1848.
THE POLISH AND RUSSIAN JEWS AND THE QUESTION OF
AGRICULTURE--THE JEWISH DISABILITIES IN PARLIAMENT
AGAIN--THE CHARTIST RIOTS--SIR MOSES AND
LADY MONTEFIORE DEPART FOR THE HOLY LAND--ABSURD
CHARGE BROUGHT AGAINST THEM--THEIR RETURN
TO ENGLAND.
In the early part of the year 1848 Sir Moses was occupied with
the question of agriculture in Poland and Russia, and had several
interviews with Baron Brunnow on the subject. A plan, drawn up by Mr
Posener of Warsaw, in connection with the tenancy, treatment, and
improvement of farms, fields, and estates generally in the dominions
of the Czar, was submitted by Sir Moses to the Ambassador, who fully
approved of it.
At home his interest was centered in the Bill for the removal of Jewish
disabilities, which was read a second time on the night of the 11th
February, and passed by a majority of 73, there having been 277 for
and 204 against it. Sir Robert Peel, in his memorable speech on this
occasion, spoke in most flattering terms of Sir Moses.
Lady Montefiore's interest in politics was also much sustained by
her regular interchange of visits with Mrs Disraeli, who was a near
neighbour.
_April 9th._--In consequence of the threatening Chartist riots, much
alarm was felt at the meeting of the rioters which was convened for the
morrow, and it was found necessary to take measures for the protection
of the Bank of England, the parapet of which was lined and covered with
sand-bags, to form a breast-work.
_April 10th._--Sir Moses was at Mount Street at half-past eight this
morning. Mr Graham, a magistrate, was in attendance, and remained
with him till three, swearing in about 450 special constables. "It
has been," he says, "a day of much anxiety for the public peace, but,
thank God! the Chartists' meeting has proved a complete failure." At
three o'clock he went to the Alliance and the Irish Bank, where all the
clerks had been sworn in; some were to remain till late in the evening.
Sir Moses returned afterwards to Mount Street, where he remained till
five.
_May 11th._--Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore attended the first
Drawing-Room of the season.
_May 25th._--Sir Moses proceeded to the House of Lords. "Sir Augustus
Clifford," he writes, "was so good as to procure for me a place at
the Bar, and at six o'clock a place near the Throne. The debate for
the removal of Jewish disabilities lasted till half-past one. It was
a painful excitement. The majority against us was thirty-five, much
greater than was expected."
The Duke of Cambridge, on that occasion, although one of the opponents
of the Bill from conscientious motives, made a speech in which he
expressed himself favourably towards the character of the Jews in
general, and more especially towards that of Sir Moses.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, however, also from conscientious
motives, supported the Bill. The course taken by the latter prince, it
may be observed, has been amply justified by the experience of the last
forty years. In this country, as well as in all others where Jews have
been admitted into the legislature, their presence has unquestionably
had no unfavourable effect on the administration of the law.
On the 7th of July Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore made a little
excursion to Scotland, and on their return to town attended a soirée
at the Marquis of Salisbury's. Whilst they were passing the evening
here, visitors of a different description had availed themselves of
the temporary absence of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore to effect
an entrance into the drawing-room at Park Lane, whence the thieves
succeeded in abstracting every article of gold and silver, as well as
the Hamburg medal and many other valuable testimonials and mementoes.
In November they took an active part on a Committee which had been
formed in Ramsgate, for providing relief for one hundred and sixty
emigrants who had been saved from the ship _Burgundy_, and in December
they provided one hundred of the London poor with blankets, again
sent medical supplies from Apothecaries' Hall to their dispensary in
Jerusalem, and visited the London Hospital and several other charitable
institutions.
The reader will probably remember that in the year 1840, when Sir Moses
appealed to Cardinal Riverola, head of the Capuchins in Rome, for the
removal of the libellous and malicious epitaph in the Church of the
Capuchins at Damascus, respecting the supposed murder of Padre Tomaso,
His Eminence promised him his aid; but the events of Deir-el-Kámár and
Damascus having given undoubted evidence of the spirit of hatred and
persecution which still filled the hearts of the people, Sir Moses
entertained serious doubts as to the fulfilment of that promise, and
resolved to go there himself to ascertain the actual state of affairs.
