pedition to Egypt and Syria. A
scheme for enlisting the support of the Jews by founding a Jewish
Commonwealth in Palestine formed part of the plans for the expedition
secretly prepared by the Directory in 1798, and French public opinion
was familiarised with it by a good deal of propagandist literature. The
Jews were alleged to be anxious to support the French in the Levant, and
a bogus Zionist scheme--very much on the Herzlian lines--supposed to be
written by an Italian Jew--was widely circulated in France. It embodied
an appeal to the Jews of the world to form a representative council
through which they could negotiate with the Directory for Palestine. It
was supported in a very soberly reasoned article by the _Decade
Philosophique et Litteraire_, and was soon after published in the London
Press and reprinted as a twopenny pamphlet by the _Courier_.[122] Ten
months later Napoleon, marching from El Arish on the road which has
lately been traversed by General Allenby, published a proclamation
inviting the Jews of Asia and Africa to rally to his standard "for the
restoration of the ancient kingdom of Jerusalem."[123] The scheme
collapsed with the battles of Acre and Aboukir.

The second occasion was in 1841, when the Powers had to decide on the
fate of Syria and Palestine wrested by them from Mehemet Ali. It is true
that the Jewish element in the question received very scanty attention
and evoked no positive sympathy, but, at any rate, it was mentioned, and
this fact indicates that the Powers had begun to realise that the future
of Palestine was not exclusively a Christian question. The exchange of
views which then took place is, however, interesting for other reasons.
The documents, which are now published for the first time, comprise four
separate schemes for solving the Palestine problem, and the
considerations discussed in connection with them constitute a body of
material which may be usefully studied at the present moment.

The first scheme, apparently suggested by France, contemplated the
creation of a small autonomous Ecclesiastical State, consisting of
Jerusalem, constituted as a Free City, with a limited _rayon_ of
territory. This was to be governed by a Christian municipality,
organised and protected by the Great Christian Powers.[124] Russia
raised objections in October 1840, and incidentally took occasion to
ridicule the idea of a National Restoration of the Jews.[125] Both
Russia and Austria were anxious t