CHAPTER III.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 RichardWood, 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 saidthat, 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 promotionof 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. TheQueen 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 inhaving 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.