170 Morlcy's "Firm Measures" in India \_ l 9°7 



there as warming pan to Errington who was to have the reversion of 

 the Cairo Agency when high enough up in the service. This looks 

 like a step in the intrigue. 



" 4th May. — There has been an outburst of agitation at Cairo. The 

 whole Arabic Press refuses to bid Cromer a friendly good-bye. Gorst 

 has arrived in Egypt, but the Nationalists are abstaining from either 

 praise or blame of him till he shows his hand; in this they are wise. 

 There have been riots at Lahore and Rawal Pindi indicating that the 

 Indian question is also coming on. 



" 6th May. — Cromer has given proof of his ' genuine ill health ' by 

 making a great speech in the Opera House at Cairo, a farewell speech 

 of self-glorification. The secret of his policy, he said, had always been 

 to ' speak the truth.' Only three Egyptians, however, as far as is 

 reported, were there to support him, among a mass of strangers, 

 Mustapha Fehmy, Riaz, and Saad Zaghloul. He is confident on this 

 showing that the mass of the Egyptians like him, and that if they don't 

 now they will some day. 



" gth May. — I have been for a week in London. George Wyndham 

 came to dine with me and Mark Napier, and we were very merry. 

 George was in one of his communicative moods, and told us the whole 

 history of how he had financed his Irish Land Bill, and how he had 

 stopped the Somali war, and how it was certain there would be war 

 with Germany, perhaps in five years, perhaps in thirty, and we dis- 

 cussed Egypt and India, and the whole world round, and George Cur- 

 zon, and a number of other interesting things, past, present, and to 

 come. 



" 10th May. — There have been great doings at Lahore, the town 

 invaded by some hundreds of ryots with bludgeons, Englishmen in- 

 sulted in the streets, and the military called out. Also native agitators 

 have been arrested by lettres de cachet, and deported untried by order 

 of the immaculate Morley. Morley is just the weak-kneed adminis- 

 trator to resort to ' firm measures,' and we shall see him using all ' the 

 resources of civilization,' practiced in Russia. On Monday Cromer is 

 to return home in triumph : I have written to Redmond, calling on 

 him to oppose the vote of thanks the Government is to bring forward, 

 but his answer says neither yes nor no. 



' 12th May. — Rivers Wilson, whom I saw to-day, is open-mouthed 

 about Cromer whom he calls an imposter. Cromer is to arrive from 

 Egypt to-morrow and be met by Campbell Bannerman, Grey, and the 

 Prince of Wales, and to be received by the King. 



" lph May. — Questions are to be asked about the arrest of Lajpat 

 Rai in India, I shall be interested to see whether Redmond and the 

 Irish members take part in these. The present is a crisis in the affairs 

 of the Empire and the Irish party will have to take sides, with or 



