1837.
DEATH OF MR MONTEFIORE'S UNCLE--MR MONTEFIORE RIDES IN THE LORD
MAYOR'S PROCESSION--IS KNIGHTED--HIS SPEECH AT THE LORD MAYOR'S
BANQUET--PRESENTS PETITION ON BEHALF OF THE JEWS TO PARLIAMENT.
We may now consider Mr Montefiore as almost entirely occupied with the
discharge of the duties of his office as Sheriff. We shall give here
the entries he made referring to the subject, some of which are
particularly interesting.
From the following entry one can form an idea of the way in which he
spent his days during his year of office:--
"8.30 A.M., left Park Lane; 9 o'clock, breakfasted at the Old Bailey;
10, attended the Recorder into the Court, was present at a meeting of
the subscribers to the Sheriffs' Fund, met the Lord Mayor at the
Guildhall, and attended the Hustings. At 12.30 went back to the Old
Bailey, had lunch there, re-entered Court, and remained there till
near five, then returned to Park Lane. Accompanied by my wife,
proceeded at 6.30 to the Mansion House, where we dined with the Lord
Mayor and Lady Mayoress, and a very large and elegant party; had
music, and singing and dancing; returned home at one o'clock."
On the 11th of October Mr Montefiore in his turn gave a dinner to the
Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the Sheriffs and Aldermen and their
ladies, after which Mrs Montefiore held a reception, which was
followed by a concert.
The next day he went to Newgate, and saw the prisoners who had just
been received. He went through the male and female wards, and spoke to
many of the prisoners. He then proceeded to Whitecross Prison, and
gave Mr Barrett, the governor, a cheque for L20 for distribution among
such cases of distress as he thought most deserving.
There are entries in the diary which show that on many occasions Mr
Montefiore did not leave the Old Bailey before nine o'clock in the
evening. "Sometimes," he remarks, "the duties of Shrievalty cause me
much trouble." But however numerous or onerous his duties may have
been, they never prevented his leaving the Old Bailey in time to
attend Synagogue, on the eve of the Sabbath and festivals, the Judges
in Court always, in the most kind manner, giving him permission to do
so.
About that time one of his near relatives happening to be dangerously
ill, he more than once, after having performed the daily duties of his
office, and been present at an entertainment which lasted till
midnight or later, instead of returning home, proceeded to the house
of sickness, where he watched at the bedside of the patient till
morning.
On Monday, November 6th, his uncle died. "I have always," Mr
Montefiore said, "regarded him as a second father, but I must not
grieve at his being taken from us, for he is gone to receive the
reward of a well-spent life in a better world; very many of his
relatives will miss his kind liberality." Mr Montefiore remained with
the family that day for a considerable time, but had afterwards to
leave them to attend to the necessary preparations for the important
day of the 9th of November.
If the many thousands of spectators who fill the streets and occupy
the balconies and windows on Lord Mayor's day, and witness the
glorious institutions of the Livery of the largest and most wealthy
city of the world, and to gaze at the magnificent cavalcade preceding
the state carriage of the Lord Mayor, think that the Aldermen,
Sheriffs, and under-Sheriffs have but to mount their chargers, and be
comfortably seated in the saddle, to receive the shouts of approbation
from the multitude, they are in error. As the glorious entry of a
victorious army on its return from the field of battle requires
previous organisation, so as to ensure the perfect regularity of the
marching and evolution of each respective battalion, even thus does
the entry into the metropolis of the assembly of citizens, almost
equal in number to a powerful army, require much previous
organisation.
Mr Montefiore, in order to prepare himself for the duties he would
have to perform at the forthcoming procession, went to Davis' riding
school, where he met the Lord Mayor and the Lord Mayor elect, as also
most of the Aldermen, Sheriffs, and Court of Common Council. They
each had a horse appointed for their use. A troop of artillerymen,
with their horses, headed by Colonel Jones, were also present. After
trying the horses they went through the plan of the procession, and it
was five o'clock before they returned home.
