202 Brailsford on Grey [1908 



deeds, worthy, he said, of one of Ouida's heroes. He talks with dis- 

 gust of politics ; it is a glue he will never get free of. He has 

 had George Curzon to dine with him lately, and has persuaded him 

 not to commit himself against Tariff Reform, as his doing so would 

 prevent him taking any leading part in the Tory party should occasion 

 offer. 



" Then came Brailsford with more about his experience in Egypt. 

 He rates the Nationalists very low intellectually; Saad Zaghloul and a 

 few disciples of Mohammed Abdu he considers the best, but they have 

 no influence, while Mustapha Kamel's successors, who have influence, 

 are without force of character or sufficient intelligence to direct the 

 movement. He heard bad accounts of the Khedive, who was gaining 

 influence, but using it for his own purposes. Of the present Cabinet 

 at home he says it is much worse than the last. When Bannerman's 

 Cabinet was being constructed in November, 1905, Grey at first 

 refused to join it unless Bannerman would go to the House of Lords. 

 This little secret was oddly enough betrayed to the ' Times ' by Morley 

 and published, but the very same night Grey was persuaded to with- 

 draw his objection on condition he should be allowed his own way 

 absolutely in foreign affairs, and he had ever since been extremely 

 jealous of Bannerman, a jealousy which had accentuated his obstinacy 

 in pursuing imperialist lines. This would now be at an end, and Grey 

 might be by so much the more amenable to the views of his colleagues. 

 It is a thousand pities Bannerman missed his opportunity of getting 

 rid of Grey altogether when it was offered. 



" $th May. — There has been a considerable incident in India, a 

 bomb has been thrown which has killed two Englishwomen out driving 

 in their carriage. There is also a rising on the Afghan frontier. 

 There is talk of sending British reinforcements. 



" nth May. — Newbuildings. Brailsford and his wife have been 

 here for the week end. Mrs. Brailsford is a charming woman, very 

 clever and sympathetic. He is a Fabian. She takes my larger view of 

 things. There is news of a great conspiracy in India, and a great manu- 

 facture of bombs with the help of European anarchists. It is being 

 made use of by the reactionaries to get a repeal of the liberty of the 

 native press. 



" Churchill, beaten at Manchester, has got back into parliament at 

 Dundee. 



" 2jth May. — Farid Bey, who arrived in England a few days ago, 

 came to see me. He is, I think, a pretty good man, not first rate, but 

 sensible and honest. He is anxious to see Grey, and I advised him to 

 get at him through Redmond and to refuse seeing any of the under- 

 strappers at the Foreign Office in his place. Then if Grey consented 

 to receive him to put to him one question only, ' Are the English 



