Chapter XXX

1871.

FAMINE IN PERSIA--SIR MOSES ASSISTS IN THE WORK OF RELIEF--LORD
GRANVILLE'S AID--THE TABERNACLE AT RAMSGATE--PROFESSOR
MAX MÜLLER--ILLNESS OF THE PRINCE
OF WALES.

_July 22nd._--A despatch reached him from Captain Henry Jones, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General at Tabriz, Persia, of which the following is a copy:--

"BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL, TABRIZ, PERSIA, _June 5, 1871_.

"SIR,--Knowing your sympathy for the sufferings of your
co-religionists everywhere, I take the liberty to address you on
behalf of the Jews of Shiraz, who are at present reduced to great
want and misery through the famine which is now devastating Persia.
They number, I learn, about three hundred families, and have always
suffered great oppression at the hands of their Mussulman masters;
you may conceive how abject and degraded is their position when you
hear that their protector is the public executioner.

"My informant assures me that unless relief comes very speedily,
sickness and starvation will shortly annihilate the entire community.
Their sufferings must indeed be extreme when they have impressed
their Mussulman fellow-subjects, usually so callous and indifferent
to the distress of others.

"The Persian Government will do nothing. Were they even to relieve
the sufferings of the Mussulman population their means would be
exhausted. The few Europeans dwelling in Persia have already given
what they could in aid of the starving Christians of Isfahan, and
as these wretched Jews know not where to look for help, and have no
one to plead their cause, I consider it my duty to bring their case
to your notice, trusting it may be in your power, in some degree, to
relieve them.

"There are several colonies of Jews in Persia, at Uroomia, Hamadan,
Yezd, I believe, and elsewhere, all oppressed and trodden down, as
are all their co-religionists in these regions. None, however, are
enduring the frightful amount of suffering which is borne by the Jews
of Shiraz.

"In the event of their co-religionists in England taking steps to
alleviate this great misery, I would recommend their communicating by
telegram (as speedily as possible) with Her Majesty's representatives
at Teheran, who will appoint some trustworthy agent at Shiraz to
distribute their bounty among the most necessitous of the sufferers
there.--I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,

(Signed) "HENRY M. JONES, _Consul-General_.

"Sir MOSES MONTEFIORE, Bart., &c., &c."

Sir Moses, without delay, addressed to Captain Jones a reply, of which the following is a copy:--

"GROSVENOR GATE, PARK LANE, LONDON, _July 2, 1871_.

"SIR,--I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your esteemed
letter dated the 5th ult., in which, prompted by a noble feeling of
humanity, you have brought to my notice the present unfortunate state
of my brethren in Shiraz, caused by the famine now prevailing in
Persia.

"I lost no time in laying your communication before the Board of
Deputies of British Jews in London, in hopes that they would, as far
as may be in their power, endeavour to alleviate the sufferings of
the above city. In the meantime, however, I request you will allow me
to hand you, per enclosed three 'lettres de crédit circulaires,' one
hundred pounds sterling as a humble offering of myself. £50 of this
sum I should entreat you to give to the Jews, £25 to the Christians,
and £25 to the Mussulmans in Shiraz.

"With regard to the great oppressions to which the Jews generally
have been subjected in Persia, I beg leave to state that by the kind
intercession of Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador in Teheran I was
permitted in the year 1866 to lay my humble petition on behalf of
the Jews before His Majesty the Shah Nazr-ed-din, and had at that
time the high gratification of being informed, through Her Majesty's
Government, that the Shah had given immediate orders to the Sipeh
Sálár to the effect that every possible care should henceforth be
taken of the Jews, so that no injustice whatever be done any more
to them. It is for this reason a matter of deep regret to me, and
as I have no doubt to every friend of humanity, to hear that the
high officer under whose special care the Jews had then been placed
should have ceased to act in accordance with the strict orders of His
Majesty the Shah.

"Being anxious to impress on the minds of my brethren in Shiraz the
gratitude they owe to you for having made known their state of misery
to the Jews in England, I have addressed the enclosed letter to the
spiritual head of their community, and will deem it a great favour if
you will kindly have it forwarded to the proper authorities.

"I need not assure you how fully I appreciate your advocacy on behalf
of my brethren. Every lover of justice will admit you have rendered a
great service to the poor and oppressed; the consciousness alone of
so noble an act is no doubt the highest gratification to you.--I have
the honour to be, Sir, with great esteem, your most obedient servant,

(Signed) "MOSES MONTEFIORE.

"Captain H. M. JONES, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General, Tabriz."

Sir Moses lost no time in communicating the sad intelligence to the Board of the London Committee of Deputies of the British Jews, who resolved:--"That the President be requested to forward a copy of his letter to the Board, with extracts from the letter of Captain Jones, and a copy of his letter in reply, to the President of every Jewish congregation in the United Kingdom, and to urge on such President, in the name of the Board, to take the speediest steps in order to obtain subscriptions from the congregation over which he presides and from individual congregants in aid of the sufferers, and that this Board desires to record its high appreciation of the benevolent feelings of which Captain Jones' communication affords such gratifying evidence."