On November 7th he called at the Mansion House, attended the Court of
Hustings in the Guildhall, went with the Lord Mayor, the Lord Mayor
elect, and Mr George Carrol to the Entertainment Committee, and then
to Downing Street to see the Lord Chancellor. On finding him absent he
went to his house, where he met with a most friendly reception.
In the evening he went to the house of his late uncle. While the
Lavadores were performing their mournful duties, he and his wife read,
in an adjoining room, the prayers which his lamented uncle had
selected during his extreme illness. Greatly fatigued, they both
returned to Park Lane, with the intention of retiring to rest. They
had scarcely been home an hour when Mr Montefiore's colleague, Mr
George Carrol, called. The cause of his coming at so late an hour,
that gentleman said, was his desire to be the first to inform him that
Lord John Russell had that day acquainted the City Remembrancer with
his intention of recommending Her Majesty to bestow a baronetcy on the
Lord Mayor, and to confer the honour of knighthood on the Sheriffs.
"It was very kind," Mr Montefiore said, "of Carrol to come, and to
acquaint me with the pleasing news, for which I am very grateful to
the Almighty."
On Wednesday, the 8th November, he left home soon after eight in the
morning, and was at the Mansion House at nine. It was half-past when
the Lord Mayor elect made his appearance; there was a large party
assembled. At ten they set out in procession for the Guildhall, where
Alderman Cowan was sworn into office; the hall was very full. Mr
Montefiore introduced Chevalier Benthausen and two Russian noblemen to
the Lord Mayor, and then left the hall. He then went to the Alliance
Marine, attended the Board of the Alliance Life and Fire Assurance
Company, returned to the Guildhall, and thence repaired again to the
house of mourning, to attend the funeral of his late uncle. At six he
was again at the Mansion House, to be present at the farewell dinner
of the retiring Lord Mayor. Many Aldermen, he says, were present; also
the companies of the two Lord Mayors. At half-past nine he went for
the third time to the mourners to read prayers with them, and
afterwards he and his wife took up their quarters for the night at
their chambers at the Marine Office in the city. "A very fatiguing
day," he says, "and one in which I have seen the last of a dear and
near relative. I hope I may imitate his virtues."
_Thursday, 9th of November._--"With unspeakable but heartfelt
gratitude to the Almighty God," he writes, "I note the occurrences of
the day, a day that can never be forgotten by me; it is a proud one:
with the exception of the day I had the happiness of dedicating our
Synagogue at Ramsgate, and the day of my wedding, the proudest day of
my life. I trust the honour conferred by our most gracious Queen on
myself and my dear Judith may prove the harbinger of future good to
the Jews generally, and though I am sensible of my unworthiness, yet I
pray the Almighty to lead and guide me in the proper path, that I may
observe and keep His Holy Law.
"At half-past eight I went to the Mansion House, at nine set off in
grand procession to London Bridge; there I embarked with the Lord
Mayor, &c., for Westminster. The new Lord Mayor was presented to the
Judges in several Courts. We then returned the same way to the Mansion
House. I went to the Marine. My dear Judith was beautifully dressed,
but very unwell. We went to the Mansion House, and soon left there in
procession. Our state carriage being in advance, I got out at Temple
Bar, and the carriage went on with Judith to the Guildhall. I mounted
on horseback, with my brother Sheriffs, some Aldermen, and Members of
the Common Council. After many of the Royal carriages had passed, we
set forward two and two before the Queen. On her arrival in the hall
she reposed herself for some time. The Recorder then read the address,
to which she replied. The Lord Mayor was introduced, and made a
Baronet; the Aldermen were introduced, and then the Sheriffs were
knighted, first George Carrol. On my kneeling to the Queen, she placed
a sword on my left shoulder and said, 'Rise, Sir Moses.' I cannot
express all I felt on this occasion. I had, besides, the pleasure of
seeing my banner with 'Jerusalem' floating proudly in the hall. I hope
my dear mother will be pleased. The entertainment was most
magnificent, but my poor wife dreadfully ill."
