to civil rights, with his Christian
fellow-citizen."

The Bill was passed; but on reaching the Lords it
shared the fate of its predecessors and was defeated by
163 to 128 votes. Baron de Rothschild hereupon re-
signed his seat.

As soon as the result of the deliberations of the
iUpper Chamber was made known, Sir Moses Monte-
fiore convened a meeting of the Board of Deputies to
^consider by what means the agitation should be con-
tinued. It was resolved to confide it to a special com-
fmittee, the chairmanship of which was offered to the
(President of the Board. Sir Moses accepted the honor,
md began forthwith to organize a formidable move-
Iment. He secured the co-operation of the Goldsmids,
[who had already distinguished themselves by their
lexertions in the cause, and drew up a form of petition
[which he distributed among all the metropolitan and
j provincial Jewish congregations for signature. In
[January, 1848, he was enabled to send up a large num-
fber of memorials to the House of Lords in favor of
^Lord John RusselPs Bill. His committee met three
times a week during something more than a year at
Baron Rothschild's offices in J^ew Court, St. Swithin's

IM The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Lane. The Lords, however, again threw out the
measure, and the Jews, disheartened by their want of
success, gradually dropped their agitation.

From this time until 1868, when, through the per-
sonal exertions of Baron de Eothschild and Sir David
Salomons the Jewish Disabilities were at last repealed.
Sir Moses Montefiore was but little concerned in the
agitation. He remained, however, to the end Chairman
of the Special Committee of the Deputies charged with
its organization, and when eventually his nephew was
permitted to take his seat in the Commons, he was the
first to offer him his congratulations. Baron de Eoths-
child, in the course of his reply, expressed a hope which
to-day reads almost like a prophecy. " Permit me," he
wrote, "to felicitate you upon an event in which we
have a strong common interest, and to reciprocate the
hope that you, too, may long live to enjoy the advan-
tages and to witness the ulterior results which may be
expected to flow from it."

Sir Moses had no Parliamentary ambition, although,
had he desired it, he could have been returned without
opposition, on more than one occasion, for the division
of the county of Kent in which he resides. His family
has, however, never ceased to be represented in St.
Stephens, and at the present time a nephew (Mr. Arthur
Cohen, Q.C.) and a grand-nephew (Sir Nathaniel de
Rothschild) occupy seats in the Commons. The wish
has often been expressed that the last shadow of
Jewish disability might be removed from the British
Constitution by the admission of a Jew to the House
of Lords ; and Sir Moses Montefiore has been, not un-
reasonably, indicated as the man upon whom such a
distinction should fall. There are those, both within

\m Dat

L

A Busy Decade. 145

and without the Jewish community, who still hope to
see this wish fulfilled.

Throughout the Emancipation struggle Sir Moses
Montefiore's heart remained as heretofore with his
foreign brethren. This will account for his not taking
so prominent a part in the solution of the great political
question at home as his less travelled relatives and col-
leagues. The foreign Jews, particularly those in the
East, remained in a distressing state, a prey not only to
persecuting laws, but persecuting popular passion. The
negative indignity of political disability that had been
the great trouble of the British Jews was happiness in
comparison with the positive hardships, the misery, and
insecurity, which beset the lives of thousands of their
brethren in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It was
well for them that Sir Moses Montefiore did interest
himself in their welfare.

A revival of the Blood Accusation at Damascus en-
gaged his attention towards the middle of 1847. In
April of that year, a Christian child had disappeared,
and the Jews had been charged with murdering it in
order to employ its blood for ritual purposes. The
wretched superstition was supported by the French
Consulate, the chief of which represented to the
Ottoman Governor, Sefata Pasha, that it was credibly
established that the Jews used Christian blood in the
celebration of their Passover. Sefata Pasha does not
seem to have been acquainted with the famous Firman
of the 12th Ramazan, which vindicated the Jews from
this accusation under the hand and seal of the Padishah
himself, for he ordered a strict search to be instituted in
the Jewish quarter, and although nothing of an incrimi-
nating nature was found, imprisoned several Jews on

146 The Life of Sir Moses Montejwi^e.

suspicion. Ultimately the missing boy, who had been
staying at Baalbec, reappeared in good health, but the
Jewish prisoners were not released.

On these facts being brought under the notice of
Sir Moses Montefiore, he determined to seek an inter-
view with the French king, in order to assure his co-
religionists in future against the extraordinary malev-
olence of the French diplomatic agents in the East.
Accompanied by Lady Montefiore and Dr. Loewe, he
proceeded to Paris, where M. Guizot lent a ready ear
to his complaint, and obtained for him an audience of
Louis Philippe. His Majesty, more cordial than in
1840, assured his Jewish visitor that he regarded the
Blood Accusation as a gross calumny on the Jews.
He expressed his indignation that it should have been
countenanced by any person employed by his Govern-
ment, and promised that every necessary step should
be taken to prevent a repetition of the outrage. This
promise His Majesty did not forget. Sir Moses, a
short time after his return to England, had the satis-
faction of receiving the following letter from M.
Guizot :

"Pabis, Auguit 25th, 1847.

" Sir : The King has sent to me a letter, addressed
by you to him on the 9th of this month, on the subject
of the prejudice which unhappily prevails against the
Israelites in the East, and which accuses them of using
human blood in their sacrifices. You express a wish
that the agents of His Majesty in the Levant shall not
only be restrained from contributing in any way to up-
hold such a prejudice, but that they shall employ every
means in their power to discountenance and refute it.

"The King's Government regards the imputation in

A Busy Decade, 147

question as false and calumnious, and its agents are gen-
erally too enlightened to make themselves the organs of
it. The Government regrets and censures it in the most
express terms. This it is eager to do in the case to
which you refer, relative to a Christian child at Damas-
cus, who had disappeared in April last, and the accusa-
tion which the agent of the French Consulate did not
scruple to prefer on that subject to the Pasha against
the Jews. No direct information having been received
on that subject, I have called for explanations from the
King's consul at Damascus, directing him, if the case as
reported to you be correct, to express on my part the
severest censure of the conduct of the individual, who,
on a mere report, should cast such imputations on a
whole people.

"Accept, sir, the assurance of my most distinguished
consideration. Guizot."

The consular officers were subsequently censured,
but it was only after very great difficulty and a long
correspondence with the Turkish authorities that the
imprisoned Jews were set free.

In 1854 Sir Moses was again at work in the interests
of the Turkish Jews. He directed the attention of the
Earl of Clarendon to their condition, and memorialized
the British Government to include them in their schemes
for the benefit of the Turkish rayahs. He also corre-
sponded with Lord Stratford de Kedcliffe, and obtained
through him several important decisions, which helped
to protect the provincial Jews against the rapacity of
local officials.

A vast amount of miscellaneous business — both for-
eign and domestic — was transacted by Sir Moses at this

148 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

period at the Board of Deputies. Among other inter-
esting matters, we find him, in 1854, corresponding
with several Spanish noblemen on the readmission of
the Jews to Spain. M. Furtado, of the Consistoire
Israelite de St. Esprit, first wrote to him on the subject,
and, on the recommendation of that gentleman, he
formed a committee to take the matter in hand. The
proposal was brought before the Cortes at Madrid some
months later, but was lost bj seventeen votes. After
the dissolution of the Committee, Sir Moses' nephew,
Mr. H. Guedalla, gave a great deal of attention to the
question, and it was mainly through his exertions in
1868 and 1880, that G-eneral Prim and Senor Sagasta,
announced the revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of
1492.

In home affairs Sir Moses zealously continued to
watch the work of Parliament in so far as it affected
the interests of his co-religionists. He procured the
insertion of clauses protecting Jewish marriages in the
Marriage Act, corresponded with Sir George Grey on
the bearing of the law on Jewish Friendly Societies,
and induced the Lord Advocate of Scotland to make
considerable alterations in a Bill for the Kegistration of
Births in Scotland in order to meet Jewish requirements.

By far the largest portion of his time was, however,
given to his brethren in the Holy Land. His labors
during this busy decade include no less than three pil-
grimages to Palestine. In January, 1849, the cholera
broke out at Tiberias. As soon as the intelligence
reached England, Sir Moses Montefiore issued an appeal
to the Anglo-Jewish community. The period was one
of great commercial depression, and the appeal was not
successful. The subscriptions fell short of £200. Mean-

f

A Busy Decade. 149

while the distress spread in all directions. The Chris-
tian Conversionist Societies availed themselves of the
opportunity to push forward tlieir propaganda, and, be-
ing well supplied with funds, were for a time exception-
ally fortunate in making converts. This only added to
the distress of the remaining faithful, and in March they
addressed a letter to Sir Moses Montefiore, pressing him
to come to their assistance. The benevolent Baronet
lost no time in responding to this prayer. Accompanied
by Lady Montefiore and Colonel Gawler (an ex-governor
of South Australia, who had gone deep into schemes
for the colonization of Palestine), he started for Jeru-
salem early in May. He did not go further on this
occasion than the Holy City, and confined himself to
the distribution of money to the needy of all confes-
sions. The amount he gave away is said to have ex-
ceeded £5000.

The second journey took place in 1855, under much
graver circumstances. The outbreak of the Eussian
war in 1853 had stopped the influx of charitable con-
tributions from Poland upon which a large number of
the Jews of Palestine depended for their daily bread.
This misfortune was aggravated by a failure of the
crops, followed by one of the severest winters ever ex-
perienced in the Holy Land. Neither food nor fuel
were procurable, and, to crown the misery, a severe
epidemic of small-pox appeared in Jerusalem itself.
The Chief Rabbi set out for Europe to collect funds,
but died on his way at Alexandria. In England, Dr.
Adler, and Sir Moses Montefiore, issued an appeal, and
succeeded in collecting nearly £20,000. Remittances
amounting to £8000 were made to the distressed com-
munities, and a scheme was drawn up to expend the

150 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

balance on works of more permanent usefulness than a
mere eleemosynary distribution. About this time a
wealthy and charitable Israelite of I^ew Orleans, named
Judah Touro, died, and, although perfectly unknown
to Sir Moses, bequeathed to him $50,000, to be applied,
as he might think fit, for the benefit of his co-reli-
gionists in Palestine. Sir Moses resolved to proceed
once more to the East to ascertain personally the best
means of expending this legacy, as well as the remain-
der of the London Fund. Accompanied by his de-
voted wife, Mr. and Mrs. H. Guedalla, Dr. Loewe, and
Mr. G. Kursheedt, one of the executors of Touro's will,
he set out in May, 1855. The party journeyed via
Hanover, Prague, Trieste, Corfu, and Constantinople.
In the Turkish capital a Firman, permitting purchases
of land in Palestine, was obtained from the Sultan by
the aid of Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe. Arrived at
Jerusalem, Sir Moses encountered considerable opposi-
tion to his determination to devote the funds in his
hands to reproductive enterprises. The Jews con*
sidered that it was no part of their duty to work or to
learn to earn their living, and protested that their task
in life was sufficiently fulfilled by prayer and religious
exercises. With his usual good sense. Sir Moses per-
sisted in his wise resolution. He laid the foundation-
stone of a hospital, planned the Touro Almshouses
outside the Jaffa Gate, gave orders for the erection of
a windmill, opened a girls' school and an industrial
school, had the public slaughtering-place removed from
the Jewish quarter, where offal had been allowed to
accumulate since the days of the Caliph Omar, to a
place without the city, and established agricultural
colonies at Jaffa, Safed, and Tiberias.

A Busy Decade, 151

On his way home he stopped for a few days at Alex-
andria, where he was royally entertained by the Yice-
roy, Said Pasha, who in 1852 had been his guest at
Park Lane. A palace was placed at his disposal, and
his meals were sent to him daily by tlie Pasha. Said
was then full of his scheme foi* a canal through the
Isthmus of Suez, and at his farewell interview with Sir
Moses he asked him to use his influence to raise capital
for the enterprise in England. Sir Moses explained
how unpopular the project was, but expressed his opin-
ion that if the Khedive would guarantee a dividend of
five per cent, English money might still be forthcoming.
His Highness' answer was worthy of his exalted posi-
tion. " If that is the only way in which it can be ob-
tained," he answered, "I will do without it. I have
already sunk two millions of my own money in the
undertaking, and that should be a suflBcient guarantee
for any investor."

The third mission of this series took place in 1857,
but it had no public significance.

152 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

CHAPTER XIII.

THE MOKTAKA CASE, ETC.

Lady Montefiore's Health gives Cause for Anxiety. — A Winter in
Italy. — Sad Condition of the Italian Jews.— Return to England. —
The Mortara Case. — Abduction of a Jewish Boy by the Roman
Inquisition on the Ground that he had been Secretly Baptized. —
The Pope Refuses to Surrender him. — Appeal to Sir Moses Monte-
fiore.— Excitement in Europe. — Another Attempted Secret Bap-
tism.— The Pretensions of the Papacy. — Action of Christian Pub-
lic Bodies in England. — Indignation Meetings. — Consternation
Among the Jews of the Papal States. — Sir Moses Montefiore In-
terviews Lord Malmesbury. — Representations to Napoleon III. —
The Powers Remonstrate with the Papal Government. — Non Pos-
sumus. — Sir Moses Montefiore Proceeds to Rome. — Negotiations
with Cardinal Antonelli. — The Pope Refuses to see Sir Moses or
to Surrender the Child. — Subsequent Efforts unavailing. — The
Labors of 1859, 1860, and 1861. — Miscellaneous Foreign Business.
— The Morocco Relief Fund. — Persecution of the Syrian Chris-
tians.— Appeals of Sir Moses Montefiore and M. Cremieux. — The
" Blood Accusation" Tablet at Damascus.

Towards the end of 1857, Lady Montefiore's health
gave cause for much anxiety. Since the trying journey
to Russia, in the depth of the winter of 1846, she had
been more or less ailing, and her indisposition had, un-
happily, shown but little sign of yielding to medical skill.
The physicians now advised that it would be dangerous
to winter in England, and she accordingly repaired with
her husband to Italy. Here, during several months,
the affectionate pair roamed from town to town, seeking

L

The Mortar a Gase^ etc. 153

health in change of scene and the geniality of the cli-
mate, and finding happiness in renewed efforts to re-
lieve the misery of their Italian co-religionists, still in
a sad and degraded condition. Many passages in Lady
Montefiore's diaries — some have been qnoted in a pre-
ceding chapter — testify to her deep sympathy with the
Italian Hebrews. Their oppression touched her nearly.
The name she bore had been adopted in an Italian
Ghetto, and she must have frequently thought with
gratitude of the circumstance that had naturalized it in
a freer clime. The dawn of a new era for Italy was,
however, already perceptible on the political horizon.
At the very moment that Sir Moses and Lady Monte-
fiore were celebrating the Passover — the Jewish feast
of Freedom — at Florence, Mazzini was maturing his
plans at Genoa for another of the insurrections upon
which, but a few years later, the structure of Italian
Liberty was reared.

In July the Montefiores were again in England. A
few weeks after their return, the newspapers gave cur-
rency to a story which redirected their attention to the
woes of their Italian co-religionists. Quoting from the
Bologna correspondence of a Turin journal, the Jewish
Chronicle^ of August 15th, 1858, published the follow-
ing intelligence :

" On "Wednesday evening, the 23d of June, an officer
of the Papal police, accompanied by gens d^armes^ pre-
sented himself at the residence of Signer Mortara, an
Israelite, and demanded, in the name of the Holy Of-
fice, the surrender of one of his boys. The same had
been secretly baptized by the Christian servant-maid in
the house, which had been betrayed to the Holy Office.
The terror and consternation of the Jewish family can
7*

154: The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

easily be imagined, when, despite all remonstrance,
the order was executed, and the boy, on the evening
of the 24th, was transferred to the Convent of the
Dominicans, in order to be brought up there as a Chris-
tian."

At the ensuing meeting of the Board of Deputies on
the 17th, the President's attention was called to this ex-
traordinary story by Mr. Henry Harris — at present the
Treasurer, and, we believe, the senior member of the
Board. Sir Moses Montefiore replied, that he had al-
ready seen the paragraph, but that it had not taken him
by surprise, as during his recent stay in Italy, he had
been much saddened to observe the oppressed condition
of many of the Jewish communities. He suggested
that inquiries should be made, with a view to ascertain-
ing whether the paragraph was true, and if so, what
were the full details. The suggestion was agreed to, and
inquiries were immediately set on foot. The story they
disclosed was startling in the extreme.

On the date given in the extract quoted by the Jew-
ish newspaper, a number of officers of the Roman In-
quisition had appeared at the house of Momolo, or Solo-
mon, Mortara, a Jew of Bologna, and without assigning
any reason, had forcibly carried off Edgar Levi Mortara,
his infant son, aged six years. Several apphcations
were made to the Holy Office for an explanation of the
outrage, and eventually the parents of the abducted boy
were informed, that he had been secretly baptized when
one year old by his nurse, Mina Morisi, and that he was
consequently the property of the Church. The child,
it was further stated, was ill at the time, and the nurse,
anxious for its welfare, had consulted a druggist named
Lepori, who had piously suggested that it should be

r

The Mortara Case, etc. 166

baptized. For five years Mina had kept tlie story
secret, but it had recently come to the knowledge of
the Inquisition through her confessor, and the Church
had determined to claim its own. Mortara urged upon
the consideration of the Holy Office several circum-
stances which seemed to indicate that the narrative of
Mina Morisi had been concocted, and that no baptism
had taken place at all. For reply, he was informed,
that the tribunal of the Inquisition had thoroughly
sifted the case, and had established the right of the
Church to the child. He then addressed himself to
Cardinal Antonelli, but with no better result, and finally
he petitioned the Pope. The Holy Father informed
him that there was only one means of recovering his
son, and that, by following him into his new faith.
During these unhappy negotiations, the mother of the
stolen child died of grief.

Together with these details came an appeal to Sir
Moses Montefiore for assistance, signed by the repre-
sentatives of twenty-one Sardinian Jewish congrega-
tions. A special meeting of the Deputies was sum-
moned, to consider this appeal and the new information.
The result of their deliberations was, that a sub-com-
mittee was appointed, under the Chairmanship of Sir
Moses Montefiore, to concert action with foreign Jew-
ish bodies. In the mean time, the Italian papers circu-
lated the story all over Europe, and a very painful sen-
sation was caused by it, even in Catholic countries.

No action of the Papal Government more distinctly
marked the abandonment of the liberal principles, by
which Pius IX. had appeared to be actuated before the
flight to Gaeta. Even those friends of the Papacy who
had formerly regarded the Pontiff as hardly sufficiently

166 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

orthodox, felt that this revival of the mediaeval rights
of the Inquisition was a grave error. The prevailing
indignation was increased by another and similar storj,
reported about the same time from Genoa. A Catholic
nurse, having charge of a Jewish infant, secretly took
it to her confessor for baptism. The priest regretfully
explained to the woman, that in Piedmont the mere act
of baptism would not, as in the Papal territories, insure
the child being brought up as a Christian, but he ad-
vised her to deprive the infant of sustenance, and when
it was on the point of death to bring it to him, and he
would baptize it and save its soul. The conspiracy was
discovered by the doctor attending the child, and, the
nurse having confessed, the priest was prosecuted.

The liberal journals throughout Europe severely com-
mented on this and the Mortara case. The official Gov-
ernment paper at Turin called on every civilized coun-
try to demand the restitution of the boy Mortara ; the
Journal des Dehats counselled the withdrawal of the
French Ambassador at the Papal Court ; and the Siecle,
the organ of Prince Napoleon, considered that such out-
rages had rendered the abolition of the Papacy a Euro-
pean duty. Public bodies also took the matter in hand.
At the Annual Conference of the Evangelical Alliance,
a vote of sympathy with the Jews was unanimously
agreed to on the motion of Sir Culling Eardley, who
communicated it to Sir Moses Montefiore. The Com-
mittees of the Protestant Association, and the Scottish
Eeformation Society, petitioned for the intervention of
the British Government, and indignation meetings were
held in London, New York, Philadelphia, and many
other cities.

