CHAPTER XXXVI.1875.
WELCOME TO JERUSALEM—SATISFACTORY REPORT ON THE CONDITION OF THE POPULATION IN THE HOLY CITY—SIR MOSES' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEIR WELFARE.
"AS we now continued moving towards Jerusalem, I had continually to look right and left to see the number of new houses, some of them very large buildings. As we proceeded all the occupants came out of their houses, and I had the happiness of seeing hundreds of our brethren lining the fronts of their dwellings. Presently my attention was directed to the presence of my highly esteemed friend, the Rev. Sam. Salant, a gentleman who had been one of my correspondents on matters connected with the Holy Land for the last thirty-five years. Proceeding a little further on the road, a new Synagogue was shown to me; it was surrounded by a number of houses, occupied, I was told, by fifty families. Again a plot of ground was pointed out to me as belonging to a person who intended building sixty houses on it. Coming near the Upper Gikhon pool, not far from the windmill which I had built on the estate, 'Kérém-Moshé-ve-Yehoodit,' eighteen years ago, my attention was directed to two other windmills recently built, which I was told gave a good profit to the Greeks who owned them."Great was my delight when I considered that but a few years had passed since the time when not one Jewish family was living outside the gate of Jerusalem—when not a single house was to be seen; and now I beheld almost a new Jerusalem springing up, with buildings some of them as fine as any in Europe."When my carriage reached the Jaffa gate I was obliged to alight. Neither the streets nor the pavements in Jerusalem, the driver observed, are as yet prepared for carriages."Not having given any information of the time of my intended arrival, my friends did not order a sedan chair to be in readiness for me, so it was a rather difficult and painful task for me to walk along the street to the house prepared for my reception, but the káwásses soon led the way to my apartments."Here the Háhám Báshi, the Rev. Meyer Auerbach, and the Rev. Samuel Salant presented an address of welcome, and when they had concluded, I assured them of the great delight I felt in finding myself surrounded by men of such distinction, and that I would see them as often as possible. As soon as they left I made the necessary arrangements for the reception of the representatives of the several communities, the wardens of the Synagogues, and the committees of all the charitable institutions, fixing the day and hour I intended to see them."On leaving my apartments to inspect the adjoining rooms and tents for the accommodation of my party, I noticed a number of porters bringing inheavy luggage, and speaking, or rather shouting, as they moved along, in not less than five or six languages—German, Spanish, French, Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew. I was delighted to find that they all belonged to the Hebrew community, because their conduct afforded another proof of the injustice of the accusation against our brethren of Jerusalem that they are unwilling to work. Looking up at the roofs of the adjoining houses, I observed almost as many people—men, women, and children—as I saw in the street below, all of them offering me their salutations. They appeared to me to be good-looking and neatly dressed. Some of them dropped down letters and poems, specially composed in honour of my arrival. They were, however, requested by the káwásses to withdraw from near our terrace, lest their presence might be considered an intrusion."Entering the large reception room, I had a beautiful view of the east, north, and south of Jerusalem. I could see several very fine buildings on the Mount of Olives, many new and lofty houses all along the north, and some cupolas of Synagogues. As I looked out of the window I could almost see into the rooms of several families who lived near the house I occupied, and it was a source of much gratification to me to witness the affectionate manner in which the children were treated, and the industrious habits of the inmates."26th July.—In the course of the day I received visits from Mr Noel Moore, Her Majesty's Consul in Jerusalem, an enlightened public servant and an accomplished scholar, whom I have the pleasure to number among my friends, as well as from his Highness Aziz Bey, the brother of his Excellency the Governor of Jerusalem, accompanied by George Palet Effendi. The former expressed regret that no notice had been given of the day I intended to enter Jerusalem, or my friends, he said, would have come to meet me. He brought me the cordial welcome of the Governor, observing, in the name of his Excellency, that as my state of health would not allow me to call on the Governor, the latter would gladly come to pay me a visit without ceremony. In reply to this most kind offer, I begged Aziz Bey to assure his Excellency that, however grateful I must feel to the Governor for his condescension, I could not accept that honour, as I should thereby be deprived of the opportunity to pay that tribute