812 J E 
to humanity, by abolishing that infamous toll which put 
the Jews upon a level with cloven-footed animals. In a 
German date on the right bank of the Rhine, the govern¬ 
ment had been hefitating about the fuppreffion of this 
toll, and even pretended to fubjeft: to it the Jews dwell¬ 
ing on the left fide. But this determination was foon 
changed, when they were informed of the fpirited con- 
daft of M. Jambon St. Andre, the prefect of Mont Ton- 
nerre, who propofed by way of reprifal, that the fubjefts 
of the German prince (the Jews only excepted) fhould be 
obliged to pay the fame toll when they entered France. 
Will it be believed, that in the nineteenth century there 
exifts a republic wdiere public opinion has fo digmatized 
the Jews, that they dare not, under pain of being infulted, 
enter the wide walks which ferve as a promenade to the 
Chriltians ? and yet Frankfort-on-the-Mayne is known to 
poffefs citizens edimable in every refpeft, and wdio no 
doubt will raife their voice for the purpofe of putting an 
end to this injuftice, lefs dilhonourable to thofe who fuf- 
fer it than to thofe who tolerate it. Will it be believed, 
that at Berlin, when a Jew has feveral fons, he cannot 
marry more than one of them ? For the marriage of the 
fecond he mult have permiflion from government, the ob¬ 
taining of which, always attended with expence, becomes 
progreluvely more difficult, if the application be about a 
third or a fourth. Formerly the bridegroom was obliged 
to purchafe a certain quantity of faulty porcelain-ware at 
the royal manufaftory. But let us hail the epoch of uni- 
verfal toleration. 
• -In the year 1805, an imperial ukafe was publilhed in 
the Court Gazette of Peterfburg, by which the rights of 
citizens have been given to the Jews throughout the whole 
extent of the Ruffian dominions. The children of the 
Jews wall, henceforth, be admitted, like the other Ruffian 
fubjefts, into the fchools, colleges, and univerfities. The 
Jews are divided into four dalles; viz. fanners; artificers 
and workmen; merchants; and citizens. The farmers are 
free, and, as well as the artificers, may purchafe lands ; 
and thofe who wilh to engage in agriculture, and have no 
fortune, are to have a certain portion of the crown-lands. 
Thofe who edablifli manufaftories are to enjoy, in their 
.commerce, all the franchiles of Ruffian fubjefts. 
Since the revolution, France has communicated to the 
300,000 Jews difperfed in her departments every civil right. 
Among them there are many men of cultivated minds, 
fuch as Rodriguez, Furtado, Eli Levi; Bing, lately dead, 
and univerfally regretted ; Lipman Mofes, known as the 
author of Hebrew and German poems ; Berr Ifaac Beer, 
who at the commencement of the conllituent aflembly 
vicforioully refuted the paralogifms advanced by Lafare, 
bilhop of Nancy, againlt the admiffion of Jews to civil 
rights; Michael Berr, an advocate, and member of feve¬ 
ral learned focieties ; Zalkind Howwitz, author of fome 
elfeemcd works, as for indance, On the Refignation of 
the Jews; Terkem and Anfchel, the.former profelfor of 
the higher branches of mathematics, the latter of phyfics 
and chemiltry, at the Lyceum of Mentz, See. Sec. 
No Jew has ever had a feat in any of the French nati¬ 
onal altemblies, into which Catholics, Lutherans, Calvi- 
nilts, Negroes, and Mulattoes, were admitted; but feveral 
have filled with honour the offices of judges, adminiftra- 
tors, and municipal officers. 
