1 62 Mustapha Kamel in London [1906 



Professor of Medicine at the Medical School, an old friend of Moham- 

 med Abdu. With these I discussed all the important questions con- 

 nected with Egyptian Nationalism. 



" Kamel gave me a detailed account of the Khedive's attitude in the 

 Tabah affair. ' The Khedive,' he said, ' was reduced some years ago 

 by Cromer's having excluded him from all political power, to an atti- 

 tude of despair. This turned his ambition to money-making — he has 

 always had a love of money. Then he got under the influence of King 

 Edward and was persuaded that, if he would be good and give Cromer 

 no trouble, life would be made easy for him and he would be allowed 

 to enrich himself. So he let Cromer do what he pleased. This went 

 on till the present year when Cromer began the Tabah quarrel with the 

 Sultan, and in the first stage of it the Khedive was docile. But when 

 it came to the ultimatum sent in by the British Government, and when 

 he found that all Egypt supported the Sultan and that even the 

 fellahin in the villages were declaring they would sooner be badly 

 ruled by the Sultan than any longer endure the English tyranny, then 

 he began to reflect and think, " I cannot betray my religion and my 

 country altogether." Cromer was at that moment pressing him to 

 write a letter authorizing the English Government to represent him 

 in the boundary dispute, but he finally refused to do this, much to 

 Cromer's discomfiture. He even went so far as to have a schedule 

 drawn up of his property so as to know how much money he was 

 privately worth in case it came to his deposition or resignation of 

 viceroyalty. Since then he has been completely brouille with Cromer. 

 Great efforts were made to induce him to go to England before going 

 to Constantinople last summer, but he said to himself, " The Sultan is 

 a greater danger to me than the King of England, as he can at 

 any moment depose me while the other could not." So he went to 

 Constantinople first. The Sultan by this time had been thoroughly 

 frightened by the English Government, and by the failure of the Em- 

 peror William to support him and he intended to give Abbas a bad 

 reception. But, when he heard it reported that in Egypt all public 

 opinion was against Cromer, the Grand Vizier sent a message to 

 Mukhtar Pasha biding him inquire how this was, and ask the opinions 

 of all prominent men. On this ground Mukhtar sent for me for my 

 advice, and said that on the report sent by him would depend how 

 Abbas would be received at Yildiz. Now, I had had a quarrel with 

 the Khedive and had not been near the Palace for three years, but 

 I saw that the Khedive ought to be supported and I said that the 

 independence of Egypt depended on the Sultan's receiving him well ; and 

 Mukhtar telegraphed this to Constantinople. The Sultan was in two 

 minds on the subject when the Khedive arrived, and at first received 

 him coldly, but in the course of the audience Abbas burst out laugh- 



