1906] Mustapha Kamel's Great Value 151 



If he had had any courage he might over and over again have held 

 his own against Cromer and done incalculable good to his country, 

 but he cares nothing now for his country, only for money. He puts 

 up with endless indignities from Cromer, who has a hold over him 

 through a knowledge of his rascalities; and he clings to his £100,000 a 

 year, his civil list allowance, and makes himself Cromer's servant. 

 'In the Tabah Akabah affair Abbas was at first altogether with the 

 Sultan and Mukhtar Pasha, but when it came to the pinch Cromer 

 took him by the ear, and said, " Look here, my boy, you must leave 

 off this and come over to us," and he went over. He had promised 

 Mukhtar to support him throughout, but he betrayed him. This has 

 cost him what little influence was left him, and we may consider him 

 now une quantite negligeable [it was in French we were talking] ; he 

 could not do anything to interfere with us if we got a Constitution, 

 and we could run the thing quite well now as we have plenty of 

 good men. We are quite ready to leave all the finance to the Eng- 

 lish.' 



" Cromer, of course, is the great obstacle. I asked him who could 

 replace Cromer if he resigned? 'There is only one Englishman,' 

 he said, ' who could inspire us with any confidence, and that is 

 Chitty, the Director of Customs at Alexandria. He was born in Egypt, 

 knows Arabic, and understands us, he is also a good financier, with 

 him we could easily work a Constitutional Government.' Of Mo- 

 hammed Abdu, Mustapha talked with modified admiration, sympathiz- 

 ing with his views but blaming him for having clung to his position 

 as Mufti instead of resigning when the Khedive publicly insulted 

 him. ' He cared too much for having official influence. He would 

 have had more real influence if he had resigned, we should have all 

 worshipped him as the champion of our liberties.' Mustapha assures 

 me that Abdu's death was really due to cancer. He knows his doctor, 

 who announced the nature of his disease three months before he died. 

 He spoke highly of Mukhtar, and on the Tabah question said that 

 every word of my letter to Grey was correct. He went back to London 

 in the afternoon. I am glad to have made his acquaintance and to 

 know that there is so intelligent a man to lead the Party. 



" 18th July. — As we were lunching to-day under a tree at Gosbrook, 

 Belloc and his wife with a boy presented themselves. Belloc, with a 

 bottle of wine in his pocket, and we had an amusing talk. He had 

 with him also a friend, Professor Phillimore from Edinburgh. Egypt 

 was our principal subject of conversation, and the slaughter of the 

 Zulus, an infamous deed. The two atrocities together ought to shut 

 English mouths for ever about Russia and the Congo and Abdul 

 Hamid. 



" 20th July. — The Blue Book on Akabah has appeared and it fully 



