1906] The First Duma in Russia 161 



the French Republic. It will be interesting to watch the result. On 

 the whole I think the Pope is well advised. He will probably lose a 

 large proportion of his nominal spiritual subjects in France, but he 

 will retain a firmer hold over the remainder, and the cause of the 

 Church there will gain by being disendowed. All the same it is in- 

 credible that Christianity, as a dogmatic faith, should much longer 

 survive the assaults of science among a people so logical as the French 

 and so little serious. Among our northern peoples it will continue 

 through its connection with morality for a long while yet, till gradually 

 the dogma will disappear and the name alone will be clung to. In 

 France the connection between dogma and morality is less felt. 



" 13th Dec. — Robertson has written to the ' Times ' repudiating what 

 has been said about his change of opinions, so I hope it is all right, 

 at least as far as his political honesty goes, though he has probably 

 fallen into line with the Government about Denshawai. We shall see 

 as time goes on, and when Cromer's report is published next session. 

 It is clear that Cromer has had orders to nationalize to a certain 

 extent the Egyptian administration, though still of course on despotic 

 lines. Saad Zaghloul has begun well at any rate in his department, 

 but I have no confidence in Cromer. 



" Joseph Potocki was here on Saturday to see our horses. He gave 

 me an interesting account of things in Russia. He was a member of 

 the first Duma, and describes it as having been entirely revolutionary. 

 He found himself alone among the members as a Conservative. And 

 when he opposed their motion for the abolition of property in land, 

 it was singly, while they watched ' with eyes as of hyenas.' He is, 

 however, like them all, a Constitutionalist, though not in favour of 

 representative Government. He says that could not be in Russia. 

 He would like Home Rule in Poland under the Crown, that is to say, 

 an independent administration for local affairs. I asked him if the 

 Duma would be allowed to continue, and he said, " Not if the new 

 Duma is revolutionary like the old ; if it is moderate, yes.' I asked 

 also whether the Court Party, if it came to a conflict with the Duma, 

 could count upon the army and he said, ' Yes, at any rate for a few 

 years, though as the young generation grows up with revolutionary 

 ideas these will perhaps affect the army.' Potocki's testimony has this 

 value, that being a Pole, he sees things with more detachment than 

 most members of the Duma can claim to show in their judgements. 

 " igth Dec. — Went up to London to meet Mustapha Kamel and 

 arrange matters for him connected with his paper ' The Egyptian 

 Standard.' He has come to London with two of his principal sup- 

 porters, Farid Bey [afterwards leader of the Egyptian National Party 

 in succession to Mustapha Kamel], the lawyer who protested against 

 French Rule at the Conference in Algeria, and Osman Bey Ghaleb, 