of respect which I was desirous to pay his Excellency, as the representative of the Turkish Government, to whom I was anxious to present the Vizierial letter so kindly procured for me from Constantinople."Most of the gentlemen whom I had the pleasure of seeing were old acquaintances, and have been in correspondence with me. They gave me pleasing accounts of their synagogues, colleges, and charitable institutions, and submitted to me a number of letters and documents referring to communal matters, which I promised should have my special attention. I was much struck with the appearance of the representatives of the Gurgistan (Georgia) congregation. They only settled in Jerusalem five years ago, and now number two hundred souls, all of whom came to the Holy Land by special permission of the Russian Government. Some of them wore decorations. One, by name Eliahu ben Israel, had three, which he received, one from the late Emperor Nicholas and two from the present Emperor Alexander. When I enquired of their chief how they came by these special marks of distinction, he told me, that during the war of the Russians with the Circassians, the Jewish soldiers fought most bravely, and, when all the people in the town of Kutais deserted the place, the Jews remained, and with their blood defended the Treasury of the Russian Government. The soldier with the three decorations, Eliahu ben Israel, said that he received, on each occasion when those decorations had been given to him, an embrace from the Emperor. It was quite a sight to see those handsome stalwartmen, some in Caucasian and some in Circassian costume, relating the adventures of a Caucasian war."Considering that in the presence of these brave men in Jerusalem, certain persons should have brought forward accusations of cowardice and desertion against our brethren, it made me almost shed tears. Surely, I thought, Russia, Austria, Prussia, France, Italy, and other countries would give them quite a different character."I was next favoured with a visit from Dr Schwartz, Director of the Rothschild Hospital in Jerusalem, inviting me to visit all the institutions called into existence by that distinguished family, famous throughout the world for their unbounded benevolence."Dr Puffeles, the Director of the Hospital known by the name of 'Báté Kholim,' now entered, and in the course of conversation, gave me a pressing invitation to see the Hospital under his direction, especially as that institution had been permitted by me to take possession of the Dispensary which I had established thirty-two years ago (in 1843) in Jerusalem, and placed under the care of a medical attendant."Presently Astriades Effendi, the Mayor of Jerusalem, was announced. I had the pleasure of knowing that gentleman during my visit to the Holy City in the year 1866. He spoke enthusiastically of the great improvements which have taken place since that time. Under the present regulations all houses must be built, he said, according to the plan approved of by the Government, the great object being to have proper roads in all directions. It is part of his duty to see the law in question properly carried out, but he finds it difficult sometimes to convince builders of its utility and importance. Speaking of the houses which had been built by the Prussian Government for the accommodation of lepers, he observed that they were insufficient for the number now in Jerusalem."July 28th.—Preceded by soldiers and káwásses, I repaired to the Synagogue called 'Beth-Ha-Kenesset Istambooli,' presided over by the Rev. Háhám Báshi, then to the great German Synagogue, 'Beth Jaacob,' the Guedalla College, and the fine public baths."July 29th.—My medical attendant declared it impossible for me to leave my chamber, and I was most reluctantly obliged to send apologies to his Excellency the Governor, and to the English Consul, for not calling on them at the previously appointed hour. All my letters were now placed before me for my perusal, and I requested Dr Loewe to have his horse saddled, in order to go and inspect all the land outside the city which had been offered for sale. In the afternoon the Governor sent his secretary, George Balet Effendi, to express his regret at my indisposition, offering again to come to me, especially as his official duties would call him away to Gaza, where he would have to remain perhaps several days. This kind and condescending offer, however, I again begged, for the reason already stated in this narrative, with a sense of deep gratitude, to decline, as I fully hoped to be yet able to pay first my respects to him."Towards the evening Dr Loewe returned with full particulars regarding the land he had seen, having arranged that I should be put in possession of all the plans and exact measurements of each field, so as to enable me fully to judge of its value and usefulness for the object in view. All the various schools, institutions, foundations, trusts, soup-kitchens, and other charitable establishments were visited, and carefully inspected."Friday, August 6th.