The French Government having so forcibly expressed their disbelief
in the accusations brought against the Jews, and having so severely
censured the Agent of the French Consulate in Damascus, he thought,
in the event of the epitaph in question being still in existence, he
might now be able, with the assistance of the French Government and the
Cardinal, to get it removed.
Independently of his own feelings on the matter, he was desirous of
complying with the urgent prayer of the representatives of the Hebrew
community at Damascus, who addressed several letters to him on that
subject. "We have reason," they wrote, "to be greatly distressed on
account of this epitaph, as by it the feelings of hatred and revenge
entertained by Christians towards Jews may be perpetuated through
coming generations. Whosoever sees the inscription is filled with
hatred and indignation against Israel."
Many important meetings which he, as President of the Board of
Deputies of the Congregation of British Jews, had to attend, and
various engagements of communal interest, prevented Sir Moses and Lady
Montefiore leaving England before May the 16th.
This delay, however, was productive of considerable pleasure to them,
inasmuch as they were thereby enabled to receive the congratulations
of their friends on the result of the debate in the House of Commons
respecting the second reading of the Oaths Bill (May 7). The numbers
were--For, 278; against, 185; majority, 93.
Accompanied by Colonel Gawler, a gentleman who took a great interest in
the colonisation of the Holy Land, and had published several valuable
papers on the subject, and by the Rev. Emanuel Myers, they left Dover
for Calais, reaching Marseilles on the 24th of May and Alexandria on
the 5th of June.
There Sir Moses sent the Admiral's letter to Captain John Foote of the
_Rosamond_, who invited him on board his ship the next day to meet
Said Pasha. His Highness received Sir Moses very kindly, and expressed
pleasure on meeting him again.
They left Alexandria on June 14th on board the steamer _Le Caire_,
arriving at Beyrout on the 16th, where they entered the Lazaretto for
twelve days.
Sir Moses presented Lord Palmerston's letter to Mr Niven Moore, Her
Britannic Majesty's Consul General, who assured him of his readiness
to assist him in the object of his journey to Damascus. Deputations
arrived from all parts of the Holy Land, and especially from Damascus,
offering their greetings of welcome and their services, but it was
found desirable, in order to avoid any unnecessary excitement, to
request the representatives of the deputations to return to their
respective towns and await the arrival of Sir Moses there.
Dr Fränkel, the doctor in charge of Sir Moses' dispensary at Jerusalem,
was sent for to accompany the party to Damascus, and letters were
written to the four Holy Cities, viz., Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and
Safed, apprising the communities of the arrival of the travellers.
They passed twelve days in quarantine, not altogether without anxiety
on account of Lady Montefiore, who was confined to her apartments for
several days by illness. The heat of the weather was very oppressive,
and the presence of the graves of some unfortunate travellers who died
whilst in quarantine, affected their spirits very much, and conjured up
gloomy reflections.
One morning a very large black snake was killed close to the door of
their house. It measured six feet ten inches in length, and its bite
would have been fatal. They were told that great numbers of them might
sometimes be seen in the grounds of the Lazaretto.
Happily the number of letters which required their attention, and the
frequent calls from their friends, did not allow them to remain long in
this desponding state.
_June 19th._--Colonel Moore communicated to them some news which
afforded them much pleasure. The Emperor of Russia had conceded to
all his subjects in the Holy Land, whose passports had expired, the
right of placing themselves under British protection, which, in fact,
was allowing them to become British subjects. The British Government
had approved of the measure, and at this moment, the Consul said, the
Russians and Poles in Syria might, if they chose, be British subjects.
_June 27th._--They left the Lazaretto, proceeding to Damascus, where
they arrived on July 3rd, taking up their quarters in the house of
Isaac Haim Farhhi.
Her Majesty's Consul, Mr (now Sir) Richard Wood, was foremost in his
attention to them. The members of the Hebrew community were rejoiced
beyond description on seeing those who had made so many sacrifices for
them; but, while these manifested their great happiness, there were
others, still under the influence of the ancient prejudice against the
Hebrews, who could not suppress their chagrin at the presence of Sir
Moses and Lady Montefiore in Damascus.