_Friday, November 10th._--The new knight, now Sir Moses, proceeded to
Buckingham Palace to enter his name in the Duchess of Kent's
visiting-book. On his return he received numerous visits of
congratulation. He then went to the house of the mourners in the city,
and also visited his mother.
_Saturday, November 11th._--Although Sir Moses might have gone on that
day to a place of worship near Park Lane, he preferred walking to the
city on the first Sabbath after the honour of knighthood had been
conferred upon him, to return thanks to the Almighty in the ancient
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Bevis Marks, a structure which
commemorates the first step towards religious liberty in England, and
which had from his earliest days been an object of love and veneration
to him. He started from home early in the morning, and joined the
congregation before nine o'clock.
After service he attended an entertainment given by one of his friends
on the occasion of his son attaining his thirteenth year (the age
which constitutes religious majority). The remainder of the day he
passed in visiting his relatives, and again attending the Synagogue to
join in prayers with the mourners.
On Sunday, November 12th, he went to Newgate, where he found all well;
his colleagues had already been there three hours. He then went to the
residences of the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess Sophia Matilda, the
Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Sussex, the Princess Sophia, and
Princess Augusta, and entered his and Lady Montefiore's names in their
visitors' books. On his return to Park Lane he dined with his wife,
and spent a pleasant evening in reading and writing. "One of our
old-fashioned happy East Cliff evenings," he says.
On Monday, November 13th, he attended the general meetings of some of
his companies, and in the evening dined with the directors of the
Imperial Continental Gas Association. The next day he was actively
engaged in performing the duties of his office, attending the Lord
Mayor at the Court of Hustings, and afterwards making arrangements
with his under-Sheriff respecting the invitations for the dinner on
the 16th inst. Having sent fifty invitations, and received but
twenty-eight tickets, "I passed the whole day," he says, "in a state
of much anxiety as to the best mode of acting. At last I have
determined to seat the ladies, and send the gentlemen tickets for the
Council Chamber, should they be unable to find seats in the hall. I
most sincerely hope I may give no offence, as I am sure none was
intended; my desire to oblige the family has brought me into this
dilemma."
On Thursday, the 16th of November, Sir Moses walked to the city in the
morning, called at the Alliance, Guildhall, and Mansion House,
returning home at two o'clock. A few minutes before four, he and Lady
Montefiore started in their state carriage, with the servants in full
livery, for the Guildhall. "We called," he says, "at Cavendish Square,
and followed Sir George and Lady Carrol in their state carriage to the
Guildhall. At five the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress made their
appearance long after many of Her Majesty's Ministers had arrived. We
sat down to dinner soon after six. The hall presented a splendid
appearance; there were between eleven and twelve hundred present,
including nearly all the Ambassadors, Ministers, and Judges."
The health of the Sheriffs was not drunk till long after the ladies
had left the table. Each of them returned thanks, Sir Moses doing so
in the following words:--
"My excellent friend and colleague has so fully expressed my
sentiments and feelings, that I ought, perhaps, to apologise for
trespassing on your attention, but as this is the first time I have
had the honour of addressing so large an assembly of distinguished
guests and of my fellow-citizens, I cannot resist the temptation of
offering you my congratulations on the auspicious event which has
distinguished the commencement of our year of office. The recent visit
of our most gracious Queen to this ancient hall, the kindness which
induced Her Majesty to present herself, at the earliest possible
period, to her faithful subjects of this great and opulent city, must
have made a deep impression on every heart, must have strongly rooted
the feelings of loyalty with which Britons naturally regard their
sovereign; and, if I may judge of others by myself, must have awed all
emotions save those of fervent hope and prayer, that the reign of our
now youthful Queen may be long and peaceful, and that her greatest
glories may be connected with the universal education of her subjects,
the diffusion of the most comprehensive principles of benevolence,
charity, and love--principles which shall unite all in a desire to
accomplish the proud wish that England may possess and exercise the
great prerogative of teaching other nations how to live. What we have
seen is a proof, in my opinion, that we are fairly on our way to the
