1906] Understanding about Egypt at Berlin 159 



with me on Monday. On Thursday Horace Rumbold dined with me 

 and told me a number of interesting political things. Among others 

 that he had quite recently been shown a confidential report drawn 

 up by Cromer, detailing a new plan of reforms for Egypt in a 

 Liberal sense, intended no doubt to do a duty of reparation for past 

 mistakes. I strongly suspect that Grey has shown it privately to 

 Robertson and the other Radical members of the Egyptian Committee, 

 and so has bought their silence for the future about Denshawai. 

 George Wyndham, whom I saw to-day, does not doubt that such is 

 the case. 'It is of a piece,' he says, ' with their management lately 

 of other difficult and disgraceful cases.' Horace, at our dinner, dis- 

 cussed the Egyptian question with me a fond, assuring me that the 

 Government had come to an understanding about Egypt with the Em- 

 peror William, and that our occupation of it would certainly be 

 permanent. Horace's view is no doubt the Foreign Office view, and 

 he has means, besides his position as ex-ambassador, of knowing, as he 

 has a son at the Cairo Embassy and has just had Findlay with him, 

 Cromer's chief subordinate there. He says Cromer means to stay on 

 at Cairo. 



" 25th Nov. (Sunday). — George came to lunch with me and then 

 Dillon, with whom I had two hours' good conversation. He tells 

 me that it is perfectly true that Robertson and the rest of the so- 

 called Egyptian Committee have been got at by Grey, who has had 

 them into his private room and has been most amiable to them, and 

 has persuaded them to hold their tongues about Denshawai. He af- 

 fected, when with them, not to know that the husband of the woman 

 shot by the officers had been condemned to penal servitude for life, 

 and promised to write to Cromer about it, and got them to be satis- 

 fied with this. They have behaved like children in the business, and 

 have even allowed themselves to be made use of by Grey to the extent 

 of supporting Cromer's proposal for the abolition of the Capitulations 

 in Egypt, the Capitulations being the only remaining protection there 

 against Cromer's absolute power, and the only safeguard for the free- 

 dom of the native press. Idiots! The London Press, too, Dillon as- 

 sures me, has been captured, even the ' Tribune ' which in spite of 

 Brailsford's promise of assistance has refused to answer the questions 

 asked in the House of Commons about Denshawai. The ' Manchester 

 Guardian ' is equally silent. 



" We talked about the announced changes in the Government. 

 Dillon says that Bannerman is much broken since his wife's death, 

 and will probably go to the Lords with Fowler, while Ripon will 

 retire. Of Bryce he talked as of a man learned and excellent, and 

 historically sympathetic with Ireland, but strangely ignorant of modern 

 conditions, incapable of taking in a new idea and quite unfit to drive 