Sir Moses being desirous of ascertaining for himself whether the
objectional inscription was still in existence, repaired to the Church
of the Capuchins, where, to his great sorrow, he saw the stone,
bearing the inscription in Italian and Arabic. He immediately had it
copied in the presence of Fratre Giovannida Termini Pref^o. dei Mis F.
Cappucciai, and Fr. Domenico de Sewazzo Mis F. Apos^co. Cappño, and
determined to return, with as little delay as possible, to England, in
order to appeal to the English Government, and, through them, to the
French and Turkish Governments, for the removal of the tablet.
History affords many examples of fanaticism, but never has there been
one more scurrilous and malicious than this. It has been repeated
from father to son, and has insensibly become an accepted tradition.
Every possible endeavour, Sir Moses thought, should be used to prevent
history being tarnished by this new proof of falsehood and defamation.
Great was the anger of the people when they heard of his having been in
the church and procured a copy of the epitaph. It was reported that the
French authorities intended to celebrate a grand mass in commemoration
of the death of Padre Tomaso, which they would attend in uniform and in
their official character.
Sir Moses had frequent interviews with the principal Jewish
inhabitants, and arranged with them to have some new Jewish girls'
schools.
_Sunday, July 7th._--They left Damascus and directed their course to
Safed, where they arrived on the 15th inst. Here they encamped in
tents till the 18th, then proceeded to Tiberias, where they accepted
the hospitality of Mr Abulafia. On Friday they set out for Nazareth,
remaining there over Sabbath and Sunday. Here a most serious incident
happened, for, in the middle of the night of Saturday, they heard a
terrible yelling and shouting near their tent; a woman was howling
dreadfully at the loss of her child, which she said the Jews had
murdered for religious purposes. Fortunately the child was soon found,
and the Governor took immediate steps to punish severely the persons
who had attempted to bring against Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore an
accusation like that brought against the innocent Jews of Damascus.
They left Nablous and went to Jerusalem, where they arrived on the
26th, remaining there for a week.
They paid a visit to Hebron for three days, returning again to
Jerusalem, and from there directed their course to Jaffa, and embarked
on board the _Grand Turk_ for Beyrout, where they arrived on Friday,
August 10th, taking apartments at the Hotel de Bellevue, to wait for
the arrival of the steamer _Le Caire_.
During their sojourn in Beyrout, among the numerous visitors who called
on them was Colonel Churchill, who was dressed as an Arab chief; he
purposed making a tour in the mountains, and then publishing an account
of his travels. Mr Moore, the English Consul, paid them long visits,
and assured them that the Jews should receive every protection. Sir
Moses spoke to him of the dread which the Jews of Tiberias had of
increased taxation, and also of the missionaries at Jerusalem.
_August 14th._--Signor Finzi, the British Consular Agent at Acre, who
had made the journey expressly to see him and Lady Montefiore, paid
them a visit. He was a very good and charitable, but not a wealthy man,
whom they had seen ten years previously, when they visited the Holy
Land the second time. He received no salary from the English Government
for the reason, one may suppose, that there are too many in Syria who
would be glad to serve in that capacity, even if they had to pay the
Government for it, on account of the honour which the office confers
upon them. Sir Moses, in appreciation of his services, requested his
acceptance of a valuable uniform with gold embroidery and large gold
buttons. The reader will perhaps smile at the choice of this present,
but those who know the East, and the importance a military dress there
imparts to the wearer, will understand the motive Sir Moses had in
enabling a good man without means, who was a co-religionist and an
English official, to appear on grand occasions as well dressed as other
Consuls.
The weather being very hot and oppressive, Sir Moses thought it would
strengthen him to take a little trip on the water, and invited Signor
Finzi to accompany him in a small boat with four men and Ibrahim the
cook, to the mouth of the Nahr-el Kelb, a distance of seven miles by
sea, and nine or ten miles by land. Colonel M. Gawler had gone there in
the morning to copy the Assyrian inscription.
