200 Italian Raid on Tripoli Delayed [1908 



" 20th April. — Passing through Horsham to-day I saw on a poster, 

 ' The Sultan of Turkey defies Italy. Mobilization of the Italian Fleet.' 

 This looks like a beginning of a new partition of the Ottoman Empire, 

 to the extent of allowing Italy to occupy Tripoli. The reason given 

 in the papers is that the Sultan has refused to allow the Italian Gov- 

 ernment to have a separate post office in Ottoman territory, an absurd 

 pretext for a war, but Asquith's is a Rosebery Cabinet and we may 

 expect any violence in the East with its connivance. I suppose the 

 Emperor William has been squared." 



This was the first premonitory thunderclap of what was presently 

 to prove the great storm which, beginning with the aggression by Italy 

 on Turkey, was to involve Eastern Europe in a series of wars, and 

 eventually the whole Western world in the overwhelming catastrophe 

 of 19 14. For the moment the storm was averted, as I understand, by 

 the Emperor William not having been squared, and his unwillingness 

 at that time to have the peace of Europe broken. The French Govern- 

 ment, however, and our own, can hardly have been acquiescent in 

 Italy's ambition of an African Empire. They had already the thought 

 that in this way Italy might be won over and detached from the Ger- 

 man-Austrian Alliance. It is significant that the incident here recorded 

 should have synchronized with Campbell Bannerman's retirement, giv- 

 ing as it did a position of sole authority on foreign affairs to Grey in 

 Downing Street. 



"22nd April. — The Italian Invasion of Tripoli has been staved off 

 by the Emperor William, who has persuaded the Sultan to yield the 

 point about the post office, so the sailing of the fleet is countermanded. 



"2yd April. — I have had staying here Cecil Sharp, the collector of 

 folk songs. I find him an interesting man, with great knowledge of 

 his own particular subject and enlightened views on others. I took him 

 to-day, after lunch, to see old Jupp at Carpenters, and we made him 

 sing his Bristol song and ' The Fisherman,' of which last I took down 

 the words. 



THE FISHERMAN 



As 1 was a-walking one morning in May 



All down by the river side, 

 There came in a boat a bold Fisherman 



A-rowing down on the tide. 



" Who are you, you bold fisherman? 



And what are you doing here?" 

 " I am a-fishing for your sweet sake 



All on the river so clear." 



