19 1 2] The Agha Khan 383 



"21st March. — There is talk of further troubles in Europe, possible 

 war between France and Spain about Morocco, and a reported secret 

 treaty between Italy and Russia against Turkey. [Compare Dr. Dillon's 

 ' Eclipse of Russia.'] 



" The coal strike is in a worse state than ever, as Asquith's proposed 

 legislation has been repudiated by the Labour Party, and Arthur Bal- 

 four is to lead the Tory Party against it. There is a probability of a 

 prolonged crisis. 



" Two young Indian Mohammedans lunched with me, Syud Mahmud 

 (as before) and Syud Hussein, the latter the grandson of my old friend 

 Nawab Abdul Latif, of Calcutta. There has come about a split among 

 the Mohammedans of India owing to recent events. The Agha Khan 

 has resigned the presidency of the All India Moslem League, a body of 

 timid folk loyal to the British connection, and has declared himself for 

 common action with the Hindoo Progressives. The principal cause of 

 this is the connivance of onr Government with the Italians and Rus- 

 sians in Tripoli and Persia, and Syud Mahmud tells me our little paper 

 ' Egypt ' has helped in effecting this. They are beginning to see that 

 it is only the pressure that can be put on the Government by India that 

 can change Grey's treacherous policy. The Indian Mohammedans in 

 London, numbering 250, intend to make a demonstration in this sense, 

 and they will do well. Ameer Ali has lost what little influence among 

 them remained to him. 



" 2yd March. — Browne and his wife lunched with me, and Desmond 

 MacCarthy. Browne very despondent about the East, as he is right in 

 being. 



" 24th March (Sunday). — Dillon came to lunch. He says that dur- 

 ing the last few days the Asquith Cabinet has been on the verge of a 

 break up over the coal strike, and that the country is menaced with 

 revolution. There is to be a new conference between miners and mine 

 owners to-morrow. If it fails there will be a general industrial col- 

 lapse. The miners demand a minimum wage, but if the Government 

 embody this in their Bill it will open the door to a system of minimum 

 wages for every class of labour, and to this Dillon is strongly opposed 

 as an extreme form of Socialism, while a continuance of the strike will 

 so delay things in Parliament that it will be impossible to get the Home 

 Rule Bill through this session. He thinks all the same that a settlement 

 will be reached to-morrow. Should it be otherwise and should Ireland 

 by this accident lose her opportunity, I must say that it will in some 

 measure serve Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party right. 

 Ever since they made their compact with Asquith two years ago the 

 Irish in Parliament have identified their fortunes with the English 

 Whigs, abetting them in all their Imperial misdeeds, and treating Grey's 

 alliances with the French in Morocco, the Russians in Persia, and the 



