1892] The Veiled Protectorate 85 



in this by the publication of Sir Alfred Milner's book, " England in 

 Egypt," which I have described already. It had appeared about the 

 time of the change of Government in England, and had proved an entire 

 success there as a support to Baring's views, but at Cairo it had had 

 an exactly opposite effect. It had too candidly revealed the nature of 

 the Baring policy, unveiling to nakedness the " Veiled Protectorate," 

 and as it had been largely read in an Arabic translation at Cairo, it had 

 caused more alarm than satisfaction there. By the end of the year 

 1892 the young Khedive was already popular with his native subjects, 

 while even among Englishmen resident at Cairo it was considered that 

 Baring had mismanaged the matter, and there was alarm at the grow- 

 ing ill will that was being manifested between natives and foreigners. 

 There is no doubt that Baring had been at fault through his lack of 

 personal courtesy to the young prince, who, having received his educa- 

 tion in Europe, was well aware of what was due to him, and had suf- 

 ficient wit to know how to assert himself on occasion. These things 

 are alluded to in my diary. 



" 1st Dec. — Landed at Alexandria and lunched at the Consulate, 

 where the Consular chaplain, Davis, gave me some idea of how things 

 were going politically. We had some talk about former Egyptian 

 times, he having been thirty years resident there. What he said bears 

 out what my Egyptian friends have always affirmed, namely, that Said 

 Pasha's reign was the best time the f ellahin ever had ; he is, however, 

 like all Englishmen here, for a perpetual occupation in order, as they 

 say, ' to keep out the French.' The ladies told stories of the new Khe- 

 dive Abbas to his disadvantage. He dislikes English soldiers and has 

 made them move farther away from his palace, and he insists upon 

 having his own will in trifles, as on one occasion lately when he made 

 the gate-keepers of the railway open for him, and had forced the 

 Directors to apologize and dismiss the men because, not knowing who 

 he was, they had cursed his father. This happened near Ramleh. 

 We had tea with Sir William and Lady Butler, he being in command 

 of the English garrison. We went on to Sheykh Obeyd next morning. 



" 26th Dec. — To-day, a young fellow, Abderrahman Effendi, was 

 here, a protege of Abdu's. Talking of Abbas, he told me he was 

 hand in glove with Riaz and Ahmed Pasha Shukri, and that they all 

 belonged to the Hesb el Horiyeh (the Party of Liberty). I told him 

 that if they really wanted Parliamentary Government they must work 

 for it. The Khedive ought to make known his desire for it. He 

 should demand it formally in writing, and I would see that their wishes 

 were represented in the proper quarter. Writing to Loulou Harcourt 

 about the same time, intending it for his father, I said : ' I should be 

 glad to know what is intended at the Foreign Office. I consider that 

 there are elements here of a stronger opposition to the English regime 



