Digitised Manuscripts and Books

inclined to believe, they were descended from a tribe of Slavs from the south of Russia , who as stated by Gibbon, embraced Judaism lone before the conversion of Russia to Christianity and afterwards micrated north and west, are hypotheses which will probably never be proved. e this as it may , my positive information about my ancestors begins with the expert in coins , Anselm Moses Roth- schild ; and all that I know of him is, that he died in I756, and was the father of Mayer Anselm Rothschild, the virtual founder = ox f our house , who was born in 1754 and died in I8I2. He , too , was an expert in coins , and a general merchant. He passed some years in business at Hanover , then set up on his own account at Frankfort, and often visited Cassel to submit coins to the Elector of Hesse, the father of the late Duchess of Cambridge . The Elector , in addition to being a collector of coins , was devoted to chess, and the chessboard proved to be the foundation on which the fortunes of our family were reared . It happened that one day my ancestor was ushered into ne presence of the Prince while he was engaged in a game of chess. His Highness suddenly exclaimed -' Iam mate - it is useless to continue the same ' ‘'- 'You are not mate,' my ancestor ventured to observe , having looked at the board, 'in Fact you can win the game.' - ‘If that be so, sood-naturedly replied the Elector, ‘take my place and finish it for me .' Mayer Rothschild did as he was bidden , sate in the Elector's 1 chair , and checkmated his opponent . The Elector was so struck by the skill he displayed that he forthwith became interested in him, assisted him in extending his business , and finally