"5th. The Jews shall not contract for any undertakings, nor be partners with Christians for such objects.
"6th. The Jews shall not exercise any commerce without a licence from the municipality; the transgressors shall be punished with fines, and their suits shall not be entertained by the authorities.
"7th. The Jews shall not sell beverages and eatables, except to their co-religionists.
"The Jewish committees shall be suppressed, and the laws contrary to this act abrogated."
The news referring to Monsieur Bratiano's circular had already been received by Her Majesty's Government long before it had been carried out at Jassy, and no time was lost in transmitting proper instructions to the Consul-General of Her Majesty's Government at Bucharest.
Before long the unfortunate occurrence at Galatz brought one more cry of anguish and prayer for supplication. On July 14th, ten Israelites, after being brought to Galatz from Jassy a few days before, ill-treated, and employed at the vilest and most degrading labour, were, by order of the Prefect, together with an eleventh fellow-sufferer and co-religionist, carried to the opposite side of the Danube, and there abandoned in the swamps and morasses, exposed to the wind and weather, without food or shelter. These people were then daily carried backwards and forwards—to one shore by the Turkish soldiers, and to the other by the Roumanians. Three days later one of the unfortunates was already missing, having undoubtedly met his death in the swamps. On Sunday morning the ten were again brought over by the Turks, but the Roumanian soldiers prevented them with their bayonets from landing, and two (an old man and a young man) were carried away by the stream and drowned. Seeing this, the officer on duty allowed the remaining eight to come on board, but no further. Of those saved, one was suffering from illness, and another had become insane.
The Austrian Consul, Monsieur Kremer, on hearing of it, took up the matter, and immediately sent two boats from the Austrian ship of war to the place to fetch the eight left alive, and to search for the bodies of the dead. Of the bodies, but one (that of the old man) was found. On the approach of the Austrian boats, the eight unfortunate sufferers were taken to the guard-house, and afterwards set at liberty.
The British Government sent instructions to Mr Green, but the Roumanian authorities laid the whole blame upon the Turks. Lord Stanley continued sending the despatches from the Consul-General to Sir Moses almost as soon as they arrived, for which favour Sir Moses always expressed his deep gratitude; but the state of his co-religionists in Roumania caused him much anxiety.
A gleam of hope, however, regarding the condition of the Jews in another part of the world, came to gladden his heart.
A communication was made to him from Saffi in Morocco, referring to the Jews at Abdá, the substance of which I copy from the Times of Tuesday, February 18th, 1868:—