The excitement was much aggravated when the un-

The Mortara Case, etc, 157

^K compromising attitude of the Papacy was made known
I^H through its organs in the Press, l^o single detail of
^H the story was denied : on the contrary, the Ultramon-
^H tanes congratulated themselves on what had taken place.
^^B The Volkshlatt, of Wurtemburg, a clerical journal, thus
T^^ frankly expounded the views of Rome: "The world,
and all Christendom, might put on sackcloth, yet the

■ child, having received baptism, must remain Catholic.
Rome, after all, only wishes to keep open to the child
the path to salvation, and in any case, the authority of

■ the parents over their child has to yield to the authority
of the Church, and that of the Pope." The Roman
correspondent of the Journal de Bruxelles, a kind of

l^fe Belgian Univers, affected to see the hand of God in the
I^H iniquitous proceedings. " The knowledge of what has
I^H occurred at Bologna," he wrote, " will only exhibit in
I^B stronger relief the wisdom of the Church, the paternal
I^B vigilance of the Roman Government in regard to its
■^» Israelitish subjects, and the mysterious prodigies of
Grace, which sometimes employs the means most un-

I expected and most extraordinary in the eyes of the
world to manifest its force." The most shameless
stories were invented to apologize for the conduct of
the Holy Office. A favorite theory was, that by a
miracle the infant Mortara had become a convinced
Cathohc even before his abduction. One of the clerical
papers related, that when he entered the institution of
the Catechumens, he perceived a statue of Our Lady
, of Tears. " Why does she cry ?" he asked. " She is

I weeping," answered his attendants, " because the Jews
do not become converted, and are not willing to acknowl-
edge her divine Son." " Then she is weeping for my

168 The lAfe of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Meanwhile the utmost consternation seized the Jew-
ish communities in the Papal States. Scores of chil-
dren were hurriedly sent away to the guardianship of
friends in Modena and Tuscany. A day of humiliation
was publicly proclaimed by the Rabbis in the Roman
Ghetto, and appeals innumerable were addressed to the
foreign communities. Dr. Philippson, the able and
eloquent Rabbi of Magdeburg, impatient of the diplo-
matic and reserved action of the eminent Jews in Eng-
land and France, obtained the signatures of forty emi-
nent German Rabbis to a memorial to the Pope, which
he forwarded direct to the Yatican. About the same
time the London Board of Deputies, flushed with its
Damascus and Russian successes, proposed that a Jew-
ish mission should proceed to Rome. Sir Moses Monte-
fiore declined to entertain the suggestion, while the
ordinary means of expostulating with a foreign Gov-
ernment were unexhausted, and it consequently fell to
the ground. On the 4th October Sir Moses had an im-
portant interview with the Foreign Secretary. Lord
Malmesbury assured him that Her Majesty's Govern-
ment was fully alive to the importance of the question
involved in the abduction of yoimg Mortara, " as Prot-
estants were as much exposed to such acts of injustice
as Jews," and promised to make strong representations
to Rome. At the same time the Central Jewish Con-
sistory of France presented a petition to the Emperor
Napoleon III., who also expressed his sympathy with
the Jews, and promised to use his good offices with the
Pope. The result of these negotiations was that on
the ITth November all the Great European Powers —
Austria not excepted — addressed private remonstrances
to the Papal Government, and strongly advised the

The Mortar a Oase^ etc, 159

surrender of Mortara. The reply was a firm Won
possumus.

The project of a Jewish Mission to the Pope was now
revived, and at a meeting of the Board of Deputies held
•on the 22d December Sir Moses Montefiore was asked
to undertake it. With his usual alacrity he consented,
although it seemed to many a forlorn hope. The
veteran Jewish champion was more sanguine than his
colleagues, and in his hopefulness was encouraged by
his kind-hearted wife, who insisted on rising from her
bed of sickness to bear him company on his new errand
of mercy. By the advice of her physicians the journey
was postponed for a few weeks, and, when ultimately it
was undertaken, she was only permitted to travel by
short stages. On the Sabbath, February 5th, special
prayers to prosper the Mission were read in all the
synagogues, and on the 27th, accompanied by Dr.
Hodgkin, their medical attendant, and Mr. Kursheedt,
on behalf of the American Israelites, Sir Moses and
Lady Montefiore left London. In consequence of Lady
Montefiore's continued indisposition the journey was a
protracted one, and Kome was not reached until April
5th.

Prior to his departure Sir Moses Montefiore had been
assured of the sympathy of the late Prince Consort, and
had been provided with cordial letters of recommen-
dation to the British diplomatic agent at Rome. The
Emperor Kapoleon III. had also promised him the un-
official support of the French representative, the Due
de Gramont. The delicate semi-official position of
British agent at the Papal capital was at this period
filled by the late Lord Ampthill^ then Mr. Odo Russell.
Sir Moses Montefiore had already met Mr. RusseU at

160 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Constantinople in 1855 when lie was first attache tinder
Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, and it was with pleasure
that he renewed the acquaintance of a young man of so
charming a presence and so liberal a disposition. Mr.
Kussell proved indefatigable in his exertions to forward
the object of the Jewish mission and to procure an in-
terview for Sir Moses with the Pope ; but the greater
the pressure he brought to bear on the Holy See the
greater seemed the resistance it offered. At first a
somewhat humorous disposition to temporize was
shown. Cardinal Antonelli, doubtful as to whether
anything could be done, referred Mr. Russell to Mon-
signore Talbot. In his turn Monsignore Talbot was
hopeful, thought that the Pope would receive Sir Moses,
but recommended an application to Monsignore Paca,
the Papal " Maestro di Camera." The suggested ap-
plication was made but no reply was received. After
waiting a few days an explanation of Monsignore
Paca's silence was asked for, when it was unofficially
intimated to Sir Moses that it was not usual for the
Papal " Maestro di Camera" to enter into correspond-
ence with private individuals on public matters. In
this ill-timed joke some twenty days were wasted.

Another application was now made to Cardinal An-
tonelli, and Mr. Eussell was informed that the Pope,
considering the case terminated, had finally resolved
not to see Sir Moses, but that he (the Cardinal) was
willing to receive the Jewish emissary and to convey to
His Holiness the petition he was so desirous of present-
ing. Accordingly, on the 28th April, Sir Moses Monte-
fiore had an interview with the Cardinal, who listened
courteously to all he had to say, and promised to lay his
memorial before the Holy Father. A few days later

The Mortar a Case, etc. 161

Mr. Odo Kussell was requested to notify to Sir Moses
that the Pope remained immovable ; that it had been
determined that Edgar Mortara should be educated in
the Komish faith, but that when he attained his six-
teenth or seventeenth year he would be " free to follow
his own judgment." In communicating this decision
Mr. Eussell gave sympathetic expression to his disap-
pointment : " I fear," he wrote, " you were but too right
in saying that our only hope now rests with that great
God whose most holy laws have in this melancholy case
been violated by the hand of man."

Sir Moses himself was deeply chagrined at his failure;
but he did not despair of eventual success. He re-
mained some ten days in Rome, in the hope of inducing
the Pope to reverse his decision. Even after his return
to England he frequently renewed his efforts. On the
establishment of the " Alliance Israelite Universelle"
in 1860 he endeavored to concert measures with that
body to induce the Pope to reopen the question ; and
in 1861, when Victor Emmanuel was proclaimed King of
Italy, he tried to interest the new monarch in the case.
All, however, to no avail. Edgar Mortara remained
Catholic.

How deeply the susceptibilities of the Papacy were
wounded by the agitation to which this abduction had
given rise is shown by a speech which the Pope de-
livered eight years later to the assembled canons of the
Lateran and of the Basilica of St. Peter, on the occasion
of the sixteenth anniversary of the return to Rome from
Gaeta. Among the students entered for education as
Catholics in the Lateran was Mortara, whom Pius in-
cidentally addressed thus :

" You are very much endeared to me, my son, be-

162 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

cause I have obtained jon for Christ at a great price.
I have paid a very large ransom on jour account. A
universal invective has broken out against me and the
Apostolic Chair. Governments and nations, the mighty
of the world, and the men of the Press, who are also
the power of the day, have declared war against me.
Even the kings have placed themselves at the head of
the campaign, and caused their ministers to write me
diplomatic notes on your account. But I do not wish
to complain of kings. All I wish is to refer to the out-
rages, calumnies, and maledictions pronounced by many
individuals who appear to feel indignation that the good
God should have made to you the gift of the true faith,
by removing you from the darkness of death, the same
in which your family is still immured. They complain
chiefly of the misfortune suffered by your parents be-
cause you have been regenerated by the holy baptism,
and because you have received that instruction which
God was pleased to grant you."

Since then nothing has been heard of young Mortara,
except that in due course he was formally ordained a
priest.

One effect — ^fortunately only transitory — of the ill-
success of the Mission to Rome appears to have been that
the doughty philanthropist began to distrust his own
powers to support the benevolent enterprises in which
he was engaged. On his re-election to the Presidency
of the Board of Deputies, at the opening of the new
session in 1859, he addressed a letter to his colleagues,
the burden of which was contained in the following
paragraph :

" I am constrained to add that I fear increasing years
may ere long impair such efficiency as I may be able, at

The Mortara Case, etc. 163

i present, to exhibit in tlie performance of my duties, and
I would, therefore, venture to hope that it may be
agreeable to the Board to permit me to retire from the
office (the presidency) at no distant date."

The feeling that prompted this letter was only mo-
mentary, and the minute-books of the Deputies contain
ample evidence that their President's " efficiency in the
performance of his duties" was still far from being im-
paired. The years 1859, 1860, and 1861 found him as
busy as ever. A revival of the Blood Accusation at
Gralatz directed his attention to the down-trodden con-
dition of the Roumanian Jews, and he induced Lord
John Eussell to make repeated representations to both
Constantinople and Bucharest on the subject. He also
prevailed upon the Government to use their influence to
stop a brutal persecution of the Jews of Persia, who ad-
dressed a touching appeal to him, in which they styled
him " Our Prince and Father." Through his exertions,
too, Musurus Pasha obtained redress for the Jews of
Bagdad, who had been molested in their possession of
the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel, and some improve-
ment was effected in the condition of the Jews of the
Ionian Islands, in consequence of his timely represen-
tations to Mr. Gladstone on his appointment as High
Commissioner to the Islands. In 1860 he raised a fund
of over £12,000 for the relief of the Jewish refugees
from Morocco, who, in consequence of the outbreak of
the war with Spain, and the fanaticism to which it gave
rise among the Moors, had fled to Gibraltar, Algesiras,
and Tarifa. The condition of these fugitives, number-
ing close upon 5000, was pitiable in the extreme, but
they were received with generous hospitality by the late
General Sir William Codrington, Governor of Gibraltar,

164: The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

and son of Sir Moses Montefiore's old friend, tlie hero
of [N^avarino, and by the Spanish authorities, both eccle-
siastical and lay. The fund raised more than sufficed
for their relief and repatriation, and with the balance
schools were established at Tetuan, Tangier, and Moga-
dor.

A more notable instance of Sir Moses Montefiore's
active benevolence occurred later in the same year,
when tlie Christians of Syria were attacked by the
Druses of Mount Lebanon. The disaster was terrible ;
20,000 Christians who had escaped massacre were
wandering in the open country without food or fuel,
and in peril of their lives. Immediately on reading
the news in the Times ^ Sir Moses hurried up to town,
and called personally at Printing House Square, at one
o'clock in the morning, bearing the following letter,
which he requested might be inserted :

" SiK : T have noticed with the deepest sympathy
the statement made last week in the House of Lords
that, owing to the recent outbreak in Syria, tliere are
20,000 of the Christian inhabitants, women and cliildren,
wandering over its mountains, exposed to the utmost
peril. Being intimately acquainted with the nature of
that country and the condition of its people, I appreci-
ate, I am sorry to say, but too painfully, the vast
amount of misery that must have been endured and
which is still prevalent.

" I believe that private benevolence may do some-
thing towards the alleviation of the distress of the
unhappy multitudes now defenceless, homeless, and
destitute.

" I well know from experience the philanthropy of

TTie Mortara Case^ etc. 165

my fellow-countrymen, and I venture to think that the
public would gladly and without delay contribute to the
raising of a fund to be applied, as circumstances may
require and under judicious management, for the relief
of these unfortunate objects of persecution.

" I would suggest, therefore, that a small, active, and
influential Committee be at once formed with the view
of raising subscriptions and of placing themselves in
communication with the British Consul-General at
Beyrout, and the other British Consular authorities
throughout Syria, so that assistance may be rendered
by the remittance of money and the transmission of
necessary supplies ; and I take the liberty of enclosing
my check for £200 towards the proposed fund.

"Your recent eloquent and judicious advocacy of the
cause of the Syrian Christians has encouraged me to
address you, and will, I trust, be a sufficient excuse for
my so doing.

" I have the honor to be. Sir,

" Yours faithfully,

"Moses Montefiore.

"East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate, July 10."

Curiously enough, the very next day an appeal on
the same subject was addressed to the Jews of France
by M. Cremieux, who called upon his co-religionists to
be the first to fly to the assistance of their persecuted
Christian brethren. Both appeals were very successful.
Sir Moses Montefiore's Committee alone raised £22,-
500.

This action of the two men who, nineteen years
before, had had so much difficulty in rescuing their
brethren from the fanaticism of the same Syrian

166 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Christians who were now persecuted in their turn,
affords a splendid ilhistration of the generous and for-
giving spirit which Christianity is generally supposed
to monopolize. But it was on broader grounds than
mere generosity or magnanimity that these noble Jews
took up this movement — the grounds of humanity and
religious toleration. Their feelings received eloquent
expression in the stirring farewell verses which a Jewish
poet, Leon Halevy, brother of the composer, addressed
to the French expeditionary corps on its departure for
the scene of the disorders :

" Pour punir des meutres infSmes,
Vous courez aux bords syriens.
Vengez les enfants et les femmes,
Sauvez des frdres, des Chretiens!
Croisade du Dieu qui console,
Tu reunis tous les croyants:
Le juif a donne son obole
Comme il donnera ses enfants."

And still there were fanatical hearts in Europe which
this action of the Jews could not soften. One journal
publicly insinuated that they were actuated by a desire
to expiate the ritual murder of Father Thomas in 1840.
The Jews reaped, however, an unexpected reward.
During the disturbances at Damascus the Church of the
Capuchins was destroyed, and with it the notorious
"Blood Accusation" tablet, imputing the alleged
murder of Father Thomas to the Jews, which Sir Moses
Montefiore had made so many unsuccessful efforts to
have removed.

Lady Montefiore.

167

CHAPTEE XIY.

LADY MONTEFIORE.

Death of Lady Montefiore.— Her Early Years,— Education.— Mar-
riage.— Participation in her Husband's Humanitarian Work. —
Accompanies Sir Moses on his Foreign Missions. — Diaries of the
Journeys to Palestine. — Extracts from her Journals. — Home Life.
— Anecdote Illustrative of her Benevolence. — Communal Labors.
— The Funeral at Ramsgate. — Memorial Foundations. — The
Tomb on the East Clif .

On the 24tli September, 1862 — the eve of the Jewish
New Year 5623 — Sir Moses Montefiore experienced the
[great sorrow of his life, in the death of his dear help-
mate of fifty years. The Continental tours advised by
[the doctors had proved only of slight avail, and since
the return from Eome in 1859 so visibly had her health
declined that even these had had to be abandoned. Lady
Montefiore spent the last year of her life alternately in
London and Ramsgate, the object of the unceasing soli-
citude of her affectionate husband. During the summer
of 1862, when the Jubilee of her married life was cele-
brated, a slight improvement in her health inspired her
friends with hope. " Providence," as one of her biog-
raphers* sympathetically remarked, ''restored, before
the final extinction of the lamp, a portion of the bright-
ness which it once shed around." She was even able

Jewish Chronicle, Oct. 3d, 1863.

168 TJie Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

to take some carriage exercise with seeming benefit, and
on the very day that she was attacked by the sickness
which finally consigned her to the grave, arrangements
had been made to take her to the International Exhibi-
tion.

This was on the 19th September. The following
Tuesday prayers for her recovery were offered up dur-
ing morning service in Bevis Marks, and in the after-
noon in the Great Synagogue. The next day was the
Eve of the I^ew Year, and again reassuring symptoms
showed themselves. Hopes for the prolongation of her
life were entertained. She conversed with her usual
serenity and pious resignation, and even expressed some
anxiety on the score of the hospitable reception of her
visitors. As the setting sun annonnced the commence-
ment of the Jewish Festival, Sir Moses repaired to the
room adjoining hers, which formed a kind of domestic
oratory, and offered up in her hearing the prayers pre-
scribed for the solemn occasion. These devotions over,
he re-entered her room, and, laying his hands on her
head, pronounced the benediction, which he had never
missed for fifty years on Sabbaths and Festivals, and
then bowed his head to receive her blessing in his turn.
Ee-inspired with hope, he descended to his own room,
where he cheerfully conversed with the friends and
relatives assembled round his hospitable board. When,
however, the physician came to pay his evening visit he
found the patient so weak and her pulse so low that he
deemed it necessary to inform Sir Moses that the end
was near. At half-past eleven Lady Montefiore peace-
fully breathed her last. "Her death," said the sympa-
thetic necrologer from whom we have quoted, " was like
her life — calm. She did not die — she fell asleep. She

Lady Montefiore, 169

expired without a struggle, as our sages say of Moses —
by a kiss."

" Good Lady Montefiore," as she was lovingly called
by all who knew her, was a perfect daughter of Israel.
" The woman who feareth the Eternal," said the wisest
of kings, '' deserveth to be praised ;" and no woman's
life was ever more completely or more happily governed
by the fear of God than that of Judith Montefiore.
Born two years before the death of Moses Mendelssohn,
when the influence of the great " Kegenerator of Juda-
ism" had made itself felt upon Jewish women, to the
extent of raising them to preside over some of the most
brilliant of the continental Salons^ Judith Montefiore
readily assimilated all the culture of that restless period.
At the same time she conserved the inherent sympathy
with the historic aspirations of her race which consti-
tutes the true Jewess, and which was so conspicuously
absent in the characters of the brilliant circle of Hebrew
women — Dorothea Mendelssohn, Henriette Herz, Eachel
Levin, etc. — who were the high-priestesses of German
culture in her youth. Her father. Levy Barent Cohen,
was already a wealthy London merchant, and a man of
consequence in his Synagogue, when the first Monte-
fiore and D'Israeli emigrated to England, when the elder
Rothschild was still a money-changer in the Frank-
fort Ghetto ; and the London money-market was ruled
by Sampson Gideon, the ancestor of the Eardley family.
Levy Barent Cohen was a man whose mind had been
widened by an extensive intercourse with men ; but
this, instead of weakening his allegiance to his faith,
had enlarged his conception of his duty to it. The
spirit that reigned in his home, situated in the heart of
the Jewish quarter of London, was a happy combination
8

170 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

of the religious idealism of Judea, and the cultivated
spirit of the age of Gibbon and Hume, Walpole and
Burke. No pains were spared to place his children on
the highest mental level of the day, and the highest
moral level of the Jewish Law. Taught by the best
masters, and trained by the loving care of pious parents,
they grew up to be accomplished and religious men and
women. One of the daughters, Hannah, became the
first Baroness Kothschild ; Judith married Moses Monte-
fiore on June 10, 1812.

The young couple went into housekeeping in lN"ew
Court, St. Swithin's Lane, close to the home of their
relatives, Mr. and Mrs. 1^. M. Bothschild. Here they
lived happily for thirteen years, undisturbed by distract-
ing ambitions, and prospering steadily year by year.
The wife idolized her noble-minded and handsome hus-
band; he reverenced her beautiful womanly nature.
Her prudence and intelligence ruled all his undertak-
ings ; and he has never ceased to ascribe his success in
life to the wisdom of her advice and her sympathy with
his labors. When he retired from business her humani-
tarian instincts largely directed the spending of the
fortune she had thus helped to accumulate. But it is
impossible to write a separate account of her participa-
tion in her husband's life-work, she was so completely
identified with it. A few years ago an admiring
stranger expressed to Sir Moses his gratification at hav-
ing been permitted to converse with the man " whose
glory is engraved on the heart of every Israelite." " I
am no great man," modestly answered the j^hilanthro-
pist. " The little good that I have accomplished, or
rather that I intended to accomplish, I am indebted for
it to my never-to-be-forgotten wife, whose enthusiasm

Lady Montefiore.

in

for everything that is noble and whose religiousness
sustained me in my career."

