88 Sir Edgar Vincent [1893 



ground of the revolt was not ill-chosen, as the Khedive was without 

 question within his constitutional and legal right to name his own Min- 

 isters, and it at once dissolved the illusion Cromer had entertained that 

 his and not the Khedive's authority was popular in Egypt. It was 

 everywhere applauded, and it forced Cromer to abandon his make 

 believe and telegraph to London for English troops, a clear admission 

 of his political impotence. It was a first rent made in the famous 

 ' Veiled Protectorate," and though Cromer in his book describes it 

 as a victory, it was one of physical force only, not moral force. 



" On the 26th of January Hardinge of the Legation x was here. 

 He told us that when Riaz was informed of the arrival of reinforce- 

 ments from England he smiled a blue smile and remarked that they 

 would be welcome, as English regiments had always been well-behaved 

 in the country. ' Riaz,' said Hardinge, ' may not love us, but at least 

 he will be an open enemy.' It appears that Cromer really threatened 

 the Khedive, giving him twenty-four hours to make up his mind, and 

 that the English regiments in garrison had ball cartridges served out. 

 They intended to surround the palace and keep the Khedive prisoner if 

 he refused, but what more does not appear. 



" 2,0th Jan. — Sir Edgar Vincent and his wife, with Lady Alice 

 Portal and Mr. Eldon Gorst, came to tea. I was glad to find that 

 Vincent took quite my view of the situation. He said : ' They can't 

 go on on the old lines, and must either declare a protectorate or evacu- 

 ate. The change,' he said, ' in public opinion since I was at Cairo three 

 years ago, is astonishing.' He has been seeing much of Riaz. As 

 to Turkey and the Sultan he confirms all that I have heard of the 

 improvement. ' The resuscitation,' he said, ' of the Ottoman Empire is 

 the most remarkable phenomenon of our day.' And so it is." 



Several others have called, all telling the same story, that Riaz has 

 the whole public with him, and that the Khedive is popular everywhere. 

 Only my neighbor, Selim Faraj, being a timid man and a Christian, was 

 frightened when I talked of evacuation as near. He thought it would 

 be followed by a persecution of Christians. ' It is not,' he said, ' as it 

 used to be in Egypt. Ever since the affair of 1882 there has been a 

 growing hatred between Mohammedans and Christians.' This is true, 

 but whose fault is it? 



" $th Feb. — Parliament has met and Her Majesty has made her 

 speech, to the effect that the sending of troops to Egypt does not indi- 

 cate a change of policy, also that the Khedive has given her assurances 

 that he will act in co-operation with her representatives. 



" 14th Feb. — Went in to Cairo to see the Sheykh el Bekri. Moham- 

 med Moelhi met me at the station and we drove to a Mowlid [a relig- 



1 Sir Arthur Hardinge, then Secretary of Legation at Cairo, afterwards our 

 Minister at Brussels. 



