he considered false. "They were ignorant of their own religion;
and he was obliged to force them to study Hebrew, their own language."
Sir Moses defended the principles of those who strictly adhere to the
doctrines of their religion. As to the Talmud, he pointed out to the
Minister the great esteem in which that work is held by pious and
learned Christians.

In support of this view, I reminded His Excellency of what Buxtorf
said on the subject in his "Abbreviations,"[A] and in the preface to
his great Chaldaic and Talmudical Lexicon:--

"The Talmud," that Christian Divine states, "is a
learned work, or a large corpus of erudition; it
contains manifold learning in all sciences; it teaches
the most explicit and most complete, civil and canonical
law of the Jews, so that the whole nation, as well as
their Synagogue, might live thereby in a state of
happiness,--in the most desirable way.

"It is the most luminous commentary of the Scriptural
law as well as its supplement and support.

"It contains much excellent teaching on jurisprudence,
medicine, natural philosophy, ethics, politics,
astronomy, and other branches of science, which make one
think highly of the history of that nation and of the
time in which the work was written."

[Footnote A: De abreviat. hebr. (auct. Joh. Buxt. I.), p. 1.]

I mentioned to His Excellency the names of Buxtorf the younger, Dr
Johannus Reuchlin, Johannes Meyer, Selden, Joh. Morinus, Sebastian
Munster, Surenhusius, and quoted most of their statements on the
subject.

With reference to the Russian Jews' knowledge of Hebrew and of their
own religion, I called His Excellency's attention to the numerous
works they had produced on all subjects connected with Hebrew
literature and poetry.

The Minister, however, resumed his arguments, saying they should first
be educated before full facilities to gain a living should be given
them; although he allowed that, to a certain degree, persecution had
made them what they are. He further said that the Government were now
adopting a new plan, and were treating the Jews with toleration,
liberality, and love, but it would take a long time, he
remarked--perhaps a century--before any difference would be
perceptible. He did not consider the present generation, and only
thought of the future. He concluded by observing the Jews were loyal
subjects, and immediately complied with every order of the Government.

Sir Moses pre