78 Midhat Pasha [1903 



While Wali at Damascus Midhat had attended a large dinner given 

 at Tarablus, and had made a speech, in which he had described him- 

 self as the destroyer of two Kings (alluding to Abd el Aziz and 

 Murad). This was reported to the Sultan, and was the cause of 

 Midhat's disgrace. As a reformer he was shallow and European- 

 ized in the worst sense, nevertheless his fall had been a real mis- 

 fortune, and his end a real tragedy. 



" Mohammed Abdu has had another talk with the Khedive, who 

 told him the whole history of his not having kept his appointment 

 with us at Crabbet in the summer. The reason was precisely what 

 I suspected. When the visit was first proposed no objection had been 

 made by the Englishmen appointed to dry nurse the Khedive during 

 his stay in England, but the very morning of the Sunday when he 

 was getting ready to start for Crabbet, Cassel, whose guest he was, 

 on behalf of the King in London, spoke to him about it, and told 

 him that his going to see me would offend the King, that it would 

 be interpreted at Court as meaning that he had not been satisfied 

 with the King's reception of him. Cassel's words had been, ' I do not 

 say that you ought not to go, but if you do it will be understood 

 in this sense.' The Khedive sent the explanation as a message to 

 me through the Mufti, but not for publication ; he wishes me to 

 see him as usual, but I shall not go, and have told Abdu to say 

 that since the King has commanded the Khedive not to see me, 

 and the Khedive has thought fit to obey, I, as the King's subject, 

 am still more bound to obedience. 



" 24th Nov. — The papers give an account of Dora Labouchere's 

 marriage at Florence to a son of the Minister Rudini. I am glad 

 she has made a good alliance, it will please her old father who 

 deserves to be pleased. 



" 2nd Dec. — The Mufti called to-day and gave me an account 

 of what is going on at headquarters in the matter of judicial reform. 

 He had an interview with Cromer yesterday, having been sent for to 

 talk the various projects over. Cromer asked him his opinion of 

 the plan of perambulating judges, and the Mufti said its value would 

 all depend upon whether these were appointed by the Government or 

 by the Court of Appeal. If the latter good men would be chosen, 

 if the former not. Mcll wraith was then sent for, and in the Mufti's 

 presence received a lecture from Cromer on the necessity of consult- 

 ing the best native opinion, and especially the Mufti's. He is satis- 

 fied now that they will adopt a reasonable scheme. He expostulated 

 also against additional power being put into the hands of the police in 

 its present corrupt condition. He tells me the Khedive is very angry 

 with him for having insisted on his paying the full price, £20,000, in 

 his deal with the Awkaf, and that he is doing what he can to get 