full completion of the wish: for do not the recent events demonstrate
to us, and will they not demonstrate far beyond the precincts of our
city, that the purest freedom, and the warmest attachment to religion,
may co-exist, and may safely co-exist, with the forms of monarchy and
with feelings of affection to the sovereign, especially when that
sovereign evinces the dispositions which we all recognise in our
amiable, youthful, and illustrious Queen? Let, then, other countries
boast of natural advantages, denied perhaps to ours, let our pride be
in our civil advantages, in the security of our person and property,
under a system of law and government which, whatever be its
defects--and what is perfect on earth?--is at least as near to
perfection as any government that has existed, or does now exist. But
I am carried away by my feelings from the main object I had in view in
rising to address you. That object was to tender you my thanks, warm
from the heart, for the honour you have conferred on myself and
colleague. I can sincerely say that the kindness of our
fellow-citizens is a full reward for the performance of our duties,
and will be a full inducement to devote ourselves cheerfully to the
service of those who, unasked, have placed us in a position of so much
trust and honour. We feel satisfied that in the performance of our
duties we shall not betray the trust reposed in us, nor tarnish the
honour of the Corporation. No; it will be our pride and pleasure to
enhance the dignity of our office, in order that the distinction it
confers may be more and more an object of laudable ambition to the
most worthy and opulent of our fellow-citizens. Connected with the
Corporation by high office, I feel a deep interest in its prosperity;
and I pray that it may long exist to prove that popular corporate
institutions are a bulwark to the throne, while they offer to the
people a security for the preservation of their laws, and pure
administration of justice."
Sir Moses was much pleased with the manifest approbation of the
sentiments he expressed. "Lord Glenelg," he says, "spoke in a very
friendly manner with me, as did the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The
Vice-Chancellor also made a very complimentary speech, saying he hoped
to see me enjoy high city honours."
Most of the time of Sir Moses was now occupied in the discharge of the
duties imposed on him by his office, which included his attendance at
numerous meetings, dinners, and balls. Some of them are recorded in
the diary. In making an entry of the Polish ball, which took place on
the 21st of November, he says: "We left home at nine o'clock, and got
to the Guildhall with great care between eleven and twelve. The hall
was crowded, and presented a splendid appearance. There were above
2500 people present, including the Lord Mayor, the Duke and Duchess of
Somerset, Miss Burdett-Coutts, Mr P. M. Stewart, Lord Dudley Coutts
Stewart, &c. All were most friendly. In consequence of the absence of
the Lady Mayoress, Lady Carrol and my wife did the honours. It was
quite a fairy scene; I never saw anything like it before, and I
daresay it will be some time before we again witness so brilliant an
assembly. Before the hall became crowded, I was much pleased with the
effect of my crest and arms, which had been chalked in colours on the
floor, the crest with the word 'Jerusalem' in Hebrew being nearest the
throne."
From the hall of splendour our attention is directed to the home of
misery. We find him next visiting the Whitecross Street Prison. "I
went," he says, "over the whole building, and found 428 unfortunate
individuals confined within its walls. The men's wards were very
unclean, but the women's extremely clean; there were only twenty-four
females. The day rooms of the male prisoners were crowded with
visitors. The prisoners were in good health, not more than seventeen
in the infirmary, and all only slight cases of cold."
On Monday, the 27th of November, he went at half-past eight in his
state carriage to the Mansion House, and at 9.30 he and his colleague
accompanied the Lord Mayor, in grand state, to open the first session
in his Lordship's mayoralty at the Old Bailey.
On the 29th he attended a meeting of the Deputies of British Jews, and
a sub-committee was appointed to endeavour to get Mr Baines--the
originator of a Bill for the purpose of altering the declaration
contained in the Act 9 George IV., cap. 17, to be made by persons on
their admission to municipal offices--to obtain an extension of its
provisions to the Jews. The Bill, as it then stood, limited the
indulgence to Quakers and Moravians.
When, on the following day, the Lord Mayor, accompanied by the
Sheriffs, attended the meeting of the first Common Council, Mr David
Salamons presented a petition, calling on the Court to petition both
the Houses of Parliament to amend Mr Baines' Bill. "Charles Pearson,"
Sir Moses says, "proposed the motion, which was carried unanimously."
