ig6 Cunninghame Graham on Labour Members [1908 



in the Balkans, as to which I have no special knowledge or opinion 

 except the general one that it is desirable in the interests of the 

 rest of the Eastern world that the two Empires should quarrel. 



" 22nd Feb. — Belloc came to ride with us and stayed to luncheon 

 afterwards. He is no great horseman, and came mounted on an an- 

 cient mare of his he calls Monster, which he rides in blinkers. He is 

 very pleased just now with having succeeded in bringing forward in the 

 House of Commons the case he has had in petto for a long time, of 

 the employment of secret party funds. Talking of Mustapha Kamel's 

 death he declares that the Jews in France are beginning to think that 

 a National movement in Egypt may create trouble for them financially 

 and perhaps it would be better the English occupation was ended. If 

 that is so we shall not remain there long. 



" 2Jth Feb. — Cromer's book on Egypt is out. The historical part, 

 as far as I am concerned, is of small importance, being poorly done, 

 and without the writer's having taken the trouble to go thoroughly 

 into any obscure matters. It is interspersed with notes referring to 

 my book, acid in tone, but with no attempt to deal with the charges 

 made in it against our diplomacy. 



" $th March. — Farid Bey writes telling me of his succession to 

 the Leadership of the National Party in Egypt, and begging me to 

 continue my support and advice. 



" 10th March. — We have been issuing circulars to friends asking 

 subscriptions to the Denshawai Memorial School. Evelyn with his 

 usual generosity has at once sent a cheque of £120. I have answered 

 Farid's letter in one dated 6th March as to their line of policy. 



" nth March. — This afternoon as the hounds were running across 

 my fields I joined them on my old grey mare, Shiekha. She was excited 

 and enjoying the sport when I found her beginning to stagger about, 

 and had just time to get off her when she fell back, gave a gasp 

 and slight struggle, and was dead. The poor old mare was over 

 twenty years of age and had become rather infirm, and it is well for 

 her. She died with as little pain as any creature can suffer. [This 

 was my last appearance with any hounds.] 



" 12th March. — Chapel Street. Walking in the Park, found John 

 Redmond riding, and had some talk with him about Egypt and Ireland. 

 Then Cunninghame Graham joined us. He is just back from Morocco, 

 and declares himself in favour of Mulai Hand as Sultan. I am glad 

 of that, as the French seem tempted to use Abdul Aziz exactly as 

 we used Tewfik in Egypt. If it had not been for Mulai Hafid's rising 

 and proclamation of himself as Sultan, the French Government would 

 have advanced £6,000,000 to Abdul Aziz, and thus committed them- 

 selves to the Government of Morocco. I asked his help to get our 

 Labour members to move in matters of this sort, but he tells me they 



