"I am confidently convinced that my brethren in Russia and Poland understand and appreciate the benevolent intentions of His Imperial Majesty; that they feel a.s.sured that the Emperor"s sole object is to improve their condition, and that they are impressed with the conviction that their truest wisdom will be to acquiesce cheerfully in the measures designed for their welfare by their powerful and enlightened Sovereign, and to adopt with alacrity the course which, in his paternal care, His Majesty may direct.
"The gracious reception which His Imperial Majesty has already given to my reports, emboldens me to hope that the existing restrictions calculated to impede the well-being of my Russian brethren will be speedily removed. By this means I feel a.s.sured will not only their happiness and prosperity be promoted, but their character as good, useful, and most loyal subjects will be abundantly testified.
"I trust that the doc.u.ments to which I have referred will satisfy the Committee that the Israelites of His Majesty"s Empire are not of an idle disposition, but, on the contrary, most of them are anxious to cultivate land, and even pray for such occupation, and that under the fostering protection of His Imperial Majesty they will gladly apply themselves to industrial pursuits.
"On the whole, my heart is filled with hope that the honourable and distinguished Committee will take into consideration, the circ.u.mstances of extreme misery in which the great body of Israelites in His Majesty"s Empire is placed, and that the Committee will kindly and speedily proceed to the arduous, but n.o.ble and sacred, task of carrying out the intentions of His Imperial Majesty to a most happy and glorious conclusion.
"In fine I beg to express to your Excellency my sincerest acknowledgments for the kind and condescending manner in which your Excellency was pleased to convey to me your very gratifying communication; and with fervent prayers that your Excellency may soon find the happy opportunity of signifying to me some good tidings of the progress which may have been made in the further extension of His Imperial Majesty"s favour to my brethren, I have the honour to remain, with the most profound respect, your Excellency"s humble servant,
(Signed) "Moses Montefiore."
We now return to the diary of 1846, in the entries of which, from June 20th to the end of the year, we find a succession of pleasing evidences of the motives which prompted him and Lady Montefiore to undertake the journey to Russia.
In an interview which he had with Sir Robert Peel, the latter told him that he would be happy to do everything, either privately or publicly, to forward his benevolent objects; that he would write to Count Nesselrode to say that he had seen the favourable impression made on the public mind by Sir Moses" report of the promises made to him; and that, if His Excellency rightly valued its effect, those promises would in the result be confirmed by their strict fulfilment.
_June 28th._--Sir Robert conveyed to Sir Moses, in a letter dated from Osborne, Isle of Wight, the gratifying news that Her Majesty had conferred on him the dignity of Baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
"I have the satisfaction of acquainting you," he writes, "that the Queen has been graciously pleased to confer on you the dignity of a baronet. This mark of Royal favour is bestowed upon you in consideration of your high character and eminent position in the ranks of a loyal and estimable cla.s.s of Her Majesty"s subjects agreeing with you in religious profession, and in the hope that it may aid your truly benevolent efforts to improve the social condition of the Jews in other countries by temperate appeals to the justice and humanity of their rulers."
The honour thereby conferred on Sir Moses by Her Majesty was not only a cause of great happiness to himself, individually, but also a source of the highest gratification to all his brethren in the British Empire and on the continent, inasmuch as it undoubtedly manifested Her Majesty"s solicitude for the welfare of all the Jews in other parts of the world.
A deputation from the elders of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews Synagogue, headed by their President, Mr Hananel de Castro, waited on Sir Moses to request, in the name of their co-religionists, that he would sit for his portrait, to be placed in the Vestry-room, to which he consented.
Sir George Hamilton, whom he had requested, when at Berlin, to present a pet.i.tion to the King of Prussia in favour of the Jews at Krakau, informs him (June 12th) that, when dining with his Majesty at Sans Souci, he had an opportunity of speaking to him on the subject which Sir Moses had entreated him to explain to His Majesty. "The King," he wrote, "was very gracious on the occasion;" and he sent to His Majesty the pet.i.tion prepared by Sir Moses. The King regretted very much not to have seen him at Berlin, and wished Sir Moses could have remained there until his return.
The good offices rendered by Sir George in engaging His Majesty"s favourable consideration on the subject became a cause of much happiness to Sir Moses.
_July 11th._--He attended the Lord Mayor"s grand entertainment given to His Highness Ibrahim Pasha. His Lordship introduced him to the latter before dinner, and proposed his health to the company, which was extremely well received.
Sir Moses concludes his diary for the year with expressions of deep grat.i.tude to Heaven for all mercies bestowed on him and his affectionate consort.
END OF VOL. I.