122 A Talk with Riaz Pasha [ x 893 



express it.' He told me, too, of an attempt Cromer had made to impose 

 an English doctor on the Khedive's party, which they had refused. 



' We talked next about the action of the Legislative Council at 

 Cairo which has refused to approve the expenses this year of the 

 English Occupation, besides making a number of other objections, 

 almost all to my mind very sensible ones. Riaz is clearly in sympathy 

 with them, but he has rather weakly followed English dictation in re- 

 jecting most of them. He is doing, however, perhaps as much as is 

 prudent in his opposition to Cromer. ' At least,' he said, ' we have lost 

 no ground this year, if we have not gained as much as we wished.' 



" About the Merj case, which I set before him, he amused me im- 

 mensely by saying in answer to my remark that the Greek would end 

 by killing someone outright, ' Would it not be better if they killed him? ' 

 He promised me to see justice done, and I am sure it will not be for 

 want of his goodwill if nothing results, but Riaz is too old not to be 

 timid in action. He introduced his son Mahmud to me, a little round 

 Circassian whom he has made his under secretary of state [a piece 

 of nepotism which was taken hold of effectively by Cromer, as the 

 young man was quite incapable and was guilty of many stupidities]. 

 He was most cordial in wanting to see me again. Riaz has a wonder- 

 ful charm of manner, inspiring one with affection as well as respect, 

 badly as he behaved in 1882. For this he is contrite now. 



"31st Dec. — In answer to a question by Labouchere, Gladstone has 

 said in Parliament that negotiations for evacuating Egypt must be 

 entered into, if at all, with the Sultan, not with the Khedive. 



" Mohammed Abdu lunched with us on Friday. He is very well 

 satisfied with the way things are going here ; says that Riaz is working 

 well with the Khedive, highly approves the action of the Legislative 

 Council, but as to Constantinople, says the Sultan is mad and there is 

 no doing anything with him. Talking about the xA.zhar University 

 he tells me there is only one of the Sheykhs there fit to be made Sheykh 

 El Azhar on a Liberal footing, namely, Hassan el Naawi. 



" 2nd Jan. 1894. — My audience of the Khedive. He received me 

 with great cordiality, excusing himself for the mistake about last 

 week's audience, and assuring me that he was not in the smallest 

 degree displeased at what had happened last year, when Knowles an- 

 nounced my article as authorized by him. I said, ' After all it did 

 good ' ; and he chuckled at the recollection. I found him just as frank 

 and plain-spoken as last year, but more of a man. He is much sun- 

 burnt and looks in perfect health. He answered all my questions freely 

 and without hesitation. 



" The first was about Constantinople. I asked him whether it was 

 true that he had gone there with the intention of starting an active 

 anti-English campaign? Abbas. 'There is no truth in it. I was 



