191 1 ] An English Contingent to Occupy Atnwerp 36s 



recites well, and is what is called a genius, that is to say, one out of the 

 common, altogether sympathetic, but with hands which crush one's 

 fingers with a grip of iron, all the more unexpected because he is a 

 diminutive personality. Irish hand-shakings are a terrible experi- 

 ence. 



" gth Oct. — The newspaper news from Constantinople is very con- 

 tradictory, as also from Rome. Halil Halid told me last Thursday 

 that the withdrawal of the Turkish garrison from Tripoli and the un- 

 defended state of the town was due to treachery on the part of the 

 Freemasons at Constantinople, who were in secret agreement with 

 Italian Freemasonry. All the Ottoman troops but 10,000 regulars were 

 withdrawn a year ago and sent to Yemen. They hold Hakki Pasha 

 responsible for this. 



' i^tli Oct. — Newbuildings. I have been pleased by an affectionate 

 letter written me by George Curzon, a letter in which he recalled the 

 ' immortal wassail ' of the Crabbet Club. It was to thank me for 

 a small donation I had made toward the rebuilding of the Royal 

 Geographical Society's rooms. It had given him all the more pleasure 

 ' because I know it to spring from personal affection which I most 

 heartily and eternally reciprocate. In this respect we remain for ever 

 young.' Mark Napier and George Wyndham came to shoot, and 

 Belloc dined with us, keeping it up till one o'clock in brilliant talk. 



George told us all the secrets of the intrigue of the ' Die Hards.' 

 What started the rebellion against Balfour was a letter, or the draft 

 of a letter, he wrote agreeing to the creation of 160 peers to pass the 

 Parliament Bill. This George Curzon, when he read it, dramatically 

 tore up, exclaiming ' That won't do ' ; and this made the support he 

 later gave Balfour all the more unaccountable, and hence the anger 

 of the secessionists against him. Now George declares that, with the 

 exception of Curzon and Long, they have all the Tory party with 

 them of those that count and nine-tenths of the rest, still ' Arthur will 

 not resign.' Mark and I think it is rather a dispute about nothing, 

 as there is no chance of the Tory party getting back into office at any 

 nameable date, though Belloc says they have a chance if they will attack 

 the Insurance Bill boldly. This George says they intend to do. 



" We had a grand discussion later about Morocco and Tripoli, 

 and the chances of a European war. George's view of the situation 

 is this. He says that it is absolutely known to him through his 

 former connection with the War Office that it was part of the Entente 

 with France that, in case of war with Germany, an English contingent 

 of 160,000 men should be placed on the Continent in support of the 

 French Army. It was intended that this should operate at Antwerp, 

 but later the plan was changed, and now the extreme north-west of 

 the French line from Calais would be the scene of the English opera- 