Lady Montefiore accompanied her husband in all his
foreign missions up to 1859, and was the beneficent
genius of these memorable expeditions. A thousand
little incidents illustrate the enthusiasm with which she
seconded her husband's labors. When in the Holy
Land, in 1838, she took part personally in the ceremony
of receiving a new Scroll of the Law in the Synagogue
at Saf ed ; in another Synagogue she decorated the Scroll
during divine service ; and at one of the Jerusalem
houses of worship she piously lit the lamps in front of
the altar, and before the whole congregation. In the
latter city she promoted the formation of a Ladies'
Charity for the relief of the sick. How often she
officiated as godmother in the course of this tour it is
difficult to say. A farewell address, presented to Sir
Moses by the Portuguese and German congregations
of Jerusalem, concludes with a reference to Lady
Montefiore which indicates how thoroughly she had
engaged the affections of the people of the Holy City :

" Blessed be the Eternal Lord of Hosts, who failed
not to send a Redeemer to his land, and succor, from
the Majesty of his power, to the offspring of his right-
eous servants. On the head of his people he has placed
a helmet, and in his great mercy has appointed his
servant Moses to exalt the light of his resplendent
might, and to make it a wonder before all the nations
of the earth. By the blessing of the Almighty did
Moses obtain the accomplished, honored, and most vir-
tuous Lady Yehoodit (Judith). May all the blessings
of ladies in their tents rest upon her !"

During the journey to Russia in 1846, when her

172 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

health was abeady breaking, she was indefatigable in
her efforts to alleviate the misery she saw everywhere
around her. A Polish Jew, writing from Wilna to
Mr. Councillor Barnett, of Birmingham, shortly after
Sir Moses' visit, said : " His Lady (long may her life be
spared !) had not a dry eye for weeping over the extreme
distress she here beheld." The wife and daughters of
the Russian Governor paid her a ceremonious visit, and
expressed in handsome terms the admiration she had
inspired among all classes. At Berlin, on the home-
ward journey, seventeen young maidens, some dressed
in white and others in blue, presented her with a laurel
crown wreathed with white roses, on an embroidered
velvet cushion. To her conduct during the eventful
mission to Mehemet Ali in 1840 her husband paid a
public tribute in a speech he delivered on his return
home. " To Lady Montefiore," he said, " I owe a debt
of gratitude ; her counsels and zeal for our religion and
love to our brethren were at all times conspicuous.
They animated me under difficulties and consoled me
under disappointments." In the earlier journeys Sir
Moses had frequent occasion to marvel at her quiet
courage. Lady Montefiore relates in her diaries that
when crossing the Alps in 1827 he admiringly dubbed
her "a little Napoleon." Also during the severe
weather which they encountered in 1838 between Alex-
andria and Malta her fearlessness was so conspicuous
that he playfully declared she was " a little Admiral."

Lady Monte fiore's diaries, two of which were printed
some years ago for private circulation, afford a sufficient
insight into the manifold beauties of her nature. Tliey
are charming reading, and illustrate every side of a
richly varied character. The first is a record of the

Lady Montefiore,

lYa

I

journey to the East in 1827. It seems to be the less
studied work of the two, and is full of delicious little
peep-holes to her mind. The following passage written
at Naples delightfully illustrates thegayety and thorough
womanliness of her disposition :

" We landed opposite the Hotel della Victoria, and
having been welcomed on our return by Mr. Martigny,
we inquired if the apartments we occupied on our late
visit were disengaged, he answered that they were occu-
pied by a lady and gentleman. ' Their names ? ' * The
Baroness and Baron Anselme de Rothschild!' In an
instant we were together. What a delightful surprise.
How handsome she looks ! and the baby, what a fine
fat boy ! We dined with them, and Baron Charles en-
gaged us to go to the opera. It was a grand night, in
honor of the Duke of Calabria's natal day : and all the
company were in full dress. Returned from San Carlo :
a brilliant spectacle, all the royal family were present.
The ladies in diamonds and feathers had a fine effect in
this handsome theatre."

After a stormy day on the road Lady Montefiore's
spirit of domesticity peeps out in this pretty word-pic-
ture:

"IN'ow seated by a comfortable fire with an affec-
tionate companion, the table nicely prepared for tea,
and kettle boiling, the rattling of the windows and
boisterous sounds make me the more sensible of present
enjoyments and the storm we have just escaped. Surely
the German saying is true, ' Getheilte freud^ ist gam^ze
freude ; getheilter schmerz ist halber schmerz ! ' "

Lady Montefiore was an excellent whist-player. There
is a touch of humor in the following reference to this
jpencham^t of hers :

174 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

"The firmament presented a more than usually
majestic appearance: the golden and bright tinted
clouds, Sicily bordering the horizon on the right, on
the left Malta, and Gozo opposite. A chilly atmos-
phere, however, made me hasten to quit this varied
scene for the more domestic and comfortable one of a
game at cards, though I confess not quite so sublime
and rational. Dr. Madden joined us in the rub-
ber."

Her observations on the Holy Land are conceived in
a spirit of singular loftiness. Kayserling, in his " Jiidis-
chen Frauen," compares their style to that of Schubert's
"Reise in das Morgenland." Of Jerusalem she thus
wrote in 1827 :

" There is no city in the world which can bear com-
parison in point of interest with Jerusalem, — fallen,
desolate, and abject, even as it appears — changed as it
has been since the days of its glory. The capitals of
the ancient world inspire us, at the sight of their decay-
ing monuments, with thoughts that lead us far back into
the history of our race, with feelings that enlarge the
sphere of our sympathies, by uniting our recollections
of the past with the substantial forms of things present ;
but there is a power in the human mind by which it is
capable of renewing scenes as vividly without external
aids, as when they are most abundant. There are no
marble records on the plain of Marathon, to aid the en-
thusiasm of the traveller, but he feels no want of them :
and thus it is, whenever any strong and definite feeling
of our moral nature is concerned, we need but be pres-
ent on the spot where great events occurred, and if they
were intimately connected with the fate of multitudes,
or with the history of our religion, we shall experience a

Lady Montefiore.

175

sentiment of veneration and interest amounting to awe,
and one above all comparison nobler than that which is
excited chiefly by the pomp or wonders of antiquity.
It is hence that Jerusalem, notwithstanding the plough-
share of the heathen, infinitely exceeds in interests
Rome, Athens, and even the cities of Egypt, still
abounding, as they do, in monuments of their former
grandeur, and wonderful and venerable as they are
above all other places on which the mere temporal
history of mankind can bestow a sanctity. No place has
ever suffered like Jerusalem : — it is more than probable
that not a single relic exists of the city that was the joy
of the whole earth : but the most careful and enthusiastic
of travellers confess, that when they have endeavored to
find particular marks for their footsteps, there was little
to encourage them in the investigation. But it depends
not for its power of inspiring veneration on the remains
of temples and palaces; and were there even a less
chance of speculating with success respecting the sites
of its ancient edifices, it would still be the city towards
which every religious and meditative mind would turn
with the deepest longing. It is with Jerusalem as it
would be with the home of our youth, were it levelled
with the earth, and we returned after many years, and
found the spot on which it stood a ploughed field, or a
deserted waste : the same thoughts would arise in our
iiearts as if the building were still before us, and would
probably be rendered still more impressive from the
very circumstance that the ruin which had taken place
was complete."

In reference to the Pyramids, Lady Montefiore has
some remarks which are equally notable :

" Time has been longer conquered by the Pyramids

176 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

than by any other production of human art. They
lift their strange forms above that sea of ages which
holds in its bosom all other relics of that hoar antiquity
to which they belong : they were old in days which are
the remotest in authentic history ; and instead of their
crumbling down to the earth, like other monuments of
men's labor, it appears as if they are only doomed to
disappear when the earth shall have gradually accumu-
lated its own dust and ashes around them. They truly
merit the appellation of one of the seven wonders of the
world ; and it is next to impossible to contemplate them
without experiencing a keen desire to determine the
motives of those who built them, and the object for
which they were erected."

Lady Montefiore's theory on this subject illustrates
the religious side of her character :

" There is every reason to believe that religion fur-
nished both the motives and the design from which they
sprang ; and the most rational antiquaries agree in con-
sidering them in the light of temples, certain portions of
which were appropriated for the burial of the dead.
The numerous idols still to be found in them, and the
splendid mausoleums of their chambers, afford the
strongest proof of the correctness of this idea. There
is, however, a general principle which affords, it may
be observed without presumption, a still more powerful
proof of their sacred origin. Keligion is the only
motive sufficiently strong, and sufficiently enduring, to
inspire men with such vast designs ; and in the early
ages of the world this was especially the case. A few
great principles of thought governed all their actions ;
and among these, as it must ever be when the economy
of society is simple, the fear or the love, the desire to

Lady Montefiore.

1T7

propitiate, or the hope of pleasing, the Deity, will
always be found predominant over the rest."

On the way home Dr. Madden was among the fellow-
travellers of the Montefiores, and contributed not a
little to the enjoyment of the voyage. He composed a
song on the storm, and wrote a poem on the New Year,
to which Lady Montefiore added a verse. Dr. Madden's
poem ran thus :

" It is a wayward, strange delight,

That mankind feel to part with time —
To fix upon the old year's flight
For festive joys in every clime.

" To me this season's not of joy,

But sadness more, for it doth seem,
In its brief passage, to destroy
Another trace of life's short dream.

*' The old year passes, and the flow
Of youthful feeling sinks apace,
The new advances, and the glow
Of early ardor yields its place.

" Each year the hand of age falls cold
And colder on the heart; and all
Our fondest hopes, as we grow old,
Flit by, like phantoms past recall."

The verse added by Lady Montefiore was character-
istic :

** But is there not one cheering hope yet left?
That which should animate succeeding years?
For if of transient joys we are bereft.
Our trust in heaven will chase away our tears."

k

The second diary is a record of the journey of 1838.
That expedition, it will be remembered, had a distinctly
8*

178 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Jewish and humanitarian aim, and Lady Montefiore's
journal fully reflects its quasi-^xxhlic character. It is
less of a personal diary, and more of a serious narrative
of travel than the former work. Full of important
memoranda on Jewish questions, it forms a really use-
ful book of reference on the condition of the Conti-
nental and Eastern Jewish communities forty-five years
ago. The facts mentioned by Lady Montefiore have
already been summarized in a preceding chapter. There
remain, however, several interesting passages that may
be quoted here.

On the way to Ghent the diarist amused herself with
reading Bulwer's last new novel, " Leila, or the Siege of
Granada," a work in which there is a strong Jewish
elenaent. These are Lady Montefiore's shrewd reflec-
tions on the book :

"I admire Mr. Bulwer's delineations, but not his
sentiments, which give a coloring to the character of
a people tending to support prejudices, so galling to the
feelings of those who are as sensible to honor, gener-
osity, and virtue, as those of more prosperous nations.
It may be policy to exaggerate faults, but is it justice
to create them solely to gratify opponents ? It is too
much the practice of authors engaged in the production
of light literature, to utter sentiments existing only in
their own imaginations, and, by ascribing them to others,
to disseminate a baneful prejudice against multitudes
who feel indignant at finding themselves the subjects of
unjust suspicion."

The condition of the Jews at Nice evokes the follow-
ing sympathetic remarks :

" In the course of conversation we learned that this
country was greatly wanting in liberality, and that the

Lady Montefiore.

1T9

members of our community are subject to much oppres-
sion, and many disadvantages. How long will the
powerful oppress the weak, and endeavor to stifle the
energies of their fellow-beings? One consolation re-
mains under such a state of things. Conscientious feel-
ings, well maintained under oppression, ever excite the
sympathy and admiration of independent and virtuous
minds.''

At Kome, where the orthodox Jewess was delighted
to find that divine service was conducted " without the
introduction of modern airs in the chanting," she was
a witness, among other sights, of the ceremony of the
Pope's benediction of the people. On the inconsisten-
cies of this ceremony she reflects very pointedly :

" His Holiness washed the feet of twelve pilgrims, each
of whom received a new suit of clothes and a medal.
His Holiness then waited on them at dinner, assisted
by several cardinals, who knelt to the Pope when hand-
ing him the dishes to serve to the poor men. These
acts of humiliation may be well intended, and doubt-
less have some good tendency, teaching the individual,
however exalted in rank, the virtue of a humble spirit,
and that religion surpasses every other distinction ; but,
on the other hand, the accompanying pomp and display
may be regarded as somewhat lessening the merit of the
action. The table was decorated with all the magnifi-
cence of regal state; and the pilgrims, after regaling
themselves with every luxury, were permitted to take
away the remains of everything that was served to
them."

The arrival in Egypt is sketched with great anima-
tion :

" It was at an early hour that I heard the call to make

180 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

ready the anchor — a most satisfactory sound. At seven
o'clock we dressed and went on deck to have a sight of
Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's ISTeedle, objects bright
and familiar to our memory. The pilot now came on
board, and we were soon surrounded by Turkish boats,
turbans, and divers-colored costumes. The quarantine
boat then approached, and our bill of health was de-
manded. Captain G , on handing it out, said that

it might be taken with the hand ; but no ! a long pair
of scissors, more resembling a pair of tongs, were
stretched forth, and by these the document was held
till perused by the janizary. When it had been ascer-
tained that all were healthy, this singular instrument
was laid down, and the paper taken by the hand. A
corpulent Turk, the British Consul's head dragoman,
came on board, and the letter-bags were handed out ;
while, amidst the vociferations and unintelligible jargon
of the Arabs, numerous boats surrounded the ship, the
anxious masters of which, pleading for themselves, or
the hotels for which they were employed, could only
be kept off so as to afford a free passage from the vessel
by a copious sprinkling of water."

Lady Montefiore is particularly happy in her descrip-
tion of Scriptural scenes. On reaching Beyrout she
writes :

" At an early hour the land of Syria was in view, and
at seven o'clock the anchor was cast in the Bay of Bey-
rout. We were soon on deck, and magnificent was the
scene presented to our view. Immediately before us
rose the lofty mountains of Lebanon, precipitous, and
crowned with snow, in strange contrast with the yellow
barren shore, and in stranger still the glowing sky, and
the dazzling rays of the sun, which threw their efful-

Lady Montefiore.

181

gence far and wide over every object that the eye could
reach, wrapping the town of Sidon itself in a blaze of
morning splendor."

A still more picturesque passage is written after leav-
ing Safed :

" At a short distance forward, the beautiful lake of
Tiberias, part of which some of our suite called Beer
Miriam, presented itself to view. A delicious valley
then appeared to our right, extending to the famous
village Akbara, mentioned in the Talmud. After a
continued ascent for some distance, we began to descend,
and noticed to our left the rock called Akebi, in which
are extensive caves, where the inhabitants took refuge
during a former attack on Safed by the Druses. The
rock is also famous for its number of bees ; and when
we witnessed the honey exuding from it, and filling the
air with its fragrance, how forcibly did the words of the
Psalmist recur to our minds, ' And with honey out of
the rock would I have satisfied thee.' We then passed
the cross-roads, of which the right leads to Acre, the
left to Damascus ; and soon after, several villages and
valleys, filled with luxuriant com, interspersed with ^g,
olive, mulberry, and pomegranate trees, covered with
bright blossoms, delighted the sight. On the road lay
some pieces of stone, which our mukkarries amused
themselves with striking ; the sound returned was like
that of a fine bell, verifying the saying of Scripture —
' A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills
thou mayest dig brass.' "

Again on reaching Gilead :

" Having seated ourselves in a small cavern, formed
in the rocks of Mount Djalood, the ancient Gilead,
how many solemn though pleasurable thoughts floated

182 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

through our minds ! ' Is there no balm in Gilead ? Is
there no physician there ? Why then is not the health
of the daughter of my people recovered ? ' ( Jer. viii. 22.)
So sighed the prophet in times when the sorrows of
Israel were as yet but beginning. Oh, how does the
heart of the pilgrim cling to and yearn over the later
words of the same prophet, ' I will bring Israel again to
his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan,
and his soul shall be satisfied upon Mount Ephraim and
Gilead. In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord,
the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there
shall be none ; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not
be found ; for I will pardon them whom I reserve.' "

Approaching Jerusalem the narrative becomes very
striking :

" What the feelings of a traveller are, when among
the mountains on which the awful power of the
Almighty once visibly rested, and when approaching
the city where he placed his name ; whence his law was
to go forth to all the world ; where the beauty of holi-
ness shone in its morning splendor ; and to which, even
in its sorrow and captivity, even in its desolation, the
very Gentiles, the people of all nations of the earth, z&
well as its own children, look with profound awe and
admiration. — Oh ! what the feelings of the traveller are
on such a spot, and when hstening to the enraptured
tones of Israel's own inspired king, none can imagine
but those who have had the privilege and the f eh city to
experience them. As we drew nearer to Jerusalem the
aspect of the surrounding country became more and
more sterile and gloomy. The land was covered with
thorns and briers, and sadl}^ did the words of the Psalm-
ist rise to the thoughts — ' He turneth rivers into a wil-

Lady Montefiore. 183

derness, and the water-springs into dry ground ; a fruit-
ful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them
that dwell therein ! ' (Ps. cvii. 33, 34.) But solemn as
were the feelings excited by the melancholy desolate-
ness of the rocky hills and valleys through which we
were passing, they were suddenly lost in a sense of rap-
ture and indescribable joy — for now the Holy City itself
rose full into view, with all its cupolas and minarets re-
flecting the splendor of the heavens. Dismounting
from our horses, we sat down and poured forth the
sentiments which so strongly animated our hearts in de-
vout praises to Him whose mercy and providence alone
had thus brought us, in health and safety, to the city
of our fathers. Pursuing our path, we soon passed the
tomb of Nabi Shemuel (the Prophet Samuel), and at
about five o'clock reached the gates of the Holy City.
Khassan having dismounted, his mule instantly ran off,
and notwithstanding the efforts of his master, of Ibra-
him, Armstrong, and Bekhor, kept them in chase till he
stopped on the Mount of Olives. There Dr. Loewe
proposed* we should encamp; but Montefiore, being
greatly fatigued, considered that it would be better to
select a less elevated situation. "We accordingly pro-
ceeded to the valley fixed on by the mukkarries ; but
soon discovered that we had committed a serious error
in choosing a spot whence the air was excluded, and
which the contagious atmosphere of the town was so
much more likely to infect ; we, therefore, ascended a
steep path, cut out of the mountain, almost like a flight
of stairs, but which our horses scaled with their custom-
ary ease and safety. The pure air of the Mount of
Olives breathed around us with the most refreshing
fragrance ; and as we directed our attention to the sur-

184 Tlie Life of Sir Moses Montefwre,

rounding view, Jerusalem was seen in its entire extent
at our feet, the Yalley of Jelioshaphat to our left, and
in the distance the dark misty waves of the Dead Sea."

Before leaving the Holy Land the travellers visited
the tomb of King David and the remnant of Solomon's
Temple. Both subjects Lady Montefiore treats with
sympathetic dignity. The first she thus describes :

" Having entered a spacious vaulted chamber, painted
in Turkish fashion, we saw at the further end a trellised
door, and being led to the spot, we beheld through the
lattice the sacred and royal deposit of the best and
noblest of kings. Yes ! there we contemplated the rest-
ing-place of all that was mortal of him whom the elect-
ing wisdom of the Almighty had placed on the throne
of a kingdom, which had, at first, but the Lord himself
for its king : of him who, resplendent as he was in
royal dignity, was still more glorious for those gifts of
wisdom, of hoKness, and heavenly genius, in the sub-
lime power of which he moulded the thoughts of count-
less generations to forms of celestial beauty, and still
furnishes worshippers of every clime and nation with
the purest and noblest language of devotion. In the
records of his experience, whether tried by affliction and
humbled by the weight of conscious sin, or filled with
the gladdening feelings of hope, the heart never fails to
read revelations of its deepest secrets, to discover more
of its state and nature, and to learn better how to adore
the eternal Spirit, who spoke by the mouth of this
kingly prophet."

The reference to the remnant of the Temple con-
cludes with a beautiful aspiration :

" "We yesterday went to inspect the western wall of
the Temple of Solomon. How wonderful that it should

Lojdy Montefiore. 185

have so long defied the ravages of time! The huge
stones seemed to cling together ; to be cemented by a
power mightier than decay, that they may be a memo-
rial of Israel's past glory ; and, oh ! may they not be re-
garded as a sign of future greatness, when Israel shall
be redeemed, and the whole world shall, with one accord,
sing praises to Israel's God !"

Many more extracts might be made from these charm-
ing volumes, but we have quoted enough to justify the
highest estimate of Judith Montefiore's character. The
experience of those who knew her is that her soul
walked out in these pages.

"With her literary powers she united other attainments
of a high order. She spoke French, German, and
Italian with ease, and much of her leisure during
the voyage of 1838 she devoted to the study of Arabic
under Dr. Loewe, with whom she likewise read Hebrew
Hterature. She was also an accomplished musician,
playing the piano and guitar, and singing sweetly. It
was her delight to join with her melodious voice in the
hymns which on Sabbaths and festivals resounded in
her house. Her home life was a pattern. " Possessed
of a refined mind," said the Chief Rabbi in his discourse
over her grave, " of the most cultivated taste, she still,
in a quiet unassuming way, devoutly fulfilled the duties
of a Jewish wife. To mention only one of these, never,
not even during severe illness, did she neglect to light
the Sabbath lamp — she who herself was the light of her
home." Her generosity knew no bounds ; no one ever
sought help of her and was denied. Her husband still
tells a story illustrative of her large-hearted benevolence.
Among those who had frequently received money from
him was a co-religionist of the most undeserving kind.

