IN THE PUBLIC EYE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17394, 3 February 1917, Page 12

IN THE PUBLIC EYE.

PROMINENT PEOPLE OF THE PERIOD. The British occupation of Egypt produced two great men for the Empire. The one, after his merits were proved, transferred his attention to other fields, .and became the greatest figure of his time, dying at sea, mourned by the whole nation. The other completed his work in Egypt, and died in England, prominent in Imperial politics, but somewhat in the nature of a, retired monarch. The death of Lord Kitchener was a personal loss to the entire nation, but the passing or Lord Cromer in many cases probably did j lo t stir recollection to a thought of his great work. Both these men started humbly, both were methodical and painstaking, both found their opportunity in Egypt when they were ready for it. Evelyn Baring was regarded as a rather dull though careful officer of artillery, who had been actiijg as a private secretary to the Viceroy of India, and his appointment as otio of the commissioners to inquire into the wonderful maze of Ismail Pasha's finances, then rushing headlong to insolvency, raised little objection, because of his unimportance. The commission consisted of three men, and before long this quiet, square-built Englishman, with his clear thinking and straight talking, was the dominating personality. The downfall of the bankrupt Ismail and the succession of his son Tewfik, saw Major Baring take up the post of Comptroller of Finance, with M. de Bhgnieres in charge of Public Works. Iho information he had gained during the inquiry concerning the finances now came to Baring's assistance, and for two years he devoted himself to the regeneration of Egypt's financial system. When he was transferred to India as Financial Member of tho Viceroy's Council, in ISBO, the Law of Liquidation had been accepted by the Powers, and Egypt was on the way to recovery.

Baring's work in India confirmed and increased the reputation that his Egyptian' labours had built, and the poorer classes of the great Empire dependency had every reason to thank him for the relief his financial measures bad secured for them. The withdrawal of France from, the military and financial responsibilities of tottering Egypt ljrft the British Government to faco tho task of rehabilitating tho country in opposition to the Khedive and the people, and beforo the audience of the jealous Powers. Lord Dufl'erin, sent by the Gladstone Ministry (which \va& reluctant to proceed with absolute occupation) to advise the Government concerning the basis of the British system in Egypt, urged tho "masterful band of a Resident," but public opinion in Britain insisted on the granting of a measu'ro of self-govern-ment to the Egyptians, and looked to Sir Evelyn Baring as the man to carry out the great reconstruction. The measure of self-government was granted, but in time Sir Evelyn Baring became even more powerful than the "Resident" Lord Dutferin had proposed. His title of "vice-viceroy," which popular fancy gave him, had no empty sound. ' He arrived in Cairo in September, 1883 with the sky dark, and darker clouds looming up from the south. T.lio Treasury was empty, the country was on the brink of a. collapse. Against the Egyptian Ministry's wishes, retrenchment was enforced. The Khedive's Civil List was pruned, end tho British officers of the Administration diminished their salaries by a tenth. But the Soudan, which had been draining Egypt for years, now becamo more threatening. The Mahdi had risen. The Egyptian troops wore defeated at Tokar. General Hicks -was ovenvhelmed and his force wiped out, and another Egyptian column near Suakin was cut to pieces. Sir Evelyn Baring urged the abandonment of the Soudan, but the Ministry objected. Three Ministries resigned, but the Consul-General insisted. The "masterful hand" had arrived.

But then the storm broke from another quarter. It is impossible to refrain from mentioning the Gordon incident, because of its important bearing on itho opinion of the public concerning the Soudan. Baring opposed the-appointment of Charles Gordon find insisted that he was not a suitable man to effect the. evacuation, and, whatever may be rtlie apportionment cf the blame for Gordon's death, the Con-sul-General's view was ultimately shown to be correct. But Gordon's death definitely settled the question of the abandonment of the Soudan and left Sir Evelyn Baring to confine' his efforts for tho time to '.the building up of Egypt proper. It was the memory of the death of Gordon which- was used to make the public support the reconqucst of the Soudan, which made the reputation of a young officer called Kitchener and gave to the ConsulGeneral tho wider field when he was ready to till it. It was not until four years after Goron's death, however, that the battle of Toski arrested the march of the Dervishes. It was about this timo too, that the tide began to turn, and the Consul-General, with his brilliant colleagues, was able to move forward. To follow the career of Lord Cromer, as he is now known, during those times is to write a history of modern Egypt. The great irrigation schemes, the abolition of the enrveo, the introduction of justice and education into the Soudan were made possible 'by him. It is robbing tho great engineers, military and financial administrators of Egypt of any honour .to say, in the words that Kitchener used after the re-conquest of the Soudan, that he was tho " master of them all."

Of the man himself there are varying portraits, at times coloured, one feels impelled to admit, by political or personal bias. When he wont to Egypt* a& Consul-Goneral one colleague with more wit than foresight wrote:

Tho virtues of Patience are known. But I think that when put to the touch The people of Egypt will own with n R roa'n There's an Evil in Baring- too much. At the time Sir Evelyn Baring was blunt, and inclined to be imperious. Many people had misgivings, but the responsibility of his position, made marked changes and it is interesting to look upon a Jater picture of Lord Cromer, drawn by G. W. Steevens, the journalist who did so much to help the public understand Kitchener's long campaign. " To read Egyptian-French accounts of Lord Cronier," he wrote in 1898, "yon would picture a, stiffbrowed, hard-mouthed, cynical, taciturn martinet To look at the real man, Y<m would say that he gave half his time to sleep and the other half to laughing. Lolling in his carriage through the streets of Cairo, or lighting a fresh cigarette m his o ffi ce dressed in a loose-fitting grev tweed and a striped shirt, with ruddy f ac e short white hair and short -white tache. with gold-nmmed e,ve-gl„. Ssc . s half-hiding eyes balf-closed, mellow of voice and fluent of speech—j s this t])e perfidious Baring you ask yourself, is this the terrible Lord Cromer whom Khedives obey and tremble? hjs demeanour is genial and courteous His talk is easy, open, shrewd, humeri ous . His subordinates admire, re*ix? c t

and even love him. He is the mildestmannered man that ever sacked Prime Minister. Only somehow you still feel the steel stiffening the velvet. He is genial, but he wtfald be a bold man who would take liberties with him. Velvet as long as he can, steel as soon as ho must —that is Lord Cromer." And except that during tho earlier days the indefatigable energy of the man was more apparent this portrait of Lord Cromer covers the whole of his great career. Tho system that made Egypt is disclosed, the "secret springs of action" are revealed, and the humanity of greatness uncovered. Velvet and steel!

But this, though it gives an outline of methods, a drawing of the machinery, does not explain the methods or why they succeeded. Lord Cromer reversed every tradition of rule practised in Egypt. Ho preferred the many to the few, and power!essness to privilege. The economic base of bis policy was the desire to leave an appreciable, margin in the hands of the taxpayers, to allow that margin as Lord Cromer said in a phrase he adopted in Egypt, to " fructify in the pockets of the people." He based the prosperity of Egypt on the condition of the mass" of the Egyptian people, and they have not failed him. Ho governed Egypt not for Britain but for the Egyptians and he did not fail them.