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 govern-

ment. 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