1839.
ON BOARD THE _ACHERON_--SIR MOSES' PLANS ON BEHALF OF THE JEWS IN
PALESTINE--INTERVIEW WITH BOGHOZ BEY--PROPOSED JOINT STOCK BANKS IN
THE EAST.
_Monday, July 8th._--We sent the greater part of our luggage on board
the _Acheron_, under the command of Captain Kennedy, and prepared to
start at a moment's notice. Sir Moses occupied himself with writing
letters to Mr Young, the British Consul at Jerusalem, to whom he sent
money for distribution among the indigent Christians of the Holy City,
as well as for their burial ground. To Mr Joseph Amsaleg he sent L500
for the poor of the Hebrew communities, and to the Rev. Mr Thomson he
sent a donation for the Christian poor of Beyrout, as well as a
souvenir for himself, in consideration of the accommodation afforded
to Sir Moses in his house. To the poor of Safed he gave, through R.
Moses Schmerling, 53,500 piastres, and to those of Hebron he gave,
through Nissan Drucker, 11,770 piastres, being the amount he had
promised for these two Holy Cities.
The following day Sir Moses concluded his arrangements with the
representatives of the Hebrew community in Beyrout, respecting the
distribution of his gifts for their Synagogue and poor. This being
accomplished, his work for the day was over.
"I am now anxious," said Sir Moses, "to have an interview with the
Pasha at Alexandria, for the purpose of claiming of his Highness
security for the persons and property of the Jews in Palestine, and
particularly for those at Safed and Tiberias where they are
continually exposed to insult, robbery, and murder. I have also
several other requests to make of him, viz., that he will order the
walls of Tiberias to be repaired; that he will admit the evidence of
Jews in cases brought before the judges or governors of the land; that
he will permit land and villages to be rented on a lease of fifty
years, free from all taxes or claims of governors, the rent to be paid
at Alexandria; that he will allow me to send people to assist and
instruct the Jews in a better mode of cultivating land, the olive, the
vine, cotton, and mulberries, as well as the breeding of sheep;
finally, that he will give me a firman to open banks in Beyrout,
Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Cairo. I sincerely pray," he continued, "that my
journey to the Holy Land may prove beneficial to the Jews; not only to
those who are already there, but to many others who may come to settle
in the Holy Cities, either from love for the Land of Promise, or from
a desire to quit countries where persecution prevents their living in
peace. I shall then be amply repaid for the fatigue and anxiety of my
journey."
_July 10th._--Sir Moses had been extremely unwell on Tuesday and
confined to his room, but feeling a little better the next morning, he
gave orders for our immediate departure, as the English Consul had
informed us of the arrival of the Indian Mail Packet, adding that we
must embark at once, as the boat would get under weigh about noon.
Having taken leave of all our friends, we proceeded to the wharf,
where Captain Kennedy's boat took us on board the _Acheron_. We were
under weigh at seven o'clock. The weather was extremely sultry, and a
terrible swell, with a head wind, contributed greatly to the
discomfort of all on board.
_July 12th._--At five o'clock in the morning we had a sight of land
off Rosetta, and at half-past nine we passed the Egyptian fleet;
fourteen ships under full sail, standing to the east, about twelve
miles from Alexandria. They made a very imposing appearance. All had
new sails; they kept an equal distance ship from ship, a cable and a
half's length apart (900 feet), and formed an excellent line. The
second ship, with a flag at the foremast, was the Vice-Admiral's. The
Admiral was in the centre of the line, which consisted of eleven line
of battleships with three tiers of guns, two large frigates, and one
large corvette. The Rear-Admiral's flag was at the mizzen of the last
ship. We anchored safely in the harbour of Alexandria at 11 A.M. The
men-of-war in the harbour were all dressed with flags, and over the
houses of the Consuls floated the flags of their several nations. The
captain took us on shore in his boat, and at one o'clock we reached
the hotel. The first news we learned on our arrival was that the
Sultan was dead, and that his son and successor had accorded the
Dominion of Egypt to Mohhammad Ali and his successors.
Sir Moses called on Colonel Campbell, but he had to wait some time
before seeing him, as the Colonel was with the Pasha. The Colonel
willingly consented to introduce Sir Moses to Boghoz Bey, and fixed
four o'clock for the purpose. Colonel Campbell said he would call for
Sir Moses, and bring one of his horses for him.
The Colonel was punctual, and we rode together to the residence of
Boghoz Bey. Sir Moses gave him his three requests in writing, and he
promised to lay them before Mohhammad Ali and explain them to him. The
Bey appeared well inclined to forward his requests, and offered to
present him to the Pasha either the same evening or the next morning.
Sir Moses fixed nine o'clock the next day, although Colonel Campbell
wished it to be the same evening, Sir Moses was, however, desirous
that the Pasha should have time to consider and talk over the matter
with his minister before the interview, and it being near Sabbath, he
knew not how to get there.
