At first, while in St.Petersburg, Altaras was informed that permission to leave Russia would be granted only on condition that a fixed ransom be paid for every emigrant.
In Warsaw, however, which city he visited later, in October, 1846, he was notified that the Tzar had decided to waive the ransom.

For some unexplained reason Altaras left Russia suddenly, and the scheme of a Jewish mass emigration fell through.
[Footnote 1: A law on the Russian statute books forbids the emigration of Russian citizens abroad.

See later, p.

285, n.

1.] 5.