JEWS. 



Vosges, in cases where they have been 

 granted in favour of the Jews. 2. On the 

 13th of July next, an assembly of indivi' 

 duals professing the Jewish religion shall 

 be held in our good city of Paris. This 

 assembly is to be formed of those Jews 

 only who inhabit the French territory. 

 3. The members shall be regulated ac- 

 cording to the table hereunto annexed, 

 taken from the various departments, and 

 selected by the prefects from among the 

 Rabbins, proprietors of land, and other 

 Jews, the most distinguished by their pro- 

 bity and intelligence. 4. In the other de- 

 partments of our empire, not named in-the 

 annexed table, should any individuals be 

 found professing the Jewish religion, to 

 the number of one hundred and less than 

 five hundred, the Prefect shall select a 

 deputy for five hundred ; and above that 

 number to one thousand,twodeputies;and 

 so on in proportion- 5. The deputies cho- 

 sen shall be at Paris before the 10th of 

 July, and shall announce their arrival, and 

 their place of residence, to the Secretary 

 of our Minister of the Interior, who shall 

 inform them of the place, the day, and the 

 hour, when the assembly shall meet. Our 

 Minister of the Interior is charged with 

 the execution of the present decree." 

 Here follows a list of the deputies, being 

 seventy -four in number. 



These deputies accordingly assembled, 

 at Paris on July the 15th, 1806, and were 

 met by the Emperor's commissioners. At 

 their second sitting, the commissioners 

 put several questions to them, relative to 

 the internal economy of the Jewish na- 

 tion, and their ideas of the allegiance due 

 from the Jews to the French government. 

 The questions were generally answered 

 in favour of the French. At this meeting 

 a letter was read from M. Jacobsohn, 

 Agent of the Finances at the court of 

 Brunswick, addressed to Bonaparte. This 

 letter was expressive of the gratification 

 he felt in the interest which the Empe- 

 ror of the French had shown towards the 

 people of the Jews in France, and pray- 

 ing his Imperial Majesty to extend the 

 like favour and indulgence to the Israel- 

 ites inhabiting the countries adjoining the 

 French empire, and in particular to those 

 of Germany. 



On the 18th of September, the com- 

 missioners again proceeded to the Jewish 

 assembly. At this assembly the deputies 

 wereassuredof the satisfaction which their 

 answer had given his Imperial Majes- 

 ty ; and at the same time declared, that it 

 was die wish of the Emperor to insure to 

 them the free exercise of their religion, 



VOL. VI. 



and the full enjoyment of their political 

 rights. In return for this protection, the 

 Emperor declared it his intention to exact 

 from the Jews a religious guarantee for 

 the entire observance of the principles 

 announced in their answers. For this 

 purpose, it was deemed requisste to con- 

 stitute a Grand Sanhedrin, that their en- 

 gagements of loyalty, attachment, &c. 

 might have the most permanent sanction 

 that could possibly be given to them. 

 This was a most august design, and pro- 

 mised a high dav for the poor scattered 

 and despised children of Israel. The re- 

 storation of an assembly, which had but 

 seldom been convoked since it pronounc- 

 ed sentence of condemnation, at Jerusa- 

 lem, upon the Saviour of the world, ex- 

 cited the astonishment, and rouzed the 

 jjsalousy of the prejudiced and the vin- 

 dictive, while it called forth the energies, 

 and demanded the admiration of not only 

 the Jews, but of the greater part of all 

 enlightened and reflecting Christians. 

 Now it was that the scattered sheep of 

 the House of Isreal should again have a 

 voice among their fellow-men ; their de- 

 clarations, as citizens, should henceforth 

 be placed by the side of the Talmud ; and 

 they should at length be constrained to 

 acknowledge the authority of the laws of 

 their country, under the awful and im- 

 posing obligations of morality and reli- 

 gion. This was regarded as the prelude 

 to consequences still more important and 

 flattering : perhaps, indeed, to nothing 

 less than the speedy arrival of that period, 

 when they should again worship under 

 their own vine and their own fig-tree, and 

 none dare to make them afraid. 



After assurances of liberty and protec- 

 tion on the one hand, and of gratitude and 

 obedience on the other, it was agreed, 

 that a Grand Sanhedrin should be opened 

 at Paris, at which should be preserved, 

 as much as possible, the ancient Jewish 

 forms and usages. This momentous event 

 was announced to the dispersed remnant 

 of the descendants of Abraham, in a most 

 grateful and pathetic address to the Jew- 

 ish nation throughout France and Italy ; 

 which contained suitable advice, that the 

 brethren would choose men known for 

 their wisdom, the friends of truth and of 

 justice, and capable of concurring in the 

 great work there before them, and of 

 giving the Grand Sanhedrin a sufficient 

 degree of weight and consideration. The 

 address concludes thus : " The sovereign 

 Arbiter of nations and of kings has per- 

 mitted this empire to cicatrize its wounds, 

 to restore that tranquillity which continu* 



H h 



