Each of Sir Moses' party had his special attendants; from morning till evening they would be in readiness to serve pipes, coffee, ices, &c. Every now and then an officer from the Palace came to ask if we wished for anything. Not knowing what to ask for, because every one really had all he could possibly require, we said, rather by way of a joke than anything else, "A tooth brush;" within half-an-hour's time there appeared a whole box of tooth brushes, sufficient to open a store with. Another of us thought he would ask for "a clothes brush," and a quantity of these articles was within a short time at his disposal. One of the officers gave us to understand that it would please His Highness if we were to ask for some really valuable object to take with us as a souvenir, but this we, of course, courteously declined to do.
The next day we were invited by His Highness to be present at the investigation of the Leopold order, which the Emperor of Austria had sent to His Highness in recognition of the attention he had shown to the Archduke of Austria during his recent visit to Egypt. We met all the dignitaries of state there, the consuls, and high officers of the army. After the ceremony we were all presented to His Highness.
The reception given by His Highness to Sir Moses was most cordial; he frequently expressed the pleasure it afforded him to see Sir Moses in Egypt. He paid Sir Moses a long visit, and constantly showed him every possible attention.
Sir Moses received numerous visits from representatives of educational, charitable, and financial associations of every nationality in Egypt. Among the latter there was Monsieur de Lesseps, who had a long interview with him, explaining the importance of the Suez Canal. Sir Moses, however, did not appear to regard the undertaking as likely to prove successful from a financial point of view.
Friday, September 7th.—We went on board the Valetta, and ultimately arrived safely at Dover on Wednesday, September 19th.
The greater portion of September and October was spent partly at East Cliff Lodge and partly at Park Lane, Sir Moses being busily employed in reporting to the English and Turkish governments on the result of his journey. He was again elected President of the Board of the London Committee of Deputies of British Jews.
On the 4th of December he accompanied the Lord Mayor and the Court of Lieutenancy to Buckingham Palace, to present an address to the King of Sardinia, where, as seconder of the address, he was introduced to His Majesty by the Lord Mayor; and at the end of the month Baroness Meyer de Rothschild invited him to be present at the opening or consecration of the Baronial Hall at Mentmore, where, he notes in his Diary, "Dr Kalisch read prayers, also several psalms, and affixed mezuzas or phylacteries to the doors. A splendid breakfast and dinner followed the ceremony."
At the beginning of 1856 he paid much attention to the communications received from the various committees appointed in the Holy Land to superintend the institutions established there by the trustees of the Appeal Fund; and conjointly with the Chief Rabbi he published the second report, embodying the statements I have already given in one of the preceding chapters.
The trustees, upon the suggestion of Sir Moses, made an agreement with Messrs J. J. and T. R. Holman of Canterbury to erect a windmill at Jerusalem.
He also attended meetings convened for the purpose of discussing a scheme for a railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem.