1891] Baring Not Opposed to Reform 45 



Revenue Board. I saw him pretty frequently at Cairo during his stay 

 there, and liked him, as I had liked him when in his humbler position 

 as Stead's assistant editor. He did not display, at that time, anything 

 of that violent Imperialism which led him later to aspire to the sublime 

 heights of Tory officialdom which he now occupies. 



This was the position in Egypt in the early spring of 1891. I was 

 now on excellent terms with Baring, whom I found willing to listen 

 to any suggestions I might make to him for improving the lot of the 

 fellahin, a matter which I understood, while he, shut up in his office 

 and seeing practically nothing of native Egypt beyond the tame officials 

 whom he had attracted to his camp, lived in comparative darkness, and 

 I was able in this way to effect a good deal in the direction that most 

 interested me, and I did not fail to bring before him once more the 

 case of Arabi's return ; but he was still too strongly opposed to it, 

 though, he explained, if it was decided to occupy Egypt permanently 

 he should have no objection. Failing in this, as far as Arabi was 

 concerned, I now limited my pleading to an attempt to interest him in 

 other members of the former National Party, and at the suggestion of 

 my old friend, Sheykh Mohammed Abdu, who was now living in my 

 part of Egypt as judge of our chief country town, Benha, and whom 

 we now saw pretty frequently, I brought before him a plan that he 

 should take these old Nationalists into his councils and substitute for 

 the Circassian Pashas who had so far been the only class of Moham- 

 medans permitted to hold office under the restored regime since Tel-el- 

 Kebir, an Egyptian fellah government. Neither Riaz, nor Nubar, nor 

 any other of the ministers who had held office during the past seven 

 years, though patriotic some of them to the extent of having it for their 

 aim to get rid of all foreign elements in the administration, had taken 

 any real interest in bettering the condition of the fellahin, and it seemed 

 to me a lack of intelligence on Baring's part that he had failed to under- 

 stand the popularity he might have gained by the creation of a fellah 

 ministry, and the comparative ease with which he could have introduced 

 the reforms he professed to have at heart, and really at that time had. 

 I find this alluded to in my diary : 



" 20th Feb. — A few days ago, there being a ministerial crisis, I 

 wrote to Baring suggesting that he should take new men into the 

 ministry instead of Riaz and the Circassians, who, despising the fel- 

 lahin, look only to their own class interests. He answered me favour- 

 ably, and to-day I called on him, and after luncheon we discussed the 

 position. Riaz has already given in, so nothing is to be done at present ; 

 but he expressed himself willing to make the acquaintance of any men 

 of the fellah class whose names I could suggest, and I am to write to 

 him again on the subject in a few days. He fully admitted that Riaz 

 was an obstructive ; ' but where,' he said, ' is there anyone better ? ' It 