Sir Moses readily complied with the request of the Board, and a very considerable amount was collected.

With reference to the kindness evinced on this occasion by the British Government, he makes an entry in his Diary under the date of July 28th as follows:--

"With feelings of gratitude to the God of my forefathers for all the mercies to the children of His Covenant, and for His blessings on my anxious efforts to relieve the sufferers by famine and sickness in Persia, I received this forenoon a letter from Mr Odo Russell, informing me that Lord Granville had the pleasure to comply with my request to forward to Her Majesty's Minister, Mr Alison, at Teheran my letter and enclosed £250. His Lordship's benevolence and kindness will cause the distribution of the money at least one month sooner than otherwise it could have been done, and consequently be the saving of much time. God bless him and the British Government!"

_July 29th._--Sir Moses attended the morning service in his Synagogue, breakfasted with some friends at the College, and at 2 P.M. attended a lecture delivered by the Principal in the Lecture Hall. On his return to East Cliff he had the satisfaction of finding a telegram from Her Majesty's Minister at Teheran, to the effect that Sir Moses' telegram of the 21st July had been received, and £250 sent to Shiraz as desired.

He commissioned Michael Angelo Pittatore, a distinguished artist, to paint the likeness of Mr Almosniuo, the able secretary during a period of fifty years of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation in London, and that of his wife, the esteemed and indefatigable president of the infant school of that congregation. He also commissioned the artist to paint the portrait of the writer of these Memoirs, the first Principal of the College founded in memory of Lady Montefiore, and presented the picture to that institution.

In October, on the approach of the Tabernacle holidays, Sir Moses had his Tabernacle erected in accordance with his annual custom. In former times he used to have it in a picturesque part of his park, but as he and Lady Montefiore advanced in years he found it necessary to choose a more sheltered spot, and he therefore had it erected in the quadrangle of East Cliff Lodge. Those of my readers who have never seen a tabernacle, as it is called in England, may be interested in a description of one.

It is in the form of a good-sized garden-house, with a movable roof and ceiling of lattice-work, thickly covered with fresh evergreens. The walls of the one constructed under the direction of Sir Moses were hung with tasteful draperies, the windows and door had beautiful curtains, and on the walls were large mirrors and appropriate pictures and scripture texts in gilt frames. A thick carpet was laid down on the floor; flowers and garlands were also distributed wherever practicable. From the centre of the roof a silver lamp with seven branches was suspended; the table underneath was laid out with handsome bouquets and flowering plants in beautiful pots; whilst there was no lack of choice refreshments in gold, silver, and crystal vessels. During this festival a number of relatives and friends dined with him in the Tabernacle every day, and his Christian neighbours and acquaintances considered it a great treat to get an invitation to the dinner.

On the date of this entry I noticed among those present at dinner, Mrs Warre, a lady from Ramsgate held in great esteem by Sir Moses on account of her charitable disposition; Mrs Max Müller, a niece of Mrs Warre, and her husband, Professor Max Müller.

"When I was sitting in the Palace, at the table with the Emperor of Germany," said Professor Max Müller, "my mind was engrossed with the idea that I was in the presence of the Emperor Charlemagne. Now," he said, "sitting in the Tabernacle at the table with Sir Moses Montefiore, I can fancy myself in the presence of the Patriarch Abraham, sitting in his tent, where his hospitality was accepted by angels, and gladdened the heart of all comers."

This observation was sufficient inducement for Sir Moses to speak on subjects connected with the locality of the tent of Abraham: the Holy Land, the Sacred Scriptures, and men of learning in ancient history and literature. Professor Max Müller, on his turn, spoke of Chevalier Bunsen, the author of "Egypt's Place in Universal History;" also of Professor Bernays of the University of Bonn (son of the late Rev. Isaak Bernays, Spiritual Head of the Hebrew community at Hamburg). "My friend, Professor Bernays," he said, "is a strict observer of the dietary laws of the Pentateuch, and I greatly esteemed him for his learning and nobility of character. He used to come and stay with me, on which occasions he was in the habit of bringing with him his own cooking apparatus."

Sir Moses thereupon remarked, it was now admitted by medical men of great eminence that the dietary laws of the Pentateuch contributed greatly to the health and long life of those who observed them.

This, to the best of my recollection, is the substance of the conversation which passed between Sir Moses and Professor Max Müller.

Grace, in Hebrew, having been offered up after the repast, the company withdrew to take a walk in the garden, whilst Professor and Mrs Max Müller, after taking leave of Sir Moses, repaired to Lady Montefiore's Theological College.

They remained there for some time, inspected the books, manuscripts, and testimonials in the Library and Lecture Hall, and apparently were much pleased with what they saw. The Professor signed his name in the visitors' book in Sanscrit, giving literal translation of "Oxford" in the word "Gaoghat;" and a few days after his visit to the College he addressed Sir Moses in a letter, of which the following is a copy:

"PARKS END, OXFORD, _10th October_ 1871.

