1905] How War with France Was Prevented 1 23 



able to look behind him, all his thought being how not to fall off. 

 Button told me that this line of defence was strictly true, but that he 

 knew it would not be accepted as an excuse, seeing that the court 

 martial was chiefly composed of Hussars, and so it had resulted, Cary 

 was condemned and would have been shot but for the fact that Chelms- 

 ford's rank in South Africa was not that of Commander-in-Chief, but 

 only that of Commanding-in-Chief, which last gave him no power to 

 confirm a death sentence and the case was referred to England. There, 

 the Lord Chief Justice, I think it was, finding that there was no record 

 in the papers submitted to him that the evidence had been given on 

 oath, tore them up, and Cary was sent back a free man to his regiment. 

 Button and Grenfell had heaped up stones on the spot where the body 

 was found, and this enabled the Empress Eugenie afterwards to identify 

 the place and build her monastery there. 



" 2C)th Now. — Button again dined with me and with him Philpot, 

 my doctor. Button told us that war with France over this Fashoda 

 affair was narrowly prevented by Monson through one of the old- 

 fashioned diplomatic tricks. Lord Salisbury had drawn up an ultima- 

 aim, and instructed Monson as Ambassador in Paris to deliver it. 

 Monson, however, who knew the ultimatum, if formally delivered, 

 ,vould be refused, and who wished to prevent a war, gave Delcasse, 

 he French Minister for Foreign Affairs, warning confidentially through 

 one of the secretaries of the Austrian Embassy of what was impending, 

 and that if Delcasse should see him put his hand into his breast pocket 

 he would know that the limit of English patience was reached, and 

 that the ultimatum would be handed to him. When therefore the next 

 day their discussion had reached the limit Lord Salisbury had laid down, 

 Monson gave the signal, and Delcasse, who also wished to avert war, 

 gave in, and allowed the dispute to remain at the point it had reached, 

 and so between them the thing was arranged." [I received confirma- 

 tion of this story later as exact from a near relation of Sir Edmund 

 Monson.] 



Anne left for Egypt yesterday. 



" 10th Dec. — George tells me that he has received an answer from 

 Chamberlain to what he wrote some weeks ago, to the effect that 

 Chamberlain quite understands his position, and thinks him right not 

 to corne forward on any political platform just now. Arthur Balfour 

 resigned office on Monday. He had told George of his intention a week 

 before. 



"31st Dec. — On Xmas Day Margot had the charity to dine with 

 me. And so the year has gone by. I have ceased to worry about public 

 affairs. Margot is the best and kindest of women. 



" My article on Ridgeway and his theory of the origin of the 

 Arabian Horse is out in the ' Nineteenth Century.' 



