This warns against diseases and the exposure to matters that are not absolute. No one has said anything more accurate in this regard than a trustworthy European who, when asked about these matters, said: "Those who have gone to the East and mingled with its people know that it is easy for a European to look at the world with the same eyes as an Easterner, and that a European may initially imagine that he understands the Easterner and the Easterner understands him, and that there is complete understanding between them as if they were brothers or strangers. But a day must come, sooner or later, when the Westerner realizes that the language is only a part of it, and that the mind of his Eastern companion is alien to his own, as if it were the mind of a creature from Saturn."

What also greatly increases the difficulty of understanding the opinions of Egyptians is that few Egyptians have a clear and distinct conception of what they want in political or administrative matters. They generally demand contradictory things, meaning some of them are linguistically contradictory, not technically. They pay little heed to the proverb, "He who lacks a goal lacks a destination." One example of this is that many Egyptians (including men of standing, some of whom are my friends, who are public servants, educated, and who have revealed themselves to me in their land and with complete freedom) hold contradictory desires, namely to obtain the benefits of British occupation and increase their reliance on it, with all the recognition, but without that occupation.

Also, a prominent Egyptian complained to me that the number of Europeans employed in the Egyptian government is too small. He did not stop at this demand until he asked me to recommend that a British judge, not a national judge, consider a case of his in local matters. Also, I know for a fact that he defends the rights of Egyptians with give and take, but at the same time he requests and insists that a British engineer be appointed to monitor the distribution of water in the province from which he comes and in his lands. Also, many Egyptians have told me time and again that the authority of the governors is weakened by the presence of British inspectors in their provinces, but they did not express this until they were prompted, and I do not fully agree with these two statements. Regarding bribery, it leads to grave consequences. I know that I am among those who complain about the taxes they pay, but it is enough for me to say that many matters, numbering in the dozens, are such that people...

...in the Ministry of Public Works and other ministries. Those who complain are of high status and are harmed by it. Nevertheless, they refrain from officially raising complaints or mentioning the names of the accused, thereby disgracing the government officials.