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London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews.
January 30th, 1866.
My Lord,
Referring to your Lordship's letter of the 13th instant in reply to mine of the 12th, in which your Lordship expresses disappointment with the Committee's resolution, and requests to know “specifically what passages in Mrs. Rosenthal's pamphlet are referred to, and what the disclaimer or apology which it is expected she shall make,” I am directed briefly to draw your Lordship's attention to the following facts, which must, the Committee think, satisfy your Lordship that they cannot justly be charged with undue harshness to Mrs. Rosenthal, or as being the cause of the ruin of the family, as expressed by Mrs. Rosenthal in her pamphlet.
In November, 1853, Dr. Macgowan, whose character though dead has been cruelly assailed, while his interposition on behalf of Mr. Rosenthal was fully taken advantage of, was prevailed upon to withdraw the charges made against Mr. Rosenthal, which was notified to the Parent Committee by the end of December, 1853. At this time Mr. James Graham, the newly appointed Lay Secretary to the Jerusalem Mission, arrived in the Holy City, and employed Mr. Rosenthal in the responsible position of dragoman and agent to the Mission. On the 24th May, on representations from the Jerusalem Committee on the subject, the London Committee saw good to pass the following resolution:— “The Jerusalem Committee having again strongly urged the removal of the restriction upon Mr. Rosenthal's employment— that the Committee be authorized to employ him as occasion may require, under careful supervision, but not in permanent connexion with the Society,” which was communicated to Mr. Graham with the words, “Thus you see the Committee leave the responsibility of Simeon's occasional employment with the Local Committee. You will, of course, exercise all due control over Simeon while employed.”
From January, 1854, until the 30th June, 1856, when Mr. Graham's connexion with the Society ceased, Mr. Rosenthal continued to be employed in connexion with the Mission at Jerusalem either as superintendent or dragoman, on a salary of 40l. per annum, while at the same time he was employed by Mr. Consul Finn as his official dragoman. On Mr. Nicolayson resuming the office of Secretary, as well as that of the head of the Mission, in July, 1856, having, from his knowledge of the native languages, no need of the services of a dragoman or interpreter, no provision was made for it in the estimates, and Mr. Rosenthal ceased to be further employed in that capacity.
Besides the aforesaid 40l. a year paid by the Society to Mr. Rosenthal, from January, 1854, to June, 1856, Mrs. Rosenthal was paid from the Jewish Converts Relief Fund, out of an average income of 50l. per annum, the sum of 23l. per annum, from September, 1853, to December, 1856, at which time Mrs. Rosenthal's circumstances began greatly to improve, and as she writes at page 20 in her pamphlet, “Her hotel so prospered as to enable her to pay off some of her debts.”
Further, in 1854, a Fund having been raised in England which amounted to 800l. to relieve the great distress amongst the Jews arising out of the existing drought and famine, Mr. Rosenthal was employed by Mr. Graham in its distribution, and received the following sums therefrom for his own benefit—
30th June, 1854, grant to himself of Ps. 1,000, or about 9l.