—I had occasion to see the work of eight mechanics—a watchmaker, an engraver, a lithographer, a sculptor, a goldsmith, a bookbinder, and carpenter, and all did their work most satisfactorily. The watchmaker, Joshua Fellman, into whose hands I put a valuable repeater for repairs, put it in a very short time in excellent order. The same man, inaddition to his skill as watchmaker, displays also great talent as a Hebrew caligraphist. He presented me with a grain of wheat, on which he wrote nineteen lines, forming an acrostic on my name. The engraver engraved for myself and several of my party Hebrew inscriptions in the best style. The lithographer, Mr David Spitzer, a native of Hungary, lithographed a number of cards for me after a pattern I gave him of a London-made card. I could scarcely find out the difference between the one and the other. The sculptor, to whom I gave the order in the evening to prepare two stones for me, with inscriptions of the verse, 'For thy servants take pleasure in thy stones,' &c. (Ps. cii. 15), accompanied by the date of my sojourn in Jerusalem, did the work in one night. The goldsmith made a number of rings, tablets, and cases; the tinman made two large cases for my books and papers; the bookbinder bound the statistical accounts in very good style, and the carpenter gave equal satisfaction—he did his work as well as any English carpenter."I was again greatly disappointed when my medical attendant would not allow me to leave my apartment, and I was obliged to commission Dr Loewe and Mr Aikin to do the work I was so anxious to have done myself, to inspect the Touro almshouses, the windmill, and the whole of the estate Kérém-Moshé-ve-Yehoodit."On their return they told me they had been in every one of the houses, and spoken to all the inmates. They found all the apartments remarkably clean, and the occupants, with the exception of one, in the full enjoyment of health. They also entered the four new houses, for the occupation of which I have already nominated four deserving families, and assured me that they were well built, and in every respect like the old houses. They ascended to the top of the windmill, and found everything perfect, with the exception of the mill-stones, which are a little worn, but not to such an extent as to prevent grinding. The garden and the wall all round they considered to be in perfect order."I was particularly pleased with their account of the windmill, as I had a double object in building it—to benefit the poor and encourage industry. According to paragraphs V. and VIII. in the agreement, 'The poor shall always have their wheat ground at a reduced price; they are to pay for each measure two páráhs less than the charge would be to any other person not classed among the poor; and when both poor and rich come at the same time to have their corn ground, precedence should always be given to the poor.'"I then proceeded to the Synagogue, and was there most agreeably surprised with the magnificent appearance of that noble edifice. It is a hundred feet high from the floor to the cupola; contains a number of communal offices, a college for the study of the Holy Law, and in an adjoining building also a public bath. I was received on entering the Synagogue by the representatives of several congregations."I was told that the whole building had been built by the hands of Jews. Every kind of work, it was further observed—that of the carpenter, blacksmith, glazier, embroiderer, goldsmith, or engraver—all had been done by the Jews in Jerusalem. I noticed some beautiful silver ornaments for the Sepharim, especially a massive silver crown, and when I enquired where it had been made, the man who had done the work was introduced to me. The Synagogue was full in every corner, but owing to the excellent arrangements no inconvenience was felt."I made arrangements to start the following day for Ramlah at an early hour, but gave orders that my intentions should not be made known to any of our friends and acquaintances; and the next day, Wednesday, 8th of August, between four and five o'clock in the morning, I was on the road toJaffa. My esteemed friend, the Rev. Samuel Salant, and a few more still managed to see me, so I bade him and those with him a sincere good-bye. Dr Loewe and Mr Aikin followed us on horseback."I found the road much better; it appeared to me as if most of the impeding stones had been cleared away. We continued our journey till mid-day, when we had a halt of two hours at Bab-el-Wad, and then proceeded to Jaffa."On Sabbath we again saw Port Said. On Sunday and Monday we were in the quarantine harbour at Aboukir, and the following Saturday we found ourselves in the harbour of Naples. On 13th of August we landed at Firoul; there we remained five days in quarantine. On Saturday morning, at half-past six, we entered the harbour of Marseilles, but did not land till half-past seven in the evening, when we proceeded at once to the Synagogue, and thence to the railway which took us to Paris. There again I repaired to the House of God to offer thanks for his boundless mercy to me; and on the 9th of September I had the happiness of entering my own Synagogue at Ramsgate, after an absence of three months."In concluding this narrative, I feel it my pleasing duty to inform all friends of Zion that I again have had every opportunity to convince myself of the correctness of those statements which had been made in the 'Replies' I received to my inquiries on the 15th October '5634'. The great regard I have always entertained towards our brethren in the Holy Land has, if possible, increased, so that if you were to ask me, 'Are they worthy and deserving of assistance?' I would reply, 'Most decidedly.' 