350 Kimberley Relieved [1900 



evacuation in favour of a native Egyptian Government. Abdu has a 

 good opinion of Cromer personally. But says there are a number of 

 shady things done by his subordinates. 



" 16th Feb. — Buller's third attack on the Boers and his attempt to 

 cross the Tugela has failed as abjectly as the other two, and we may 

 hear any day now of the fall of Ladysmith ; a final attempt I fancy to 

 capture a victory in view of the vote in Parliament for which it has 

 served its purpose, though later it turned into a defeat. 



" lyth Feb. — To Cairo with Cockerell. The first time I have been 

 there this winter, after seventy-four days at Sheykh Obeyd, so that I 

 felt strange and naked in European clothes. On the road we met 

 Prince Aziz who talked with much intelligence about the management 

 of his property. These Khedivial Princes are all of them shrewd men 

 of business. He also gave us news of the relief of Kimberley, a tele- 

 gram having come last night. This will have the practical effect of 

 putting that sad villain Rhodes once more on the scene of the world's 

 intrigues. I am sorry for it. 



" I called on various necessary people, including Margaret Talbot in 

 her new official house as the General's Lady, and on Cromer, who 

 talked to me for half an hour about Nile irrigation, the debts of the 

 fellahin, the famine in India, and such administrative subjects as he 

 talks best on. He is certainly a great man in his official way. We did 

 not touch on any dangerous matters, nor allude in any sort to past 

 differences. Personally I like him much. Amongst the plans he dis- 

 cussed with me was one in connection with the National Bank of ad- 

 vancing small sums of £5 and fio to the fellahin at 9 per cent., to 

 enable them to get out of the hands of the Greek usurers, who charge 

 them thirty and forty per cent. This is precisely the scheme the 

 Nationalists of 1881 had, and its adoption by Cromer is another proof 

 of the foresight of those poor patriots whom we cannoned into silence. 

 With the single exception of constitutional government, I believe every 

 article now of the National Programme has been adopted by us. 



" 24th Feb. — The MacDonalds and Irene, and her brother are gone 

 to Greece, after staying here three months. She is an attractive child, 

 clever and pretty — and her brother, Byron, interesting, because quite 

 uneducated, with a good heart and much sense. Young Ward was 

 here yesterday, who is acting as correspondent to the ' Times.' He gave 

 us news that Roberts, having raised the siege of Kimberley, has now 

 got Kranje's army in such a position that it seems likely to surrender. 

 This is important, and I fear will rehabilitate Chamberlain and the 

 Rhodes gang. Lady Lytton writes to me after her waiting at Osborne : 

 ' I enjoyed my three quiet weeks at Osborne, and the Queen is such 

 a splendid example of wisdom over the war and all the sorrow and 

 things that follow from it, and she always judges rightly without too 



