This is an important historical book, first published in 1853. My copy is the reprint of 1862, published by Houlston and Weight of 65 Paternoster Row, London. It provides a very detailed and accurate description in English of the details of Jewish religion, as practiced by the early Victorian British Jews. It also has valuable statistics and descriptions of synagogues, charities and schools, which are reproduced below. The Author, Rev. John Mills, dedicated his book to Lord John Russell, who as Whig Leader and Prime Minister was a driving force in the political emancipation of the Jews in Britain. He acknowledges information provided by several of his Jewish friends, including Rev. Mr. Ascher, Rev. Mr. Piza, the editors of the Jewish Chronicle and Jewish Observer (the Jewish newspapers of the time), S. Sequerra, and Mr. J. Vallentine.
Rev. John Mills was an author and Calvinistic methodist minister, born 19 Dec. 1812 at Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire, in Wales. Devoting himself to music, he travelled through the country, establishing musical societies in various places, and thus greatly extended musical culture in Wales. In 1846 he went to London to act as a missionary to the Jews on behalf of the Welsh Calvinistic methodists. In 1855 and 1859 he visited the Holy Land in order to better equip himself for this work. He was a member of many learned societies connected with biblical and oriental studies. He died in London, 28 July 1873.
His chief works are:
1. ‘Grammadeg Cerddoriaeth,’ a grammar of music (Llanidloes, 1838), the first complete musical handbook published in the Welsh language.
2. ‘British Jews,’ London, 1853.
3. ‘Palestina,’ in Welsh only, Llanidloes, 1858.
4. ‘Three Months’ Residence in Nablûs, and an Account of the Modern Samaritans,’ London, 1864.
Jewish Miscellanies 