4 JULY 1840, Page 11

TREATMENT OF THE JEWS AT DAMA SCES.

'FO THE EDITOR or Tnr, SPECTATOR.

SIR—Tkruch has been said of late, both in and out of Parliament, of the per- sedition of the Jews at Damascus. Such instances of cold-blooded and atrocious cruelty admit not of defence. But bethre we condemn others for their ill-treatment of the Jews, let us be quite sure that we ourselves are not obnoxious to a similar charge. True, we do not, as iiirmerly, imprisi at and torture them for imaginary offences. We no longer plunder their lion,fzs, and massacre, for the love of Cod, their unfortunate and unresisting inmates. A "Jew's eye" is no longer is it once was, and among Christian men too, a standard, or measure of VU!ue in the trade of avarice and extortion.

But, though we are no longer guilty of these and similar enormities, though we now suffer the Jews who are settled among us to enjoy the fruits of their Industry in peace, have we nothing to answer for? Are they not still the victims Of a religious prejudice as unjust as it is ungenerous? Do we not YVell 'upon some wretched pretence or other, I stoop not to inquire what, withhold from them, and from them only, those civil right and privileges which every other class of religionists now enjoy ? AVIA, 1 demand, is this but persecution? Not that sort of persecution which the less enlightened countries of the East they are still exposed to, but one of a more odious and bara.sing ikserip- thou, one in a word far worse to bear than even violence. And yet We dare to prate of persecution I Let us ourselves cease to persecute, and then may we with sine show of reason condemn the like conduct in others. Till then, the less we. say upon that subject the better, unless we aspire to the character of hypocrite as well as persecutor.