The month of July was devoted to a short trip to Belgium, where he visited the chief stations of the Gas Company, of which he was President.
This was a most eventful year. Queen Isabella of Spain, dethroned in 1868, resigned her crown in favour of her son, Alfonso, Prince of Asturias; but the Spanish people elected the second son of King Victor Emanuel, Prince Amadeo, in preference; and the Franco-German war broke out, in consequence of the candidature of the Prince of Hohenzollern for the Spanish throne.
August 3rd.—Sir Moses attended the Board meetings of the Alliance Marine, and Alliance Life and Fire Insurance Company, and of the Imperial Continental Gas Association. "The political horizon," he says, "is most threatening, our shares dreadfully depressed." The bank unexpectedly raised the rate of interest to six per cent.
August 12th.—He entertained the greatest fears for the Emperor Napoleon. On September 3rd he read the despatch referring to the capitulation of General Wimpffen at Sedan. "I am deeply grieved for the Emperor of the French. I believe him to have been a sincere friend of England, and a lover of peace. He was basely betrayed into the war to secure his succession."
September 8th.—Sir Moses received an invitation to the consecration of the new Synagogue of the British Jews. It was signed by the late Mr Simon Waley, Warden. Feeling a sincere and deep anxiety for the unity of the Jews, he sent to Mr Waley, and expressed his wish to see unity happily restored before the day of consecration, with his hope that he and his brother, with Dr Adler, the Chief Rabbi, might accomplish the object he had so much at heart.
But Sir Moses was not permitted to indulge long in the pleasures of promoting communal and charitable objects at home, his attention being most unexpectedly drawn to a matter of serious consequence abroad, which required his immediate exertions.
As the hundred-headed Hydra is that terrible monster, "Hatred of race," even in the present enlightened age, it requires the labour of a modern Hercules to destroy it. This is unfortunately shown by the insertion of a letter in the Times on October 31st, 1870, addressed to the editor by Mr E. H. Palmer, of St John's College, Cambridge, and Mr C. F. Tyrwhitt Drake.
"The massacre of Christians at Damascus ten years ago," these gentlemen write, "created an excitement over the whole of Europe, but with Tien-tsin and Sedan to engross the public attention, such a trifle as a fresh outbreak in Syria has been quite overlooked.
"The events to which we allude occurred shortly after we had left the country, but we have received full details from both native Christians and Mahommedan correspondents in Syria.