In the year 1807, the ftrange fpeftacle of a grand Jewiffi 
fanhedrim was prefented to the inhabitants of Paris. The 
fanhedrim was originally the Jewifh fenate, confiding, in 
the time of Mofes, of feventy elders. The judges were the 
fupreme magidrates, with a legidative power granted to 
them by the original law, and to which they had a power 
veiled in them to add at pleafure. As a memorial of the 
prefence of this great legiflature, they have a prince of 
the fanhedrim, who completes the number of feventy-one 
members. The modern Charlemagne determined to re¬ 
vive, for a diort time, this ancient fenate, or fomething 
under the fame name. Deputies from all parts of France 
w. 
had been ordered to repair to the capital; and in Auguffi 
1806 they adembled, when commiffioners from Bonaparte 
were appointed to meet them, and the bulinefs was 
opened by the head-commiffioner in the following fpeech : 
“ Gentlemen, His majedy the emperor and king, having- 
appointed us commiflioners to treat with you refpefting 
your own affairs,-has fent us here this day for the purpofe 
of communicating his intentions. Called from the tar- 
theft parts of this vaft empire, none of you can be igno¬ 
rant of the purpofe for which you are adembled here. 
You are aware that the conduft of many of thofe who 
profefs your religion has given rife to complaints which 
have reached the foot of the throne. Thefe complaints 
were not without foundation. The emperor, nctwith- 
danding, contented hinfelf with arreding the pregrefs of 
the evil, and widied to have your opinion on the means 
of radically curing it. You will, no doubt, prove your- 
felves deferving of this paternal confideration, and you 
will feel the value of the important million which is con¬ 
fided to you. Far from regarding the government under 
which you live as a power of which you diould be fufpi- 
cious, your (tudy will be to enlighten it, to co-operate 
with it in the good which it is preparing; and, by thus 
manifeding that you have profited by the experience of 
all the French, you will prove, that you have no wilh to 
leparate yourfelves from the other clalfes of fociety. 
“The laws which have been impofed upon perfons of 
your religion have been different all over the world; they 
have been too often dictated by the exigency of the mo¬ 
ment. But, as there is no example in the Ghridian an¬ 
nals of any affembly like this ; fo, in like manner, you, 
for the fird time, are to be impartially judged, and your 
fate decided, by a Chriltian prince, it is his majelty’s 
wilh that you diould become French ; it is your duty to 
accept this title, and to confider that you,in fact, renounce 
it whenever you lliow yourfelves unworthy of it. 
“You lhall hear the queltions read which are to be 
propofed to you. It will be your duty to declare the 
whole truth upon each of them. We now declare to you, 
and we lhall never ceafe to repeat it. to you, that when a 
fovereign, as firm as he is jud, who knows every thing, 
who can punidi as well as reward, interrogates his fub¬ 
jefts, they would render themfelves as culpable as they 
would fliow themfelves blind to their real interefts, if they 
diould hefitate about anfwering freely and frankly. 
“ It is his majedy’s wilh, gentlemen, that you diould 
enjoy perfeft freedom of deliberation. Your prefident 
will communicate your anfwers to us as foon as they are 
prepared. As to ourfelves, we have no more ardent willies 
than to be able to inform the emperor, that, among his 
fubjefts of the Jewilh religion, there are none whofe loy¬ 
alty is not unquebionable, and who are not difpofed to 
conform to thofe laws and morals which it is the duty of 
all Frenchmen to praftife and follow.” 
The following queftions, propofed by his majedy, were 
then read by the fecretary of the meeting : 
1. Is the Jew permitted to marry more than one wife } 
2. Is divorce permitted by the Jewilh religion ? 
3. Can a Jewefs intermarry with a Chridian, or a Chrif- 
tian female with a Jew ; or does the law preferibe that 
Jews alone diould intermarry ? 
4. Are the French, in the eyes of the Jews, brothers 
or aliens ? 
5. What in all cafes are the conneftions which their 
law permits them to maintain with the French who are 
not of their religion ? 
6. Do the Jews who were born in France, and have been 
treated as French citizens by the laws, confider France as 
their native country ? Are they bound to defend it ? Are 
they under an obligation to obey the laws, and to follow 
all the "regulations of the civil code? 
7. Who are they who are called rabbis ? 
8. What civil jurifdiftion do the rabbis exercife among 
the Jews? What power of punilhment do they poffefs? 
9. Are 
