1896] King Menelik of Abyssinia 223 



to help the King of Italy. He gave hospitality to your grandfather for 

 many years at Naples.' ' Yes,' answered Abbas, ' and made him pay 

 pretty heavily for it too.' (Isma'il lent a very large sum to the King, 

 which I believe was never repaid.) Cromer asked the Khedive to 

 write for publication an address 'to the Army approving the objects of 

 the campaign; but Abbas declined, saying it was not necessary to talk 

 politics to soldiers. He promised, however, to exhort them to obey 

 orders and do their duty. This he has repeatedly done. I asked him 

 whether Kitchener had recommended 'the Dongola campaign, and he 

 said ' No ; he knew nothing of it till he woke up out of his bed.' Also 

 as to the Duke of Cambridge, whom I suspected of having arranged 

 it, ' No, he is an old man, too old to conceal anything, and as we had a 

 deal of talk together I should have found out.' 



" The Khedive also told me the de'tail of letters written to the Queen 

 and to himself by King Mangasheh of Abyssinia, complaining, to the 

 first, that he, being an old ally of England, England had nevertheless 

 supplied arms to the Italians. Mangasheh is a son of King John, 

 whom we put on the throne. His letter to the Egyptian Government 

 was to propose joint action against the Khalifa, in order to recover his 

 crown, which had been taken from him and carried away to Omdur- 

 man. In his letter to the Queen he asked England's good offices wi'th 

 Italy for a peace. Both these letters were written before the battle of 

 Adowa, and were conveyed to Cairo by a cousin of Mangasheh. They 

 were translated at the Cairo War Office. The Queen's answer was in 

 general 'terms, hoping that peace would be made. The answer sent by 

 Lord Cromer, in the name of the Egyptian Government, was a proposal 

 that Mangasheh should advance on Omdurman, when they would to- 

 gether get back the crown, and Mangasheh should be recognized King 

 of Abyssinia. Mangasheh, however, Abbas said, would never go 

 against Menelik, as his father John had specially recommended him to 

 recognize Menelik as Emperor. Mangasheh's envoy went away dis- 

 satisfied, especially with the presents given him, which had been sup- 

 plied by 'the Secret Service Fund of the Egyptian War Office, namely, 

 a gold watch, a musical box, a red umbrella, and some dresses, which 

 he told the Khedive he should be ashamed to deliver to the King, as 

 they were the same as those worn by prostitutes in Abyssinia. They 

 were chosen by Kitchener. The Khedive said it would be a good thing 

 if I wrote an article in conformity with wha't he had told me; and 

 I promised to do so, but without compromising him. In going away 

 I asked him to allow Arabi to return to Egypt ; and he questioned me 

 about him, and I told him what an honest patrio't he was, and that I 

 would make myself answerable for his loyalty. He promised me that 

 he would speak to Mustapha Fehmy about it, and I think he means it. 

 He said : ' What you tell me about him I must believe, for nobody who 