'Are they willing and capable of work?' 'Undoubtedly.' ' Are their mental powers of a satisfactory nature?' 'Certainly.' 'Ought we, as Israelites, in particular to render them support?' 'Learn,' I would say, 'if your own Sacred Scriptures do not satisfy you, from non-Israelites what degree of support those are entitled to who consecrate their lives to the worship of God. Go and cast a glance upon the numerous munificent endowments, upon the munificent institutions, upon the annual contributions, not only in Jerusalem, but in every part of the world—not only by individuals, but by almost every mighty ruler on earth. Notice the war which has broken out within our recollection respecting the privilege of repairing a house of devotion, all for the sole object of supporting religion. And are we Israelites to stand back and say, We are all practical men; let everybody in Jerusalem go and work? We do not want a set of indolent people who, by poring over books, teaching the Word of God, think they are performing their duties in life, and wait for our support!' The Jews in Jerusalem, in every part of the Holy Land, I tell you, do work; are more industrious than many men in Europe, otherwise none of them would remain alive; but when the work does not pay sufficiently, when there is no market for the produce of the land, when famine, cholera, and other misfortunes befall the inhabitants, we Israelites, unto whom God has revealed himself on Sinai, more than any other nation, must step forward and render them help, raise them from their state of distress."If you put the question to me thus: 'Now we are willing to contribute towards a fund intended to render them such assistance as they require; we are ready to make even sacrifices of our own means, if necessary. What scheme do you propose as best adapted to carry out the object in view?' I would reply, 'Carry out simply what they themselves have suggested; but begin in the first instance with the building of houses in Jerusalem. Select land outside the city; raise, in the form of a large square or crescent, a number of suitable houses, with European improvements; have in the centre of the square or crescent a synagogue, a college, and a public bath. Let each house have in front a plot of ground large enough to cultivate olive trees, the vine, and necessary vegetables, so as to give the occupiers a taste for agriculture."The houses ought to pay a moderate rental, by the amount of which, after securing the sum required for the payment of a clerk and overseer and the repair of the houses, there should be established a loan society, on safe principles, for the benefit of the poor working-class, the trader, agriculturist, or any poor deserving man. Two per cent. should be charged on each loan, so as to cover thereby the expenses necessary for a special clerk and the rent of an appropriate house."If the amount of your funds be sufficient, build houses in Safed, Tiberias, and Hebron on the same plan; establish loan societies on similar principles of security."And should you further prosper, and have £30,000 or £50,000 to dispose of, you will without difficulty be able to purchase as much land as you would like in the vicinity of Safed, Pekee-in, Tiberias, Hebron, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Khaifa, and you will find in all those places a number of persons who would be most willing to follow agricultural pursuits."And if you now address me, saying, 'Which would be the proper time to commence work, supposing we were ready to be guided by your counsel?' my reply would be, 'Commence at once; begin the work this day if you can.'"Our brethren throughout Europe, Persia, and Turkey have been roused by your promises, which have been made known to them in the most hopeful terms by Hebrew, German, French, Italian, and English periodicals. You led them to cherish the hope that you would surely make no delay in proceeding to ameliorate the condition of the Sons of Zion. They now cry out, 'Here we are, give us land, give us work, you promised to do so. We are willing for the sake of our love to Jerusalem to undertake the execution of the most laborious tasks;' but the representatives of the community have no answer to give; they simply, with a cast-down countenance, say, in the words of King Solomon: 'Clouds and wind without rain.'"You are then, I repeat, in sacred duty bound not to disappoint them any longer. Begin the hallowed task at once. He who takes delight in Zion will establish the work of your hands."Moses Montefiore."