On the 3rd of December, Sir Moses was particularly requested by Mr
David Salamons, to go with him to H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex, to inform
him of their intentions respecting Mr Baines' Bill; but His Royal
Highness was not well enough to see them. On the same day, Barons
Lionel and Nathaniel Rothschild called on Sir Moses, to say that Sir
Robert Peel had appointed the following Monday to see a deputation of
the Jews.
In accordance with that appointment they called, with Mr David
Salamons, on Sir Moses, the next day at the Old Bailey, and requested
him to go with them to Sir Robert Peel; but, as it was expected that
the Recorder would pass the sentences at twelve, he could not leave
the Courts. The Recorder, however, did not make his appearance till
three o'clock, and then made great difficulty before permitting him
and Sir George Carrol to go to the House of Commons with the petition,
positively refusing to allow their under-Sheriffs to accompany them,
under the penalty of a fine. At about five o'clock Sir Moses and Sir
George Carrol proceeded in their state carriages with their servants
to the Guildhall for the Remembrancer, who went with them to the House
of Commons with the three petitions.
On entering the House, led by the Sergeant-at-Arms with the Mace, the
Speaker said: "Sir George Carrol and Sir Moses Montefiore, what have
you there?" "A petition from the Lord Mayor and Common Council to the
Honourable House," replied Sir George. "You may withdraw," returned
the Speaker. They then withdrew in the same manner as they had
advanced, bowing three times. They took their seats under the gallery,
and listened to the debate on Mr Baines' Bill. "I very much regret,"
Sir Moses says, "that we, the Jews, allowed the House to divide."
A week later, on December 10th, after having gone over every part of
Newgate Prison, and spoken with the prisoners, both male and female,
he called, on his way back to Park Lane, on Dr Sims at Cavendish
Square, to inform him that Lord John Russell would see that the Jews
were relieved from the effect of the resolution passed by the London
University, as to the examination of candidates for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, &c. He then accompanied Messrs Isaac Cohen and David
Salamons to Kensington.
The Duke of Sussex saw them immediately, and was most kind. He
approved of the Jews getting a Bill into the House of Commons to
relieve them from the declaration on taking municipal offices, but not
before the Bill relieving the Quakers had passed the Lords.
On Sunday, 17th December, he wrote a letter to Lord Melbourne to
solicit the honour of an interview, previously to the Municipal
Corporation Declaration Bill going into Committee. In the course of an
hour his Lordship sent him a note in his own handwriting, saying he
would be glad to see him the next day at half-past three, at Downing
Street. Sir Moses immediately communicated with Messrs David Salamons
and I. L. Goldsmid, and requested them to accompany him there on the
following day.
Agreeably to this intimation they were at the appointed time in
Downing Street. Lord Melbourne received them at once, the Marquis of
Lansdowne being with him. Both of them, Sir Moses says, were very
polite, but gave them to understand that they could not include the
Jews in the present Bill, as they would not be able to carry it
through the Lords.
On the same day he was officially informed of his having been elected
President for the year of the Jews' Free School, but the duties of the
Shrievalty prevented his accepting the honour. After calling at
Newgate and Whitecross Street Prison, and speaking to all the
prisoners, he attended at Doctors Commons to administer the will of
his late uncle.
On December 19th he wrote a letter to Mr Alteston, Master of the
Merchant Taylors' Company, offering to give L50 as a prize to the best
Hebrew scholar in the Company's schools, as a token of his
appreciation of the benevolence of the Company.
The diary of the year 1837 concludes with an entry referring to a
banquet given at the London Coffee House by the Commercial Travellers'
Society, under the presidency of Sir Chapman Marshall, at which Sir
Moses was present. Two hundred persons sat down to table, among whom
L1200 was collected for the benefit of the institution. This entry is
followed by an account of a narrow escape of Sir Moses and Lady
Montefiore. "We have been much alarmed," he writes, "by some person
firing a pistol at us, near Welling, on the road from Rochester to
London; happily it missed both horses and carriage; the postboy was
much frightened."