is august solicitude for the welfare of the
Hebrew population resident in his dominions, appointed a
special committee to investigate the causes of the
unsatisfactory state in which the population remains to
this day, and to deliberate on the means fittest to be
applied as remedies. The result of these enquiries was
that the Israelites were represented to the Committee in
very erroneous and unfavourable colours. Those who were
characterised as rebellious and disobedient were therefore
subjected to coercive measures as idlers who prove a
burthen to the society of which they are members, and in
order to be able to institute a just discrimination
between such Israelites as have sought to make themselves
useful, and such as do not yet carry on a trade or some
other legal occupation, His Majesty's Government calls
upon the latter to enrol themselves in one of the four
following classes: 1st, one of the three guilds of
merchants; 2nd, the burgess of a town by the purchase of a
piece of land or a house; 3rd, a corporation of artizans,
after having given the proof of ability required by the
law; or 4th, the grand body of agriculturists, whether on
their own property or under a proprietor. And such
Israelites as shall not have placed themselves by the
appointed time (the 1st January 1850) in one of the four
classes are to be subject to such restrictive measures as
the Government shall think it right to employ.

"Believing that in consequence of such classification more
than four-fifths of the Hebrew population will necessarily
have to be enlisted amongst those who, according to the
above declaration, will be regarded as a burthen on
society at large, I feel it a duty humbly and earnestly to
make a few observations to your Excellency, and beg at the
same time that your Excellency will be pleased to give
credit to my assurance that in this instance I am
regarding the Israelites not with the sympathy natural to
a brother in faith, but with the impartiality of a perfect
stranger; the sentiments which I now shall have the honour
to express to your Excellency being those only of a friend
to humanity.

"There cannot exist a doubt that the above imperial decree
will be a most beneficial incentive to a large number of
the Hebrew communities to enrol themselves in some one of
the four classes in question; and his most gracious
Majesty will now ha