1904] Yorke Powell's Death 99 



like acknowledging a failure. From this we passed on to India and 

 George Curzon and the Japanese War, where we are at one. George 

 is getting sick of office, and longs to be away writing poetry. He 

 recited to me a sonnet he had just made, a very good one, and told me 

 as a great secret that he had been asked by Rowton's executors to write 

 Disraeli's Life, but has been obliged to decline, as he cannot spare 

 the time. I asked him why his party should wish to stay in office for 

 another year? He said there were two or three things they had to 

 finish first, the re-organization of the army and the reconstruction of 

 South Africa, then they would be glad to go. 



" 26th April. — Saw Redmond at the House of Commons. The 

 Land Purchase, he says, is going on well, more estates sold than the 

 Government have money for, but it was lucky they got the Bill through 

 last year, as this year it would have been impossible. He gave me 

 the history of O'Brien's secession from the Irish Party. I found him 

 not very keen about meeting George, though friendly towards him. 

 ' Wyndham,' he said, ' may be quite ready to do everything for us, 

 but he has no power.' I asked about the King, who has just gone to 

 Ireland. ' We all think him friendly to us,' Redmond said, ' and per- 

 haps we may get Home Rule through him. But I don't myself believe 

 that we shall get it except indirectly, and a bit at a time. Meanwhile 

 all is going well.' 



" Elsa Wagram is engaged to marry the Prince de la Tour 

 d'Auvergne. 



" 4th May. — Saw George and arranged with him about a lunch 

 with Redmond next week. He tells me he believes he has succeeded 

 now in getting a final end put to the Somali Campaign. There has 

 been a last splutter there, the bombardment of a small seaport, Hlig, 

 but the army is to be withdrawn, and the occupation of the country 

 to be confined strictly to the Coast towns. This is something accom- 

 plished. Strict orders have been sent out to Swain the Consul General, 

 that he is not to interfere with the tribes. 



" The victory of the Japanese at Yalu is now fully confirmed. We 

 talked also about George Curzon and the Tibet War. My relations 

 with George Wyndham are very pleasant ones now, as he consults 

 me on all his political affairs, and as Arthur Balfour consults him I am 

 beginning to have a practical influence on public events. 



" gth May. — Yorke Powell is dead, which grieves me. It is only 

 a day or two since I heard from him. He was the most sympathetic 

 of men, and my memory of him runs back to 1863, when I first met 

 him, he being a boy, with his mother in the Pyrenees. They were 

 friends of Madame Bertrand de Lis at Madrid, hence our acquaint- 

 ance. He was fond of Spain and France, and the East, and of much 

 else that I loved. I lose much by his death. I have written to 



