1893] Mukhtar Pasha Ghesi 97 



would write at once to the Sultan, suggesting that he should take action 

 in the direction of neutralizing Egypt, and he would urge Riaz to con- 

 voke the General Assembly here after Ramadan. It shows how little 

 these people know of their own affairs, and how entirely Dufferin's 

 Charter has remained a dead letter, that when I spoke to Mukhtar of 

 the Assembly, he stoutly denied that there existed such an institution. 

 ' It would be,' he said, ' a most precious instrument in our hands, but I 

 have never heard of it.' I exhorted him to consult his papers. He also 

 assured me that as long as the Khedive was dans la bonne vote, he 

 could count on the Sultan's support. Also about Riaz that he was sure 

 he would work straight now with the Khedive. Riaz was much 

 changed in the last two years. He would jog him on if he was slow, 

 as he quite saw the necessity for action. Every year the Occupation 

 lasted rooted it more firmly. Lastly, he promised to see the Sultan of 

 Johore, who I hope will not commit any inconvcnance when they meet. 

 It is announced in the papers that Cromer's new yearly Report is pub- 

 lished, and that the ' Daily News ' in London supports it, and declares 

 it must be several years before Egypt can be left to manage its own 

 Government. 



" 5th April. — Randolph writes me an interesting letter about Egypt. 

 He says that he is still in favour of evacuation, but at the present time 

 cannot express his opinion publicly with advantage. He wishes, me, 

 however, to tell the Khedive to keep on good terms with Cromer as his 

 best chance. 



" 12th April. — Lunched with Tigrane (the Armenian Under Sec- 

 retary for Foreign Affairs). He is, I think, sound in his Nationalism, 

 though an Armenian. We talked about my article in the ' Nineteenth 

 Century,' with nearly all of which he agreed, objecting only that it 

 might do harm to the Khedive that I should have stated him to have 

 denied the promise to follow English advice. He said he had been 

 himself the intermediary in arranging the affair between the Khedive 

 and Lord Cromer, that he had drawn up in writing with Lord Cromer 

 the form of words the Khedive was to use, namely, ' Je suiverai volon- 

 tiers les conseils,' etc. ; that the Khedive had read the Memorandum 

 and had learnt it by heart, and had promised to use the exact words. 

 He therefore presumed that the Khedive had done so, and that the 

 promise was in fact made. I said there could be no mistake that the 

 Khedive now denied it, and we both agreed that it was a point of the 

 utmost importance. He said that the Legislative Council would be 

 convened soon after Bairam, when they would introduce a programme 

 of educational and other reforms. He would see Mohammed Abdu 

 as to a reform of the Azhar if I would send him to him. As to the 

 General Assembly the country was not yet ready for it. It would have 

 to be written about first in the press. He had himself always been in 



