James Finn (1806–1872) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, in the then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(1846–1863). He arrived in 1845 with his wife

Elizabeth Anne Finn Elizabeth Anne Finn (1825–1921) was a British writer and the wife of James Finn, British Consul in Jerusalem, in Ottoman Palestine between 1846 and 1863. She and her daughter co-founded the Distressed Gentlefolk's Aid Association, the predec ...

. Finn was a devout Christian, who belonged to the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, but who did not engage in missionary work during his years in Jerusalem. Kerem Avraham, entrance

Finn was a writer and philanthropist. He was a great believer in

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

, an ideology that was very much in vogue at the time, and in 1853 purchased for £250 Karm al-Khalil (Arabic for "Abraham's Vineyard", lit. "vineyard of

the loved one ''The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy'' (1948) is a short satirical novel by British novelist Evelyn Waugh about the funeral business in Los Angeles, the British expatriate community in Hollywood, and the film industry. Conception ''The ...

", which in Hebrew became Kerem Avraham) a barren piece of land outside the walls of the Old City. Kerem Avraham was established as a training farm for Jews in agriculture and to become productive citizens. Finn employed Jewish labourers to build the first house there in 1855. Cisterns for water storage were built and a

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

factory was established which produced high quality soap sold to tourists. He helped establish an experimental farm, initially meant for the poverty-stricken Jews from Jerusalem, at the village of

Artas ARTAS (ATM suRveillance Tracker And Server) is a system designed by Eurocontrol to operationally support Aerial surveillance and Air traffic control by establishing an accurate Air Situation Picture of all traffic over a pre-defined geographical ...

outside

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. Finn was removed from his post in 1863. His superiors believed he had become too personally involved in local affairs. His insolvency and clashes with

Samuel Gobat Samuel Gobat (26 January 1799 – 11 May 1879) was a Swiss Calvinist who became an Anglican missionary in Africa and was the Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem from 1846 until his death. Biography Samuel Gobat was born at Crémines, Canton of Bern, ...

, the Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem, also contributed to his removal.

Books (partial list)

By James Finn

In chronological order of the first publication. *''The Jews in China'', London: Wertheim, 1843. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes * ''Byeways in Palestine,'' London 1868, 482pp. **''Byeways in Palestine,'' Adamant Media, Boston, 2002 reprint of the London 1868 original. 482pp. *''The Orphan Colony of Jews in China. Containing a letter received from themselves, with the latest information concerning them.'' London: James Nisbet, 1872. * ''Stirring Times: Or Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856.'', Edited by Elizabeth Anne Finn. vol. 1. London 1878. The full text, archive.org, Original: Harvard. Can download PDF. **alternative: the full text, archive.org, original: University of Michigan. Can download PDF. * ''Stirring Times: Or Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856.'', Edited by Elizabeth Anne Finn. vol. 2. London 1878. The full text, archive.org, Original: Harvard. Can download PDF. **alternative: the full text, archive.org, original: University of Michigan. Can download PDF.

By Elizabeth Anne McCaul Finn

*''A Home in the Holy Land. A tale illustrating customs and incidents in modern Jerusalem.'' Adamant Media, Boston, 2002 reprint of the London 1866 original. *''A Third Year in Jerusalem. A tale illustrating customs and incidents of modern Jerusalem; or, a sequel to "Home in the Holy Land"''. Adamant Media, Boston, 2002 reprint of the London 1869 original.

References

External links

*
''Byeways in Palestine,''
at the

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Finn, James Zionism Land of Israel Consuls-General of the United Kingdom to Jerusalem 1806 births 1872 deaths

Books (partial list)

By James Finn

By Elizabeth Anne McCaul Finn

See also

References

External links