LORD CROMER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 79

LORD CROMER.

"MAKER OF MODEIIX EGYPT."

One of the romances of history lies in this fac-f — that the man who has yon for himself the name of "Makor of Modern Egypt" comes from a little islard which was in a state of baibarism when the land of the Pharaohs wa,s at its heyd.iy. That man is Lard Cromer, .Minister Plenipotentiary and Coosnl-genaral in Egypt — better known, perhaps, by has old name of Sir Evelyn Baring. But his services were .so conspicuous and distinguished that in 1832 Quean Victorias made him a peer, and so Sir Evelyn Baring became Lord Cromer.

Lord Gromer, of course, resides in Cairo, at the British Agency — a fine house, with laicl-out gardens in front. A flight of steps leads up to the door, and a screen of carved woodwork divides -4S ihti divans of the back of tha hall, and forms a svajt ing room. His own room is a large a-part-meat on the left, fur-mi^e-d in officioi style. Here Lord Croirer works, sitting in aa editorial cane chair at a big,, low desk, and a visitor to him is consigned to the comfortable capacity of a leather armchair below him.

It is taid tha-t Lord Cromer was only interviewed onee — that is. by a journalist, — and this- is what he says of him :

"Lord Cromer is a thick-s&l, mediumsized, middle-aged man, with 'cibin 1 'and jaws, the moustache thick and white, the hair thinning and whitening. Yet there is no sign of foaling health. The English red still mantles the cheeks, despite so many Egyptian solstices. His eyes niiove rapidly behind the glasses of the pince-nez wliich ■he wears ; bis dress is neat, v.-itih a touch of earefesness. The hands p.re -small and mobile. His manner of address is alert and energetic- -full of simple directness. There is something in him of a certain type of popular bank manager ; something of tbe free-and-easy foreign diplomatist who has lived and learned ; and something of the militarymanaging officer, with his strong taste for orderliness and decision.

"But underneath a.ll this lies the extraordinarily clear-eyed, quick-witted, active, hard-lutting personality, whose weariless intelligence and persistence have succeeded in creating amd carrying on a national situation tibe anrioyance and dangers of wMch would have discouraged and defeated many a man dowered with gifts far more striking." Ii- it is asked in what way is Lord Cromer the maker oif modern Egypt, tho answer is here. When he first went to that country administrative corruption was almost universal, and Egypt was nearly bankrupt.. Now it is financially sound. The local governors are under strict surveillance ; irrigation is scientifically a.nd honestly distributed ; superfluous officials have been dismissed ; bribery and corruption Lave beeai suppressed ; the hospitals are efficient ; the prisons reformed ; the army, instead of being hatcsl, is pomtLar. 1p 1884 nine-tenths of the men *who worked the irrigation niachm.es were daves ; now they are free. In fact, no slaves are now sold in any part of Egypt, and domestic slavery is rapidly dying out. These lefomas have been brought about without a harsh display of authority. Few men know Lord Oromer's work batter than Lord Milner, the late High Commissioner in South Africa, and he declares that the qualities of race have tiiumphed m Egypt ; but our success might have been less complete, and might indeed not have been attained at all, had it not been, for the good fortune which fed tbs British Government to entrust the conduct of its policy in Egypt to the hands of Lord Cronier. "It would be difficult," he says, "to over-estimate what the work of England in Egypt orres to the sasjaciiy, fortitude, and patience of the British Minister. His mental and nuoral equip ment was peculiarly suited to the very peculiar circumstances in. which he found himself placed."

Formerly Lord Cromer was only one Of more than a dozen Consuls-general in Egypt, and possessed no higher attribute or authority than any of his colleagues. But now he is as the exponent of the wishes of wihat is in reality the protecting Power, the ultimate authority in the country in all those matters which the protecting Power chooses for tbe moment to regard as calling for the exercise of its control.

Now, we must go 'back to see how it came about that Evelyn Baring rose to this unique position. The Barings are really a German family. But as they (have resided in England for two centuries, and have been naturalised for that .period, it cannot be claimed that Evelyn Baring's qualities were "mad© in Germany." The first member of the family to- settle in England was John Franz Baring, a Lutheran minister of Bremen. When he came to "England he started ac a merchant and cloth manufacturer at Larkbeare, in Devonshire. He had a son Francis, who, though deaf from his youth, was a splendid business mam, and made a great fortune. Pitt made him a baronet, and at one time he was chairman of the old East India Company. One very remarkable fact is that "within the last 60 years no less than four members of this man's family have become peers of Great Britain! His second son became Lord Ashburton in 1835 ; a grandson became Lord Northbrook in 1866 (earl in 1876) ; another grandson, Edward Charles Baring, m 1885 became Lord Revelstoke; and in 1892 a third grandson — .the present Lord Cromer — was made a peer.