_July 13th._--We rose at five in the morning; recited the Sabbath
morning prayers. About half-past seven we proceeded to the Pasha's
palace. The Sardinian Consul kindly lent Sir Moses his sedan chair,
the only one to be found in Egypt at that time. We could not ride in a
carriage on account of the Sabbath. Sir Moses was in full uniform, and
wore his Sheriff's chain. The palace was situated about half-an-hour's
distance from the Hotel de l'Europe, and commanded an extensive view
of both harbours, as well as the outer roads. The Pasha's fleet was in
full sail nearly opposite to his window.
Sir Moses gives the following account of his interview with the
Pasha:--
"I had to wait," he writes, "for Colonel Campbell in one of the
attendance rooms, being before the time I had appointed to meet him;
he came very punctually at nine o'clock. We were immediately admitted
to the presence of Mohhammad Ali. He received me standing, then taking
his seat on the divan, he motioned me to a seat on his right hand, Dr
Loewe next to me, and Colonel Campbell on the left of the Pasha. His
Highness gave me a very gracious reception, and spoke on each of my
requests. Referring to the one for renting land of him in Palestine,
he said he had no land there, but any contract I might make with the
Mussulmans should have his approval, and he would send it to
Constantinople for confirmation.
"On repeating that I had been led to believe that his Highness
possessed land there, from information I had received when in the
country, he replied that if I could point out the parts belonging to
him, I could have them.
"He said he would be glad to see the land better cultivated, and I
might send proper persons with agricultural implements.
"I then spoke to him on the subject of the Jews being admitted as
witnesses at Safed, Tiberias, and Hebron, in the same manner as in
Jerusalem. He first said that on account of their religion they could
not be permitted to give evidence against Mussulmans, but on my again
repeating that they were so permitted in Jerusalem, he replied that
Jews and Christians should be treated alike, and there should be no
difference between them.
"I then spoke to him as to the rebuilding of the wall round the town
of Tiberias, which had been destroyed by the earthquake. I said there
were plenty of stones on the spot, and people willing to do the work
free of expense, as the inhabitants were at present so much exposed to
robbers. At first he misunderstood me, and asked which wall it was
that the Jews wished to repair. I explained to him that both
Mussulmans and Jews were equally anxious that the city wall should be
repaired: both had written and spoken to me on the subject whilst I
was at Tiberias, begging me to represent to him the present insecure
state of the city; all that was required was his order to have the
work done. He said he would order a report to be made immediately to
him, and the wall repaired.
"I told him that in the cultivation of land, security was necessary
for both land and person, and I hoped they would have it. This he also
promised.
"I then spoke of establishing joint stock banks with a capital of
L1,000,000 sterling, with power to increase it, if necessary. His eyes
sparkled at this; he appeared delighted, and assured me the bank
should have his protection, and he should be happy to see it
established.
"I mentioned the branches: Alexandria, Beyrout, Damascus, Jaffa,
Jerusalem, and Cairo.
"I said I was happy to see him looking so well; he did not appear to
me older than when I had the honour of being presented to him at Cairo
in 1827. This is really the fact. I then congratulated him on the fine
appearance of his fleet, which I had passed yesterday. He replied, 'At
present it is very small.'
"I presented him with a bronze medal of our most gracious queen,
struck by the city of London to commemorate Her Majesty's visit to the
Guildhall on the 9th of November 1837. He appeared pleased, examined
it attentively on both sides, asked me if it was a good likeness of
the Queen, then thanked me for it. I took leave, and returned to the
hotel the same way I came, being followed the whole way by crowds of
curious people.
"Boghoz Bey, the Pasha's Minister of Commerce, had read over and
explained my requests to him on, the previous evening, that he might
be fully aware of the object of my visit to him. Being anxious to have
Mohhammad Ali's answers in writing, which he said Boghoz Bey should
give me, as he had been present at our interview, I called on the Bey,
but he had not returned from the Palace.
"Between four and five I walked there with Dr Loewe. Boghoz Bey
received me most politely, and said as I had not put my signature to
the written requests, he could not give me an answer in writing, but
he hoped I was perfectly satisfied with what Mohhammad Ali had
promised me this morning. He added that as soon as I had made my
several requests in writing, and signed them, he would write me the
answer, agreeably with the Pasha's words, as he had accorded me all I
required.
"I thanked him, and immediately after the conclusion of Sabbath I
wrote, and sent the several requests to Boghoz Bey, properly signed in
the form of letters."
Numbers of visitors came to pay their respects to Sir Moses and Lady
Montefiore, and offered congratulations on their safe return from
Palestine. Mr Waghorn (the originator of the short overland route
between England and India), read to Sir Moses the letters he had just
addressed to Lord Palmerston, Mr Hobhouse, and the _Times_ newspaper
on the subject. The heat was intense, and we were so terribly
persecuted by insects that the pleasure of our interesting
discussions was greatly marred. Sir Moses indeed observed that he
could not live in Egypt, even to be king of the land.
