1849-1852.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT EXHIBITION--FRESH MEASURES
AGAINST THE RUSSIAN JEWS--COMPLAINTS FROM ROME--NEWS
FROM DAMASCUS--BARON LIONEL DE ROTHSCHILD
TAKES THE OATH ON THE OLD TESTAMENT--SIR MOSES
INTERVIEWS LOUIS NAPOLEON AT THE ELYSEE--THE
EXHIBITION.
From the 16th of September to the 16th of October Sir Moses spent
his time partly in Ramsgate and partly in London, pursuing his usual
occupations. He continued to attend the meetings of various financial
companies and associations of communal and educational interest. He
also devoted much time to political matters, expressing his opinions
lucidly to his friends, although to strangers he would usually protest
that he was no politician. As a rule he would either read or have read
to him most of the political leaders in the daily papers. At this
period he received a copy of the pamphlet written by his nephew, Mr
Arthur Cohen, Q.C., and entitled "A few Arguments in favour of the Jews
Bill." Sir Moses spoke very highly of the ability displayed by Mr Cohen
in this pamphlet, as well as in a letter he had received from him at
the same time on the subject of religion.
During this month they undertook two journeys to
Frankfort-on-the-Maine, one for the purpose of consulting with his
friends there on the subject of the Damascus inscription, and the other
in compliance with an invitation from Baroness Charlotte and Baron
Anselm de Rothschild to the wedding of their daughter with Baron Willie
de Rothschild.
On his return to London, one of his first acts in the cause of
education was the gift of a hundred guineas to the "Merchant Taylors"
for a medal to the best Hebrew scholar, and in grateful remembrance
of past services he was able to offer Mr Richard Wood, Her Britannic
Majesty's Consul at Damascus, a cadetship at Addiscombe for his nephew,
whilst his remittances to charitable institutions, and the forwarding
of medical supplies to Dr Fränkel, in Jerusalem, for the dispensary,
showed that he was ever mindful of the requirements of the needy.
We now come to the year 1850, the first two months of which Sir Moses
devoted to making selections from papers he had received during his
stay in Damascus, relative to the removal of the infamous inscription
in the Capuchin Church, and when he had completed the work, he called
on Lord Palmerston to request his assistance in the matter.
On that occasion he also conveyed to his Lordship the sincere gratitude
of the Russian and Polish Jews in the Holy Land for having been
received under the protection of the English Government, the Czar
having granted the necessary permission. Lord Palmerston promised
to write to Lord Normanby on the subject as soon as Sir Moses had
furnished him with further particulars, and, as a matter of fact,
had already informed one of the consuls, who had interfered with the
religious observances of the Jews, that such conduct was against the
wishes of the English Government.
In March he was present at a grand dinner given by the Lord Mayor to
the Mayors of the several towns and other cities in connection with the
Grand Exhibition of the Industries of all Nations. Prince Albert was
in the chair; there were three hundred persons present, and the Prince
made a good speech. Sir Moses contributed £100 towards the object in
view.
In the same month he attended a meeting of the Elders, to inform them
of an invitation he had received from the Great Synagogue in reference
to the establishment of a West-End branch, towards which, under certain
conditions, he and Lady Montefiore offered to contribute £500.
A few days later he was present at the Mogador Committee, when it was
agreed to send 500 dollars for the relief of the poor.
At the end of the month of May he was much disturbed by the issue of a
Ukase against the Jews of Moldavia and Wallachia, ordering all those
who had hitherto dwelt in the villages to quit the same without delay
and remove to the towns.
An appeal, signed by a great number of Moldavian and Wallachian Jews,
had been forwarded to him, in which they said that, apart from the
considerations that they had committed no wrong justifying so severe
a decree as that of their expulsion from the villages, many thousands
of their brethren would be cut off from the possibility of earning a
livelihood, and would thus become reduced to penury. Their religion,
they said, would be looked upon with derision and scorn; and all
the accusations and calumnies which their enemies had ever raised
against them in justification of this harsh measure were fictions and
fabrications of their own. "We implore you," they wrote, "give ear to
the supplication of your brethren, and intercede in our behalf, that
the decree in question may not be put in execution."
About the same time distressing accounts reached him from the Jews
at Rome. The supplicants said: "We are now more oppressed than ever;
no Christian is allowed to be in a Jew's house, either as servant or
companion. The Pope will receive neither an address nor a deputation
from the Jews."
This was the same Sovereign Pontiff to whom an address of deep
gratitude had been presented for his kind and humane treatment of the
Jews.
"Wait on the Lord, and keep His way," said Sir Moses, in the words of
the Royal Psalmist; "better days will yet come."
In June Sir Moses dined at the Merchant Taylors' Hall, where he met Sir
Robert Peel, Lord Hardinge, Lord Salisbury, the Bishop of Oxford, and
Mr Gladstone. In reply to inquiries made by some of these gentlemen, he
took the opportunity of communicating the information he had received
from Moldavia and Rome.
Lady Montefiore states in her Diary that she fulfilled this month the
promise she made to the Duchess of Leinster, in presenting Her Grace
with two plants of the cedars of Lebanon, which she had brought from
the spot.
