interesting incidents in connection with
the Synhedrion, how the members were put to much inconvenience on the
first day of the opening of their Sessions, the day fixed by the
Emperor being their Sabbath.

Mr Avigdor pressed Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore to prolong their stay
in Nice, but they were anxious to proceed, without unnecessary delay,
on their projected pilgrimage, and they left on the 31st of December.

CHAPTER XIX.

1839.

GENOA, CARRARA, LEGHORN, AND ROME--DISQUIETING RUMOURS--QUARANTINE
PRECAUTIONS--ARRIVAL AT ALEXANDRIA--TRAVEL IN THE HOLY LAND.

They reached Genoa on January 2nd, 1839, and after a few days' rest,
continued their journey to Carrara.

On the following day, the Dottore A. Passani, an advocate of Carrara,
called, and brought Sir Moses several of his father's letters, some
dated as far back as 1790; they were all in Italian, and beautifully
written. Both Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore were much pleased at the
sight of the handwriting of their father, and would have been glad if
the gentleman had been willing to part with them, but it appears he
desired to preserve them himself as souvenirs of the late Mr
Montefiore.

On their way to Rome they visited Leghorn, a period of eleven years
having elapsed since their last sojourn in that place, and made
special arrangements there for having the graves of their kind
god-parents, Moses and Esther Racah, kept in proper order.

"I was desirous," writes Sir Moses, "once more to offer up prayers in
the Synagogue so near to the house in which I was born; we therefore
drove to Synagogue, where my dear Judith and I humbly thanked the
Almighty for all His great goodness to us. We left Leghorn on the 16th
January; it was a beautiful day, the sun smiling on us, and returned
to Carrara, where we wished to purchase some more souvenirs of Italy,
and also gave orders to Vincenzo Bonami for our coat-of-arms to be
executed in marble for East Cliff Lodge."

On the 18th January we find them at Florence, where they remained
until the 2nd February. It appears that the climate there did not
agree with either Lady Montefiore or Sir Moses. They had to take
medical advice, and Dr Usiglio strongly dissuaded them from going to
Jerusalem, advising them on the contrary to return to England before
the hot season. But they were reluctant to give up their cherished
object, and, trusting in God, who had always protected them, they
started for Rome, where they arr