coleman-the-rothschild-dynasty

64 Dr. John Coleman
family is part of the Committee of 300. There was a double
benefit in giving the information thus gained to Decazes instead
of de Richelieu to whom it ought to have gone. In return,
Decazes kept James informed of any pending anti-Jewish moves
or political intrigues directed against his bank.
With his circle of important people growing wider, James
decided that he needed a home more suited to his status, one
where he might entertain in the lavish style that was expected of
him. He found such a home in a mansion formerly possessed by
Queen Hortense on the Rue La Fitte, which had previously
belonged to a Paris banker named Laborde, who fell victim to the
guillotine in 1794. Hortense, the daughter of Empress Josephine
had become Queen of Holland after being married to Napoleon's
brother, Louis.
It cost James a fortune to have the house remodeled and
refurbished; some said the bills came to more than three million
francs. When completed in 1834, it became the talk of the town.
Heinrich Heine, the German-Jewish Communist philosopher, the
Duc d'Orleans and Prince Leopold of Coburg were frequent
guests at the glittering soirees given by James.
When Prince Metternich and his entourage, including the
brilliant Prussian Friedrich von Gentz, who had the confidence of
the great man, came to Paris, James gave a party that rivaled
anything seen in Paris since the return of the king. Even the
mighty Duke of Wellington dared not refuse an invitation from
James when he visited Paris.
James patronized von Gentz and played on his weakness
for women, lots of women, providing von Gentz with the money
it took through "easy terms" as we say today. Von Gentz got all
the women he could handle, plus many other luxuries he had not
hitherto been able to afford. Thus did James come to "own" von
Gentz.
James' palace became a magnet for all types of
politicians, and particularly, those who were open