_Sunday, July 14th._--A deputation from the Hebrew community, headed
by their Ecclesiastical Chief, and the representatives of their
schools and charitable institutions, waited on Sir Moses to report on
the state of their Synagogues, &c. Sir Moses, with his usual
liberality, contributed towards the funds of all their charities. He
then requested me to wait on Boghoz Bey to receive the letter which
the minister had promised him. Accompanied by Lady Montefiore, Sir
Moses afterwards paid some visits, and took leave of all who had
called on them; and, this being accomplished, they proceeded to the
harbour, where a boat belonging to the Pasha was waiting to take them
on board the _Acheron_. The peculiar phraseology of the conversation I
held with Boghoz Bey, partly in Arabic and partly in Turkish, made it
desirable to give Sir Moses, on my return, an exact translation of it
in writing, but it may be briefly related as follows. After the usual
exchange of compliments, I endeavoured to obtain a definite answer to
the letter addressed by Sir Moses to the Pasha, but the Bey did not
care to express himself on any other subject than that of the proposed
bank, and the elaborate manner in which he sought to induce Sir Moses
to establish the bank without delay, the enticing promises of
protection, patronage, and personal profit which he held out, left no
room for doubt as to the interest he took in the scheme. I, on my
part, enumerated in detail all the points to which Sir Moses attached
so much importance, and the concessions which he asked in favour of
religious toleration, justice, and the practice of agriculture and the
establishment of colonies. Upon my pressing for an early reply, the
Bey again endeavoured to gain time, and for that purpose changed the
subject by opening a religious discussion, taking for his theme the
interpretation of the prophet's words, "And the Eternal shall be King
over all the earth; on that day there shall be one Lord, and His name
One." He seemed to be under the impression that this would be an
earthly king. I soon succeeded in allaying his fears, and convincing
him that the words of the prophet Zachariah referred to the King of
kings, the Almighty in Heaven.
Eventually he fixed ten o'clock as the time for receiving my reply,
and after a repetition of the customary Eastern complimentary phrases
I withdrew.
It had struck me that the strange question the minister had put to me
regarding the expectation of having one King over all the world, had
been brought to his mind by the promoters of the colony which he told
me intended to settle in Syria. Possibly they might have been informed
of Sir Moses' plans, and made some remarks which had come to the ears
of the minister. I therefore deemed it right to reassure him on the
subject, so that no one should for a moment be led to believe that Sir
Moses had any other object in view than that distinctly stated in his
letter to the Pasha.
I went once more to Boghoz Bey, but not finding him at home, proceeded
at once to the Palace. On my arrival there, I went to the secretary's
hall and wrote a few lines, stating that I had come to see His
Excellency Boghoz Bey for the promised reply, intending to send it in
to him, notwithstanding his being with the Pasha. As I was in the act
of handing the note to one of the attendants, the minister came out
saying, "Come, my friend, immediately with me to His Highness." After
having made my first and second bow, Boghoz Bey said to the Pasha,
"This is the very person," alluding probably to the subject of their
recent conversation.
The Pasha smiled. Artim Bey then said, "You will hear word for word
just as I said to you yesterday."
The Pasha--"I received the letter from Sir Moses just this very
moment, that is, the official letter, and I shall send him two letters
in reply, one which will reach him when he will be performing
quarantine in Malta; acknowledging the receipt of his letter, and
informing him that I will take steps to ascertain all particulars
respecting the land he wishes to take on lease; but with regard to the
protection of the people, the admission of evidence given by Jewish
witnesses, and the repair of the wall of Tiberias, I shall immediately
give orders. The latter shall be done, whether the stones and
materials are to be found there or not, whether people will come
forward willing to work or not; all will be done. I shall also write
to Sir Moses in the same letter respecting the establishment of banks;
all will be satisfactory. The second letter, in which all particulars
respecting the contract, and the pointing out of land which belongs
to me, or which I shall have to take for Sir Moses from others, he
will receive as soon as we shall have obtained all the required
information. Be sure of all I have told you."
I thereupon said: "But perhaps His Highness would be so gracious as to
give me even these few words in writing."
Upon this both Boghoz Bey and Artim Bey at once began: "My dear L.,
yesterday was your Sabbath and to-day is ours; I know you are strict
in the observance of your religious tenets, therefore we beg you will
not insist on our writing."
The Pasha smiled, so did all present. Boghoz Bey made several
observations to the Pasha respecting our conversation of yesterday.
Having expressed my thanks to the Pasha, in the name of Sir Moses, I
withdrew from his presence.
At 3 P.M. the _Acheron_ left the harbour. Our bill of health from
Alexandria stated, "With regard to the health of the place, occasional
cases of plague occur in this town." This was signed by John Wingfield
Larking, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul. We were naturally all glad to
quit the place.