Though the boat was small and there was a heavy swell, the voyage was
pleasant enough until they endeavoured to enter the river, when by
some mistake they took the wrong channel, and the boat grounded in the
surf, and the waves threatened to overwhelm it. All the men jumped into
the water, and two of them seized Sir Moses and carried him on to dry
ground. He was greatly alarmed, but with the assistance of Signor Finzi
happily escaped with the fright and the wetting.
The Colonel soon joined them, and then proceeded to view the
inscriptions, of which however he could only make out that the figure
was dedicated to the Emperor Antonius. I myself had visited this spot
ten years previously, and made a rough sketch of the tablet and figure
at the time. The "Nahr-el Kelb" is known to the student of ancient
history by the name of Lycus, the "river of the wolf or dog," whose
bark could be heard as far as Cyprus. It is of great interest to the
archæologist. The view of the river when coming from Beyrout is very
beautiful. A bridge of three arches is built across it, and there are
three high and imposing rocks in the immediate vicinity; to the left of
the bridge several waterfalls are visible between the foliage of the
trees, and the scenery is altogether very grand. After crossing at the
ford called Nahr Antelias, the traveller comes to Ras Nahr-el-Kelb;
here the guides generally direct the attention of the traveller to the
top of the promontory, where they allege a colossal figure of a dog
used in former ages to stand on a kind of pedestal hewn out of the
rock. During a tempest the figure was hurled into the sea, and a piece
of rock is shown under the water, bearing a resemblance to a dog, and
which, they say, is part of the very figure once standing on the top of
the rock.
Sir Moses enjoyed the little excursion, and returned to Beyrout in good
spirits.
_August 16th._--After entrusting Signor Finzi with his offering for
the poor at Haifa and Acre, and forwarding £537 to Jerusalem on behalf
of the Hebrew community of Warsaw, Sir Moses bade farewell to his
friends and left for Alexandria, Malta, and Marseilles, where they kept
quarantine. Sir Moses was suffering from indisposition, caused by the
great heat of the weather, and was made very uncomfortable by hearing
that every one who could was preparing to leave Marseilles on account
of the cholera, which was raging fearfully in the town. His anxiety
was relieved by Clot Bey, first physician to Mohammad Ali Pasha, who
assured Sir Moses that he was quite free from fever, and would soon
be better. Clot Bey was most kind, coming to see Sir Moses as often
as possible until his recovery, and when they left the Lazaretto, he
presented Lady Montefiore with some Egyptian antiquities, with which
she was greatly pleased. Clot Bey promised to pay them a visit in
Ramsgate, where the Egyptian souvenir he gave to Lady Moses is still
preserved in her cabinet at the Judith College, among other antique
treasures. During the short stay of Sir Moses at Marseilles he made
it a point of visiting the gasworks of the company of which he was a
director, and so acquainting himself fully with the working of the
establishment. At the hour for divine service he went to the house of
prayer to return thanks to God for his safe return from the East; and
last, though not least, he felt it his duty to pay a visit to an old
invalid aunt, Miss Lydia Montefiore, whom he did not know, and who did
not remember him. Although very aged and in bad health, she was in good
spirits. She chatted with Sir Moses for a long time, and showed him
a portrait of his grandmother, Esther Hannah Montefiore, taken when
she was a young woman. Miss Montefiore assured Sir Moses that she had
always endeavoured to follow the example of her parents, and would
live and die a Jewess. She sent her blessing and good wishes to Lady
Montefiore, who sent her a handsome souvenir in return.
The travellers soon left Marseilles, and arrived in Paris on the 11th
September. Sir Moses called on the Ambassador, Lord Normanby, on the
President of the Consistoire, the Chief Rabbi, the different members of
the Rothschild family, and some of his own near relatives who happened
to be in Paris. They all took a great interest in the exertions of Sir
Moses and Lady Montefiore for the benefit of their co-religionists, and
Sir Moses was glad of an opportunity to tell them of the result, and to
enlist their sympathy still more for the good cause.
After a short stay in Paris, they continued their journey to England,
and soon arrived in Folkestone, where they found Mrs Gawler, who had
come to meet her husband. Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore here bade adieu
to the Colonel and Mrs Gawler, as they were anxious to go to Ramsgate
as quickly as possible. Immediately after their arrival there they
attended divine service in their own Synagogue, to thank God for their
safe return home.