"AS we now continued moving towards Jerusalem, I had continually to look right and left to see the number of new houses, some of them very large buildings. As we proceeded all the occupants came out of their houses, and I had the happiness of seeing hundreds of our brethren lining the fronts of their dwellings. Presently my attention was directed to the presence of my highly esteemed friend, the Rev. Sam. Salant, a gentleman who had been one of my correspondents on matters connected with the Holy Land for the last thirty-five years. Proceeding a little further on the road, a new Synagogue was shown to me; it was surrounded by a number of houses, occupied, I was told, by fifty families. Again a plot of ground was pointed out to me as belonging to a person who intended building sixty houses on it. Coming near the Upper Gikhon pool, not far from the windmill which I had built on the estate, 'Kérém-Moshé-ve-Yehoodit,' eighteen years ago, my attention was directed to two other windmills recently built, which I was told gave a good profit to the Greeks who owned them.
"Great was my delight when I considered that but a few years had passed since the time when not one Jewish family was living outside the gate of Jerusalem—when not a single house was to be seen; and now I beheld almost a new Jerusalem springing up, with buildings some of them as fine as any in Europe.
"When my carriage reached the Jaffa gate I was obliged to alight. Neither the streets nor the pavements in Jerusalem, the driver observed, are as yet prepared for carriages.
"Not having given any information of the time of my intended arrival, my friends did not order a sedan chair to be in readiness for me, so it was a rather difficult and painful task for me to walk along the street to the house prepared for my reception, but the káwásses soon led the way to my apartments.
"Here the Háhám Báshi, the Rev. Meyer Auerbach, and the Rev. Samuel Salant presented an address of welcome, and when they had concluded, I assured them of the great delight I felt in finding myself surrounded by men of such distinction, and that I would see them as often as possible. As soon as they left I made the necessary arrangements for the reception of the representatives of the several communities, the wardens of the Synagogues, and the committees of all the charitable institutions, fixing the day and hour I intended to see them.
"On leaving my apartments to inspect the adjoining rooms and tents for the accommodation of my party, I noticed a number of porters bringing inheavy luggage, and speaking, or rather shouting, as they moved along, in not less than five or six languages—German, Spanish, French, Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew. I was delighted to find that they all belonged to the Hebrew community, because their conduct afforded another proof of the injustice of the accusation against our brethren of Jerusalem that they are unwilling to work. Looking up at the roofs of the adjoining houses, I observed almost as many people—men, women, and children—as I saw in the street below, all of them offering me their salutations. They appeared to me to be good-looking and neatly dressed. Some of them dropped down letters and poems, specially composed in honour of my arrival. They were, however, requested by the káwásses to withdraw from near our terrace, lest their presence might be considered an intrusion.
"Entering the large reception room, I had a beautiful view of the east, north, and south of Jerusalem. I could see several very fine buildings on the Mount of Olives, many new and lofty houses all along the north, and some cupolas of Synagogues. As I looked out of the window I could almost see into the rooms of several families who lived near the house I occupied, and it was a source of much gratification to me to witness the affectionate manner in which the children were treated, and the industrious habits of the inmates.
"26th July.—In the course of the day I received visits from Mr Noel Moore, Her Majesty's Consul in Jerusalem, an enlightened public servant and an accomplished scholar, whom I have the pleasure to number among my friends, as well as from his Highness Aziz Bey, the brother of his Excellency the Governor of Jerusalem, accompanied by George Palet Effendi. The former expressed regret that no notice had been given of the day I intended to enter Jerusalem, or my friends, he said, would have come to meet me. He brought me the cordial welcome of the Governor, observing, in the name of his Excellency, that as my state of health would not allow me to call on the Governor, the latter would gladly come to pay me a visit without ceremony. In reply to this most kind offer, I begged Aziz Bey to assure his Excellency that, however grateful I must feel to the Governor for his condescension, I could not accept that honour, as I should thereby be deprived of the opportunity to pay that tribute of respect which I was desirous to pay his Excellency, as the representative of the Turkish Government, to whom I was anxious to present the Vizierial letter so kindly procured for me from Constantinople.
