David Sassoon (1792-1864) was a philanthropist and a prominent Bombay businessman. He was born in Baghdad into a family of Nasis, traditional leaders of the Jewish community. His father, Saleh Sassoon, was a wealthy banker and the treasurer to Ahmet Pasha, the governor of Baghdad. However, at that time, the Jews were coming under pressure from the Muslim Turkish rulers of Baghdad. Fleeing with his wife and family and a small part of the family's wealth, Sassoon arrived in Bombay in 1833. 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad or Bag-Da-Du meaning “Garden of God” [1]) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish:Müslüman, Persian:مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

He started business in Bombay with a counting house and a small carpet godown. His business acumen soon made him one of the richest men in Bombay. He chose to follow the market, but he pursued all his enterprises better than his chief rivals, the Parsis. By the end of the 1850s it was said of him that "silver and gold, silks, gums and spices, opium and cotton, wool and wheat– whatever moves over sea or land feels the hand or bears the mark of Sassoon and Company". This article belongs in one or more categories. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rug making. ... Hong Kong English is sometimes used to refer to the accent and characteristics of English spoken by some of the ethnic Chinese residents of Hong Kong. ... This article is about (members of) the Parsi Zoroastrian community in and from India. ... // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution...

Opium trade

Here (in Bombay) he established the house of David Sassoon & Co., with branches at Calcutta, Shanghai, Canton, and Hongkong; and his business, which included a monopoly of the opium-trade, extended as far as Yokohama, Nagasaki, and other cities in Japan. Soon, this opium reached Hong Kong. Between 1830–1831 they trafficked 18,956 chests of opium earning millions of dollars. Part of the profits went to Queen Victoria and the British government. In the year 1836 the trade increased to over 30,000 chests and drug addiction in coastal cities became endemic. In 1839, the Manchu Emperor ordered that it be stopped. He named the Commissioner of Canton, Lin Tse-hsu, to lead a campaign against opium. Lin seized 2,000 chests of Sassoon opium and threw it into the river. An outraged David Sassoon demanded that Great Britain retaliate. Thus, the Opium Wars began with the British Army fighting as mercenaries of the Sassoons. They attacked cities and blockaded ports. The Chinese Army, decimated by 10 years of rampant opium addiction, proved no match for the British Army. The war ended in 1842 with the signing of the Treaty of Nanking. This included provisions especially designed to guarantee the Sassoons the right to provide an entire population with opium. The "peace treaty" included these provisions: Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Leopold I 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May, 1819 – 22 January, 1901) was the eminent Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June, 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January, 1877, until her death in 1901. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... Charles Darwin 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Manchu (Manchu: Manju; Simplified Chinese: 满族; Traditional Chinese: 滿族; Hanyu pinyin: ) are a Tungusic people who originated in Northeastern Asia, collectively known in English as Manchuria. ... There are multiple Cantons in China Canton City : Guangzhou Canton Province : Guangdong This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... LIN Zexu (林則徐; pinyin: Lín Zéxú) (August 30, 1785 - November 22, 1850) was an official loyal to the Daoguang Emperor of China, most famous for his active fight against foreign-imported opium during the Qing dynasty. ... The Opium Wars were two wars that were the climax of a long dispute between Britain and China. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Nanking, August 29, 1842, Peace Treaty between the Queen of Great Britain and the Emperor of China The Treaty of Nanking (Chinese: 南京條約, NánjÄ«ng TiáoyuÄ“) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ...

1. Full legalisation of the opium trade in China
2. Compensation from the opium stockpiles confiscated by Lin of 2 million pounds
3. Territorial sovereignty for the British Crown over several designated offshore islands.

Although he did not speak English, he became a naturalised British citizen in 1853. He kept the dress and manners of the Baghdadi Jews, but allowed his sons to adopt English manners. His son, Abdullah changed his name to Albert, moved to England, became a Baronet and married into the Rothschild family. All the Sassoons of Europe are said to be descendants of David Sassoon. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon (1818-1896), British Indian philanthropist and merchant, was born in Baghdad on the 25th of July 1818, a member of a family settled there since the beginning of the 16th century, and previously in Spain. ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt), is the holder of an hereditary title awarded by the British Crown, known as a baronetcy. ... Rothschild Coat of Arms The Mayer Amschel Rothschild family is a successful banking and finance dynasty of German Jewish origin that established operations across Europe, and was ennobled by the Austro-Hungarian and British governments. ...

He built a synagogue in the Fort (area) and another in Byculla, as well as a school, a Mechanics' Institute, a library, and a convalescent home in Pune. Lesko synagogue, Poland A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ... Fort is a downtown area of Mumbai, India. ... Byculla is a suburb of Mumbai. ...

David Sassoon was conscious of his role as a leader of the Jewish community in Bombay. He helped to arouse a sense of Jewish identity amongst the Bene Israeli and Cochin Jewish communities. The Sassoon Docks (built by his son) and the David Sassoon Library are named after him. He also built a synagogue in Byculla. The Bene Israel (Sons of Israel) are a group of Jews who, in the mid-twentieth century, lived primarily in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmadabad and Karachi. ... Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews are the ancient Jews and their descendants of the South Indian port city of Cochin. ... The Sasoon Docks The Sassoon Docks is one of the few docks open to the public in Mumbai. ... The David Sassoon Library is the name of a famous library and heritage structure in Mumbai, India. ... Byculla is a suburb of Mumbai. ...

David Sassoon died in his countryhouse in Pune in 1864. His business interests were inherited by his son. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

References

• Biography from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
• Jewish Encyclopedia.com