Mr Ginzberg, a gentleman from St Petersburg, informed them that the Emperor had issued an Ukase permitting Jewish youths to attend the public colleges, and to absent themselves from school on Sabbaths and festivals.
May 29th.—They bade adieu to their friends, and started for Lille, where they remained for the night.
Early in the morning the champion of the Mortara family showed himself again in his commercial character as the energetic President of the Imperial Continental Gas Association. He visited the station of the Association's works, and saw the splendid new gas-holder, of which the superintendent gave him a satisfactory report in all respects.
At the same time he learned the sad news of the death of one of the officers of the Association, Mr G. H. Palmer, whom he had so lately seen at Marseilles. He had died suddenly of heart disease.
Sir Moses was much shocked and distressed. "God preserve us all," he said, "from sudden death," and he began to think how he might render some service to the family of the deceased.
They left Lille for Calais, where they arrived in safety, and had great cause to be most thankful to Providence, for on reaching Calais they found that the truck on which they had been travelling in their carriage was nearly in flames, and smoking to such a degree as to require the immediate application of several buckets of water. It appeared that the great weight of their travelling carriage had forced its wheels nearly through the bottom, in fact, had done so to such an extent as to cause the iron at the bottom to press on its wheels. In a little while their carriage would have been on fire.
Tuesday, May 31st.—They crossed the Channel, arrived at Dover, and were able to walk on shore. The next day, June 1, they left Dover for London, where they met with a most hearty welcome from their relatives and numerous friends.
June 6th.—Sir Moses called on Lord John Russell and Mr John Abel Smith, also at the Foreign Office, to express his thanks for the letter of introduction to Mr Odo Russell, and his gratitude for that gentleman's very kind and active assistance.
Five weeks later, on Wednesday, 13th July, he attended a meeting of the Board of Deputies. The vice-president conducted the business until Sir Moses' letter accepting the office of President was read, when the former stepped forward and conducted him to the chair. The report of his mission to Rome was well received by the meeting, and the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:—
"1. That this Board recognises with grateful appreciation the pious, zealous, and philanthropic feelings which induced its President, Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., notwithstanding his advanced age, to undertake, at a very great personal sacrifice, a mission to Rome to present to the Sovereign Pontiff the memorial from the late Board of Deputies on the subject of the abduction of the child, Edgar Mortara.
"2. That the Board regrets the refusal of the Sovereign Pontiff to receive the memorial from Sir Moses Montefiore personally, and sincerely deplores the determination of his Holiness, declining to institute further inquiry into the truth of the child's alleged baptism, and in enforcing its continued separation from its bereaved parents.
"3. That this Board desires to record its emphatic protest against the right or validity of clandestine baptism—a practice which it believes is opposed to the wishes and intelligence of mankind.
"4. That this Board delights to express its esteem and gratitude to its venerable President for the eminent services rendered by him, not only in this unhappy case, but on former occasions, to the cause of humanity and civilisation; and it is also mindful of its obligation to Lady Montefiore, her husband's constant companion in his travels and the sharer of his fatigues and anxieties.
"5. That this Board feels assured the sentiments embodied in the foregoing resolution will find a faithful echo in every Jewish heart, and will ensure the sympathy of every friend of human progress throughout the world.
"6. That these resolutions be advertised in the public press."