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Deserved
Compliment.—We learn from the Patriot that the Royal Society
of Northern Antiquaries, of Copenhagen, have elected Dr. J. I. Cohen, of
Baltimore, a member thereof. This Society is composed of scientific men
in Europe, and there are several members in this country. It was
established for the purpose of making inquiry into the history of
America, previous to its discovery by Columbus, and the researches of
its distinguished members have already, as we learn, led to many
interesting and important facts in regard to the Ante-Columbia History
of this country.—Baltimore
Sun.
The
Russian Jews.—We read in a political paper that the Emperor
Nicholas had given up his intentions of driving the Jews on his
frontiers into the interior of the country. But as we do not see the
particulars we are inclined to doubt the accuracy of the report. We
learn, on the contrary, from a letter in the Orient, dated at Warsaw, in
May, that “exile even is not permitted to the Russian Jews, they are
not suffered to immigrate into foreign lands, and that since the first
of May they are no longer allowed to earn the pittance for their
support, by breaking stones upon the highways, through which slavish
labour three hundred families earned scarcely dry bread.” Another
letter, from Jurburg, of a later date, says: “Those from the open
country move first to the neighbouring cities, and increase the already
existing poverty and render the difficulty of finding profitable
employment for the day still greater, and God only knows how it will end
when the accumulation increases still farther. I must also inform you
that several imperial commissioners have these four months past visited
the frontier towns on the Lithuanian border, from which the Jews are to
be banished, in order to make an estimate of the value of the real
estate of the Jews. It appears that the emperor purposes to purchase
himself all the property which the Israelites will not be able to sell
before their removal, and to pay for it according to the valuation of
the commissioners. But how is the valuation conducted! He even, who is
acquainted with the venality and unscrupulousness of Russian officers,
cannot, for all that, form a correct idea of the manner in which this
business is conducted. Whoever has no connexions with those in
authority, or can obtain powerful intercession, or is able to give heavy
bribes, will have his property valued at perhaps five per cent., or set down at so low a rate as to differ little
from downright robbery. We, however, are already used to such measures;
and when they are banished some time past the Israelites from the
interior district of the city Brzesz Litawski (that in the Jewish
literary history so famous town בריסק
דליטא) where for several centuries the
celebrated heroes of Jewish learning dwelt, nothing better was done by
the crown with respect to compensation for their houses. The same
occurred at the banishments from Petersburg, Moscow, Kiew, Nicolajew,
Alexandrow, Sewastopol, &c.; but as they did not reach so large a
mass, nor injured us in so great an extent, it was but natural, that we
could sooner bear the injury, which is, however, not the case at
present. We would gladly quit the country; we would gladly emigrate to
America, or Texas, but most of all to Palestine under English
protection, when on the one hand we were offered the means, and when on
the other the government would
allow us to emigrate. Many rich families have already sent to
Petersburg their petitions for permission to quit the country; but up to
this moment (May 28, [1844]) they have not obtained a regular answer,
and upon the whole it is doubted that permission will be given. The
transit to Prussia is, notwithstanding the suspension of the cartel,
almost impossible to Israelites, for Prussia also seems not to adhere to
the suspension where Jews are concerned.”—We acknowledge that the
above letters are of a somewhat old date, but we have seen nothing of a
more recent one which could authorize us to hope that the Russian tyrant
had altered his views.—On the other hand, the same paper contains a
report from Radziwilow, that a Polish nobleman, named Grzymala Culewitz,
who lives near Odessa, where he has large landed estates, has come to
the frontier towns to offer on his property an asylum to one hundred
Jewish families, to build them houses and lease them farm-lands, and it
is said that the Israelites would embrace this humane offer with joy and
thankfulness. This little paragraph communicates two good facts, the one
that among all our sorrows we find, as usual, always some to commiserate
our condition; and the second, that the Jews in Poland are fit to become
agriculturists. If many thus act, we speak of Christian philanthropists,
on the one hand, and Jews become farmers on the other, much no doubt of
the baleful spirit of persecution will soon vanish in Poland and
Russia—a consummation ardently to be desired.
Jewish
Sheriffs.—Her
Majesty in council, is advised to appoint Sir Moses Montefiore, F. R.
S., to be High Sheriff of Kent; and Meyer A. Rothschild, Esq., to be
High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. |
