Thus, he warns against hasty conclusions, based on incomplete induction, or on information that does not conform to reality. And I have not heard anyone say anything to this effect, except for the words of Professor Sayous, who is considered one of the greatest European authorities on these matters. He said: "Those who have gone to the East and lived among its people know that it is difficult for a European to see the world through the same eyes as the East. Moreover, a European may initially think that he understands the Easterner, and the Easterner understands him, and that there is complete understanding between them, as if they were both Easterners or both Westerners. But, sooner or later, the day must come when the Westerner realizes that the mind of his Eastern counterpart is as alien as the mind of a creature from Saturn."

- A -What also greatly increases the difficulty of understanding the opinions of Egyptians is that many Egyptians do not have a clear and distinct conception of what they want in political or administrative matters. They generally demand contradictory things that do not complement each other. There is no consideration for what is exceptional or rare. I say, to use the French proverb, "He who aims too high falls short." And one of my proofs of this is that many Egyptians (including, among them, men of high standing, some of whom are my friends and confidants, who reveal their opinions to me and speak to me with complete freedom) show me contradictory desires. These desires are to obtain the benefits of British occupation and to receive full recognition, but without that occupation.

The will that they receive full recognition, but without that occupation. In the Egyptian government, and the right to demand has not been established from this group. For example, some have told me that they prefer a British official, not a purely national one, to oversee their affairs. Also, I know an Egyptian who defended the rights of Egyptians most strongly, but at the same time demanded that a British engineer supervise the distribution of water in the province from which he hails and where his lands are located. Furthermore, many Egyptians have said, time and again, that the authority of the provincial governors is diminished by the presence of British inspectors in their provinces. However, they did not truly believe this, as they feared that the return of British inspectors to the provinces would lead to dire consequences. I fully agree with both of these statements. Regarding bribery, it is enough for me to say that many matters, numbering in the hundreds, were subject to complaints about the sums paid to employees in the Public Works Department and other departments. Some of these complainants were of high rank, and their complaints were against their superiors. Nevertheless, they refrained from officially submitting their complaints or mentioning the corrupt bribe-takers, the government officials, in this regard.