186 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

Again and again had Sir Moses sent him checks, and
again and again had the irrepressible beggar applied for
assistance. Sir Moses, having discovered that his money
was spent in gambling, informed his wife that he should
give the ne'er-do-well no more help ; whereupon Lady
Montefiore opened her own check-book, and wrote a
check, remarking, "My dear, I think we had better
send him something ; I am sure nobody else will, if we
do not." In communal affairs she was by no means in-
active. At school prize-distributions she was a familiar
figure, and she worked, together with her sister the
Baroness de Rothschild and her niece, Baroness Lionel
de Rothschild, in the organization and administration of
many philanthropic enterprises. At the Jews' Free
School and the schools of the Sephardic community
she was a frequent visitor. The Jewish Ladies' Loan
and Visiting Society was started partly under her
auspices.

On the Fast of Guedaliah — three days after her
death — the remains of this pious daughter of Israel were
laid to their eternal rest, close by the Synagogue which
she and her husband had founded and endowed thirty-
two years before, near their Ramsgate home. A large
gathering of Christians and Jews testified in sympa-
thetic silence to the affection in which she was held.
The day being Sunday, the shops in the adjoiniug
town were closed as a matter of course ; but in all the
churches the ministers feelingly alluded to the sad
event, while the vessels in the harbor had their flags
at half-mast.

The sorrowing husband gave large sums in her name
to every Synagogue in the United Kingdom, and to the
inmates of the Jewish orphan asylums. He built to her

Lady Montefiore. 187

memory a college at Ramsgate where aged Rabbis
study and expound the Law, and lie also founded prizes
and scholarships for girls and boys at the several Jewish
public schools. The Jewish community perpetuated
her name by establishing the Judith Lady Montefiore
Convalescent Home at South IS'orwood. At East Cliff
Lodge her memory is still fondly cherished. IsTone of
the old-fashioned furniture has been altered since she
superintended the household, and the same damask cur-
tains hang at the windows and surround the beds. Por-
traits of her hang in many of the rooms, and every
scrap of linen used in the house is marked with a He-
brew in memoriam inscription. Even her custom of
feeding the wild birds and encouraging them to frequent
the dense shrubberies round the lodge is still maintained
with scrupulous exactitude. In fact it may be said that
all the wishes she expressed while living are faithfully
observed now she is dead.

On the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is a
small white-domed structure which the guides point
out as the tomb of Rachel. The pilgrim who enters
the building may yet read on the walls the inscription
"Judith Montefiore," traced there fifty-seven years
ago by a hand now twenty-two years stilled in death.
On the landward side of the ridge of a high cliff in the
county of Kent, embowered in the evergreen foliage of
cypress and arbor vitse, and within sound of the
restless waves of the ISTorth Sea, is a fac-simile of this
historic tomb. It covers the earthly remains of Judith
Montefiore.

188 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

CHAPTER XY.

THE JOUBNET TO MOROCCO,

Trip to Constantinople to Obtain a Confirmation of Firmans from
the new Sultan. — Return to England, and Retirement at Rams-
gate. — Appeal from Gibraltar on Behalf of Moorish Jews. — Arrest
and Torture of Twelve Jews at Safli at the Instance of the Span-
ish Consul.— Execution of Two of the Prisoners. — Sir Moses Hur-
ries to London and Prevails upon the Foreign Secretary to Tele-
graph to Morocco requesting a Stay of Proceedings.— Correspon-
dence with Morocco Discloses a Sad State of Affairs among the
Local Jews. — Sir Moses resolves to Proceed to Morocco. — The
Journey to Madrid.— Inter view with Queen Isabella.— Friendliness
of the Spanish Government. — Arrival at Tangier. — Release of the
Prisoners. — The Journey into the Interior. — Arrival at Morocco
City.— Imposing Reception by the Sultan. — Promulgation of an
Edict Protecting Jews and Christians. — Second Interview with
the Sultan. — The Return Home. — Audiences with Queen Isabella
and Napoleon III.— Reception in England.— Parliamentary Tri-
bute to Sir Moses Montefiore. — Freedom of the City of London.

The bereaved husband spent the winter of 1862-63
in seclusion at Nice. He was meditating another pil-
grimage to the Hoi J Land, when letters reached him
expressing fears lest the death of the Sultan Abdul-
Medjid might change the benevolent attitude of the
Turkish Government towards its Jewish subjects. This
rendered an alteration in his plans necessary, and he pro-
ceeded to Constantinople instead of Jerusalem. The new
Sultan, Abdul- Aziz, received him graciously in audience,
and confirmed the Firmans granted by his late brother.

The Journey to Morocco. 189

His Majesty spontaneously assured his visitor that his
Jewish subjects should have his full protection, the
same as all other religious denominations in his realm.
Sir Moses had also several interviews with the Grand
Yizier, who gave him an official letter to the Pasha of
Jerusalem, acquainting him with the Sultan's confirma-
tion of the Firmans. Returning to England towards
the end of June, the venerable baronet retired to his
seat near Eamsgate, where he passed his time superin-
tending the important works he had planned in memory
of his beloved consort. The events of the latter part of
the year, however, called him from his sorrowing retire-
ment.

Among the letters received at East Cliff Lodge on
the last day of October, 1863 — ten days after Sir Moses'
eightieth birthday — was a bulky packet bearing the seal
of the Gibraltar Jewish congregation. The day being
Sabbath, it was not opened till sundown. Its contents
were, however, of pressing importance. At Saffi, a sea-
port on the west coast of Morocco, a Spaniard had died
suddenly, and suspicions of foul play, probably poison-
ing, had been aroused in the mind of the Spanish Con-
sul. In his official capacity he called upon the Moorish
authorities to investigate the case, and they, in great
trepidation, cast about for a convenient scapegoat. The
procedure was singular. No steps were taken to ascer-
tain whether there were any facts to establish the cause
of death, or to show that it had a connection with crime ;
but the most convenient person was forthwith arrested
and examined under the scourge and other kinds of
torture. Israelites being the least protected of the popu-
lation, the culprit was sought among their body, and it
being discovered that a Jewish lad, about fourteen

190 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

years of age, Jacob "Wizeman by name, had resided in
the family of the deceased, he was seized and " exam-
ined." There is little variation in the methods of
human brutality ; and from this point the story re^
counted by the chiefs of the Gibraltar Jewish congre-
gation bore a close resemblance to many other narra-
tives of Eastern persecution which had in previous
years engaged Sir Moses Montefiore's sympathies.
After persisting for a long time in the assertion of his
innocence, Wizeman yielded to the pressure of pro-
tracted agony, and acquiesced in the suggestion that
poison had been used. Further instalments of torture
induced him to denounce, one by one, eleven persons
whose names were mentioned to him. These were
arrested, and one, Eliahu Lalouche, was also subjected
to examination by torture, but without wringing any
confession from him. The lad, when released, reasserted
his innocence; this, however, did not save him. His
confession being on record, he was condemned to death
by the Moorish authorities and publicly executed, the
Spanish Consul acquiescing in the sentence, notwith-
standing the irregular manner in which the conviction
had been obtained. Of the other prisoners eight were
thrown into prison, and three sent to Tangier, where
one of them, Eliahu Lalouche, was executed. These
events had produced the greatest dismay among the
Jewish population, and from Tangier urgent appeals for
help had been despatched to Gibraltar, whence they
were forwarded to England.

This shocking story aroused Sir Moses Montefiore's
active benevolence to a high pitch. Early the next
morning he was on his way to London, and by noon was
hunting up the Secretary and Under Secretary of State

The Journey to Morocco. 191

for Foreign Affairs. Earl Russell was out of town,
but, though it was Sunday^ Sir Moses succeeded in
gaining an interview with the Under Secretary, Mr.,
afterwards Sir Austin H. Layard. Telegraphic com-
munication was resorted to, and in a very short time the
continental wires were at work, conveying the instruc-
tions of the Foreign Office to Sir John Drummond
Hay, the British Ambassador at Tangier, to use all the
influence of his position to obtain at least a temporary
suspension of further executions. Such was the cordial
alacrity with which the British Government gave its
important assistance, that this despatch anticipated a
telegram previously sent by Sir Moses Montefiore by
some hours.

In the course of the following week. Sir Moses
Montefiore laid the facts that had come to his knowl-
edge before the Board of Deputies, and an active
correspondence was set on foot with Gibraltar and
Tangier. It was ascertained that both the Moorish
and Spanish authorities were averse to the release of
the prisoners, although their innocence seemed to be
completely established. Beyond this, the correspond-
ence revealed an extremely sad state of affairs among
the Jews of Morocco, and a terrible condition of lawless-
ness in the whole country. Sir Moses rightly judged
that something more was necessary to assure the well-
being of the Jews than the mere rescue of the prisoners
of the moment. He came to the conclusion that out-
rages such as had been enacted at Saffi were inevitable
in a country where the Jews were unprotected by law.
He consequently intimated to the Board of Deputies
his readiness, notwithstanding his advanced years, to
proceed to Morocco, and to endeavor to obtain at the

192 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

hands of the Sultan a definite legal status for his co-
religionists. Needless to say, the offer was gratefully
accepted.

Preparations for the new expedition were rapidly
made, and on the 15th l^ovember the veteran champion
of Israel was ready to leave England. His suite con-
sisted of his nephew, Mr. H. Guedalla, whose father
was a native of Morocco and extensively known as a
merchant in the country, Mr. Sampson Samuel, the
solicitor and secretary to the Board of Deputies, and
Dr. Hodgkin, his physician and attached friend, whose
feelings were warmly engaged in the undertaking. Be-
sides these gentlemen he was accompanied by an ex-
perienced courier and two trusty servants. On the Sab-
bath preceding the departure of the mission Sir Moses
visited the principal London Synagogues, where special
prayers to "crown his efforts with success," and to
"cause him to return in safety to his beloved home,"
were offered up by order of the Chief Rabbi. Two
days later the party assembled at Dover, and the vener-
able baronet having piously deposited a new scroll of
the Law in the local Synagogue, they crossed over to
Calais in the steamer. Tuesday evening they spent at
Paris, and the following morning before daybreak were
again en route. At Bordeaux Sir Moses inspected the
works of the Imperial Continental Gas Association, of
which he is still President, and then proceeded to Bay-
onne, where he halted for the Sabbath. The next day
the party pursued their journey, partly by rail and partly
by diligence, across the Pyrenees to St. Sebastian,
whence they journeyed via Burgos to Madrid.

Here Sir Moses placed himself at once in communi-
cation with Sir J. F. Crampton, the British Ambassador

The Journey to Morocco.

193

to the Court of Spain, to whom he carried letters of
introduction from the Home Government. The Minis-
ter received him cordially, and frequent interviews took
place between them, both at the British Embassy and
the Hotel de los Principes, where Sir Moses had taken
up his abode. Visits were also paid to and received
from the Marquis of Miraflores, the Prime Minister, the
Duke of Tetuan, General Prim, and other persons of
distinction to whom he was introduced both by the
British Ambassador and his friend and relative, M. Weis-
weiller, who had long resided in Madrid, and whose high
position as a banker and the Consul of more than one
foreign power rendered him highly influential even with
the Court. Although these introductions were the
means of procuring for Sir Moses the most friendly
feeling on the part of the Queen's ministers and distinct
assurances that the pi-oceedings at Saffi had not been
dictated by any unkindness or prejudice on their part,
as well as letters to the Spanish Minister at Tangier,
written to facilitate his object, he was naturally unwill-
ing to quit Madrid until he had had an interview with
Queen Isabella herself. This took place on the 30th Nov-
ember. Sir Moses was introduced by Sir J. F. Crampton,*
and the audience, which was private, lasted a consider-
able time. Sir Moses wrote home that he was highly grati-
fied with the gracious and kind manner of his reception.
During the stay in the Spanish capital it had tran-
spired that M. Weisweiller was intimately acquainted
witli Don Antonio Merry, father of the Spanish Minis-
ter at Tangier, and Sir Moses consequently stopped at
Seville on his way to the coast, saw Don Antonio, and
obtained a friendly letter of introduction to his son.
At Cadiz the fatigue of incessant travelling began to tell
9

194 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

on the energetic pliilantliropist's health, and he was
obliged to keep his bed. His vigorous constitution,
however, soon enabled him to overcome his indispo-
sition, and the 10th December saw him on board the
French steam frigate Gorgone^ on his way to Tangier.
The arrival at the Moorish port is amusingly sketched
by Dr. Hodgkin, who wrote an account of the tour :

"Our kind captain and his officers had ingeniously
contrived, on the spur of the occasion, by the help of
a mattress and cordage, a kind of portable couch or car,
in which, for want of a suitable landing-place. Sir Moses
might be borne over a considerable extent of shallow
water between the boat and the shore. His porters and
a great many of the laboring class of Israelites were
wading, and his superior size thus conspicuously moving
over the water, surrounded by a shabby amphibious
group, appeared to me like a travestied representation of
Neptune among the Tritons."

The Jews of the town received Sir Moses with
enthusiasm. M. Pariente, a prominent Israelite, vacated
and expressly fitted up his commodious residence for the
occupation of the Hebrew Embassy, and no sooner were
•they housed than deputations waited upon them from
the communities of Tetuan, Alcazar, Arzila, Laraish,
Mequinez, Mogador, Azamor, and Fez. The following
day they attended divine service in a new Synagogue
erected by M. Joseph Eshriguy, who dedicated the sacred
edifice for the benefit of the poor in commemoration of
the Mission. Visits were then paid to Sir John D. Hay,
the British representative, his Spanish colleague, Don
Francisco Merry y Colon, and the Moorish Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Sid Mohammed Bargash. The result
of these interviews was the release of the two Israelites

The Journey to Morocco.

195

in prison at Tangier, and a promise that representations
should be made to the Saffi local authorities in refer-
ence to the remaining prisoners within their jurisdic-
tion.

Sir Moses did not confine his attention to the Jews.
During his stay at Tangier he was one day visited by
a large deputation of Moors, about fifty in number,
who, with their chiefs, had come from a distant part of
the country to appeal to him to intercede for the release
of one of their tribe, who had been imprisoned during
two years and a half on suspicion of having murdered
two Israelites, but had not been brought to trial. Grati-
fied at this display of confidence in his sense of justice
on the part of the native population, generally so hostile
to Jews, Sir Moses made careful inquiries into the case,
and, finding that the man's guilt had not been proved,
promptly interceded with the authorities. In a few
hours the prisoner's chains were removed, and he was
brought by the members of his tribe to return thanks
to his deliverer. Sir Moses availed himself of the op-
portunity to urge the grateful Moors to show kindness
and afford protection to his co-religionists; and they
readily gave their solemn promise that all Jews travel-
ling in their district should be safe.

Having determined to proceed into the interior, to
the City of Morocco, in order to thank the Sultan for
his release of the Tangier prisoners, and to petition His
Majesty to grant to his Jewish and Christian subjects
the same protection and privileges as were enjoyed by
their Moorish co-citizens. Sir Moses now returned to
Gibraltar, in order to take shipping round the west
coast to Safii or Mogador. Before leaving Tangier he
made a careful examination of the condition of the Jew-

196 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

ish community, gave a great deal of good advice to its
chiefs, and subscribed largely to its several charities.
Noticing that the means of educating Jewish girls of
the poorer class were very inadequate, he gave a sum of
£300 to found a new girls' school in memory of Lady
Montefiore. At Gibraltar Sir Moses was cordially re-
ceived by the Governor, General Sir William Codring-
ton, with whom he had been in correspondence four
years before in relation to the Jewish refugees from
Morocco. As a mark of respect, a military band was
ordered to play before his house in the evening, and the
Governor gave a banquet in his honor. A gratifying
proof of the benevolent interest of the Home Govern-
ment in the Mission was afforded by H. M. S. Magi-
cienne being placed at Sir Moses Montefiore's disposal
by Earl Russell, who telegraphed his instructions to
Malta, where the frigate was lying.

On the 6th January the party again embarked, and
three days later, in the teeth of contrary winds, arrived
off Saffi. Here, as at almost every port on the West
African coast, the landing is very difficult, and the surf
ran so high that all idea of going on shore had to be
abandoned. The Magicienne saluted the fort with
several guns, and the compliment was promptly re-
turned. A conversation was carried on with the town
by signals, when, to Sir Moses Montefiore's great satis-
faction, he was informed that the Saffi prisoners had
been liberated. The arrival of the Sultan's escort, des-
tined to accompany the venerable Jew to the capital,
was also announced. On the following day a safe land-
ing was effected at Mogador ; and during the afternoon
of Sunday, the 17th January, the octogenarian philan-
thropist, with a numerous escort, set out on his difficult

The Journey to Morocco,

197

journey across the desert of the Atlas to the City of
Morocco.

Sir Moses Montefiore has himself briefly described
this interesting excursion in his letters to his nephew,
Mr. J. M. Montefiore, who acted as president of the
Board of Deputies during his uncle's absence. In a
letter dated " Morocco, the 26th January," he writes :

" Were I to attempt even an outline of each day's
events I should greatly exceed the limits of a letter ;
sufiice it, therefore, to say that we happily accomplished
our journey from Mogador to this city in eight days,
resting on the Sabbath. During this period we were
subjected to a broiling sun by day and cold and occa-
sionally heavy dews and high winds by night ; never-
theless, we have borne our fatigues well ; fortunately
we escaped rain, otherwise, apart from every other in-
convenience, we might have been detained for days in
staying to pass rivers ; as it was, happily no such imped-
iment arose. . . . The distance from Mogador to Mo-
rocco (city) is said to be about 110 miles ; we have,
therefore, travelled at an average of sixteen miles a
day. This may occasion a smile to those who are accus-
tomed to railway speed ; but it should be borne in mind
that there are no roads in this empire, that we had to
encamp each day some hours before darkness to enable
our camels, etc., to reach the resting-place, and for the
erection of our tents, etc., etc., and it was absolutely
necessary that we should stop at the margin of some
stream or river, an ample supply of water being indis-
pensable. After our first day's journey we kept the
snow-clad Atlas mountains constantly in view ; our en-
campments and the surrounding scenery each day of
our pilgrimage would have offered a series of charming

198 The Life of Sir Moses Montejlore,

scenes for an artist. You may judge of the importance
of our numbers: Our encampment consisted of from
thirteen to fifteen camels, several baggage mules, about
100 camp-followers, including soldiers, etc. ; indeed, on
Friday afternoon, after we had been met by the deputa-
tion from Morocco, Mr. Samuel counted about eighteen
camels and sixty horses and mules, with a few donkeys
in addition."

At every town and village on their route the travel-
lers, being guests of the Sultan, were received with
hospitality and respect. Each night the Moors in the
locality made " mona " for them and their retinue, an
entertainment provided gratis by the people, and sub-
tracted from the taxes, which they afterwards pay in
kind to the Sultan. One of these "monas," presented
by a generous Pasha, consisted of four sheep, a large
number of fowls, a thousand eggs, melons, a stupendous
gourd, honey, ten pounds of loaf-sugar, wax candles,
vegetables, etc. Sir Moses, of course, made suitable
presents in return. The aged traveller, finding himself
unequal to keeping the saddle, travelled in a chaise-d-
jporteuT^ lent him by Sr. Jose Daniel Colago, the Por-
tuguese Minister at Tangier. Long before the arrival
at the City of Morocco, deputations of Jews and further
escorts of the Sultan's troops reached Sir Moses, and
outside the walls twelve officers of distinction waited
to conduct him to the Palace which the Sultan had
appointed for his residence. Dr. Hodgkin*s description
of this Moorish dwelling is very interesting :

" It consists of two stories, with an imperfect third.
In the basement is an inner court, with a small fount in
the middle, surrounded by apartments, which served as
day-rooms, eating-rooms, and bedrooms. The court is

The Journey to Morocco.