"Most of the gentlemen whom I had the pleasure of seeing were old acquaintances, and have been in correspondence with me. They gave me pleasing accounts of their synagogues, colleges, and charitable institutions, and submitted to me a number of letters and documents referring to communal matters, which I promised should have my special attention. I was much struck with the appearance of the representatives of the Gurgistan (Georgia) congregation. They only settled in Jerusalem five years ago, and now number two hundred souls, all of whom came to the Holy Land by special permission of the Russian Government. Some of them wore decorations. One, by name Eliahu ben Israel, had three, which he received, one from the late Emperor Nicholas and two from the present Emperor Alexander. When I enquired of their chief how they came by these special marks of distinction, he told me, that during the war of the Russians with the Circassians, the Jewish soldiers fought most bravely, and, when all the people in the town of Kutais deserted the place, the Jews remained, and with their blood defended the Treasury of the Russian Government. The soldier with the three decorations, Eliahu ben Israel, said that he received, on each occasion when those decorations had been given to him, an embrace from the Emperor. It was quite a sight to see those handsome stalwartmen, some in Caucasian and some in Circassian costume, relating the adventures of a Caucasian war.
"Considering that in the presence of these brave men in Jerusalem, certain persons should have brought forward accusations of cowardice and desertion against our brethren, it made me almost shed tears. Surely, I thought, Russia, Austria, Prussia, France, Italy, and other countries would give them quite a different character.
"I was next favoured with a visit from Dr Schwartz, Director of the Rothschild Hospital in Jerusalem, inviting me to visit all the institutions called into existence by that distinguished family, famous throughout the world for their unbounded benevolence.
"Dr Puffeles, the Director of the Hospital known by the name of 'Báté Kholim,' now entered, and in the course of conversation, gave me a pressing invitation to see the Hospital under his direction, especially as that institution had been permitted by me to take possession of the Dispensary which I had established thirty-two years ago (in 1843) in Jerusalem, and placed under the care of a medical attendant.
"Presently Astriades Effendi, the Mayor of Jerusalem, was announced. I had the pleasure of knowing that gentleman during my visit to the Holy City in the year 1866. He spoke enthusiastically of the great improvements which have taken place since that time. Under the present regulations all houses must be built, he said, according to the plan approved of by the Government, the great object being to have proper roads in all directions. It is part of his duty to see the law in question properly carried out, but he finds it difficult sometimes to convince builders of its utility and importance. Speaking of the houses which had been built by the Prussian Government for the accommodation of lepers, he observed that they were insufficient for the number now in Jerusalem.
"July 28th.—Preceded by soldiers and káwásses, I repaired to the Synagogue called 'Beth-Ha-Kenesset Istambooli,' presided over by the Rev. Háhám Báshi, then to the great German Synagogue, 'Beth Jaacob,' the Guedalla College, and the fine public baths.
"July 29th.—My medical attendant declared it impossible for me to leave my chamber, and I was most reluctantly obliged to send apologies to his Excellency the Governor, and to the English Consul, for not calling on them at the previously appointed hour. All my letters were now placed before me for my perusal, and I requested Dr Loewe to have his horse saddled, in order to go and inspect all the land outside the city which had been offered for sale. In the afternoon the Governor sent his secretary, George Balet Effendi, to express his regret at my indisposition, offering again to come to me, especially as his official duties would call him away to Gaza, where he would have to remain perhaps several days. This kind and condescending offer, however, I again begged, for the reason already stated in this narrative, with a sense of deep gratitude, to decline, as I fully hoped to be yet able to pay first my respects to him.
"Towards the evening Dr Loewe returned with full particulars regarding the land he had seen, having arranged that I should be put in possession of all the plans and exact measurements of each field, so as to enable me fully to judge of its value and usefulness for the object in view. All the various schools, institutions, foundations, trusts, soup-kitchens, and other charitable establishments were visited, and carefully inspected.