"DEAR SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE,--Coming from Oxford, the city of
colleges, I was so much struck with the new College of which you have
laid the foundations at Ramsgate, and particularly with the excellent
library which Dr Loewe has collected for you, that I should feel
honoured if you would allow me to contribute a small mite to your
library treasures.

"As I learnt from Dr Loewe that some of my publications would be
welcome to the students of your College, I have taken the liberty
to send you by railway two volumes of my lectures on the Science of
Language, and those volumes of my essays under the title of 'Chips
from a German Workshop.'

"I do not expect that you would find time to look at these books,
but it would give me pleasure if you would glance at pp. 372 _seq._
of the first volume of my essays, where is an essay on Semite
Monotheism. I have tried to vindicate the character of Abraham as the
true founder of Monotheism against the theories of Renan and others.

"Allow me to thank you in my wife's name and my own for the kindness
with which you received us under your hospitable 'tent.' I can assure
you that it was to both of us a most interesting day, and that it
will long keep its place in our memory.

"My wife wishes to be kindly remembered to you, and I remain, with
sincere respect, yours truly,

"MAX MÜLLER."

_December 10th._--"There has been for nearly a week past but one topic of conversation, the illness of His Highness the Prince of Wales, and upon every face there is written a look of concern and sorrow, as the illness of the Prince has gone to the heart of every one." Sir Moses sent a telegram to the Háhám Báshi at Jerusalem, to have prayers offered up in all the Synagogues there, and in the holy cities of Hebron, Tiberias, and Safed, for his recovery, and for the health and happiness of the Queen, and all the other members of the Royal family. "I hope," he writes in his Diary, "this will be done to-night in all parts of the Holy Land, and may the God of Israel hearken to their prayers. Amen, amen."

To this telegram he received the following reply:--

"'My help cometh from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. Seek the
peace of the City, for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.'
Jerusalem, 2nd day of Tebet 5632 (December 18th, 1871).

"May peaceful salutations, like the dew of Heaven, descend on Sir
Moses Montefiore, Bart., the zealous promoter of peace. Amen.

"We beg to inform you that your telegram, dated the 28th of Kislev
(Sunday, 10th December), reached us just about the time for the
afternoon prayers. We immediately made its contents known to our
brethren belonging to the several Ashkenázim congregations in the
Holy City, and despatched special messengers to the Sephárdim and
Ashkenázim congregations dwelling in the Holy Cities of Hebron,
Tiberias, and Safed. We then, conjointly with our learned and pious
colleagues, assembled in the great Synagogue, gave orders to light
up the candelabra in all the Synagogues in the Holy City, opened the
portals of the Holy Ark, and offered up a most fervent prayer for
the speedy and perfect recovery of His Royal Highness Albert Edward,
Prince of Wales, invoking the Holy One (blessed be His name!) to make
him live, to grant him health, to strengthen him, and to renew his
youth. We also sent a congregation of pious and learned men to pray
the whole night at the tomb of our mother, Rachel (may her merit
protect us!), while, at the same time, we ordered a congregation of
equally pious and learned men to call upon our God at the western
wall of the ancient Temple, from which spot, we are told by our
ancestors, the Divine glory never departed. And when we had concluded
our heartfelt prayers for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, we
implored God to cause His blessings to descend on Her Majesty, the
mighty and most virtuous Queen Victoria (may her glory be exalted!),
on Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, and on every member
of the Royal family. Oh! that our prayers may have been favourably
received in Heaven, and that we may yet hear the good tidings, the
Lord hath strengthened the Prince of Wales upon his bed of sickness,
and has completely restored him to health! With sincere wishes for
your own lasting happiness, crowned by the blessing of peace,--We
remain, esteemed Sir Moses, yours faithfully,

"ABRAHAM ASKENASI. HÁHÁM BÁSHI."

_December 14th._--Sir Moses writes: "Accounts of the Prince of Wales are more favourable; the bulletin of the afternoon confirms our hope for his recovery. It is impossible to describe the deep anxiety felt by all classes in England, indeed, in all parts of the world, for the Prince, the Princess, and our gracious Queen, and all pray most ardently for the Prince's recovery."

_December 15th._--"With every hour telegrams happily continue to be more favourable."

"The Eternal God," Sir Moses writes, "listened to the prayers of many millions of Her Majesty's loyal subjects in all her vast dominions. The precious life of the Prince of Wales is saved! May it be preserved for very many years!"

_December 27th._--A telegram from the Secretary of the Relief Committee at Ispahan reached him, acknowledging the receipt of one of his letters, with remittance, and adding that of the 1700 Jews of the community in Ispahan, 1200 were starving, and reporting further heartrending details.

"This is work," Sir Moses says, "for next year, but I hope, _D.V._, to be able to accomplish it."