199

not open to the sky, as is common in Moorish houses ;
and its roof forms the floor to the court of the story
above. A narrow staircase near the entrance leads to
the next story, consisting of a larger and smaller hall,
both of which are open to the sky, and partially sur-
rounded by apartments, devoted to the personal service
of Sir Moses Montefiore, and also of his official attend-
ants. From this floor another staircase leads to the roof,
which is surrounded by a parapet. The openings to the
halls below are similarly protected. Two small rooms
taken out of the apartments on one side form the partial
third story. The first impression we received on en-
tering this imperial residence was not very pleasing.
There was a degree of dampness, with a close and musty
odor, which convinced us that it had not been recently
tenanted ; but a little observation sufficed to show us
that it had been diligently put into something like
order, and beautified, though still very deficient in furni-
ture, and most of those things we regard as comforts ;
but there was a good deal of finery and effect in inferior
workmanship. For example, there were pilasters and
arches in plaster, and the capitals of the latter picked
out in colored wash. Paint, and white and yellow
washes, had been employed within and without. New
Brussels carpets had been laid down on some of the
floors ; beds and ornamental pillows, either placed on
European bedsteads or immediately on the floor, were
prepared in the sleeping apartments. Tumblers of cut
glass, gilt, for use at dinner ; large earthen jars, capable
of holding nearly twenty gallons, stood in the halls ; but
tables, chairs, and other seats were nearly, if not alto-
gether, absent. The windows were not glazed ; but they
might be closed by jalousies or shutters, which, though

200 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

they would serve to keep out light and rain, were in-
effectual defences against the cold, which, owing to the
proximity of the snowy Atlas range, made the nights of
so low a temperature, that we stood in more need of
warm clothing in that part of the twenty-four hours than
I have almost ever done in England. There were no
fireplaces, so we used the kitchen chafing-dishes to give
us a little warmth in the evening."

Five days were occupied in hstening to Jewish depu-
tations, and conferring with Moorish ministers. On
the 31st January an official intimation was conveyed to
Sir Moses Montefiore that the Sultan would receive
him publicly on the next day. "We cannot do better
than give Sir Moses' own account of this memorable
interview :

" On Monday, the 1st instant, long before dawn, we
could distinguish the sounds of martial music, indicating
the muster of the troops in and about the environs of the
Sultan's palace. At the early hour of seven a.m., I had
the honor to receive a visit from Sid Saib El Yamany,
the good and intelligent Oozier, or Chief Minister of
His Sheriffian Majesty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abderahman
Ben Hisham, the present Sultan of Morocco. He
expressed the pleasure of the Sultan to receive us at
his Court, and His Majesty's desire to make our
visit to his capital an agreeable one. Shortly after
the departure of the Oozier, the Eoyal Yice-Chamber-
lain, with a cortege of cavalry, arrived at our palace to
convey us to the audience. You may recollect that our
party, in addition to myself, consisted of Mr. Thomas
Fellowes Eeade, Consul to Her Britannic Majesty at
Tangier, Captain "William Armytage, of H.M.S. Magi-
oiemiey two of his officers, Dr. James Gibson, Thomas

Tlie Journey to Morocco.

201

Forbes, and Lieutenant Francis Durant, my fellow-
trayellers Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, and Mr. Sampson
Samuel, and Mr. Moses Nahon, of Tangier, who had
volunteered to accompany us to Morocco, and to whom
we are all deeply indebted. ... A quarter of an hour's
ride brought us to the gates opening upon an avenue
leading to the courtyard, or open space before the palace.
This avenue, which is of very considerable length, was
lined on both sides by infantry troops, of great variety of
hue and accoutrements. They were standing in closely
serried ranks, and we must have passed several hundreds
before emerging into the open plain. There a magnifi-
cent sight opened upon us ; we beheld in every direction
masses of troops, consisting of cavalry and foot-soldiers.
I should estimate the total number assembled on this
occasion at not less than six thousand. We went for-
ward some little distance into the plain, and saw
approaching us the Oozier, the Grand Chamberlain, and
other dignitaries of the Court. I descended from my
vehicle, and my companions ahghted from their steeds
to meet them. We were cordially welcomed. We
arranged ourselves in a line to await the appearance of
the Sultan. This was preceded by a string of led white
horses, and the Sultan's carriage covered with green
cloth. His Majesty's approach was announced by a flour-
ish of trumpets ; then His Majesty appeared, mounted on a
superb white charger, the spirited movements of which
were controlled by him with consummate skill. The color
of the charger intimated that we were welcomed with the
highest distinction. The countenance of His Majesty
is expressive of great intelligence and benevolence.
The Sultan expressed his pleasure at seeing me at his
Court ; he said my name was well known to him, as

202 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

well as my desire to improve the condition of my
brethren ; he hoped that my sojourn in his capital would
be agreeable ; he dwelt with great emphasis on his long-
existing amicable relations with our country; he also
said it was gratifying to him to see two of the officers
in its service at his Court. I had the honor, at this
audience, to place in the hands of His Majesty my
Memorial on behalf of the Jewish and Christian sub-
jects of his Empire. After the interview we were
escorted back to our garden palace with the same
honors as had been paid to us on our way to the Court,
my chair having a white horse led before it, as well on
my going as on my returning, which is a high and dis-
tinguished mark of honor. The Oozier had invited us
to his palace for the evening of the same day ; we were
entertained with true Oriental hospitahty. In the course
of the evening's conversation, we elicited from the
Oozier the assurance of the Sultan's desire, as well as
his own, to protect the Jews of Morocco. He took
notes of some particular grievances which we brought
to his knowledge, and promised to institute the neces-
sary inquiries, with a view to their being redressed.
Other measures were discussed, such as the enlargement
of the crowded Jewish quarters in Mogador, the grant
of a house for a hospital at Tangier, all of which the
Oozier assured us should receive his favorable consider-
ation."

On the following Friday the Sultan's reply to Sir
Moses Montefiore's Memorial was received in the shape
of an important edict commanding that the Jews and
all other subjects " shall be treated in manner conform-
able with the evenly balanced scales of justice, and that
they shall occupy a position of perfect equality with all

TJie Journey to Morocco. ^OB

other people." The next day he paid a farewell visit
to the Moorish sovereign, who received him in state in
a Kiosk in the Palace Gardens. His Majesty's manner
was extremely courteous, and, in a conversation of some
length, he renewed his assurance of welcome, expressed
a hope that Sir Moses had been happy and comfortable
during his stay in the capital, and repeated his declara-
tion that it was his intention and desire to protect his
Jewish subjects. An inspection of the Jewish quarter
followed, and on the 8th February — the objects of the
mission having been accomplished — Sir Moses Monte-
fiore, accompanied by a brilliant military escort, bade
farewell to the city and proceeded towards Mazagran,
where it had been arranged that the Magicienne should
meet him. The journey back to the coast occupied
seven days, exclusive of the Sabbath, and was marked
by even greater cordiahty on the part of the native
population than the march from Mogador into the in-
terior.

At Gibraltar Sir Moses again spent several days, re-
ceiving deputations, paying visits, and getting through
a vast amount of correspondence, which the business of
his mission had entailed upon him. Thence he took the
French steam packet to Malaga, and the railway to
Madrid, where he had a second interview with Queen
Isabella, who congratulated him on the success of his
embassy. From Madrid he travelled, partly by carriage-
road and partly by railway, to Paris, stopping at Bay-
onne for a day to celebrate the Jewish feast of Purim.
In the French capital he had a private audience of the
Emperor l^apoleon III., who welcomed him most
graciously, and to whom he presented a copy of the Im-
perial Edict of the Sultan of Morocco. Two days later

204: The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

lie was receiving the felicitations of his friends at East
CM Lodge.

Congratulatory addresses were showered upon the
venerable baronet from all parts of England and the
Continent. In the House of Commons the Under
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Layard)
gave an interesting account of the mission. " When it
is recollected," said the honorable gentleman, " that
there are 500,000 Jews in Morocco, some idea may be
formed of the great service rendered by Sir Moses
Montefiore ; and having had the honor of acting with
him on various occasions, I can bear testimony to the
noble and generous spirit of humanity and philanthropy
which actuates him, without reference to any sect or
creed, which extends to the people of every nation who
are suffering wrong and injustice." The Court of
Common Council took the opportunity of pubHcly
according him the thanks of the citizens of London
" for the signal services he had rendered by missions to
various countries for the relief of persons oppressed for
their religious convictions, and more especially by a
journey to Morocco, undertaken to solicit the Emperor
to relieve his Jewish and Christian subjects from aU
civil and religious disabilities." It may be mentioned
here that at a later date the Fishmongers' Company
offered him their freedom, and the Master, Mr. Yenning,
and other members of the Court, proceeded to East Cliff
to invest him.

The mission to Morocco was a notable achievement ;
and although it did not altogether stop persecution, it
must be ranked among the most remarkable of Sir
Moses Montefiore's works. Whatever the local acts of
oppression by irresponsible officials, the Edict obtained

Another Busy Decade. 205

by the venerable Hebrew remains a charter to wbicli his
co-religionists can always appeal ; and when, one of
these days, there may be more cohesion in the machin-
ery of Moorish government, it will be a power in the
land. But power or no power, law or dead-letter, the
spirit which inspired its silver-haired author, under the
weight of fourscore years, to undertake a long and
perilous journey to obtain it, can never cease to do
honor to his name.

CHAPTER XYI.

ANOTHER BUSY DECADE.

Drought in the Holy Land. — A new Relief Fund. — The Sixth
Journey to Palestine. — The Locust Pest in Palestine. — Sir Moses
Investigates the Condition of the Jerusalem Jewish Community.
— Promotes Public Works in the Holy City. — Holds an Inquiry
respecting a Charge brought against the Saf ed Jews by the
Rev. Dr. Macleod. — Suggestions for the Application of the Bal-
ance of the Relief Fund. — Death of Dr. Hodgkin. — Persecution
of Jews in Roumania. — Mission to Bucharest. — Interviews with
Prince Charles. — The Prince's Assurances. — Home Labors. — A
Second Journey to Russia. — Reception at St. Petersburg. — Audi-
ence with the Czar Alexander II.— Improved Condition of the
Russian Jews. — Resignation of the Presidency of the Board of
Deputies.— The Montefiore Testimonial Fund.

Yery few examples of activity in public affairs after
the eighth decade are afforded in biographical literature.
The spectacle of Lord Brougham at eighty-two heading
a great social gathering like that which took place at
Glasgow in September, 1860, or of Lord Lyndhurst at

206 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

eighty-eight pouring out the words of experience and
sagacity in the House of Lords for four hours at a time,
stands almost alone. These octogenarian feats have,
however, been eclipsed by Sir Moses Montefiore. In
the most characteristic business of his public career —
missions to foreign countries in the interests of his
brethren — his eighth and ninth decade have been the
busiest of his life. If the reader will turn back the
pages of this work he will find that while Sir Moses
undertook only one journey during his fifth decade, and
two in his sixth and seventh respectively, he performed
four in his eighth. During his ninth decade he also
undertook four journeys — two to Jerusalem, one to
Roumania, and one to Russia.

The year 1865 found the Holy Land again suffering
from drought and disease. A pest of locusts covered
the country, and in Jerusalem the cholera raged with
such fierceness that within a short time fifteen per cent,
of the population were cut off by it. The usual appeal
was addressed to Sir Moses Montefiore, and he, in con-
junction with the Board of Deputies, started another
Holy Land Relief Fund. About £3000 were sent out
to meet the necessities of the moment, and early in
1866, Sir Moses proceeded to the East with the object
of personally applying the balance of the fund. He
was accompanied by Dr. Hodgkin, his Quaker physician.
Captain Henry Moore, brother of the British Consul at
Jerusalem, his relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Sebag, and his
old friend, Dr. Loewe.

Of this tour, as of the succeeding journey to Pales-
tine, Sir Moses Montefiore has himself written an ac-
count. It is in the shape of a report to the Board of
Deputies, but in style and matter it is far more interest-

Another Busy Decade.

207

ing than official documents usually are. He tells us how
on his arrival in Egypt he repaired to the Synagogue
Kinees EUeyahoo, " which is built on the spot where it
is said the celebrated Temple of Alexandria, or Onias,
once stood." He graphically describes his landing at
Jaffa, when he was ceremoniously received by the gov-
ernor of the town, the judges, the commander of the
troops, and the representatives of the various religious
denominations. He relates how his friends immediately
on his arrival gave him descriptions of the sufferings
and loss of life occasioned by the recent calamities.
" Yery frequently," he adds, " these afflicting narratives
were interrupted by the appearance upon our windows
of the new and still green locusts, which we were in-
formed were the much dreaded forerunners of another
bad season. Many a morning before sunrise we heard
the rattling of the drum to awaken the inhabitants of
Jaffa to the fulfilment of their duty, each to collect a
measure of locusts before daybreak, so that the threaten-
ing enemy might be destroyed. The appearance of
these locusts is the more dreaded on account of the be-
lief that it always brings in its train some epidemic dis-
ease, the woful consequence of which had so recently
been experienced." On the road to Jerusalem he was
hospitably entertained in the mountain home of the
chief of Aboo-Goosh, "supposed to be the Kiryat-
Yearim of Scripture, where Abinadab dwelt, in whose
house, on the top of the hill, the ark of the Lord had
been placed when taken from the Philistines of Beth-
Shemesh."

At Jerusalem Sir Moses was, as usual, received with
distinction, and during his stay the Governor stationed
a guard of honor at his dwelling. He visited the van-

208 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

ous institutions of the city, and his own special founda-
tions, and was pleased to find them well administered.
During his stay he not only inquired minutely into the
condition of the Jewish community, and distributed
large sums among the poor, but he also promoted sev-
eral works of importance to the general population.
He concerted measures with the Governor to improve
the water-supply of Jerusalem, and had the gratification
of seeing water reflowing into the city from the pools
of Solomon ; he contributed to the building of a hos-
pital for leprosy, and he erected an awniag at the
" Wailing Place," near the western wall of the Temple,
in order to afford shelter to the pious persons visiting
the sacred spot for meditation and prayer. An interest-
ing incident of his stay in the Holy City was a quasi-
judicial inquiry he held respecting an accusation pub-
lished by Good Words against the spiritual heads of the
Safed congregation. The Kev. Dr. Macleod, who had
visited Palestine in 1864, wrote to that journal charging
the Safed Jews with having inflicted the punishment of
death on a Spanish Jewess who had been convicted of
adultery. Sii* Moses sent to Safed for the Kabbis, the
members of the Jewish Ecclesiastical Court, and a num-
ber of other persons capable of giving evidence in the
case, and satisfied himself that there was no truth in
the accusation.

The result of his inquiries as to the best means of
expending the balance of the Kehef Fund, he thus sets
forth in his report :

" There now remains for me to present to you my hum-
ble opinion as to the most practicable remedies which
can be applied for the mitigation of the evils under which
our brethren in the Holy Land labor, and to state to

Another Busy Decade. 209

you the result of that investigation. Let me remind
you, in the first place, that in our own country it seems
to have become the settled opinion of those to whom
England would point as the men of the highest intellect,
and the greatest experience and zeal in the cause of
humanity, that the wisest scheme for being at the same
time useful and charitable to the poor, is to be found in
the erection, maintenance, and improvement of dwell-
ing-houses. The reasons on which this opinion is
founded have been of late so often and so ably ex-
pounded, that any attempt to enlarge upon them here
would be out of place. But if these reasons apply to
the condition of the poor of England, I am convinced,
by the information I received from the most intelligent
persons in the East, and by a careful and anxious study
of those circumstances which surround the Jews of Pal-
estine— circumstances which I have attempted to fore-
shadow in this Report — that the same reasons apply
with tenfold force to the poverty and distress which
prevail amongst our co-religionists in the Holy Land.
1 am therefore of opinion, that the balance of the Relief
Fund cannot be better employed than in the erection
of dwellings, as far as the means will admit, on the
ground already selected by me — a ground which, for its
healthy position, and many other reasons, I deem best
adapted for the desired object. I would further sug-
gest to my co-religionists, that with a view of removing
existing evils, and of promoting the well-being of the
Jews in the Holy Land, a general collection should be
made, so as to constitute a fund, as well for the encour-
agement of agricultural pursuits, as for the erection of
additional dwellings outside the walls of the Holy City.
I am quite aware that your honorable Board could not

210 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

impose on itself so heavy and responsible an undertak-
ing ; but I hope and believe that the Jews at large may
direct their attention thereto, and conjointly, by means
of Building Societies, or otherwise, organize the neces-
sary arrangements."

During this tour, Sir Moses Montefiore had the mis-
fortune to lose liis attached and highly valued friend,
Dr. Hodgkin, who expired after a short illness at Jaffa.
For forty years he had been intimately associated with
the Jewish philanthropist, in whose benevolent schemes
he had always taken an ardent interest. Sir Moses made
a touching reference to his loss in his report to the
Board of Deputies ;

"It has pleased the Almighty to take him [Dr.
Hodgkin] from us, and that he should not again behold
his loving consort and beloved relatives. He breathed
his last in a land endeared to him by hallowed reminis-
cences. To one so guileless, so pious, so amiable in pri-
vate life, so respected in his public career, and so desir-
ous to assist, with all his heart, in the amelioration of
the condition of the human race, death could not have
had any terror. His soul has ascended to appear before
the throne of glory, there to receive that heavenly re-
compense which is awarded to the good and rigliteous
of all nations. I trust I may be pardoned for this heart-
felt but inadequate tribute to the memory of my late
friend. His long and intimate association with me
and my late dearly-beloved wife, his companionship
in our travels, and the vivid recollection of his many
virtues, make me anxious to blend his name, and
the record of his virtues, with the narrative of these
events."

Over his grave at Jaffa Sir Moses erected an obelisk

Another Busy Decade.

211

inscribed with a feeling tribute to bis scientific attain-
ments and " self-sacriiicing pliilantbropy."

The next journey was to Roumania, and was under-
taken in the following year. Tbe persecution and op-
pression of tbe Jews in tbis Principality arise very cu-
riously from an abuse of tbe constitutional form of
government wbicb tbe Western Powers conferred on
Moldo-Wallacbia in 1856. Altbougb to-day tbe Eou-
manian Jews are beld by law to be aliens, tbey were,
as a matter of fact, established in tbe country long be-
fore tbe present composite people, or even tbe race
wbicb gave its name to tbe land. From tbe soil of
ancient Dacia prayers w^ere offered up to tbe God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, at a time when altars dedi-
cated to Mars and Yenus were yet unknown. But
what in after years particularly attracted tbe Jews to
the country was the absence there of any great trading
class. Agriculturists were many, and landed proprie-
tors were also numerous ; but a mercantile and industrial
class, capable of turning the resources of the land to
commercial account, did not exist. For a long period
the Jews were the only mechanics, manufacturers, and
merchants in Eoumania. "When, in course of time, the
Roumans themselves engaged in these occupations, the
rivalry between them and the Hebrews became intense,
and bitter jealousies arose. The Roumans, assuming
a history and an ethnography that did not exist, mur-
nmred that the "stranger" was stealing the national
birthright. It was not, however, until 1856 that this
rivalry assumed a dangerous form. Then, when the
people, under a constitutional government, superseded
the powers of the Hospodars and Boyars, who had
formerly protected the Jews, they set themselves to op-

212 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

press their too active competitors. They commenced
by ignoring them in their franchise scheme, and after-
wards, one by one, closed against them various branches
of trade. Constitutional government, in fact, enabled
an ignorant and selfish people to give expression to their
selfishness and intolerance, where a wise autocracy had
formerly kept such passions in check. It is truly a curi-
ous page in the history of politics.

Popular feeling once unmuzzled, the anti-Jewish
movement took a wide scope. From legal oppression
in the Council Chamber to violent persecution in the
streets is but a step ; and from 1864 to the end of 1866
not a month passed but some dreadful outrage upon the
Jews was chronicled. M. Cremieux paid a visit to
Bucharest in 1866, and secured a large number of prom-
ises from members of the Chamber of Deputies to sup-
port a measure emancipating the Jews ; but no sooner
had he left, than the people rose, threatened Parlia-
ment, maltreated a number of Jews, and destroyed their
Synagogue, which was the finest building in the capital.

In 1867 the persecutions became more cruel. No
sopner had Sir Moses Montefiore returned from Jerusa-
lem, than he found himself compelled to open a corre-
spondence with the British Government on the subject.
At his request Lord Stanley telegraphed a vigorous re-
monstrance to the Poumanian Government, but still
the persecutions continued. In June serious anti-Jewish
riots took place at Jassy and other places ; and about
the middle of July public opinion in Europe was shocked
by an exceptionally terrible outrage at Galatz, called in
the consular despatches the " Noyades of Galatz." Ten
Jews, who were alleged by the Poumanian Government
to be vagabonds from Turkey, but who were in reality

Another Busy Decade.

