1910] Egypt's Only Hope 315 



Ottoman reformers and on the Kaiser Wilhelm, though I suspect that 

 terms were come to by our Government with Wilhelm about Egypt 

 when he was over here for the King's funeral, otherwise Grey would 

 hardly have been so emphatic. The only thing now for Egypt is to 

 make the closest possible alliance with Turkey and share the fortunes 

 for good and evil of the general Mohammedan world. Gorst is over 

 here. 



" Churchill has made a long exposition of his new prison regula- 

 tions, following very closely the lines of my memorandum. He and 

 Clementine are to spend Sunday week with me here at Newbuldings. 

 Dillon has sent me his speech about Egypt, which is eloquent and well- 

 reasoned, and, he tells me, provoked Grey to great anger, though he 

 did not get into the financial scandals. He met with no sympathy in 

 any quarter of the House, and he is so distressed at this that he would 

 advise the Egyptians to cease their agitation against the Occupation 

 and get what they can from England of self-government. I cannot 

 agree with him in this. The sort of self-government Gorst and Grey 

 would give, a Council without power and without a free Press, would 

 only serve as a disguise for English rule. I have written to him in 

 this sense. France is once more pushing forward in Morocco, and is 

 counting on English help. It would not surprise me if the partition 

 of the Ottoman Empire were in our Foreign Office plan. It is a race 

 between these harpies and the Ottoman army. If this can be reor- 

 ganized and strengthened in time Islam will be saved and Egypt with 

 it, not otherwise. 



" 24th July (Sunday). — The Bellocs to dinner. He tells me Dillon's 

 speech about Egypt was really most eloquent but equally ill-received 

 by Radicals as by Tories. It shows that there is no longer the smallest 

 hope of converting England from her imperial ways. 



" Goumah writes from Lyons that there is a reign of terror at Cairo, 

 spies everywhere and police arrests. It is a return to the state of 

 things in 1883, a fine comment on the civilizing effect of English 

 Liberal rule after twenty-seven years. I have answered him that I 

 advise closer relations with Constantinople. It is their rightful and 

 legal way, seeing that the Sultan is their, Sovereign Lord, and England 

 cannot with any face quarrel with them for their loyalty to him and 

 at the same time pretend to be the friend and protector of Islam. It 

 must now be war between Islam and England, and as the Egyptians 

 have no armed force of their own they must rely on the hope that the 

 Sultan will some day be strong enough to reclaim Egypt as a Province 

 of the Ottoman Empire ; it may not be a very good chance but it is 

 the only one they have. 



" 28th July. — There is a new and very ugly development in the 

 world's great affairs. The United States has declared its intention 



