ose education they watched
with the greatest care. They had the happiness of seeing them grow up
in health and strength, endowed with excellent qualities, Moses, the
eldest, and the subject of these memoirs, being already conspicuous
for his strength of understanding and kindness of disposition. They
continued for many years to reside at Kennington Terrace, Vauxhall, in
the same house in which they took up their residence immediately after
their marriage. After their death it was occupied by members of their
family till a few years ago, when it passed into the hands of
strangers.

It was there that Mr Benjamin Gompertz (the author of the "Principles
and Application of Imaginary Quantities") resided and the mother of
Sir Moses breathed her last.

Joseph Eliahu, his father, was a well educated and God-fearing man,
upright in all his dealings. He was extremely fond of botany and
gardening. There is still in the library of Lady Montefiore's
Theological College at Ramsgate, a book which formerly belonged to
him, and in which remarks on the cultivation of plants are written in
his own handwriting.

Sir Moses, when speaking of him, used to say, "He was at one time of a
most cheerful disposition, but after he had the misfortune to lose one
of his daughters at a fire which occurred in his house, he was never
seen to smile."

CHAPTER II.

EARLY EDUCATION--BECOMES A STOCKBROKER--HIS MARRIAGE.

At an early age, we find young Moses Montefiore attending school in
the neighbourhood of Kennington. After he had completed his elementary
studies, he was removed to a more advanced class in another school,
where he began to evince a great desire to cultivate his mind,
independently of his class lessons. He was observed to copy short
moral sentences from books falling into his hands, or interesting
accounts of important events, which he endeavoured to commit to
memory.

Afterwards, as he grew up in life, this became a habit with him, which
he did not relinquish even when he had attained the age of ninety
years. His diaries all contain either at the beginning or the end of
the record of his day's work, some beautiful lines of poetry referring
to moral or literary subjects: mostly quotations or extracts from
standard works. Young Montefiore showed on all occasions the greatest
respect for his teachers, bowing submissively to their authority in
all cases of dispute between his fellow-students and himself.

He was acknowledge