Who indeed is there who has not heard of the Rothschilds? But how few
there are who know much of them save that they are the richest bankers
in the whole world. The subject of this sketch was the richest and most
noted of five brothers. The father, Mayer Anselm Rothschild, sprung from
a poor Jewish family, and was a clerk in Hanover before establishing
himself at Frankfort. At Hanover it is claimed that his integrity and
ability became so marked in every position to which he was called that
the attention of the Government was called thereto.
After the great French victory of Jena, Napoleon decreed that the
Governor of Hesse-Cassel should have his lands and property confiscated.
The order was no sooner given than a French army was on its way to carry
the edict into effect. The Elector William, before his flight from
Hesse-Cassel, deposited with the father of the subject of this sketch
$5,000,000, without interest, for safe keeping. There was no luck about
this; it was a most difficult undertaking at that time. Any one who had
been found with this money would have lost his life. For Rothschild to
invest it so that he could make money from its use was his object; to do
so safely and secretly required a good business tact. The Elector, it is
said, studied sometime before he decided to whom he could intrust this
vast sum during his absence. Thus it is seen that as Rothschild came of
poor parents, and was simply a clerk. It was not so much luck in his
case as strict integrity and the determination he manifested to master
everything he undertook. This Rothschild had five sons, and by the aid
of these, through different bankers, he succeeded by good management to
lay a foundation upon which has been built that colossal fortune which
the sons have accumulated. This money, belonging to the Elector, they
had the benefit of until 1828, when the whole was paid over to the heirs
of the original owner with two per cent. interest for a portion of the
time. Of the five brothers, Anselm was situated at Frankfort, Solomon at
Vienna, Charles at Naples, James at Paris, and Nathan at London. The two
ablest financiers were James and Nathan, and of these two Nathan was the
superior. His son was the first Jew that ever sat in the English
Parliament. It has been said that the fundamental rule of this great
banking-house was "To sell when people desired to buy, and buy when
people wished to sell." It is related of Nathan Mayer Rothschild that,
all day long, at the battle of Waterloo, he hung about the skirts of the
two armies, waiting to see how the battle turned. Toward night of that
memorable day, the clouds of smoke lifting, revealed the French army in
full and disastrous retreat. Rothschild took in the situation at once.
True to his instincts, he saw in that awful carnage only the shimmer of
his gold. Chance had overcome the most heroic valor, the most stubborn
resistance, the best laid plans, and once more declared in the Hebrew's
favor. He dashed into Brussels, whence a carriage in waiting whirled him
into Ostend. At dawn he stood on the Belgian coast, against which the
sea was madly breaking. He offered five, six, eight, ten hundred francs
to be carried over to England. The mariners feared the storm; but a
bolder fisherman, upon promise of twenty-five hundred francs, undertook
the hazardous voyage. Before sunset Rothschild landed at Dover; and
engaging the swiftest horses, rode with the wind to London. What a
superb special correspondent he would have made! The merchants and
bankers were dejected; the funds were depressed; a dense fog hung over
the city; English spirits had sunk to their lowest ebb. On the morning
of the 20th, the cunning and grasping Nathan appeared at the Stock
Exchange, an embodiment of gloom. He mentioned, confidentially, of
course, to his familiar that Blucher, at the head of his vast army of
veterans, had been defeated by Napoleon, at Ligny, on the 16th and 17th,
and there could be no hope for Wellington, with his comparatively small
and undisciplined force. This was half true, and like all half-truths,
was particularly calculated to deceive. Rothschild was a leader among
trading reynards. His doleful whisper spread as the plague--poisoning
faith everywhere. The funds tumbled like an aerolite. Public and private
opinion wilted before the simoon of calamitous report. It was 'Black
Friday' anticipated in Lombard Street. The crafty Israelite bought,
through his secret agents, all the consols, bills, and notes, for which
he could raise money.
Not before the afternoon of the 21st--nearly forty eight hours after the
battle--did the news of Wellington's victory reach London through the
regular channels. Rothschild was at the Exchange half an hour before the
glad tidings were made public, and imparted them to a crowd of greedy
listeners. The Bourse was buoyant. Everything went up more rapidly than
it had gone down. England was happy--as well she might be--for she had
stumbled into the greatest triumph in her history. When bankers and
merchants shook hands with the Hebrew speculator, they noticed--though
they did not understand--an unusual warmth of pressure. It was not
rejoicing with the nation; it was the imaginary clutch of six millions
more of gold. Thus it is seen that the great wealth of the Rothschild
was not always used to the best advantage of mankind as a Christian
would argue; but a promise given by a Rothschild was as good as his
note.
Their immense wealth has greatly aided, at different times, all and
singular, the various European countries. A favorite investment with
them has been loans to the different Governments throughout the world.
During twelve years of their business experience they loaned to
different European Monarchies over $400,000,000. When it is considered
that this was but one division of their business, something of an idea
of its magnitude can be imagined. An amusing story is told of Nathan
which will be of interest to some of our readers, and enable them to see
how fertile was his mind in emergencies.
Anselm, the brother at Frankfort, drew on Nathan, of London, for a large
amount, and the bill was presented to the Bank of England to be
discounted. The bank officials refused, saying, "We do not discount
bills drawn on private persons; we recognize only our own paper."
"Private persons!" exclaimed Nathan Rothschild when the interview was
reported to him, "I will show them what kind of private persons we are."
Three weeks afterwards, Nathan Rothschild,--who had employed the
interval in collecting all the five-pound notes he could buy on the
continent, or in England--presented himself at the bank on the opening
of the office. He drew from his pocket-book a five-pound note, and they
counted him out in exchange five gold sovereigns, at the same time
looking quite astonished that the Baron Rothschild should have
personally troubled himself for such a trifle. The Baron examined the
pieces one by one, and having put them in a little canvas bag, proceeded
to draw out another five-pound note, then another, and another and so
on. He never put the pieces of gold into the bag without scrupulously
examining them, in some instances weighing in his balance, as, he said,
"the law gave him the right to do." The first pocket-book being emptied
and the first bag full of coins, he passed them to his clerk, and
received a second, and thus continued to the closing of the bank. The
Baron had employed seven hours to exchange twenty-one thousand pounds.
But as he also had nine employes of his house engaged in the same
manner, it resulted that the house of Rothschild had drawn over
$1,000,000 from the bank. He had drawn gold exclusively, and so occupied
the bank employes that no one else could do any business.
The bankers the first day were very much amused at "This display of
eccentricity." They, however, laughed less the next day when they beheld
Rothschild on hand early, flanked by his nine clerks.
They laughed no longer when they heard the irate banker say, "These
gentlemen refused to pay my bills; I have sworn not to keep theirs. They
can pay at their leisure; only I hereby notify them that I have enough
to employ them two months!" Two months! Fifty-five million dollars in
gold drawn from the Bank of England which was more gold than they had to
pay! The bank was now thoroughly alarmed. Something must be done, and
the next morning notice appeared in all the papers that henceforth the
Bank of England would pay Rothschild's bills as well as its own.
From anecdotes one can often learn much of the inner life and thoughts
of people, and much can be seen of the real character of the subject of
this sketch from the above story. This Napoleon of Finance died in
1836.
_"The man who seeks one thing in life, and but one,
May hope to achieve it before life be done;
But he who seeks all things, wherever he goes,
Only reaps from the hopes which around him he sows
A harvest of barren regrets."_
[Illustration: From Obscurity To Great Honor.]