In July the labours of Sir Moses in connection with the Exhibition
commenced, and he presided over a large meeting of the City Committee
at the Mansion House for carrying into effect the scheme of the "Great
Exhibition of the Industries of all Nations in the year 1851."
News arrived from Damascus, this time of a very gratifying character,
and Sir Moses lost no time in communicating the same to the morning
papers. It appeared that Osman Bey had, by order of the Sultan,
remodelled the Council at Damascus, which, up to that moment, had
consisted exclusively of Moslems to the number of twelve, and had
formed a new Divan of Moslem, Catholic, Greek, and Jewish members.
He invited the Chief Rabbi to summon a meeting of the leading members
of his community, and to elect a person of integrity and talent as a
representative to attend the Council, and the choice fell on Solomon
Farhhi, one of the sufferers in the lamentable affair of 1840.
During the same month he had the opportunity of witnessing in England
another step towards the emancipation of the Jews. "Baron Lionel and
Baron Anthony de Rothschild," says an entry in the diary of July 26th,
"and others, came into the Lobby of the House of Commons. Baron Lionel
went with J. Abel Smith to the Voting Office. At two the Speaker went
into the House to prayers; in a few minutes afterwards we were admitted
under the Gallery, Mr Smith having put our names down. Baron Lionel de
Rothschild, introduced by Mr John Abel Smith and Mr Page Wood, appeared
at the Table of the House, and requested to take the oath on the Old
Testament; he was very much cheered, but was desired to withdraw, when
Sir Harry Inglis moved a resolution to refuse his request. A long and
most interesting debate then followed, and at nearly four the question
was adjourned till Monday, at twelve o'clock. Mr Bernal Osborne, Mr
Page Wood, Mr Joseph Hume, and several others spoke in our favour, and
many against, but none with any bitterness."
_July 29th._--"Baron Lionel was permitted to take the oaths on the
Old Testament by a majority of 54, the numbers being 113 for, and 59
against."
This gratifying event was now the general topic of conversation among
members of the House, and the Jews were delighted at the result.
_November 7th._--Sir Moses again attended a meeting of the Committee of
the Great Exhibition at the Mansion House, was called to the chair, and
received a vote of thanks.
Subsequently he went to the Guildhall to take the oath of qualification
for the City Lieutenancy, the Lord Mayor having remained for the
purpose, and he then proceeded to Ramsgate.
On December 16th he had an interview with Lord Palmerston, who gave him
the promised letter to Lord Normanby, the English Ambassador at Paris;
and on the 24th of December Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore proceeded to
the French capital, with the object of obtaining an audience of the
President of the Republic to solicit the removal of the inscription in
the Church of the Capuchins at Damascus.
On his arrival at Paris he was well received by Lord Normanby, who
thought that the inscription might be replaced by another, Sir Moses
observing that this would quite satisfy the Jews there. General
Lafitte, who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs, also granted Sir
Moses an interview, and advised him to wait a few weeks, as he was
expecting a report from the French Consul-General at Damascus on that
very subject. Meanwhile, through the good offices of Lord Normanby, Sir
Moses obtained the coveted private audience with Louis Napoleon at the
Elysée, and gives the following description of it in his diary:--
"He received me most graciously, said that Lord Normanby had apprised
him of my wishes, and that he was glad to see me; asked me to be
seated, and sat down himself. I requested his permission to read him
my address. He listened to it with the utmost attention, and several
times intimated his approval of the sentiments. When I had concluded he
said, 'I am sensibly affected by your address; I will give immediate
instructions, and write very strongly. I am very happy in having it in
my power to serve the cause of truth.'"
The words of the then powerful President of the French Republic could
certainly not have been more satisfactory, and Sir Moses had every
reason to be pleased with the result of his audience.
Before leaving Paris he had an opportunity of seeing Monsieur E. de
Valbesen, the French Consul, who had just arrived from Damascus. That
gentleman, however, did not give Sir Moses the information which he had
so much at heart, and which would have interested him most.
Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore now returned to Ramsgate for a few days'
rest, and then proceeded to London, where Sir Moses, who had been
appointed Chairman of the Fine Arts Section of the Great Exhibition,
had many committee meetings to attend.
On January 20th they paid their first visit to the Exhibition, which
was not nearly completed. In his zeal for the promotion of the welfare
of the Holy City, and with the object of drawing the attention of the
public to the superior talents of his co-religionists in Palestine, Sir
Moses exhibited two beautiful vases executed by Mordechai Schnitzer of
Jerusalem, and consented to the request of Messrs Mortimer & Hunt of
New Bond Street to allow the silver testimonial (produced by them from
a design of Sir George Hayter) presented to him and Lady Montefiore on
their return from Damascus to be also shown.
At this time a Committee was appointed by Parliament to investigate
the subject of divorce. Sir Moses, ever watchful, called on the
Chairman, Dr Lushington, and requested him to afford the Chief Rabbi an
opportunity of expressing an opinion on the subject, in the event of
the interests of the Jews being in any way affected by the measure to
be brought before Parliament. This Dr Lushington promised to do, adding
that if any Bill were introduced he should recommend that the Jews be
exempted therefrom. Sir Moses referred to Lord Lyndhurst's Act, but Dr
Lushington gave it as his opinion that the Jews were not affected by
it; upon which Sir Moses observed that the Registrar-General thought
differently, and would not grant a certificate.
