On February 25th Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, accompanied by Dr Hodgkin and Mr Gershon Kursheedt, left England for the Holy Land. Proceeding viâ Rome and Naples, they soon arrived at Malta, where Sir William Reid, the Governor, gave them a very friendly reception, drawing their special attention to the school for young gardeners at St Antonio, the ladies' school, and to his (Sir William's) experiment in rearing silkworms on castor-oil plants, an experiment which Sir Moses proposed trying in the Holy Land. The Governor likewise showed him his collection of implements for the improvement of Maltese agriculture. The ploughs were from New York, and were very light. His Excellency presented Sir Moses with one of them for the Holy Land.
The next day Sir Moses received a deputation from the Maltese Jewish community, who complained of the great intolerance in the island, but gratefully acknowledged their indebtedness to the English Government for the protection it extended to them.
Friday, May 1st.—Mr Laurence Oliphant, a gentleman whom Sir Moses had last met at Sir Culling Eardly's, and who was now on his way to China, as secretary to Lord Elgin, breakfasted with him. Mr Oliphant took a great interest in all matters relating to the Holy Land, and conversed freely with him on certain schemes which might serve to improve the condition of its inhabitants.
On May 5th they arrived at Alexandria, where, all the hotels being full, they accepted the hospitality of Mr Galloway.
Believing the Viceroy to be at a palace he had built in the desert, three hours' distance from Alexandria, near the Lake Merotir, where several regiments of his soldiers were encamped, Sir Moses went there the next morning with his friends, but to his great disappointment he found the Viceroy had gone four hours farther into the desert with most of his troops, and was not expected back for a day or two.
There were only a few servants left in the palace. Sir Moses and the other gentlemen walked to His Highness's large European tent, where they remained three hours to repose and refresh the horses. About an hour after their arrival a capital dinner was sent in to them. Sir Moses himself only partook of bread and coffee.
Thursday, May 7th.—A special train having been engaged to take the Earl of Elgin and his suite to Cairo, Sir Moses was permitted to avail himself of the same. When on board the steamboat crossing the Nile he was introduced to his Lordship, whom Sir Moses describes as a very handsome, chatty, and agreeable person.
At Cairo he received a deputation from the Hebrew congregation; visited the Synagogue, a large handsome but plain building, and called on the Governor, who had been to his house in London when His Highness Said Pasha was staying with him. Thence Sir Moses proceeded to the Citadel. He was invited to breakfast with Dr Etia, the physician of His Highness Hálim Pasha, on the occasion of a religious festivity, but was prevented from accepting the invitation by the overpowering heat of the day and the consequent fatigue he experienced.
After remaining a few days at Cairo, they left the hospitable roof of Mr Galloway, and proceeded to Jaffa, where they were received by Mr Kháyát, the British Vice-Consul, Ahmed Agha Dizdar, the former Governor of Jerusalem, and by the representatives of the community. "Jaffa," Sir Moses writes, "appears much larger, and a great number of houses have been built since we were last there, only twenty-two months ago." The English Vice-Consul had built a house with warehouses attached to it, which, he told Sir Moses, cost him £10,000. Everything had doubled in value in a few years, and houses and land could now only be bought at extravagant prices. He thought, with or without the English, there would soon be a railway to Jerusalem. Ahmed Agha Dizdar, who had brought five soldiers under his command to accompany Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore while in the Holy Land, joined their dinner party, and made them offers of valuable land.
May 17th.—They visited the garden, or Biárá, as it is generally called, which had been bought by Sir Moses for the Trustees of the Appeal Fund, and remained there for an hour, examining the reports handed to him by Mr Minor, and inspecting the plantation of new trees. Subsequently he visited the house and garden of the English Vice-Consul. "He has," Sir Moses says, "30 acres outside the town, and wishes to sell it for £1000; he also possesses large plantations of orange, mulberry, lemon, and palm trees. Our own garden could be better managed, but it is 40 acres in extent, and a splendid piece of land."