1910] Hyndman on India 293 



Empress Eugenie is delighted with my books about Egypt and about 

 Cromer, whom she greatly dislikes. The Empress, she tells me, is 

 wonderful considering her age, neither blind nor deaf, still taking an 

 interest in everything and entirely up-to-date. 



" 1st March. — Asquith has accepted the extremists' lead, it was the 

 only thing he had to do except resigning, so they are to be helped 

 through supply by the Irish and the Tories. The Budget is to be put 

 off till after Easter, and the resolution against the Lords' veto passed 

 meanwhile. 



" 2nd March. — George Wyndham came to luncheon. There will be 

 dissolution in May or June. Rosebery is to bring in a scheme of re- 

 form for the House of Lords at once. 



" 3rd March. — Called on Hyndman and had a long talk with him, 

 mostly on Indian affairs. He believes in a very short date for the 

 revolution there and that it will come about through the Gurkhas and 

 the Maharaja of Udaipur. He regards the occupation of Lhassa by the 

 Chinese as the beginning of a great movement. I don't know how this 

 may be. Hyndman is a big, burly, bearded fellow, a rough edition of 

 William Morris, with the same energetic talk on Socialistic topics that 

 I remember in Morris. He lives in Queen Anne's Gate, which is used 

 as a Socialist Bureau as well as his residence, and the whole time we 

 were conversing he was being rung up constantly by a telephone in 

 his room. • Hullo ! what is it ? Yes, thank you, good-bye.' We dis- 

 cussed the prospects of Socialism and how it would affect Imperial ques- 

 tions, and I told him I believed it would be just as bad for the subject 

 races in Asia under a Socialistic regime in England as now. This he 

 would not agree to, but he did not convince me I was wrong. ' We are 

 National too,' he said, ' as well as International and have no wish to 

 go on preying on the Asiatics. We hold that we could get enough em- 

 ployment for all our millions at home without it, if our energies were 

 turned in the right direction. He is a strong believer in the intention 

 of the German Government to attack us, and is for compulsory military 

 training in England (not military service) in defence of the country, 

 also for a close union between the democracies of England and of the 

 Continent, for a Channel tunnel, and for garrisoning Antwerp with 

 English troops. He says the Belgians are quite ready for this in case 

 of war. The war itself cannot be prevented as the democracy in Ger- 

 many is powerless against the Government. Bebel and all the leaders 

 assure him of this. England from its geographical position, which is 

 unique in the world, ought to be the centre of the world's industry and 

 the citadel of democracy. Hyndman, amongst other things, to-day 

 asked my opinion of Churchill, and I told him there were three things 

 of value in him, great ability, honesty in politics, and a good heart. 

 ' That,' said he, ' is the first favourable account I have had given me 



