Page:Notes by the Way.djvu/223

Rh The affection of the Jews for England is proverbial. They gave a notable instance of this so far back as the 45 troubles. The success of the Pretender seemed to be assured, and when states- men, merchants, and all classes were seized with panic, the Jews stood firm, and the poorer classes among them, notwithstanding their custom of not bearing arms except in cases of great emergency, enlisted in the militia, while the wealthy rendered valuable financial support. John Francis, of the Bank of England, in his ' Chronicles and Characters of the Stock Exchange ' (Longmans, 1855), relates how Sampson Gideon, the great Jew broker and founder of the house of Eardley, profited by the panic of the Gentile merchants, bought all the stock in the market, advanced every guinea he possessed, and pledged his name and reputation for more. When the Pretender retreated, and stocks rose, the Jew experienced the advantage of his foresight. In the course of his transactions he obtained an advance of 20,000/. from Snow the banker. Snow, Francis relates, got alarmed, and wrote a piteous appeal to Gideon, who went to the bank, procured twenty notes, and, rolling them round a phial containing hartshorn, sent it to Snow.

Gay, the poet, celebrates Thomas Snow for his sagacity during the South Sea Bubble panic. It is worthy of note that the Jews remained aloof from the scheme. No Jewish name occurs among the bankrupts of the time. Mr. F. G. Hilton Price, in ' A Hand- book of London Bankers ' (Chatto & Windus, 1876), states that in 1798 the firm of Snow admitted Mr. J. D. Paul into partnership, and that after 1843 it was styled Strahan, Paul & Bates.

It was fitting that the Lord Mayor should take part in the Bevis Marks celebration, for from the time of the Royal Assent being given to the Sheriffs' Declaration Bill in 1835 the City has been foremost hi advocating for the Jews the rights of equal citizen- ship. The first Jew to hold the office of Sheriff was David Salomons (1835), and in 1855 he became Lord Mayor, being the first Jew to attain that distinction. He was created a baronet in October, 1869. One of the earliest acts of Victoria's reign was to confer the honour of knighthood on Moses Montefiore, elected Sheriff in 1837 ; and five years afterwards, by Royal licence, permission was granted to him to add supporters to his family arms. It took twenty- three years from 1835 to secure entire freedom, the final triumph dating from the 26th of July, 1858, when Baron Rothschild took his seat as member for the City. The Jews, to show their gratitude to Lord John Russell, caused a medal to be struck in his honour. The inscription contains these words :

Have we not one Father ? Hath not one God created us ?

Thus one by one the barriers have fallen ; while under the Factories

��Affection of

the Jews for

England.

They bear arms against the Pretender.

��Gentile

merchants

panicstruck.

Sampson Gideon buys all the stock in the market.

��Thomas Snow.

��David

Salomons the first Jewish Sheriff and Lord Mayor.

Moses Montefiore knighted.

Baron Rothschild.

Medal to Lord John Russell.

�� �