Hôtel Bristol, Paris: October 19, 1886.
Dear Lord Iddesleigh,—This morning Count d’Aunay called upon me. I think, from what he said, that he had been sent by Freycinet, I used to know D’Aunay very well when he was in London. I left him to begin what he had to say, and kept talking about la pluie et le beau temps. At last he rapped it out. He said the Egyptian Question was going to be ‘re-awakened.’
I asked what question.
He said the reorganisation of the administration, the tribunals, the customs, the army.
I said I did not see that any of these pressed; that Wolff and Mukhtar had got to make their report, which would take some time to consider; that, in the meantime, everything was going on quietly; that the country was progressing; that the payment of the coupon in full would be resumed next year; and that I could not conceive what object there was in raising the Egyptian Question in a critical manner now.
He said that the French were most desirous to co-operate with England in the re-establishment of Egypt; that they wished to be perfect friends with us, but that M. de Freycinet felt that Egypt was a continual pierre d’achoppement, and that there would always be great difficulties until it was got out of the way; that public opinion in France was now much agitated on the question; that they suspected we meant to take Egypt altogether; and that they must know what we intended to do about retiring.
I replied that it was impossible to reconcile this great desire on M. de Freycinet’s part for friendship with the tone of the French Press on the proceedings of French agents at Constantinople; but that, in any case, of this he might be certain—that these things did not influence our policy in the least; that we did not intend to retire from Egypt until a stable Government had been constituted there, able to maintain itself and to pay its way; and that we should not ‘budge an inch’ from that resolution pour quoi que ce soit, ni pour qui que ce soit; that the work would take a long time, perhaps three years, perhaps five years, or perhaps ten years, or longer; but that till it was done our occupation of Egypt would continue.
He appeared much pained and upset by this, and argued for a long time that we could do nothing in Egypt on any question without French assistance.
I said we were most anxious for French assistance, although up to now we had managed to rub along without it; but that if there was to be any understanding for the solution of Egyptian questions between the two Governments, it must be upon the basis of our continued occupation of Egypt until certain definite and practical results were obtained which would be a reward to us for all the loss of money, men, time and trouble which our occupation had entailed on us.
He said we ought to fix a date for evacuation; that that would remove all suspicion of bad faith; that the French were obliged to press the point on account of their enormous interests and their numerous colony; that in the time of the ‘condominium’ they had occupied a perfectly satisfactory position, which they wished to regain.