rned from
Lord Palmerston; the principle is admitted, and orders to be transmitted
accordingly to Lord Ponsonby at Constantinople, to demand the
acknowledgement required. The successor of St. James will embark in
October; he is by race an Israelite,--born a Prussian in Breslau,--in
confession belonging to the Church of England--ripened (by hard work) in
Ireland--twenty years Professor of Hebrew and Arabic in England (in what
is now King's College).[135] So the beginning is made, please God, for
the restoration of Israel."

* * * * *

It should be added that probably one of the reasons why, during recent
years, the British Government has held aloof from the Palestine question
is that by the Treaty of London of July 15, 1840, Palestine was
recognised as an integral part of Syria,[136] and that in 1878, at the
Berlin Congress, Lord Salisbury agreed to recognise the whole of Syria
as a French sphere of interest in return for the French recognition of
the Cyprus Convention between Great Britain and Turkey.[137] It is to be
assumed from the terms of the Secret Agreement of February 21,
1917,[138] that British interests in the Suez Canal and other more
recent events have modified that arrangement.

During the present war the growing strength of the Zionist movement, and
the energy of its leaders, have forced the Restoration idea on the
attention of the Great Powers. In November 1917 Great Britain led the
way with a promise to give sympathetic consideration to the aims of the
Zionists.[139] With this promise the other Entente Powers have since
associated themselves.

DOCUMENTS.

* * * * *

THE GREAT POWERS AND PALESTINE, 1840-1841.

_Memorandum delivered by the Russian Government to the Prussian
Government in October 1840._

Des opinions diverses et pour la plupart contradictoires, ont circule
recemment en Europe, et surtout en France, sur les facilites que les
grandes Puissances intervenues dans les affaires de l'Orient, auraient,
dans ce moment, pour accomplir l'[oe]uvre que les Croises d'autrefois
avaient vainement tentee dans leurs longues et sanglantes guerres. Le
projet d'eriger une Souverainete Chretienne en Palestine, a ete mis, si
non serieusement discute. D'autres ont pense a la possibilite de faire
revivre l'ancien ordre des Chevaliers du St. Sepulcre pour lui confier
la garde de ce sanctuaire. Il y a eu meme quelques individus qui ont
exprime