_March 4th._--A cry for help reached his ears from Suram in Georgia,
a province of the Caucasus, the Hebrew community in that place having
unfortunately been exposed to great suffering in consequence of an
unfounded accusation brought against them. They now appealed to him
to intercede in their behalf with the Russian Government. He lost no
time in going to Baron Brunnow, who suggested that Sir Moses should
write a letter to Prince Woronzow, the Governor-General of Georgia,
and undertook to forward the same through Lady Pembroke. Sir Moses
accordingly prepared an address to the Prince, which he submitted to
the Count for his approval. The latter read it, and promised that he
would himself write in support of the good cause. A few months later
Sir Moses received a reply from Prince Woronzow (dated Tiflis, May 14),
conveying to him the assurance that his request had been complied with,
that the persecutions had ceased, and that the Jews had nothing more to
complain of.
_May 1st._--Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore went to the opening of the
Exhibition. The building was already very full on their arrival, but
Lady Montefiore secured a good seat. The Queen and the Prince entered
at twelve. The procession was a splendid one, and the Palace presented
a magnificent scene. The ceremony passed off extremely well, without
the slightest hitch, to the great delight of the spectators. Sir Moses'
attention was drawn to the Russian Division of the Exhibition, where an
apparatus was exhibited for ascertaining the value of gold and silver
coins and other metals without the use of fire or chemical analysis,
also to a calculating machine for simple and compound addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, and extraction of square and
cubic roots, both invented by Israel Abraham Staffel of Warsaw. Being
most anxious to befriend so clever a young man, he at once invited him
to his house, and after impressing upon him the necessity of raising
and maintaining the standard of education in Russia and Poland among
his co-religionists, made him a handsome present.
During his visit to the Exhibition, representations were made to him
regarding the desirability of exempting his co-religionists from
signing their names on Saturday when entering the building, writing
being prohibited on the Sabbath, and he at once applied to Captain
Elderton, who promised to entertain the request.
The same day he went to the House of Commons, where he had the
satisfaction of hearing the Emancipation Bill read a second time and
passed by a majority, though only a very small one, there being 202 for
the Bill and 176 against it.
In June he gives evidence of his generosity by presenting two of
his young friends, on being taken into partnership by the head of a
business firm, with a sum of £500, accompanied by his best wishes for
their prosperity.
In appreciation of the services which Sir Robert Peel had rendered to
the country, Sir Moses took a great interest in a proposal for the
erection of a statue to him, and gave his vote in favour of the model
by Mr Henry Weekes.
Fully justified in his hopes of continued progress in political matters
affecting the Jews in England, he now again turned his attention to
the Holy Land, and to a scheme which had been occupying his mind some
considerable time.
It had long been his ardent desire to establish a hospital in
Jerusalem, and as the maintenance of such an institution necessitated
considerable capital, he entered into correspondence with his friends
on the subject, spent several hundred pounds in having proper plans
drawn up by English and foreign architects, and consulted medical
authorities in the large hospitals respecting various modern
improvements which had been introduced. Count Pizzamano, the Austrian
Consul at Jerusalem, also took a lively interest in the scheme, and
promised to assist Sir Moses to his utmost.
During July and September he and Lady Montefiore visited Plymouth,
Exeter, and Yarmouth, and on October the 15th we find them again
in London at the closing of the Exhibition. "We were there," says
Sir Moses, "at half-past nine; secured capital seats. The ceremony
commenced at twelve, and was concluded before one. Prince Albert, the
Bishop of London, and Lord Canning were the only persons who spoke;
there was a large orchestra, and many singers; the building was very
full."
On November the 11th he records in his Diary the loss he sustained by
the death of an old and esteemed friend, Matthias Attwood, who was one
of the original founders of the Imperial Continental Gas Association.
He was often the subject of Sir Moses' conversation in connection with
financial operations; and his portrait, to which he used to call the
attention of his visitors, was conspicuously placed near the entrance
to the Gothic library at East Cliff. In the course of the same day Mr
Gladstone introduced to him Lieutenant Pym, who was going in search of
Sir John Franklin, and Sir Moses made him a present of some beautiful
furs.
During the year 1852 he devoted much time to important meetings in his
own community, and on the 3rd of May accompanied the Chief Rabbi to
Manchester for similar communal purposes.
A few days later, Dr Thompson of Beyrout came to inform him that he was
on his way to Constantinople to obtain a firman for a railway route
by the Euphrates Valley to India, and that he then proposed forming a
company for the purpose under Colonel Chesney. Sir Moses understanding
that an easy road would then be made from Aleppo to Damascus, thence to
Safed and other places in the Holy Land, felt much interested in the
scheme, and promised to communicate with his friends on the subject.
_May 17th._--He gave a large dinner party in honour of the Lord Mayor,
and in the course of the evening took the opportunity of conversing
with several gentlemen present on the subject of Colonel Chesney's
proposed railway scheme.