In May, 1806, was issued by the French Emperor, the following very extraordina ry decree concerning the Jews.
" Palace of St Cloud, May, 30, 1806. "Napoleon, Emperor of the French and King of Italy.
"Accounts having reached us, that in several of the Northern Departments of our empire, certain Jews, not exercising any other profession than that of usury, have, by extorting an enormous interest, reduced a number of farmers to a state of very great distress, we have conceived it our duty to succour such of our sub jects, as have been reduced to these sor rowful extremes by an unjustifiable ava rice. These circumstances have, at the same time, furnished us with an opportu nity of knowing the urgent necessity of re-animating the sentiment of civil morali ty among those persons, who profess the Jewish religion in the countries under our jurisdiction ; sentiments which un happily have been extinguished among a great number of them, in consequence of the state of debasement under which they have long languished, which it has never entered into my views either to maintain or renew. For the accomplishment of this design,, we have resolved to collect the principal persons among the Jews in an assembly ; and then through the means of commissioners, whom we shall nomi nate for the purpose, to communicate our intentions ; and who will at the same time learn their wishes, in respect to such manner as they may deem most expedient to awaken among their brethren the ex. • ercise of the arts and useful professions of life, in order that an honest industry may take the place of those scandalous re sources, to which many persons among the Jews have given themselves up, from the father to the son, for several years past. To this end, and upon the report of our Grand Judge, Minister of Justice, our Minister of the Interior, our Council of State, &c. we declare as follows : " 1. The execution of all contracts or actions against farmers, not merchants, shall be suspended for one year,Teckon ing from the date of the present decree, simple conservatory acts excepted, such farmers belonging to the departments of Le Sarre, Roer, Mont Tonnere, Haut and Bas Rhin, Rhin and Moselle, Moselle and Vosges, in where they have been granted in favour of the Jews. 2. On the
13th of July next, an assembly of indivi duals professing the Jewish religion shall be held in our good city of Paris. This assembly is to be formed of those Jews only who inhabit the French territory. 3. The members shall be regulated ac cording to the table hereunto annexed, taken from the various departments, and selected by the prefects from among the Bab bins, proprietors of land, and other Jews, the most distinguished by their pro bity and intelligence. 4. In the other de partments of our empire, not named in.the annexed table, should any individuals be found professing the Jewish religion, to the number of one hundred and less than five hundred, the Prefect shall select a deputy for five hundred ; and above that number to one thousand,twodeputies;and so on in proportion. 5. The deputies cho sen shall be at Paris before the 10th of July, and shall announce their arrival, and their place of residence, to the Secretary of our Minister of the Interior, who shall inform them of the place, the day and the hour, when the assembly shall meet. Our Minister of the Interior is charged with the execution of the present decree." Herb follows a list of the deputies, being seventy-four in number.
These deputies accordingly assembled at Paris on July the 15th, 1806, and were met by the Emperor's commissioners. At their second sitting, the commissioners put several questions to them, relative to the internal economy of the Jewish na tion, and their ideas of the allegiance due from the Jews to the French government. The questions were generally answered in favour of the French. At this meeting a letter was read from M. Jacobsohn, Agent of the Finances at the court of Brunswick, addressed to Bonaparte. This letter was expressive of the gratification he felt in the interest which the Empe ror of the French had shown towards the people of the Jews in France, and pray ing his Imperial Majesty to extend the like favour and indulgence to the Israel ites inhabiting the countries adjoining the French empire, and in particular to those of Germany.