CHAPTER XXVI,

1867.

RESULT OF APPEALS TO ROUMANIAN BIGOTRY PERILOUS POSITION OF THE MISSION-COURAGEOUS CONDUCT OF SIR MOSES-AN ENTERPRISING CONTRACTOR-SATISFACTORY END OF THE MISSION.

HE Natiunea having given notice to the Prefecture of its

petitions, the following reply was received :

"In reply to your notice, No. 3915, without date, I hasten to inform you that in Roumania, no lists for signatures may be laid out in the streets and public places, except on the occasion of the plebiscite, and I do not believe that it is permitted to a private gentleman to open such plebiscites. The right, however, of petition and meeting in houses is granted to every Roumanian. If Government were to allow any one to place subscription tables in public places or streets it might easily occur that adversaries, entertaining opinions differing from those expressed in the lists, might come forward, and the police might hardly suffice to maintain public order. The leading article of your last Journal has already found many adversaries, and these could avail themselves of the opportunity to disturb the public peace, which the Government could by no means suffer, more especially as your ideas rest upon no sound basis, and the Government feels itself, without your assistance, sufficiently powerful to protect the right of the land.”

The editor of the Journal Speranta called to say that he was told in the Public Garden, "we should run away, as the people were now going to kill Sir Moses."

"I

Reverting to the Diary I find the following entry :—“I feel very weak and poorly to-day, the air is excessively hot, and I am vexed with sinister reports and intended outbreaks against the Jews.

"About two o'clock I received, as did likewise Dr Loewe, Captain Moore, and Mr Daniel, the honour of a card of invitation from His Serene Highness the Prince, to dine to-day at the Palace.

"We arrived at the Palace a few minutes before half-past

five. Mr Green soon arrived, and he presented my companions to His Serene Highness.

"Prince Charles (now His Majesty, the King), was most courteous and kind to us. We dined in the Palace, contrary to His Highness' custom. He generally dined, he told me, in his garden, but was fearful I might take cold. I sat on the Prince's right; he was exceedingly courteous, and spoke on many subjects. He had been in Morocco, in the year 1862, during the Spanish war, in Gibraltar, and twice in England. We had an c:cellent entertainment, and his military band played some beautiful pieces in the garden during dinner.

"The Prince and all the party went into the garden afterwards, and I had the honour of smoking a cigar with him. Coffee, cigars, and liqueurs were handed round. We returned much pleased.

"Thursday, August 29th.- This morning the chief officer of police, and Monsieur Soveser, Chef de division au Ministère de L'intérieur, called, and arranged with Sir Moses to accompany him to-morrow to see the Christian charitable institutions in the city, in accordance with the wish he expressed yesterday to His Highness. He then rode to Mr Green's, and had the great benefit of half-an-hour's conversation with him. 'I hope,' Sir Moses says, 'I satisfied him that the object of my visit to Roumania was limited entirely to obtain from the Prince and his Government their assurance that the Jews should enjoy security of their persons and their property, and be treated kindly and with justice.""

On his return to the hotel an extraordinary scene of tumult and uproar presented itself.

Notwithstanding the reply of the Prefecture to the Notice No. 3915 given by the editor of the Natiunea, informing him that in Roumania no lists for signature may be laid out in the streets and public places, except on the occasion of the Plébiscite, a table was placed, with the lists in question for signatures, in front of the windows of the apartments occupied by Sir Moses, and thousands of people crowded round the table, many of them approaching towards the windows in the most threatening attitude. Some persons from the hotel then suddenly entered the room occupied by Sir Moses, terror-stricken at what they had seen and heard in the streets, calling his attention to the

Courageous Conduct of Sir Moses.

205

crowds at his window, and saying, "They want to take your life."

Most persons in Sir Moses' position would have manifested great fear and excitement, but this was not the case with him. He went to the window facing the enraged populace, opened both wings, and placed himself right in front of it, and I had the privilege of being permitted to place myself at his side.

"Fire away," he said, "if you like. I came here in the name of justice and humanity to plead the cause of innocent sufferers. They stared at him first for a few minutes. Then the shouting and tumult increased, but still he did not move.

Ultimately the crowd, threatening and shouting, dispersed. In the evening Mr Halfon, the banker, called. With tears in his eyes, he cried, "We shall all be massacred."

Monsieur A. Halfon, the President of the Comité de l'Alliance Israélite de Bucharest had strongly advised Sir Moses not to come to Moldavia at all, as by doing so he might hurt the feelings of the Prince, the Government, and the Roumanian population. Sir Moses, however, having before him the appeal of the Hebrew communities in Moldavia, who strongly and repeatedly supplicated him to plead their cause before the Prince personally, did not consider himself justified in following the advice of Mons. Halfon, especially as Mr Green had made a statement to the effect that it was the opinion of some persons in Bucharest "that the wealthy class among the Hebrew community, having no cause whatever to complain, would not like to join the middle and poorer classes, who publicly complain of the grievances they have to endure."

At the foot of the page I give an exact copy of Monsieur A. Halfon's letter.*

Under date of August the 6th, 1867, he addressed him as follows:

TRES VÉNÉRABLE Baronnet,—J'ai pris la liberté de vous adresser aujourd'hui le telegramme suivant:

"Informé de votre projet de venir ici, je vous prie d'arrêter votre depart jusqu'à reception de ma lettre de ce jour," et je m empresse de porter à votre connaisance les raisons pour lesquelles j'ai pensé devoir arrêter votre voyage.

1o. Et tout d'abord pour ne point vous soumettre, à votre age, que le bon Dieu vous prolonge pour bien d'années encore, aux fatigues d'un pareil voyage.

2o. Pour ne point blesser l'amour propre et la subtibilité de notre Prince, de notre gouvernement et de la population roumaine.

Le Prince autant que ses Ministres nous font toutes les promesses pour le bien de nos correligionaires.

Quand aux pérsecutions dont nos frères furent victimes, il nous reste à ésperer