213

natives of Koumania, were ordered to be expelled the
country. A file of soldiers escorted them from Galatz,
half -way across the Danube, and landed them, without
food or fuel, on a marshy island. During the night one
of them perished in the mud. The survivors were res-
cued by the Turks, and taken back to Galatz ; but on
attempting to reland, a scuffie took place, and the Rou-
manian soldiers drove the poor Hebrews at the point
of the bayonet into the river, where they were drowned.

The incident caused great indignation in Western
Europe, and Sir Moses Montefiore, as President of the
Board of Deputies, set out immediately for Bucharest,
to make personal representations to Prince (now King)
Charles on the whole question of the treatment of the
Roumanian Jews. At Paris he was received by the
Emperor ^Napoleon III., who assured him of his best
wishes and support, and attached a French ofiicer to his
suite as a mark of his sympathy. JSTotwithstanding his
great age. Sir Moses travelled very rapidly, engaging
special trains when the ordinary service did not insure
sufficient despatch, and at Donauwerth hiring a special
steamer to take him down the Danube via Yienna into
Roumania. Immediately on arriving at Bucharest, he
was cordially welcomed by the Corps Diplomatique,
who assured him that, under the instructions of their
respective governments, he might rely on their best ser-
vices being placed at his disposal for the accomplishment
of the object of his Mission.

Sir Moses had several interviews with the Prince, and
the members of his government, and succeeded in obtain-
ing from his Highness the most gratifying assurances.
Before his departure he received the following note
from the Prince :

214 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

" Monsieur le Bahonnet,

" J'ai regu votre lettre du 27 Aout dernier, et j'en ai
pris connaissance avec un vif interet. Comme j'ai eu
Poccasion de vous le dire de vive voix, les voeux que
vous formez pour vos co-religioimaires sont deja accom-
plis. Le Israelites sont I'objet de toute ma sollicitude
et de toute celle de mon Gouvernement, et je suis Men
aise que vous soyez venu en Roumanie pour vous con-
vaincre que la persecution reHgieuse, dont la malveil-
lance a fait tant de bruit, n'existe point. S'il est arrive
que des Israelites fussent inquietes, ce sont la des faits
isoles dont mon Gouvernement ne pent pas assumer la
responsabilite. Je tiendra toujours a honneur de f aire
respecter la liberte religieuse, et je veiUerai sans cesse a
I'execution des lois qui protegent les Israelites, comme
tons les autres Roumains dans leur personne, et dans
leur biens.

" Yeuillez re^evoir, Monsieur le Baronnet, I'assurance
de ma consideration tres distinguee.

" Chaeles.

"CoTROCENi, LE 18/30 Aout, 1867."

To what extent Prince Charles was hoodwinked by
his own ministers it is impossible to say ; but notwith-
standing the professions contained in this letter — the
sincerity of which there is no reason to doubt — he
has been powerless to stop the persecutions. The
vicious national sentiment has been too strong for him,
and the Jews of Roumania are still unemancipated, and
are periodically persecuted by both the Government and
the people.

The third journey in this decade was to Russia, and
took place in 1872. The intervening years were spent

Another Busy Decade.

215.

in labors in connection with the home community. In
1870 Sir Moses assisted at the consecration of the Cen-
tral Synagogue in London. In 1871 he opened a sub-
scription during a famine in Persia for the relief of
the Jews, in whose political condition he had formerly
taken much interest. A considerable fund was raised,
and £17,973 was distributed through Mr. Alison, the
British Minister at Teheran.

In 1872, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of
the birth of Peter the Great, the Board of Deputies
adopted an address of congratulation to the Czar Alex-
ander II., and Sir Moses Montefiore was deputed to
journey to St. Petersburg to present it. En route
every one tried to dissuade him from proceeding to his
destination on account of the cholera, which raged there
with great severity ; but impelled by a sense of duty he
determined to persevere even if left alone. " The jour-
nals," he wrote home, " gave an alarming account of the
unsatisfactory state of health in St. Petersburg, and it
being the opinion of some of those who accompanied
me that it would be imprudent on my part to proceed any
further, I considered it my duty to gather around me
those who appeared to fear the approach to the Russian
frontier, counselling their return to England (it being
well established that persons who entertain the fear of
infection are more liable to be attacked by the epidemic),
but after due consideration all decided to resume the
journey with me."

On his arrival in the Russian capital Sir Moses pre-
sented to the English Ambassador and M. de Westmann
the letters of introduction with which he had been fur-
nished by Earl Granville and Count de Brunnow. By
the Russian Minister he was received with marked kind-

216 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

ness and urbanity. After some conversation, M. de
Westmann observed: "We were acquainted witb the
object of your visit to our city before your arrival ;
the Emperor will receive you, and we shall endeavor to
render everything as easy and agreeable to you as pos-
sible. His Imperial Majesty is at present absent from
St. Petersburg at the military manoeuvres, but I shall
seek His Imperial Majesty's orders regarding the day
and place when and where the Emperor will receive
you." In recording this conversation Sir Moses wrote :
" I need scarcely say how grateful I felt to our
Heavenly Father for having thus, a few hours only
after my arrival in St. Petersburg, enabled me to re-
ceive from the Russian Minister such kind and assuring
expressions, and, deeply sensible of the goodness of the
Almighty who had succored and protected me and my
companions, I prepared with gladness for the holy
Sabbath."

The interview with the Czar, which took place on the
following Wednesday, Sir Moses thus describes :

" At the appointed hour, I proceeded to the Winter
Palace, accompanied by Dr. Loewe. Instead of having
the fatigue of ascending the Grand Staircase, we were
elevated by means of a lift to the Grande Salle d'Attente
of the Emperor, into which we were immediately
ushered. There we found His Excellency Monsieur de
Westmann, the Imperial Lord Chamberlain, the Im-
perial Grand Maitre des Ceremonies, and several other
distinguished personages, who entered into conversation
with me on various subjects of importance to our co-
religionists. After an interval thus agreeably passed.
His Excellency, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, was
summoned before the Czar, and soon afterwards I was

Another Busy Decade,

217

conducted into tlie presence of His Imperial Majesty, to
whom, in the name of your Board and its several con-
stituent congregations, I presented the Address. His
Imperial Majesty, who conversed most fluently in the
English language, received me with the utmost grace
and kindness ; he adverted to the circumstance of my
having had the honor of an audience with his august
father in the year 1846, and expressed himself most
graciously on every subject having reference to my
mission. His Imperial Majesty also graciously received
Dr. Loewe. IS'or can I here omit to record my grateful
appreciation of His Imperial Majesty's consideration in
having come from the seat of the summer manoeuvres
to the Winter Palace — expressly to spare me fatigue,
in consequence of my advanced age — and having there
received the Address of which I was the bearer. I
quitted the Palace with a heart overflowing with grati-
tude, for indeed I am at a loss for words in which
adequately to describe the gracious sentiments which
His Imperial Majesty, and the members of his Govern-
ment, evinced towards me. On my way to the hotel I
was enthusiastically greeted by hundreds of our brethren
who were awaiting my return from the Palace, and
whose faces were illumined by joy."

During his short stay in St. Petersburg Sir Moses
was gratified to find a remarkable improvement in the
position of the Jews since his earlier visit. He saw a
considerable number of Jews who had been distin-
guished by decorations of different grades by the Em-
peror, and conversed with Jewish merchants, literary
men, editors of Russian periodicals, artisans, and persons
who had formerly served in the Imperial army, all of
whom expressed satisfaction with their position. He
10

218 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

found Synagogues in whicli sermons were preached in
Russian and German, and obtained copies of " beautiful
maps with all the modern improvements in which the
cities, villages, mountains, rivers, railways, etc., all ap-
pear in Hebrew, and several educational works on his-
tory, geography, grammar, natural philosophy, and
physics, also published in the Hebrew language, to
enable those who are yet unacquainted with the national
language to advance their education in all useful secular
subjects." Summing up his observations on the con-
dition of the Russian Hebrews, Sir Moses wrote :

"The Jews now dress like any gentlemen in Eng-
land, France, or Germany, their schools are well at-
tended, and they are foremost in every honorable enter-
prise. During my journey, I had frequent opportunities
of receiving from our brethren assurances of the rapid
increase of their Synagogues, schools, and charitable
institutions ; and, as indicative of the improved spirit-
ual and social condition of our co-religionists abroad, I
may notice, that amongst the many thousands of Jews
with whom I came in contact, I observed the most
charitable and benevolent dispositions, an insatiable
thirst for knowledge, a pure and religious zeal, and a
high degree of prosperity. Looking back to what the
condition of our co-religionists in Russia was twenty-six
years ago, and having regard to their present position,
they have now indeed abundant reason to cherish grate-
ful feelings towards the Emperor, to whom their pros-
perity is in so great a measure attributable ; and if there
yet remain some few restrictions, the hope may surely
be entertained, that, with the advance of secular educa-
tion among them, these disabilities may be gradually
removed."

Another Busy Decade,

219

A hope, unfortunately, not destined to be realized.
Ten years later it was Sir Moses Montefiore's grief to
read of popular persecutions and official intolerance in
the Empire of the Czars, carried out on as large a
scale as during the darkest period of the reign of
Nicholas.

Sir Moses Montefiore was now nearly ninety years of
age, and he began to feel that the time had arrived
when he might resign to younger hands his office in
connection with the Board of Deputies. The members
of the Board returned at the General Election of April,
1874, met for the first time on the 7th May. Sir Moses
was re-elected to the presidency, but declined the office
on the ground of the uncertain state of his health. The
Board urged him to reconsider his decision, and a
deputation from that body having waited on him at
Ramsgate, he was at length prevailed upon to accede to
its wishes. Later in the session, however, his colleagues
were pained to receive a letter again pressing his resig-
nation both of the presidency and of his seat. Earnest
efforts were made to induce him to alter his determina-
tion but without avail, and, bearing in mind his advanced
age, it was felt that it would not be right to persuade
him further to retain an office involving arduous and
responsible duties. In parting with its venerated presi-
dent, the Board expressed its high estimate of his labors
in a series of eloquent resolutions which, engrossed on
vellum and emblazoned, were signed by every deputy and
presented to the worthy Baronet. Sir Moses acknowl-
edged the resolutions in the following characteristic
letter to his nephew, who had been elected to succeed
him:

220 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

"Grosvenok Gate, Park Lane,

''2Uh November, 5635—1874.

"My dear Joseph Mayer Montefiore,

" I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt from
your hands of a copy of resohitions, beautifully engrossed
on vellum and emblazoned, adopted by the London
Committee of Deputies of British Jews at a meeting
held on the 6th October, ultimo, on the occasion of my
resignation of the office of President of the Board. The
sentiments conveyed by these resolutions are so highly
gratifying, and the language in which they are couched
so extremely cordial, that I can but very inadequately
assure the Board and yourself how profound an impres-
sion they have made on my heart. It has been my oft-
recurring and much-valued privilege to receive mani-
festations of the Board's approbation and regard, but
never have I experienced more perfect satisfaction than
I derive from the resolutions now before me ; satisfac-
tion enhanced, indeed, by the circumstance of their being
signed by every Member of the Board. In my retire-
ment from the Board of Deputies, over which I have
had the distinguished honor to preside for upwards of
thirty years, and with which I have been connected from
a very early period, I carry with me the unfading recol-
lection of the sympathy and encouragement it has in-
variably afforded me at those important moments of my
life, when, moved by the murmur of the oppressed or
the cry of the afflicted, the Board deputed me to plead
on its behalf, in distant lands, the cause of toleration
and humanity. The Board may, indeed, discern the
best reward of its active labors in the amelioration of
the condition of our co-religionists, that has resulted
from those just and enlightened measures, which, by

Another Busy Decade.

221

God's blessing, are attributable to its wise and temper-
ate intervention. Long may the Members of the Com-
munity of Israel, who rejoice in the benignant sway of
our Gracious Sovereign, find the promotion of their
welfare, and the preservation of our Holy Religion, the
objects of the zealous care of the London Committee of
Deputies of British Jews. Long may our brethren in
foreign countries receive from the Board a ready re-
sponse when appealed to for aid or intercession. I am
sensible that I have given but feeble expression to that
which, however, I deeply feel. But I may rely on that
indulgent consideration which has been ever extended
to me. And I feel assured that you will kindly make
known to my former esteemed colleagues,^f ar better than
any words of mine can acquaint them, how heartfelt is
my gratitude for the resolutions with which they have
presented me, and how fervent is my prayer for the long
life and enduring happiness of themselves and their
families, for the lasting prosperity of the Board of
Deputies, and for the speedy restoration of the Glory
of Zion.

"I have the honor to be, my dear Joseph Mayer
Montefiore,

" Yours most faithfully,

"MoSES MONTEFIOEE."

The Board elected its late President an honorary
member of its body, and raised a fund of over £12,000
as a testimonial to his high character and public services.
On being consulted as to the application of this money,
Sir Moses expressed a wish that it should be devoted to
public works for the improvement of the condition
of the Jews in the Holy Land, in accordance with the

The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

suggestions made in liis report on tlie mission of
1866.

In July, 18Y4, Sir Moses Montefiore, still active, not-
withstanding his four-score-and-ten years, set out on his
seventh journey to Palestine — the fourth foreign mis-
sion in his ninth decade.

CHAPTER XYII.

The Seventh Journey to the Holy Land. — Diary of the Journey. —
"Forty Days' Sojourn in the Holy Laud." — Arrival at Venice. —
Admiral Drummond Warns Sir Moses against Cholera. — Ancient
Intercourse between the Jews of Venice and London. — The Sab-
bath at Sea.— Arrival at Port Said.— Reception at Jaffa. — The
Jews of Jaffa. — On the Way to Jerusalem. — A Moonlight Ride
from Bab-el- Wad. — Enthusiastic Welcome at Jerusalem. — The
Work of the Forty Days. — Georgian Jews and Jewish Heroism. —
Sir Moses Suggests Sanitary Improvements at Jerusalem. — Re-
turn Home.— Scheme for the Amelioration of the Condition of
the Palestinian Jews. — Sir Moses Montefiore and Jerusalem.

Although undertaken after his retirement from pub-
lic life, this seventh journey to Palestine by Sir Moses
Montefiore was no mere holiday tour. Its history illus-
trates interestingly the energy and public spirit that
continued to animate the warm-hearted nonagenarian.
Soon after he was released from his labors in connection
with the Board of Deputies, he commenced anew to
study the problems connected with the condition of the
Jews of the Holy Land, which for nearly fifty years
had baffled all attempts at solution. On the 29th July,
1874, he addressed a Hebrew circular letter to the Jew-

^^Forty Days' Sojourn in the Holy LandP 223

isli congregations, asking for suggestions as to tlie best
means of improving their condition. The following is
a translation of this interesting letter :

•• * I have set the Lord always before me."

** Gkosvenor Gate, Park Lane,

"London, Wednesday, 15th of Ab, 5634.

" Peace, peace to the chosen of the people, whose de-
light is in the law of the Lord ; my sonl loves them
according to their worth and dignity. May the Eternal
bless them. May their reward be complete from the
Lord, the God of Israel, and may their eyes and ours
behold the glory of the rebuilding of Aree-el.
" To the Key. the Hakim Bashi, and the representa-
tives of the several Hebrew Congregations in the Holy
City of * * *.

" Gentlemen : It has ever been my earnest desire, since
I first had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with
the state of great poverty and distress that prevailed
among you, to ameliorate your condition and cause salva-
tion to spring forth in the Holy Land by means of indus-
trial pursuits, such as agriculture, mechanical work, or
some suitable business, so as to enable both the man who
is not qualified to study, but is fully able (by his physical
strength) to work, as well as the student, who, prompted
by a desire to maintain himself by the labor of his
hands, may be willing to devote the day to the work
necessary for the support of his family, and the night
to the study of the Law of God, to find the means of
an honorable living. Already, in the years 5599 and
5626, I entreated you to assist me with your wise and
judicious counsel, and begged* of you to point out to me
the right path. I then forwarded to you statistical and

224 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

agricultural forms, to enable you to record therein all
the information required, and you most cheerfully com-
plied with my request, and gave me all the particulars
referring to these subjects. I, on my part, made known
to all my friends and acquaintances the information I
received from you; but, unfortunately, from various
unaccountable causes, I met with little success, and
your condition remained the same as before. Having
again this year noticed all the troubles and hardships
you had to undergo from scarcity of bread, and from
want of means to procure it, I thought I would try
again, now for the third time, to ascertain whether any
of your suggestions regarding the best mode of amelio-
rating your condition, either by agriculture or by mecha-
nical work, within or without the house, or some suit-
able business pursuits, if clearly and distinctly set forth
to our brethren, might not, under present circumstances,
be more favorably received, and induce them more read-
ily to hasten with their succor to a most deserving class
of people, so as to procure lasting comfort among you.
Let me, therefore, entreat you to fully acquaint me with
your views on this subject ; point out to me what I am
to do in order to hasten thereby the cause of bring-
ing salvation into the land. Consider well which is
the proper path appearing most clearly to you to pro-
duce the remedy you stand in need of. By doing so
you will comply with the wishes of your brethren, who
love and kiss, as it were, the dust of the Holy Land.
Be strong and of good courage. Do not say, ' Our
words are of no avail,' but send speedily a reply to him
who holds you in great esteem, and prays for the wel-
fare of his people.

" MoSES MONTEFIOEB."

''Forty Days' Sojourn m the Holy LamdP 225

The replies received by Sir Moses Montefiore were
presented by bim to the Palestine Committee of the
Board of Deputies. Tbey expressed a willingness to
work, and suggested large purcbases of land for tbe
foundation of agricultural colonies. Tbe Board did not
accede to tbe proposals of Sir Moses' correspondents,
and some of tbe members seemed to be of tbe opinion
tbat tbe Jews of tbe Holy Land were not tbe bonest
and willing people tbat Sir Moses believed tbem to be.
Objections were especially urged against tbe system
tbat prevailed in Palestine of maintaining by tbe bounty
of tbe foreign communities sucb Jews as migbt elect to
pass tbeir time in religious exercises. Tbese opinions
being communicated to Sir Moses Montefiore, be re-
solved once more to proceed to Palestine to see for
bimself wbetber be bad been deceived in tbe estimate
be bad formed of bis co-religionists in tbat ballowed
region.

Tbis journey Sir Moses bas described in a diary, pri-
vately circulated, under tbe title of " Forty Days' So-
journ in tbe Holy Land." It is an interesting pendant
to tbe journals of tbe earlier missions written by bis
lamented wife. Tbe same religious spirit serenely il-
lumines its pages, and, in tbe course of its unaffected
cbronicle, many an insigbt is afforded into tbe workings
of a character tbe mainspring of wbicb is reliance on
tbe eternal bounty of God.

Having offered up bis prayers "in tbe mausoleum
of ber wbo, like a guardian angel, so often sustained
me on my journeys witb ber loving affection and judi-
cious counsel," be left East Cliff on tbe 15tb June. By
tbe advice of bis pbysician be only travelled by sbort
stages, but tbis restriction be utilized, to enable bim to
10*

226 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

commiinicate witli the Jewish congregations on his route,
with a view of ascertaining their opinions regarding the
Jews of Jerusalem.

On arriving at Venice he was met by Admiral Sir
James Drummond, to whom he presented a letter of
introduction with which he had been furnished by the
British Government. The Admiral assured him of his
desire to do anything he might require to facilitate his
journey, but informed him that his old enemy the chol-
era had broken out at Damascus, and that the spread of
the epidemic along the coast was apprehended. Sir
Moses writes :

" This unexpected news at first somewhat startled me,
for I well knew the danger to which we should be ex-
posed in a hot climate, in the most unhealthy season ;
but I soon recovered my former resolution. It ap-
peared to me that I had a certain duty to perform — a
duty owing to our religion, to our beloved brethren in
the Holy Land; nothing, therefore, I made up my
mind, should prevent me proceeding on my journey.
I communicated my resolution to the Admiral, who
kindly expressed his hope for my safe return. Return-
ing to the hotel, I heard that the sad news of the chol-
era being in Syria, and the necessity of remaining in
quarantine on leaving that country, had also reached
my Gorrupagnons de voyage, and they all entreated me
to give up the idea of going to the Holy Land ; but I
would not yield ; indeed, with every persuasive word of
theirs to make me return, my resolution became stronger
and stronger to proceed."

