THE AFGHAN QUESTION. Z$ his enemies in the face, and not need the smile of the sultan or ameer.

These are my views formed from experience; and they are true for Turkey, Egypt, and China, and, I expect, for all the East.

P.S. — Joseph was the first foreigner in the service of Egypt; he took sfood care to have the masses indebted to him through his having the means to help them. A minister of finance should never fall — for he holds the purse.

The Egyptian people are a servile race, as foretold they should be; and not only do they not deserve a better government than they have, but they would not be content under a better government. The government is the outcoming of the people, it fitly represents them; it is a fallacy to suppose a good government would alter their nature — it can never do so. If the people were raised the bad government would disappear. It is a fault to attempt a remedy in the branches, seek it in the roots."

Gordon had only a few weeks to call his own after his return to England at the end of December, 1879, and he had very great difficulty in evading the assiduous attentions of people who desired to lionize him and interview him, while the newspapers were loud in their praise of the late Governor-general of the Soudan, for whom somebody had invented the title of "the uncrowned king."

In the spring of 1880 the government of Lord Beaconsfield had been succeeded by that of Mr. Gladstone, and the Marquis of Ripon had been appointed Viceroy of India in place of Lord Lytton. Everybody who heard of it was surprised that the noble lord had requested General Gordon to accept the appointment of private secretary, and were far more surprised that the man who had so recently claimed and exercised almost uncontrolled power over a vast province should have accepted such an office. It was believed that some extraordinary changes were to be effected in the administration of the affairs of the orovernment of India; that O the condition of Central Asia would receive prompt and decisive attention; that the Afghan question would be committed to the new secretary for consideration, and that with him would rest its