Reuben

"Albert was now approaching his sixtieth year. A rich but rather lonely man, he missed the society ofReuben and Arthur and secretly grieved over the defection of the brother with whom he had shared his boyhood. E. D. Sassoon & Co. had started to compete significantly in opium and Indian yarn. According to reports from Shanghai, they were also investing heavily in real estate. In Fenchurch Street, London, they had quickly opened an office, first managed by Jacob and then by his younger brothers who each served his time in China in the traditional fashion."

"'We went to the office (i.e. Reuben and I) yesterday at 11 and remained till 1, while he signed the Hebrew and Arabic letters. While we were there, Bishop called and offered some Persian opium and he said there was a margin of more than $100 between the price here and that in Hong Kong, so we thought we might as well buy a small lot and make a little money. (Five days later they bought 67 chests."