Letter from Moses Montefiore. Written by a scribe, on official stationery of the Montefiore residence in Ramsgate, England ("East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate"). Signed by Montefiore. [Ramsgate], 19 March 1843. English.
The letter concerns an essay on the subject of the Jews of Morocco, written by the Irish physician and traveler Arthur Leared (1822-1879). Montefiore, who received the proofreading copy of this essay, criticizes one of the passages in it, describing Jewish merchants as engaging in deceptive practices when dealing with the city's Muslim residents.
First, Montefiore cites the paragraph that aroused his ire, which reads: "Jews have themselves defended to me the common practice of using false weights and other more ingenious methods for unfair dealing with the Moors [Morocco's Muslim residents]", later writing that it is inconceivable that this information reached Leared from a trustworthy source, since the Jews of Morocco steadfastly adhere to the precepts of their religion, which prohibit unfair dealing. Finally Montefiore notes that in his opinion, "a great deal of injustice would be done to the Jews in general if the paragraph in question were to appear in print".
[1] folded leaf (three written pages), 20 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and creases. Several small tears to folding lines. Light stains.