Tlie Jews of Venice received Sir Moses with enthu-
siasm. A service in his honor was held in the Syna-
gogue ; and so numerous was the attendance, that the

''Forty Days' Sojourn in the Holy LandP 22Y

whole square around the sacred edifice, and the adjoin-
ing streets, were filled with those who could not obtain
seats. On leaving the Synagogue and stepping into his
gondola, a choir which lined the street chanted the
prayer of the congregation for his safe journey. Dur-
ing his stay, Signor Soave, a Jewish professor, brought
under his notice an interesting document which had
been found in the archives of the Yenetian congrega-
tion. This was a letter addressed to the treasurer of
the Jewish association called the "Caisse for the Re-
demption of Captives," by the Portuguese congrega-
tion of London, in May, 1705. The writer of the letter,
Mr. Mosse de Medina, Warden of the English congre-
gation, made a remittance of 60 ducados de banco to-
wards the redemption of three Hebrew slaves, brought
to Yenice in a Maltese vessel. On this Sir Moses point-
edly remarks :

" The sympathy which Hebrew communities have at
all times evinced towards their suffering brethren has
always been proverbial ; it is one of the noblest traits
in the character of Israel, and we have every reason to
hope that our communities will continue to retain that
characteristic, especially when it concerns the aid of
those who sacrifice all their worldly interest to the
service of God, and the glorification of our holy reli-
gion."

After a short visit to Alexandria Sir Moses embarked
on the Austrian steamer Ettore for Jaffa. The day after
his departure was the Sabbath, and he did not fail to
celebrate the holy day with all the minutiae prescribed
by the Jewish ritual. ,, He tells us:

" That day has always been a particular object of de-
light to me. By the kindness and civility of the people

228 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

on board I was never interrupted in any way in the per-
formance of my religious duties. Every Friday, as the
Sabbath was about setting in, I could light my Sabbath-
lamp, which I always carried with me, and I often had
the gratification of seeing the seven lights (emblems of
the six days of creation, and the seventh day of rest)
burn as late as midnight, undisturbed by the motion of
the vessel, even when going at the rate of ten to eleven
knots an hour. We recited our prayers and ' Kidoosh,'
the blessings of which were responded to by the sincere
' Amen ' of those who joined me in prayer, and enjoyed
our Sabbath meal. On the Sabbath morning I had
always the satisfaction of hearing, after the usual prayer,
one of our Commentaries on the portion of the week
expounded to me by Dr. Loewe, and the rest of the day
passed in pleasing conversation on all that concerns our
brethren in the Holy Land. On board of the Ettore^
that happiness became greatly enhanced by the contem-
plation of the short distance which now only separated
me from the hallowed goal I had in view."

A characteristic and graphic passage describes the
night before the arrival in the Holy Land :

"Myriads of celestial luminaries, each of them as
large and bright almost as any of the radiant planets
in the Western horizon, were now emitting their silvery
rays of light in the spangled canopy over us. Sure and
steady our ship steered towards the coast of the land so
dearly beloved, summoning all to sleep, but few of the
passengers retired that night. Every one of them ap-
peared to be in meditation. It was silent all around us
— silent, so that the palpitation of the heart might
almost be heard. It was, as if every one had the words
on his lips, ^ Ah, when will our eyes be gladdened by

''Forty Days' Sojourn m the Holy LandP 229

the first glance of the Holy Land ? When shall we be
able to set foot on the spot which was the long-wished-
for goal of our meditations?' Such were that night
the feelings of every Gentile passenger on board. And
what other thoughts, I ask, could have engrossed the
mind of an Israelite ? The words of R. Yehooda
Halevi, which he uttered when entering the gates of
Jerusalem, now came into my mind : ' The kingdoms
of idolatry will all change and disappear ; thy glory
alone, O Zion, will last forever ; for the Eternal has
chosen thee for His abode. Happy the man who is now
waiting in confiding hope to behold the rising glory of
Thy light.' "

At Jaffa, Sir Moses was received by the authorities
with the usual ceremonies. As he stepped from his
boat a detachment of soldiers drawn up in two lines,
commanded by the Kaimekam, presented arms, and a
large concourse of people cheered enthusiastically.
Deputations read addresses of welcome from the con-
gregations of Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Hebron, and the
British Yice-Consul invited him to accept the accom-
modation of his country residence, situated a little way
outside the town on the Jerusalem road. Staying here
for a few days. Sir Moses examined minutely the garden
he had established in the neighborhood some years be-
fore. He found that it contained 900 fruit-trees, and
that it required some repairs, but he refused to supply
a steam-engine to work the water-wheel in place of the
ordinary mules, because of the cost of fuel and the
absence of skilled mechanics. In order to test the
willingness of the poor to work he offered a small sum
of money — designedly very trivial — to have the large cis-
tern on the estate filled, and was delighted to watch the

230 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

alacrity with which a crowd turned out to work the
wheel while they saug in chorus Psalm cxxviii., in
which occurs the verse, " Thou shalt eat the labor of
thine hands ; happy shalt thou be and it shall be well
with thee." He also had elaborate statistical accounts
of the Jaffa community prepared, and received depu-
tations who convinced him that the charges which had
been brought against the Jews were without founda-
tion.

On the way to Jerusalem he observed many signs of
improvement since his last visit, and was particularly
pleased to note that several of the fields were cultivated
by Jews. His diary gives a dramatic account of a moon-
light ride from Bab-el- Wad :

" We waited for the rising of the moon, and at twenty
minutes past eleven o'clock started for Jerusalem. Those
were exciting moments which presented themselves to
my mind now and then, as w^e ascended and descended
the hills and dales on the road ; the moon throwing her
long and dark shadow w^ien behind a rock. They re-
called to memory how much exposed the traveller was
in former years to the attacks of a Bedouin, or some
feudal lord. Now, thank God, thanks to the protection
of the Turkish Government, we do not hear of such out-
rages on peaceable pilgrims. Just as I concluded these
meditations two Bedouins in full speed dashed along
from behind some hidden rock, and directed their course
right up to our carriage. ' Good heaven,' I thought,
* we ought not to be too hasty here in bestowing praises
on the protection of the police. What in the world will
they do with us ? ' But Dr. Loewe, who was with me in
the carriage, suddenly called out as loud as he possibly
could, ' Shdlom Aleykhem, Kabbi B. S., Shdlom Aleyk-

''Forty Days' Sojourn in the Holy LandP 231

ham, Rabbi L. S.,' and turning round to me, lie said,
' These are not Bedouins, though they are dressed exactly
like them, and gallop along the hills like the sons of the
desert, but they are simply our own brethren from Jeru-
salem, who, I have no doubt, came to ascertain the exact
time of your intended entry into Jerusalem, to give
timely notice to the people to come out to meet you ? '
And so it was. A minute afterwards they pulled up the
reins of their fiery chargers, and stood before us. 'A
happy and blessed week to you. Dr. Loewe,' they
shouted ; ' where is Sir Moses ? how is he ? when will
he enter Jerusalem ? ' As I bent my head forward they
reverentially saluted me, and stated to me the object of
their coming ; but as it was my intention purposely to
avoid giving any unnecessary inconvenience to my
Jerusalem friends, I declined letting them know the
exact hour. They again saluted, galloped off, and soon
disappeared. I was told that they had left Jerusalem
after Habdalah, and now intended being again in the
Holy City early in the morning. If there be many such
horsemen in the Holy Land like these two supposed
Bedouins, they certainly ought not in justice to be re-
garded as descendants from sickly parents, as some per-
sons supposed."

Notwithstanding that he had given no intimation of
the time of his intended entry into Jerusalem, he was
received with great rejoicings. Yenerable Rabbis sa-
luted him at the gates ; crowds assembled in the streets
and enthusiastically shouted their welcome, and even
the roofs of the houses were thronged with gayly attired
women and children, who showered upon him copies of
poems especially comjDosed in his honor. The British
Consul waited upon him, and the Governor of the city

232 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

sent liis brother to express his regret that no official
reception had been arranged in consequence of the sud-
denness of his arrivah

During the forty days he spent in the Holy City Sir
Moses made the most elaborate inquiries into the condi-
tion of the Jewish population, and thoroughly satisfied
himself that they were as worthy of liis confidence and
support as ever. He visited the Synagogues, cross-
questioned the managers of the various charities, and
had all the schools examined in secular and religious
subjects by Dr. Loewe. The results were very satisfac-
tory. Among the congregations he visited was a new
one composed of Georgian Jews, who had settled in the
Holy Land by special permission of the Russian Govern-
ment. " Some of them," he writes, "had decorations on
their breast. One of the name of Elialiu ben Israel had
three ; he received one from the late Emperor Nicholas,
and two from the present Emperor Alexander. When
I inquired of their chief. Hakim Eliahu ben Jacob, how
they came by these special marks of distinction, he told
me that, during the war of the Russians with the Circas-
sians, the Jewish soldiers fought most bravely ; and that
when all the people in the town of Kutais deserted the
place, they, the Jews, remained, and with their blood
defended the treasury of the Russian Government. The
soldier with the three decorations said that he received
on each occasion wlien those decorations had been given
to him an embrace from the Emperor."

Recoiving distressing accounts of the spread of
cholera. Sir Moses made an attempt to permanently
improve the sanitary condition of Jerusalem. He
ordered several houses to be whitewashed, a number of
streets to be cleansed, and the refuse to be removed

'''Forty Dayi Sojourn in the Holy LamdP 233

outside the city. He also made representations to the
authorities on the subject of clearing the pool of
Bethesda, into which the sewage of the town was con-
ducted, recommending that it should be filled with pure
water, and that special pools should be dug for the re-
ception of the refuse of the town.

Before his departure he was visited by the Sheik of
the Mosque of Omar, who presented him with Arabic
and Cufic inscriptions ; a deputation of Armenian
priests, who expressed the friendly sentiments of the
Patriarch ; a sheik of the Haram, who offered him a
souvenir in the shape of some curious native flasks for
oil lamps, and a Jewish emissary from Arabia Felix,
who was on his way to petition the Turkish Government
to free his brethren from disabilities. On the 8th
August his stay terminated, and he again bade farewell
to Jerusalem. Thirty-two days later he was offering up
his grateful prayers in his Synagogue at Ramsgate.

The opinions and propositions suggested by this pil-
grimage. Sir Moses thus sets forth at the end of his
jouraal :

" The great regard which I always entertained towards
our brethren in the Holy Land has now become, if pos-
sible, doubly increased, so that if you were to ask me,
*Are they worthy and deserving of assistance?' I
would reply, '■ Most decidedly.' * Are they willing and
capable of work ? ' ' Undoubtedly.' ' Are their mental
powers of a satisfactory nature % ' ' Certainly.' * Ought
we, as Israelites, in particular, to render them support ? '
' Learn,' I would say, ' if your own sacred Scriptures
do not satisfy you, from non-Israelites what degree of
support those are entitled to who consecrate their lives
to the worship of God. Go and cast a glance upon the

234 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

numerous munificent endowments; upon the magnificent
institutions ; upon the annual contributions, not only in
Jerusalem, but in every part of the world ; not only by
individuals, but by almost every mighty ruler on earth.
I^otice the war which had broken out within our recol-
lection respecting a privilege of repairing a house of
devotion, all for the sole object to support religion, and
are we Israelites to stand back and say, " We are all prac-
tical men ; let everybody in Jerusalem go and work. "We
do not want a set of indolent people who, by poring over
books, teaching the word of God, think they are per-
forming their duties in life, and wait for our support."
The Jews in Jerusalem, in every part of the Holy Land,
I tell you, do work ; are more industrious even than
many men in Europe, otherwise none of them would
remain alive ; but, when the work does not sufficiently
pay ; when there is no market for the produce of the
land; when famine, cholera, and other misfortunes
befall the inhabitants, we Israelites, unto whom God
revealed Himself on Sinai, more than any other nation,
must step forward and render them help — raise them
from their state of distress.' If you put the question to
me, saying thus : ' Now we are willing to contribute
towards a fund intended to render them such assistance
as they may require ; we are ready to make even sacri-
fices of our own means if necessary ; what scheme do
you propose as best adapted to carry out the object in
view ? ' I would reply : ' Carry out simply what they
themselves have suggested ; but begin, in the first in-
stance, with the building of houses in Jerusalem. Select
land outside the city ; raise, in the form of a large square
or crescent, a number of suitable houses, with European
improvements ; have in the centre of the square oi* cres-

^^ Forty Day 8^ Sojourn in the Holy LandP 235

cent a synagogue, a college, and a public bath. Let each
house have in front a plot of ground large enough to
cultivate olive-trees, the vine, and necessary vegetables,
so as to give the occupiers of the houses a taste for
agriculture. The houses ought to pay a moderate
rental, by the amount of which, after securing the sum
required for the payment of a clerk and overseer, and
the repair of the houses, there should be established a
Loan Society on safe principles, for the benefit of the
poor working class, the trader, the agriculturist, or any
poor deserving man. Two per cent, should be charged
on each loan, so as to cover thereby the expenses neces-
sary for a special clerk, and the rent of an appropriate
house. If the amount of your funds be sufficient, build
houses in Saf ed, Tiberias, and Hebron, on the same
plan ; establish, by the rental also. Loan Societies on
similar principles of security. And should you further
prosper, and have £30,000 or £50,000 to dispose of, you
will, without difficulty, be able to purchase as much land
as you would like in the vicinity of Safed, Pekeein,
Tiberias, Hebron, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Khaifa, and you
will find in all those places a number of persons who
would be most willing to follow agricultural pursuits.
There are, according to the applications which have been
printed, more than 170 persons ready in Safed and
Tiberias alone; Pekeein and Khaifa also offer a good
number: but there are, no doubt, persons, even in
Jerusalem, who are willing to cultivate land.' And if
now you address me, saying, ' Which would be the
proper time to commence the work, supposing we were
ready to be guided by your counsel ? ' my reply then
would be, ' Commence at once ; begin the work this
day, if you can. Our brethren throughout Europe,

236 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Persia, and Turkey have been roused by your promises,
whicli have been made known to them in the most
hopeful terms by Hebrew, German, French, Italian,
and English periodicals. You led them to cherish the
hope that you would surely make no delay in proceeding
to ameliorate the condition of the Sons of Zion. They
now cry out, " Here we are ; give us land, give us work :
you promised to do so. We are willing, for the sake
of our love to Jerusalem, to undertake the execution of
the most laborious tasks ; " but the Representatives of
the Community have no answer to give : they simply,
with a cast-down countenance, say, in the words of King
Solomon, "Clouds and wind without rain." You are
then, I repeat, in sacred duty bound not to disappoint
them any longer. Begin the hallowed task at once, and
He who takes delight in Zion will establish the work
upon you.' "

These suggestions have of late years been energetically
acted upon by the Montefiore Testimonial Committee.
Agricultural colonies have been assisted, and, by means
of loans to building societies, the beginnings of a new and
beautiful city outside the Jaffa gate of Jerusalem have
been made. The result to-day of Sir Moses Montetiore's
persistent efforts to erect improved dwellings for the
Jews of Palestine is, that the Holy City now possesses
a western suburb of six hundred houses, inhabited by
nearly 4000 Israelites, many of whom own the freeholds
of their dwellings.

This was Sir Moses Montefiore's last foreign journey.
There is a peculiar fitness in the circumstance that he
should have terminated his public career in the very
city where nearly half a century before he had gathered
the great inspiration of his life. The supporters on his

Conclusion. 237

coat-of-arms hold aloft banners on which the word
"Jerusalem" is inscribed in Hebrew characters, and
" Jerusalem" has been the watchword of his life — not
merely in the restricted sense of the actual city and its
inhabitants, but in the wider significance of the word as
the countersign of Hebrew tradition and the rallying
cry of the Humanitarian Ideal of Judaism. Jerusalem
is more than a monument of the ancient glory of the
Kingdom of God ; it is the sanctuary of the sublime
aspiration which every Israelite utters daily, " that the
world may be established under the rule of the
Almighty, all the children of flesh invoke His name,
and all the wicked of the earth turn towards Him."
The inner workings of Sir Moses Montefiore's life are
laid bare when we find that this is the key-note to which
it has been attuned.

CHAPTEE XYIII.

CONCLUSION.

An age that melts with unperceived decay,
And glides in modest innocence away;
Whose peaceful Day benevolence endears,
"Whose Night congratulating conscience cheers;
The general favorite as the general friend :
Such age there is and who shall wish it end?

Dr. Johnson, Vanity of Human Wishes.

Since his return from Jerusalem in 1875 Sir Moses
Montefiore has lived in semi-retirement at liis charming
country-seat near Ramsgate. Notwithstanding his great
age his heart and mind remain as actively devoted to

238 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

works of benevolence as in the prime of liis manhood.
He still takes a lively interest in public affairs, and, with
the help of an English amanuensis and a foreign secre-
tary, carries on a voluminous correspondence in Hebrew
and modern languages for the furtherance of the philan-
thropic schemes to which he has devoted his life.

On more than one occasion during the last few years
he has actively concerned himself in public questions.
In the Eusso-Turkish war, six years ago — involving, as
it did, the fate of a large Jewish population — he evinced
the deepest interest, and he took no pains to hide on
which side his sympathies were engaged. As soon as
the Turkish Eelief Fund was started he joined the Com-
mittee, and at the same time addressed a sympathetic
letter to Musurus Pasha, the Turkish Ambassador in
England. The following is the text of this character-
istic epistle : *

"East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate, Jan. 1, 1877.
" Your Excellency :

" You will, I trust, give credit to my words when I
assure you that I hail the opportunity now presented to
me to evince my gratitude to the Turkish Government
for the kind and effective protection they have at all
times extended to my co-religionists; and I shall never
forget the glorious Hatti-Sherif given to the Jews in
the year 1840 by his late Imperial Majesty, Abdul
Medjid, assuring to the Jews the same rights and privi-
leges as those enjoyed by all the other subjects of the
Turkish Empire. I earnestly hope that peace will soon
be restored throughout the whole extent of the Sultan's
dominions, and that the Government of his Imperial

* Jewish WorU, Jan. 12, 1877.

I

Conclusion. 239

Majesty will have everj opportunity to show the world
that nothing could afford His Majesty greater satisfac-
tion and delight than to see all his subjects, without any
distinction of creed, in the words of Holy Writ, ' sitting
under his vine and his fig-tree,' in full enjoyment of the
blessings our Heavenly Father bestows on them.

" May I beg your Excellency to favor me by adding
tlie enclosed two checks to the fund now being raised
for the relief of the wounded Turkish soldiers, one
check for £50 in my own name, and the other for a
similar amount of £50 in memory of my lamented wife,
Judith, Lady Montefiore.

" With the most sincere assurance of my high esteem,
respect, and regard, I remain,

" Your Excellency's very obedient humble servant,

"MoSES MONTEFIOEE."

Sir Moses also seconded with much energy the efforts
of the Baroness Burdett Coutts in connection with the
Turkish Compassionate Fund, and even offered to pro-
ceed to the East in the interests of the Fund. The
circumstance was characteristic of the warm-hearted
philanthropist. The Baroness having received an in-
timation that a large number of Jews were among the
sufferers from the war, immediately communicated the
fact to Sir Moses, who promptly answered by telegram
as follows :

" Greatly obliged for telegram. Deeply sympathize
with sufferers. Have already forwarded my mite to
Eoumania, Turkey, and Holland, but will have much
pleasure in sending you by to-day's post £100 for the
Committee in Constantinople, over which Mr. Layard
presides, to alleviate the sufferings of the people with-

24:0 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

out distinction of creed. Should my presence in Con-
stantinople or Adrianople be deemed in any way bene-
ficial to the sufferers, I shall be ready to proceed there
without delay."

In communicating this telegram to the papers the
Baroness wrote, " I cannot deny myself the pleasure of
enclosing you my revered and chivalrous friend's reply,
alike as characteristic of his unwearying energy of mind
and warmth of heart."

Wh*en the war was over and the Plenipotentiaries of
the Powers met at Berlin to decide upon terms of
peace, no one watched the newspaper records of their
labors more anxiously than the venerable champion of
Israel. He corresponded with his co-religionist. Baron
von Bleichroder, on the subject of bringing the claims
of the Jews of Eastern Europe before the Congress,
and made many private representations in other eminent
quarters. The Congress accepted the principle of reli-
gious equality for the Danubian Principalities, and Sir
Moses Montefiore, on being apprised of the fact, tele-
graphed his congratulations to Baron von Bleichroder.
"Most gratified," he wrote, "with the happy intelli-
gence contained in your telegram, for which I heartily
thank you. I beg to congratulate you on the success of
your unceasing efforts. Praise to the God of Israel for
his mercy and goodness to his people." To Lord Bea-
consfield and Lord Salisbury he returned his personal
thanks immediately on their arrival in London. He
made a special journey to the metropolis for the pur-
pose, and when the Plenipotentiaries arrived at Char-
ing Cross railway station he was the first to greet them.

