Digitised Manuscripts and Books

from a tribe of Slavs from the south of Russia, who as stated by Gibbon, embraced Judaism long before the conversion of Russia to Christianity and afterwards migrated north and west, are hypotheses which will probably never be proved.

Be this as it may, my positive information about my ancestors begins with the expert in coins, Anselm Moses Rothschild; and all that I know of him is, that he died in 1756, and was the father of Mayer Anselm Rothschild, the virtual founder of our house, who was born in 1754 and died in 1812. He, too, was an expert in coins, and a general merchant. He passed some years in business in 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 one day my ancestor was ushered into the presence of the Prince while he was engaged in a game of chess. His Highness suddenly exclaimed - 'I am mate - it is useless to continue the game' '-‘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,' good-naturedly replied the Elector, 'take my place and finish it for me.' Mayer Rothschild did as he was bidden, sate in the Elector's 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 appointed him his financial agent in 1801.

One step led to another, and Mayer Rothschild rose to an eminent position in the financial world. He was as trustworthy as he was able, and at the time of the French invasion of Germany, the Elector placed all his valuables and securities in his keeping. Mayer died, as has been said, in 1812, before the termination of the war, and when peace had been concluded, his sons, who were carrying on the affairs of the firm, were called on by the Elector for the return of his fortune. To his delight they restored it, not merely in its entirety, but with accumulated interest.

Mayer Anselm Rothschild had a numerous family, of whom five sons and five daughters survived him. Of the five sons, his namesake Mayer Anselm was the head of the Frankfort firm, but the other brothers were sent off in their youth to the four corners of the civilised world to make their fortunes. Solomon, my paternal Grandfather, went to Austria, and was already known in the early days of this century as the 'Vienna Rothschild', although he was also the founder of our Paris house, and spent much of his time in the French capital. Nathaniel became the head of our London house, Charles of the Neapolitan branch, while James became the leading partner in our Paris firm.

Nathaniel went to Manchester in 1797. His father had had business relations with the house of Peel, who made consignments of cloth and woollen goods to him at Frankfort, through the agency of a London firm, which of course charged a commission on these transactions. Nathaniel was directed to