Lord Cramer took his title from his birthplace in Norfolk. He was born at Cromer Hall an February 26, 1841, a«d is therefore 64 now. He was the sixth child of his father's second marriage. His father was the daughter of Vice-admiral Windham. After some private tuition at a school, young Baring was sent to the Ordnance School at Corshalton, and at 13 went to Woolwich Academy to qualify for a commission iHMfae army. At 18 he

joined the artillery, was made c;.pta,in 12 years later, and major &ix years alter. In the early sixties Barmg wes stationed at Corfo. and served a& aide-de-camp to ihe High Commissioner of the lonian Island, Sir Henry Stories. In 1865 he accompanied that gentleman to Jamaica, when he went to preside over the com-

mission which was cent to inquire into the cu'cumsterjces of the famous outbreak suppressed by Governor Eyre. Then he entered the Staff College for two years' study, which resulted in the publication of "Staff College Easays." In 1876 Evelyn Baring's cousin. Lord Nort'hbrook, w«s appointed Viceroy of India, and invited him to accompany him as private secretaiy. This appointment lasted three yeais. On his return, in 1875, to England, Lord Cromer married Ethel, the daughter of Sir Rowland Errington, and next year received an appointment in the land with which Ms future was to be s>o much concerned.

He w:ts made English Comminsioaiier of the Egyptian Debt. England had just bought the Suez Canal shares from the Khedive for £4,000,000, mid Egypt was in a most embarrassed financial condition. In 1880, just as Egyptian credit was being re-established, Major Baring was appointed -Financial Member of the°Council of India, and so for a short time his association with Egypt was at an end. His new appointment, received at the hands of Mr Gladstone, was one of much ■dignity, independence of initiative, with great opportunities of public service and distinction. Important, however, as the work was, the claims of Egypt were irresistible, and in three years lie was back in Cairo— as Sir Evelyn Barings her majesty's Agent and Consul-general, with the additional work" of Minister Plenipotentiary in the diplomatic service. On September 11, 1883, two days after Hicks Pasha started on his ill-fated journey from Khartoum, Sir Evelyn Baring began his new work, after an absence of three years. This fact reminds us that Sir Evelyn was at Cairo through all the anxious events in the Soudan when Khartoum was besieged and when Khartoum fell. He it was who carried on the correspondence with General Gordon when he was fretting at Khartoum because he did not know what was being done elsewhere. In Gordon's letters, published after his death, a good many sly pokes at Sir Evelyn are to be found. Gordon wrote his journal day by day, and jotted down just what he thought at the moment. Speaking of a certain incident, he wrote of two officials : — I expect the two roared with laughter at it. (Sony I cannot manage a sketch of the scene.) Baring would never laugh. It, is too serious — like jesting in church ! Then he imagined Baring talking to Egerton, and saying : What will you say when I tell you he (Gordon) has made sketches of you and me ! and put them in his demiofficial journal? And we can do absolutely nothing, for if he is attacked as British officer he says he made the sketches as Governor-general, and vice versa. A rumour reached 1 Khartoum before it fell that- Sir Evelyn Baring was coming, so Gordon wrote :— "There was a slight laugh when Khartoum heard Baring was bumping" (on a camel) "his way up Gordon then added that 40 females had cono-reo-ated under his window, yelling for "food. And said he : "It delights me to think of the treat Baring will have when he gets here— if he ever does. But he dicln't. . . „ Gordon, however, imagined him writing thus-.— "Every bone in my body is dislocated with these beastly camels. Excuse me, for what with the bumping oi the camel and the - depravity shown by this scoffer (Gordon), I am more dead than alive." • But though he was inclined to poke fun atlSir Evelyn Baring, Gordon appreciated his hard work. "When one thinks," he said, "that Baring works harder than a galley-slave for such wretched results, one ought to pity him. In another part of his diary Gordon scratched out 12 lines, and added afterwards :— "All the scratehed-out portion is abuse of Baring. Someone said : If you feel angry, write your angry letter and then tear it up.' It certainly does relieve the mind to write one's bile; and it is aood also to scratch it out for I daresay Baring is doing his duty better than I am. °He is certainly more patriotic, if patriotism consists in obedience to existing Government of ones country. Patriot or no, Lord Cromer has a greater and more complete knowledge of Eoypt than any living English official and haf justly earned the title of "Maker of Modern Egypt."-Leeds Mercury.