"Friday, August 6th.—I had occasion to see the work of eight mechanics—a watchmaker, an engraver, a lithographer, a sculptor, a goldsmith, a bookbinder, and carpenter, and all did their work most satisfactorily. The watchmaker, Joshua Fellman, into whose hands I put a valuable repeater for repairs, put it in a very short time in excellent order. The same man, inaddition to his skill as watchmaker, displays also great talent as a Hebrew caligraphist. He presented me with a grain of wheat, on which he wrote nineteen lines, forming an acrostic on my name. The engraver engraved for myself and several of my party Hebrew inscriptions in the best style. The lithographer, Mr David Spitzer, a native of Hungary, lithographed a number of cards for me after a pattern I gave him of a London-made card. I could scarcely find out the difference between the one and the other. The sculptor, to whom I gave the order in the evening to prepare two stones for me, with inscriptions of the verse, 'For thy servants take pleasure in thy stones,' &c. (Ps. cii. 15), accompanied by the date of my sojourn in Jerusalem, did the work in one night. The goldsmith made a number of rings, tablets, and cases; the tinman made two large cases for my books and papers; the bookbinder bound the statistical accounts in very good style, and the carpenter gave equal satisfaction—he did his work as well as any English carpenter.
"I was again greatly disappointed when my medical attendant would not allow me to leave my apartment, and I was obliged to commission Dr Loewe and Mr Aikin to do the work I was so anxious to have done myself, to inspect the Touro almshouses, the windmill, and the whole of the estate Kérém-Moshé-ve-Yehoodit.
"On their return they told me they had been in every one of the houses, and spoken to all the inmates. They found all the apartments remarkably clean, and the occupants, with the exception of one, in the full enjoyment of health. They also entered the four new houses, for the occupation of which I have already nominated four deserving families, and assured me that they were well built, and in every respect like the old houses. They ascended to the top of the windmill, and found everything perfect, with the exception of the mill-stones, which are a little worn, but not to such an extent as to prevent grinding. The garden and the wall all round they considered to be in perfect order.
"I was particularly pleased with their account of the windmill, as I had a double object in building it—to benefit the poor and encourage industry. According to paragraphs V. and VIII. in the agreement, 'The poor shall always have their wheat ground at a reduced price; they are to pay for each measure two páráhs less than the charge would be to any other person not classed among the poor; and when both poor and rich come at the same time to have their corn ground, precedence should always be given to the poor.'
"I then proceeded to the Synagogue, and was there most agreeably surprised with the magnificent appearance of that noble edifice. It is a hundred feet high from the floor to the cupola; contains a number of communal offices, a college for the study of the Holy Law, and in an adjoining building also a public bath. I was received on entering the Synagogue by the representatives of several congregations.
"I was told that the whole building had been built by the hands of Jews. Every kind of work, it was further observed—that of the carpenter, blacksmith, glazier, embroiderer, goldsmith, or engraver—all had been done by the Jews in Jerusalem. I noticed some beautiful silver ornaments for the Sepharim, especially a massive silver crown, and when I enquired where it had been made, the man who had done the work was introduced to me. The Synagogue was full in every corner, but owing to the excellent arrangements no inconvenience was felt.
"I made arrangements to start the following day for Ramlah at an early hour, but gave orders that my intentions should not be made known to any of our friends and acquaintances; and the next day, Wednesday, 8th of August, between four and five o'clock in the morning, I was on the road toJaffa. My esteemed friend, the Rev. Samuel Salant, and a few more still managed to see me, so I bade him and those with him a sincere good-bye. Dr Loewe and Mr Aikin followed us on horseback.
"I found the road much better; it appeared to me as if most of the impeding stones had been cleared away. We continued our journey till mid-day, when we had a halt of two hours at Bab-el-Wad, and then proceeded to Jaffa.
"On Sabbath we again saw Port Said. On Sunday and Monday we were in the quarantine harbour at Aboukir, and the following Saturday we found ourselves in the harbour of Naples. On 13th of August we landed at Firoul; there we remained five days in quarantine. On Saturday morning, at half-past six, we entered the harbour of Marseilles, but did not land till half-past seven in the evening, when we proceeded at once to the Synagogue, and thence to the railway which took us to Paris. There again I repaired to the House of God to offer thanks for his boundless mercy to me; and on the 9th of September I had the happiness of entering my own Synagogue at Ramsgate, after an absence of three months.
