THE STORY OF THE ROTHS. CIIILDS. How They Amassed Their Wealth.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 220, 17 September 1887, Page 7

THE STORY OF THE ROTHS. CIIILDS.

How They Amassed Their Wealth.

In 1804 Mayer Amschcl Rothschild, the head of the house, had become rich and prominent enough to contract with the Danish (Jovornment for the issue of a loan of 4,000,000 binders. He had previously been made court banker to tho Landgrave of Hesse. Tho latter, on the approach of the invading French, subsequently left hi^ entire foitune in Rothschild's caie. The French pillaged in every direction, and the Landgra\ c fled for .safety. It was years befoie he again spoke face to face with Rothschild. He took it for granted his money was gone. " Not so,'' said Rothschild, "every penny is ready for you, with 5 per cent, inteieist."' He had contrived to hide the coin in a cellar in wine casks. Afterward he sent it to Inn son Nathan in London. Nathan speculated with immense success, and not only possessed the money to return, but had amassed a foitune by its use be-adefc. Mayer Rothschild died in 1812, aged 67, lea\ing live sons — Anselm Mayer, Salamon, Nathan, James and Cail. The first stayed in F>ankforfc. The others founded new blanches of the parent banking-hou.se in Vienna, London, Paris and Naples. It i*. this famous pentarchy which, carrying out the pruental plans, have made the name of Rothschild what it is. Their mother, Uudula, lived to the gi cat age of 96— that is to the year 1849. It was her husband.*, injunction when dying; that his hons would do nothing without consulting her, and it is geuei fitly believed that their obodience largely piomotud their unparalleled good foitune.

Some Crafty Devices. Everybody has heard the tales of how tho Rothschilds pot the first news in London of the lc-ult of tho battle of Waterloo, of their frequent; employment of canier pigeons on this and other occasions, of their "coiners'' in mercury, grain and many thinly besides, of their adroit use of notoiiou,- enemies on the Stock Exchange and el-ewhece, of their (this is imputable individually tj Nathan, however) refusing to opeiato with men, however clever, if they woie unlucky, and so was his careful omission to state in hit. will the amount of his wealth, and the precautions he took to pi event thus fiom becoming otherwise known when he died. "I am as good as >ou, 5 ' lie said to the Due de Montmorenei \v lien hi-- title was gi anted. " You style yourself the iir^t Christian Baron, and i am t/he tii Jew Baion." Here is an anecdote that has not been often told. The baion here was James the head of the Paris house: At a ehant.ible -tile, held in 1858, at the Hotel Lambei t in Pan-, by the Princess C/ai taiiska, infa\oui of the distressed Poles, an incident tool; place between (ileoiges Hand and Baron Rothschild. Mine. Dudevant ((>eorgcs Sand) had a stall on the occasion, and displayed a numbei of fancy ai tides for sale Baron Rothschild happened to pass, and the fair saleswoman addressed him with the usual request to buy something, "What am Ito buy?" said the Baton ; "you have nothing at all suitable for me. But stay — an idea, stiikes me. (Jive me your autograph ; sell me that. '" Mm. Dudevant took a sheet of paper and wrote upon io as follows : " Reeehed from Baion Roth-child the sum of one thousand fiancs, for the benefit of the distiessed Poles.— (Jcoiges Sand ' Baron Rothschild read it, thanked her, and handing her a note foi the amount named, went away highly gratified.

We Know it all Here. Here is a passage which is suggestive of methods not unheard of in New Yoik. "One .secret of Nathan Rothschild's suc-cc-b, 1 ' says, (he author of " The Stock Exchange, " was the sceieey ■will) which he '-hiouded all hib transactions and the tortuous policy with which he m^led those who v/atched him the keenest. If he posseted news calculated to make the funds lise he would commission the broke) 1 who acted on his hchalf to .sell half a million. The shoal of men who usually follow the mo\ ements of others sold with him. The news soon passed through Chapel Comb that Rothschild was. boating the market and the funds fell ; men looked doubtingly at one another ; a general panic spiead ; bad news wa<looked for, and these united agencies sank the pi ice. This v as the icsiilt expected, and other brokers, not usually employed by Rothschild, bought all they could at the 1 educed rate. By the time this was accomplished the good news had anived ; the pressure ceased, the funds lo^e instantly and Mi Rothschild reaped his reward.''

fiaron Lionel Do Rothschild. It is proper to bay of Nathan's son Lionel, who subsequently, at the early age of 28, became the head of the London house, that lie never practised devices like the foiegoing one?. He felt that the Rothschilds had outgrown the need of them, if there bad ever been any such need, and his transactions, vast as they were, included no detail that could be called a trick, or that was inconsistent with the loftiest standards of commercial honour. He died in 1879, after doing a vast amount of good, and the destinies of the London house fell into the hands of his three sons, Sir Nathaniel (&ince Lord Rothschild), Leopold, and Alfied. It was in the person of Baron Lionel de Rothschild that the ancient system that excluded Jews from the British Parliament was successfully exploded, Baron Lionel entering the House of Commons in 1858, and representing the city of London there almost without interruption up to 1874.