Having surmounted the difficulties and impediments which he had to encounter, Sir Moses eventually succeeded in purchasing a track of land to the west of the Holy City, adjoining the high road from Jerusalem to Hebron, in a most beautiful and salubrious locality, and within a few minutes' walk from the Jaffa and Zion Gates. Here a considerable number of our co-religionists and others at once found employment on the land, and in the building of the boundary wall.
Sir Moses being the first Englishman to whom the Ottoman Government granted the permission to purchase land, I give some particulars connected with the transaction.
Ahmed Agha Dizdar, who had been Governor of Jerusalem during the reign of Mohhammad Ali, and who since the year 1839 had stood in friendly relations with Sir Moses, was the owner of the land in question. When Sir Moses broached the subject of the purchase to him, his answer was: "You are my friend, my brother, the apple of my eye, take possession of it at once. This land I hold as an heirloom from my ancestors. I would not sell it to any person for thousands of pounds, but to you I give it without any money: it is yours, take possession of it." "I myself, my wife, and children, we all are yours." And this was his reply to Sir Moses day after day, whenever he was asked the price for which he would sell the said property.
Ultimately, after a whole day's most friendly argument, which almost exhausted all my stock of Arabic phraseology (having acted as interpreter between him and Sir Moses), he said to me: "You are my friend, my brother; by my beard, my head, I declare this is the case. Tell Sir Moses to give me a souvenir of one thousand pounds sterling, and we will go at once to the Ckádee."
The moment I informed him of the Agha's price, Sir Moses lost no time, and counted out one thousand English sovereigns, did them up in a roll, and proceeded to the English Consulate, together with the Agha and his friends, where the sale was effected.
On our arrival at the Máhhkámeh (hall of justice) to have the purchase confirmed, we found all the members of the Meglis assembled, and the Judge, or Ckádee, with his secretaries, present.
Questions were put by the Judge, both to the seller and the purchaser. The purchase money was counted, and the contract of sale was read aloud, and witnessed by all present.
The wording of the document is to the effect that, "By permission of the Sublime Porte and the Imperial Throne, may the Lord of Creation preserve them, and in conformity with the letters on that subject from the Grand Vizier to Sir Moses Montefiore (Baronet), the pride of the people of Moses, the man of prudence, &c., the son of Joseph Eliyahu (here also follow a number of complimentary titles), Sir Moses purchases a piece of land for the purpose of establishing thereon a hospital for the poor of the Israelites who reside in Jerusalem, and does with it as he pleases."
"Sir Moses Montefiore, Baronet," the contract continues, "presented himself as the purchaser before the Legislative Council in presence of the members of the Council of Jerusalem, to purchase the land hereinafter described with his own money, not with that which belongeth to another, from the vendor, Sir Ahmed Agha Eldizdar (the support of the great men), son of Sid Fadh-ed-din Agha."
The contract then defines the exact limits of the property, and the Ckádee attests the correctness of the deed of purchase. Sir Moses returned to his camp, and gave orders to remove his tents to the land which had become his own property, whilst I proceeded to measure it, inscribing the initials of Sir Moses' name in large Hebrew characters on a piece of rock forming the angle of its boundary line upon the road, the right side of which, when coming from the Jaffa Gate, leads to Bet-essefáfa.