1910] Roosevelt's Buffooneries in Egypt 299 



that ends. The Soudan will probably be retained if we evacuate. 



" 25th April. — Asquith has made his declaration in the House of 

 Commons in accordance with the demands formulated through me by 

 Dillon to Churchill. If the King fails to give the guarantees Asquith 

 will resign; if he gives them he will dissolve Parliament. In return 

 for this Redmond has declared publicly that the Irish party will vote 

 the Budget. I am not sorry for the delay in Asquith's resignation, for 

 tilings are critical in Egypt; and with Balfour in power here and 

 Curzon and Cromer advising him, we risk having a bit of King Stork 

 again. There is a strong demand now at Cairo for a Constitution and 

 with the Radicals and Irish in power here I don't see how the Liberal 

 Government can refuse it, but there is a strong Press agitation begin- 

 ning here against Gorst. Belloc, who dined here last night, tells me 

 there is talk at the Foreign Office of his being recalled. There is no 

 doubt his policy has failed completely from the Foreign Office point 

 of view. Wardani's trial has begun at Cairo. According to Osman 

 Ghaleb the defence was to be that Boutros was not killed by the bullets 

 fired into him, but by Dr. Milton's surgery in extracting them. It is 

 ingenious, but will hardly save Wardani. 



" A young Indian, Savarkar, has been arrested here on a charge of 

 having written letters inciting to murder in India; this on the demand 

 of the Indian Government. The plan, Khaparde tells me, is to get him 

 to India on any plea, true or false, and when once there to deal with 

 him under the Deportation Law. A queer state of things for us to 

 have come to in England, and a good example of how Imperial despot- 

 ism abroad is ruining National liberty at home. According to Brails- 

 ford, young Savarkar is a most excellent and admirable youth, as all 

 the young political murderers seem to be, both in India and Egypt. 



" The Egyptian papers have been full of Roosevelt's adventures at 

 Cairo, and the speech he made to University students in praise of 

 British rule. He is a buffoon of the lowest American type, and roused 

 the fury of young Egypt to boiling point, and it is probable that if he 

 had not cleared straight out of the country there would have been mis- 

 chief. From Egypt he went on to Rome and had a quarrel with the 

 Pope, and he is now at Paris airing his fooleries, and is to go to Berlin, 

 a kind of mad dog roaming the world. 



" 27th April. — Dillon lunched with me to-day in Chapel Street. The 

 Budget of 1909 is at last to have its third reading to-day, and the 

 King is to arrive in London from Biarritz at six. So far, Dillon tells 

 me, they have not the least idea what the King will do about the Veto. 

 He has been written to twice about it, by Winston, I suppose, as he 

 corresponds with His Majesty, but the King has made no reply. No- 

 body expects him to create the peers or to give any assurance. Ac- 

 cording to Belloc (and Dillon agrees with him) he will try to have the 



