184 Grey's Partition of Persia with Russia [ J 9°7 



friends. But he would not give her up, until one day, soon after, he 

 missed her in the Strand, and when he went to her lodging he found 

 that she was gone, leaving no addresss. It was clear that she had 

 resolved to disappear so as not to injure his hetter prospects. There 

 was a reminiscence of de Quincy in the unselfish incident.' Meynell, 

 however, feels sure that there was no sexual love between them — 

 though who can know? 



" 6th Sept. — The Radical papers are up in arms at last against Grey, 

 who has just concluded an arrangement with the Russian Government, 

 which seems to amount to a partition of Persia. There is very little 

 doubt that the partition of the whole of Asia is in the programme of our 

 Foreign Office, and would already be a fait accompli but for Kaiser 

 Wilhelm. According to the present treaty, or whatever else it may be 

 called, Persia is to be divided into spheres of interest just as North 

 Africa has been divided. The whole thing is, of course, abominable, 

 but what fools the Radical members are to have put up with Grey these 

 two years since the General Election. Meanwhile the aggression on 

 Morocco is going the usual course of such adventures, with all their 

 scoundrel features of lying provocation and bombardment. 



" I had a long talk yesterday with Thompson on these things as to 

 which we are in full accord, also about the misery of the poor under the 

 conditions of Western civilization. Of this last he has had a rude 

 experience. During the first years of his being in London, his father 

 allowed him, he tells me, a few shillings a week, but during the last 

 year, until Meynell discovered him, nothing. This was because he had 

 finally failed to retain any permanent employment. It had convinced 

 his father that he would never come to any good, and he cast him off. 

 I asked him whether he had ever had to labour with his hands. He 

 answered, ' I was physically unfit.' I did not like to press him further, 

 but according to Meynell he got his living by fetching cabs, selling 

 matches, and blacking boots (very unsuccessfully). He has been ill, 

 poor fellow, with a bad attack of diarrhcea, so that we have been alarmed 

 about him. I saw him last night at David's and found him brighter. 

 [N.B. I had taken a room for him at one of my cottages called Ras- 

 call's Corner, Southwater, where he lodged with my old servant David 

 Roberts, who looked well after him, after Everard Meynell had gone 

 back to London.] He is very comfortable there and is glad to stay on. 



" gth Sept. — In America six hundred Hindoos have been set upon 

 by a mob and beaten, an act of race fanaticism. If this had happened 

 to Englishmen in Turkey we should have had the whole British Press 

 breathing fire and fury, now not a paper has an article about it, ex- 

 cept a feeble one in the ' Times.' Our people are afraid, and though 

 the Hindoos are British subjects, nothing will be done. 



" 12th Sept. — An attack has been made on Japanese in Vancouver 



