November 7th.—Sir Moses again attended a meeting of the Committee of the Great Exhibition at the Mansion House, was called to the chair, and received a vote of thanks.
Subsequently he went to the Guildhall to take the oath of qualification for the City Lieutenancy, the Lord Mayor having remained for the purpose, and he then proceeded to Ramsgate.
On December 16th he had an interview with Lord Palmerston, who gave him the promised letter to Lord Normanby, the English Ambassador at Paris; and on the 24th of December Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore proceeded to the French capital, with the object of obtaining an audience of the President of the Republic to solicit the removal of the inscription in the Church of the Capuchins at Damascus.
On his arrival at Paris he was well received by Lord Normanby, who thought that the inscription might be replaced by another, Sir Moses observing that this would quite satisfy the Jews there. General Lafitte, who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs, also granted Sir Moses an interview, and advised him to wait a few weeks, as he was expecting a report from the French Consul-General at Damascus on that very subject. Meanwhile, through the good offices of Lord Normanby, Sir Moses obtained the coveted private audience with Louis Napoleon at the Elysée, and gives the following description of it in his diary:—
"He received me most graciously, said that Lord Normanby had apprised him of my wishes, and that he was glad to see me; asked me to be seated, and sat down himself. I requested his permission to read him my address. He listened to it with the utmost attention, and several times intimated his approval of the sentiments. When I had concluded he said, 'I am sensibly affected by your address; I will give immediate instructions, and write very strongly. I am very happy in having it in my power to serve the cause of truth.'"
The words of the then powerful President of the French Republic could certainly not have been more satisfactory, and Sir Moses had every reason to be pleased with the result of his audience.
Before leaving Paris he had an opportunity of seeing Monsieur E. de Valbesen, the French Consul, who had just arrived from Damascus. That gentleman, however, did not give Sir Moses the information which he had so much at heart, and which would have interested him most.
Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore now returned to Ramsgate for a few days' rest, and then proceeded to London, where Sir Moses, who had been appointed Chairman of the Fine Arts Section of the Great Exhibition, had many committee meetings to attend.
On January 20th they paid their first visit to the Exhibition, which was not nearly completed. In his zeal for the promotion of the welfare of the Holy City, and with the object of drawing the attention of the public to the superior talents of his co-religionists in Palestine, Sir Moses exhibited two beautiful vases executed by Mordechai Schnitzer of Jerusalem, and consented to the request of Messrs Mortimer & Hunt of New Bond Street to allow the silver testimonial (produced by them from a design of Sir George Hayter) presented to him and Lady Montefiore on their return from Damascus to be also shown.
At this time a Committee was appointed by Parliament to investigate the subject of divorce. Sir Moses, ever watchful, called on the Chairman, Dr Lushington, and requested him to afford the Chief Rabbi an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the subject, in the event of the interests of the Jews being in any way affected by the measure to be brought before Parliament. This Dr Lushington promised to do, adding that if any Bill were introduced he should recommend that the Jews be exempted therefrom. Sir Moses referred to Lord Lyndhurst's Act, but Dr Lushington gave it as his opinion that the Jews were not affected by it; upon which Sir Moses observed that the Registrar-General thought differently, and would not grant a certificate.