Nor are these the only instances of his public activity
during his tenth decade. In 1880 he raised a Belief

Conclusion. 241

Fund for the Jews of Persia, who had suffered severely
from famine, and in the following year promoted a
similar fund for the starving population of Armenia
and Kurdistan. On the occasion of the coronation of
the Czar Alexander III., he addressed a letter of con-
gratulation to the new monarch, in which he did not
forget to plead earnestly for his brethren ; and during
the recent trial at iN^yereghyaza he circulated papers
refuting the Blood Accusation, among the members of
the Hungarian Parliament, and also sent assistance to
the accused.

The most striking feature in the character of Sir
Moses Montefiore is his profound religiousness — a reli-
giousness born and nourished of Hebrew tradition, sus-
taining itself by a scrupulous observance of the minute
ceremonial of Rabbinism, and expressing itself in a con-
scientious practice of its humanitarian precepts. It is
related that a Christian gentleman once asked him, " If
the commandments of Judaism and Christianity are the
same, wherein lies the differenced' "We obey the
commandments," was his felicitous answer. This de-
scription of Judaism may not accord with the character
of every Jew, but there can be no doubt of its applica-
bility to that of Moses Montefiore. Contemporary ortho-
dox Judaism claims him as its brightest ornament, and
with justice ; for he, more than any other man, has illus-
trated by his life-conduct the noblest possibilities of its
teachings.

Until four years ago he was regular in his attendance
at the Synagogue, and even now he reads daily every
word of the prescribed prayers. He fasts on the anni-
versary of the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, and
on the Day of Atonement. The dietary laws he obeys
11

242 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

to the letter, and throughont his life he has rigorously
abstained from tasting the flesh of animals that divide
not the hoof nor chew the end. With these traditional
observances he unites a literal adherence to the hopes
of a national restoration of Israel as expressed by the
Prophets and Rabbis. When questioned on the sub^
ject some years ago, he answered with a satisfied smile,
"I am quite certain of it; it has been my constant
dream, and I hope will be realized some day when I
shall be no more." To the objection that it would be
impossible to gather in the Israelites scattered in all the
comers of the globe, he replied, " I do not expect that
all Israelites will quit their abodes in those territories in
which they feel happy, even as there are Englishmen in
Hungary, Germany, America, and Japan ; but Palestine
must belong to the Jews, and Jerusalem is destined to
become the seat of a Jewish Empire."

It is notable that critics of Judaism who find a dan-
gerous narrowness in this creed — they call it " tribalism"
— ^have never attempted to explain the phenomenon oi
its development in the person of Moses Montefiore, of the
most unrestricted humanitarianism. The noble spirit
with which it has inspired him is illustrated by his entire
career ; but, happily, in many of his letters he has given
it a definite expression upon which those who come
after him may do well to ponder. The following let^
ter,* for example, which he addressed ^lyq years ago to
the editor of a Jewish journal published at Philadelphia,
breathes a spirit with which his co-religionists cannot be
made too extensively acquainted :

* Jewish W(yrld, Jan. 3, 1880.

Conclusion. 243

"East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate,
" Bosh Hodesli Kislei), 5640.

" Dear Sir : My attention has recently been drawn
to a notice you have given in the Jewish Record of the
95 th anniversary of my birthday, accompanied by a
prayer referring to some important events in the history
of Israel which occurred in our own time.

"It is not with the purpose of conveying my special
thanks to you for the flattering expressions you thought
proper to introduce on that occasion, that I trouble
you with these lines, knowing such to have been dic-
tated to you by the good opinion you entertain of my
humble efforts to serve in a good cause, overrating the
little merit I may, to a certain degree, have thereby
earned ; but I am prompted to address you by a desire
of manifesting to you my appreciation of the important
service you render to all Hebrew communities, when
recalling to their memory, from time to time, the com-
forting assurance that ' the Guardian of Israel neither
slumbereth nor sleepeth ; ' that He shows mercy to the
innocent sufferer at times when all hope had been aban-
doned by him ; and that the Omnipotent wiU never
withdraw His protecting grace from all who strictly
abide by the law He revealed on Sinai. Our brethren,
I am happy to say, still evince that ardent love towards
one another, as in times of old ; they constitute, as it
were, all over the world, one body, and the sufferings
of those who live in the remotest parts of the globe, as
soon as they become known to them, touch their hearts,
and find sympathy in every Jewish family. The He-
brew communities in America are pre-eminently distin-
guished by that characteristic trait of Israel. On all
occasions, when the cry of anguish reaches their ear,

244 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

promptly and most generously they offer their noble
contributions to assuage the sufferings of the brother.
And I ascribe the cause of it to their innate feeling of
benevolence, intensely aroused by the eloquent ad-
dresses they hear from men of great learning and piety,
re-echoed from house to house by the powerful appeals
from learned and conscientious editors of journals, rais-
ing high the banner of Israel for the vindication of our
holy religion.

" You, my dear sir, are one of those zealous brothers
who stand in the breach to defend the sacred cause ;
great is your merit, and greater still the reward you earn
by the consciousness of cordially associating yourself
with all the earnest laborers in the vineyard of God —
your heart surely must be full with joy.

" Permit me, dear sir, to entertain the hope that you
will continue to avail yourself of every opportunity to
preserve, and, where necessary, to rekindle, that spirit
of devotion, -that holy zeal which constitutes the life of
Israel. Continue to retain in the heart of our brethren
that indomitable courage which made our forefathers
plead the cause of our religion in the presence of kings,
and never felt ashamed of performing those Heavenly
Commandments which are binding upon them as Israel-
ites.

" You will have no difficulty among our American
brethren in executing so pleasing a task. I know many
instances of their devotion to all that is good and holy,
and have every reason to believe that they will gladly
avail themselves of the opportunity to follow any of
your suggestions, by which the children may be enabled
to follow the footsteps of their fathers and forefathers
in the fear of God.

Conclusion. 245

" As for myself, as long as God will bless me witli
health and strength, as long as my hand is able to move,
my feet to walk, and my eyes to see, I will not cease to
remember all the mercies God has shown to Israel, and
the promises he vouchsafed unto us.

" Zealously and cheerfully I will, conjointly with our
faithful brethren, hold high the banner of Jerusalem,
always praying that we may live to see the great day
when the name of God, as One God, will be adored
among all the nations of the earth.

" "With best regards, I am, dear sir,
" Yours very truly,

"Moses Montefioee."

In connection with the question of the so-called
"tribalism" of Judaism, the inquiry has of late years
been raised whether orthodox Jews can be patriots ; and
even in England a prominent writer has been found
to maintain the negative of this proposition ; and yet it
is indubitable that the Queen of that happy realm has no
subject more loyal than the orthodox Jew, Moses Monte-
fiore. To be faithful to the land of one's adoption is a
teaching to which the Jewish Kabbis have given great
prominence ; and on more than one occasion Sir Moses
Montefiore has urged it upon his brethren, even when
they have been suffering the direst persecution. One
instance may here be quoted — a letter he addressed to the
Jews of Morocco shortly after his return from his memor-
able mission to that unenlightened country. The letter

was as f oUows :

"East Cliff Lodge, Kamsgate,

*' Uh Elul-Wi September, 5624—1864.
" My dear Brethren and Friends :

" Throughout the world, a chief characteristic of the

246 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Jews is that of being loyal, obedient, and peaceful sub-
jects of their Sovereign. From what I have seen and
know of my brethren in Morocco, I feel assured they
are not exceptions to this universally admitted truth.
The precepts inculcating this conduct are enforced on us
by the Sacred Scriptures, and by the wise exhortations
of our Sages. Unless due respect be paid to the just
exercise of legally constituted authority, there can be
neither order nor safety. Happily, the Imperial Edict
of your august Sovereign is intended to sustain the
cause of justice and humanity throughout the Moorish
Empire ; and though it may be that, in some places, the
subordinate authorities abuse the powers with which they
are intrusted, let it not be said that their severity or
wrong-doing is attributable to any manifestation of dis-
respect on your part. You must never for a moment
forget the loyalty, the affection and respect due to your
Sovereign, on whom you must rely, and to whom, in
case of need, you must appeal for protection against
oppression, and redress for injury. Let neither actions
nor words from you induce your fellow-countrymen of
the Mahometan Faith to suppose that you are in any
way unmindful or regardless of your duties as subjects
of His Imperial Majesty ; but, on the contrary, that it
is your ardent desire, and most anxious wish, to testify
your love and obedience towards him, and also to culti-
vate the esteem and good-will of your fellow-country-
men. It is by conduct such as this, we may hope, that,
under the Almighty's blessing, the hearts of those who
would molest or injure you will be softened ; or that,
should injustice be done, it will be speedily and surely
punished. Most ardently and most anxiously do I desire
your welfare. To promote this I have labored with in-

Conclusion, 247

tense anxiety. I know full well, that these my words
are conveyed to willing listeners — to those who fnlly re-
cognize their truth ; and I feel sure that you will, to the
utmost of your ability, seek to give effect to my wishes.
Over the poor and less educated classes of our brethren
in Morocco let your watchful care be exercised so far as
in you lies, so that they pay due obedience and respect
to the constituted authorities ; let them be patient under
small annoyances, but firm and reliant on their august
Sovereign, who will not fail to punish those who abuse
his commands, disregard his Edict, or venture to inflict
serious wrong upon his Jewish subjects. I trust and
believe that in such cases the ear of your august Sover-
eign will ever be open to your cry.

" May it be the will of God to remove from you all
further suffering, and to inspire your rulers with the
spirit of humanity and justice, and to grant to your
august Sovereign a long and happy reign.

" This is the heartfelt prayer of

" Yours faithfully,

"Moses Montefioee."

I^ot less practical than his religion has been his charity.
The common form of charity — that of staying at home
in one's easy-chair, and signing checks upon one's bank-
ers whenever appealed to — ^has not been the charity of
Moses Montefiore. In addition to his money, he has
taken his personal earnestness and exertions wherever
good work was to be done. It has been well observed,
that " you cannot draw checks for this sort of charity ;
bankers don't lock the article up in their strong-room ;
and dividends are not paid upon it till this world's
quarter-days are over." It comes out of the endless

248 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

wealth of a good heart, loving its fellows, and ready to
give more than its superfluity for their sake ; and where
it goes, it effects what money alone is weak to do.
Sir Moses Montefiore is as ready as he is practical.
About forty years ago, he was proposed as a candidate for
a presentation Governorship of Christ's Hospital, but was
strongly opposed by a Christian clergyman. On tin
his friends related the cause of his desiring the honor.
Some weeks previously he had been travelling by water
to his country-seat at Ramsgate, when he was accosted
on board the steamer by a man, who asked him for
pecuniary assistance. He inquired into the cause of the
man's distress, and having given him a sum of money,
appointed a day for him to call at East Cliff Lodge to
be further relieved. The next morning Sir Moses
received a letter from the same individual, stating that
being irretrievably ruined he had determined to commit
suicide, and asking the philanthropist, on whom he con-
fessed he had no claim, to care for his wife and son. In
the course of the day the writer was found dead at the
foot of the cliff. Sir Moses generously pensioned the
widow, and determined to make an effort to get the boy
into Christ's Hospital. This was the reason that he
wished to obtain a presentation Governorship, and he
was ready, in accordance with the rules of the institu-
tion, to subscribe £500 to its funds. Needless to add,
he was elected.

Of Sir Moses' courtesy and geniality many anecdotes
are related. Coming up to town in his reserved saloon
in the Ramsgate train, he would frequently offer a seat
to strangers whom he saw incommoded by the pressure
of tourists, and sometimes in London send them home
in his own carriage, walking or taking a cab himself. A

OonclMsion. 249

barrister having sent his clerk to him with a letter after
office hours, the baronet asked the boy to read to him,
and being pleased with his elocution, kept him to din-
ner, and gave him a copy of " Shakespeare." Of young
folks he has always been fond : and he possesses the
rare faculty of engaging their confidence, and making
them at home. Not many months ago he appeared at
a charity bazaar, and bought continuously a great quan-
tity of toys and trinkets, which he as continuously gave
away to the hungry-eyed youngsters who crowded round
him. At festival seasons he delighted while Lady
Montefiore was living to ask home to his hospitable house
visitors who attended his Synagogue. An instance of
his thoughtfulness is related by the late Mr. Sidney
Samuel, in his " Jewish Life in the East." Describing
his visit to Jaffa, Mr. Samuel says :

" I heard from my estimable and hospitable host of
one of those acts of politeness and kindly courtesy on
the part of Sir Moses Montefiore which contribute so
much to endear the name of one who so worthily up-
holds the dignity of Judaism to all who have the good
fortune to know him. Residing for thirteen days in
the house of my host, on the occasion of his recent visit
to the Holy Land, he noticed that the daughter of the
house, who had presented him with a beautifully em-
broidered Tephillin'^ bag, was a musician. Not con-
tent with sending the father a valuable gift, he gave the
young lady a handsome piano, and a box of musical
publications, which derive additional value from the fact
of their having belonged to the late Lady Montefiore ;
and he has since on the festive occasions of Purim kept
her supplied with the latest music."

* Phylacteries.
11*

250 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Although his brethren, from their unprotected state,
have always had the first claim on his benevolence,
Sir Moses' charity has not been confined to them. His
is almost always the first response to every appeal,
irrespective of religious differences. Not a Mansion
House list is published but it includes his name ; and
his private charity knows no sectarian limits. Last
year he sent to the Sheriffs fund for the relief of
prisoners discharged from Newgate a pound for every
year of his long life. The year before, Lord Shaftes-
bury, happening to meet the Delegate Chief Eabbi,
exclaimed, " Your great Judas Maccabeus has just sent
me £98 for my Ragged Schools !" Countless charities
are benefited in the same way. During the anxieties of
the Kusso-Jewish persecution he found time to send
£500 towards the building-fund of the City of London
College, accompanying his check with a graceful and
sympathetic letter.

His catholicity is equally exemplary. In 1865 the
cholera broke out in Smyrna, and the Jews suffering
severely, Mr. Hyde Clarke telegraphed for help to Sir
Moses Montefiore and Sir Francis Goldsmid. From
both he received telegrams empowering him to spend
a sum of money, and when their letters arrived they
were found to be couched in almost identical terms.
This is the version given by Mr. Clarke: "We have
sent you money, as you have asked, for the Jews, but
our practice in life has been to give alms without con-
sideration of race or creed. If, therefore, you find
there are others in greater distress than the Jews, we
beg you to help them rather than the Jews." Another
instance is related by Mr. Edwin Arnold. Some years
ago Mr. Arnold desired to establish a hospital at Naza-

Conclusion. 251

reth, on a piece of ground which was the very spot where
the Synagogue was built, in which Jesus stood up to
read the Scriptures. He applied to Sir Moses for assist-
ance. " Certainly," was the brief but cordial reply.
" "What will you have ? Only name the sum." He
gives subscriptions to churches and chapels, as well as
synagogues ; and he has obtained benefices for deserv-
ing clergymen. The late Archbishop Tait often visited
East Cliff; and Sir Moses generously assisted in Mrs.
Tait's charitable labors. The busts of the Archbishop
and his wife, in the latter's Orphanage at Thanet, were
presented by Sir Moses. He was a subscriber to the
Dean Stanley Memorial Fund. When he was High
Sheriff of Kent, his chaplain was the Kev. Mr. Sickle-
more, the Yicar of St. Lawrence; and since he has
resided in the county, the clergy of the various denomi-
nations have always acted as his almoners.

In Eamsgate he enjoys unbounded popularity. Dur-
ing his sixty-five years' residence in the neighborhood
he has been foremost in every work of benevolence.
Not a society has been started to which he has not sub-
scribed, and he has even assisted in building the local
churches. The schools have been an especial object of
his benevolent interest, and on more than one occasion
he has obtained holidays for the pupils, and has enter-
tained them by the thousand. The inmates of the work-
houses revere him. Until a year or two ago it was his
practice to pay them periodical visits, and he always
came loaded with articles of comfort which he person-
ally distributed among them. One of the visiting
magistrates relates that on the first occasion of his
inspecting the Union, an old lady came forward, and on
behalf of the other inmates said, " When you see Sir

252 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore.

Moses Montefiore, sir, will you convey our very grate-
ful and heartfelt thanks to him for his benevolence to
us all." On the occasion of his ninety-ninth birthday
an address written by one of the inmates was presented
" To the Eight Honorable Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart.,"
and, in acknowledgment of his " unvarying kindness to
the poor," the working-men of St. Luke's Parish pre-
sented him four years ago with a handsome Bible in
Hebrew and English. The widows and orphans of
Kamsgate fishermen are also objects of his solicitude.
His own experiences of the high seas enable him to
sympathize with those who have to brave the dangers
of the deep for a living. On his last birthday he said
earnestly to a deputation of Life-boat men, who pre-
sented him with a congratulatory address, "You are
brave fellows. "When I hear the wind blow I know you
are out in your life-boat, and I pray to God for your
safety." In 1868 the townsmen of Kamsgate subscribed
for a portrait of the benevolent baronet, which they
placed in their Town Hall. It was painted by Mr. S. A.
Hart, R.A., and represents Sir Moses attired in the cos-
tume of a Deputy-Lieutenant, standing on a hill overlook-
ing Jerusalem, with the walls of the Holy City and the
Dome of the Mosque of St. Omar in the background.
Another portrait, which hangs in the Board-room of the
Alliance Insurance Company, is by Mr. A. B. Richmond,
R.A.

On the eve of completing the hundredth year of his
life Sir Moses Montefiore is still in the enjoyment of
health, genial as ever, a cordial host, and a delightful
conversationalist. Six feet three inches in height and
stooping but slightly, he presents a striking figure to the
visitor who sees him for the first time. His attire, with

Conclusion, 253

its huge white neckcloth, ample frill and high-collared
coat, is of a period that has passed into history, but it is
still arranged with the old-world neatness and elegance
of the punctilious days of the Fourth George. But if
his dress is old-fashioned, his expression and manner are
of all time. The cordial grasp of his hand, his benign
mien, the kindness and good-humored wisdom of his
conversation are beyond the aging touch of fashion.
His interest in public affairs is still intelligent and keen,
and he is a wide reader of newspapers and periodicals.
All his letters have his personal attention, and he directs
every detail of the work of his secretaries. He has his
favorite books, and takes especial delight in Sturm's
" Reflections" and Cicero " De Senectute."

The order of his life is necessarily somewhat method-
ical. He rises at eleven, and retires to rest at nine.
During the day he sits chiefly in the bay-window of his
bedroom, which overlooks the sea ; but occasionally he
ventures into the adjoining apartment, a cheerful room,
decked with portraits of Lady Monteflore, Sir Anthony
de Rothschild, and Captain Keppel, and containing a
bust, by Weekes, of Lord Hammond. In fine weather
he drives out and visits the grave of his wife. Were he
asked to reveal the secret of his longevity he would
probably repeat the qnaint recipe of an eminent French
physiologist : " Fuir I'exces en tout ; respecter les
vieilles habitudes; respirer un air pur; approprier les
aliments a son temperament ; fair les medecines et les
medecins ; avoir le coeur tranquille, le coeur gai, I'esprit
satisfait."

Such, in brief outline, is the man who now, amid a
chorus of congratulations, is approaching the completion
of the hundredth year of his life, a life which has been

254 The Life of Sir Moses Montefiore,

pronounced from the Throne itself to have been " use-
ful and lionorable." * Future generations will doubtless
enlarge upon this Royal estimate of Sir Moses Monte-
fiore's career; but it would not conduce to historic
accuracy were the writer of these pages, in the presence
of an actuality which dwarfs so much else, to attempt
an anticipation of their verdict. That the history of
pliilanthropy will write an approving word after his
name none can doubt ; that Jewish history will devote
a large share of its fifty-seventh- century chapter to his
achievements, and to the spirit by which he has been
actuated, this faint record will show. But these are
questions with which at present we have happily noth-
ing to do. Our duty now is only to congratulate the
venerable philanthropist upon the happy anniversary
which was celebrated on the 26th October. Upon
such an occasion we cannot do better than relate to the
generation which has grown up since Moses Monte-
fiore's most active woi'k was performed the story of the
life which has earned so much of the good- will of men.
If these pages help in the performance of that duty
they will have fulfilled their purpose.

* Congratulatory telegram of the Queen on Sir Moses' ninety-
ninth birthday.

THE END.

I

DS

135

E6M78

1885

C.l

ROBA