"In concluding this narrative, I feel it my pleasing duty to inform all friends of Zion that I again have had every opportunity to convince myself of the correctness of those statements which had been made in the 'Replies' I received to my inquiries on the 15th October '5634'. The great regard I have always entertained towards our brethren in the Holy Land has, if possible, increased, so that if you were to ask me, 'Are they worthy and deserving of assistance?' I would reply, 'Most decidedly.' 'Are they willing and capable of work?' 'Undoubtedly.' ' Are their mental powers of a satisfactory nature?' 'Certainly.' 'Ought we, as Israelites, in particular to render them support?' 'Learn,' I would say, 'if your own Sacred Scriptures do not satisfy you, from non-Israelites what degree of support those are entitled to who consecrate their lives to the worship of God. Go and cast a glance upon the numerous munificent endowments, upon the munificent institutions, upon the annual contributions, not only in Jerusalem, but in every part of the world—not only by individuals, but by almost every mighty ruler on earth. Notice the war which has broken out within our recollection respecting the privilege of repairing a house of devotion, all for the sole object of supporting religion. And are we Israelites to stand back and say, We are all practical men; let everybody in Jerusalem go and work? We do not want a set of indolent people who, by poring over books, teaching the Word of God, think they are performing their duties in life, and wait for our support!' The Jews in Jerusalem, in every part of the Holy Land, I tell you, do work; are more industrious than many men in Europe, otherwise none of them would remain alive; but when the work does not pay sufficiently, when there is no market for the produce of the land, when famine, cholera, and other misfortunes befall the inhabitants, we Israelites, unto whom God has revealed himself on Sinai, more than any other nation, must step forward and render them help, raise them from their state of distress.
"If you put the question to me thus: 'Now we are willing to contribute towards a fund intended to render them such assistance as they require; we are ready to make even sacrifices of our own means, if necessary. What scheme do you propose as best adapted to carry out the object in view?' I would reply, 'Carry out simply what they themselves have suggested; but begin in the first instance with the building of houses in Jerusalem. Select land outside the city; raise, in the form of a large square or crescent, a number of suitable houses, with European improvements; have in the centre of the square or crescent a synagogue, a college, and a public bath. Let each house have in front a plot of ground large enough to cultivate olive trees, the vine, and necessary vegetables, so as to give the occupiers a taste for agriculture.
"The houses ought to pay a moderate rental, by the amount of which, after securing the sum required for the payment of a clerk and overseer and the repair of the houses, there should be established a loan society, on safe principles, for the benefit of the poor working-class, the trader, agriculturist, or any poor deserving man. Two per cent. should be charged on each loan, so as to cover thereby the expenses necessary for a special clerk and the rent of an appropriate house.
"If the amount of your funds be sufficient, build houses in Safed, Tiberias, and Hebron on the same plan; establish loan societies on similar principles of security.
"And should you further prosper, and have £30,000 or £50,000 to dispose of, you will without difficulty be able to purchase as much land as you would like in the vicinity of Safed, Pekee-in, Tiberias, Hebron, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Khaifa, and you will find in all those places a number of persons who would be most willing to follow agricultural pursuits.
"And if you now address me, saying, 'Which would be the proper time to commence work, supposing we were ready to be guided by your counsel?' my reply would be, 'Commence at once; begin the work this day if you can.'
"Our brethren throughout Europe, Persia, and Turkey have been roused by your promises, which have been made known to them in the most hopeful terms by Hebrew, German, French, Italian, and English periodicals. You led them to cherish the hope that you would surely make no delay in proceeding to ameliorate the condition of the Sons of Zion. They now cry out, 'Here we are, give us land, give us work, you promised to do so. We are willing for the sake of our love to Jerusalem to undertake the execution of the most laborious tasks;' but the representatives of the community have no answer to give; they simply, with a cast-down countenance, say, in the words of King Solomon: 'Clouds and wind without rain.'
"You are then, I repeat, in sacred duty bound not to disappoint them any longer. Begin the hallowed task at once. He who takes delight in Zion will establish the work of your hands.
"Moses Montefiore."
Sir Moses now received numerous congratulations on his safe return from his seventh pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in reply to which he said, that it was a source of much happiness to him to witness the greatly improved condition of his brethren, and he would always be ready to go there again should his presence in Jerusalem be required.