My dear William, — ^Thanks very much for your letter of the 4th, it contained indeed a budget of sad news. Poor Mrs. Freeling's " death, much as I regret her loss, was in the due course of nature and was an event which we have all probably been looking to, and when so faultless a life as hers (at all events in our eyes) has closed at last, it is only what has been long expected, and regrets are softened by the manner in which she has accomplished her task in this life. But the news of Bob Hamilton's' death is a more unexpected one, which I hardly realise yet; his is indeed an irreparable loss, not only to all his numerous friends, with whom he was so justly popular, but to his own immediate surroundings, by whom he will be sadly missed.... There has been no man, I am sure, to whose account more kind acts can be laid than to his, and I doubt if he ever entertained a real unkindly feeling to anyone. We shall all have none but pleasant recollections of him. Since I last wrote I feel pretty sure that the removal of our troops from Cairo is in the immediate future.... I should not be surprised, however, if I were retained in the country.... My future position will hardly be one suited to a Lieutenant-General, but here I am, and if it is desired for certain reasons still to retain an officer of that rank out here I do not see how I can object. The chief reason, indeed the only one
for doing so, would be to have in the country a Greneral of higher rank than Evelyn Wood; ^ but I shall know more of what is intended, I hope, in the course of two or three weeks. I look upon this diminution of our force and our removal from Cairo, especially if followed as I believe it will be by our speedy withdrawal altogether, as a most unwise measure. It is premature, and Baring^ himself, who advocates it very decidedly, spoke of it to me as if he felt that we were incurring a risk and that he had misgivings on the subject; for he used the expression, " We must take the plunge." Now I don't think that that is the way in which the English Government should carry out its measures — viz., with a feeling of mistrust as to their consequences. Here we are, with a firm hold upon the country, which it is of vital importance to us to maintain. Why risk it, especially at a time when French restlessness is rampant all over the world, and will find after our departure a clear field for its exercise? Reforms have made but little progress, the army is not nearly formed and it is early yet to test its loyalty; the constabulary, too, is still incomplete, and the officers in charge of it look forward with strong misgivings to our departure. The European residents here are in great alarm at the prospect before them, and many of them declare that they will leave when we do. Nubar Pasha" and his family, who are now absent, do not intend returning this winter, and that is not a good sign. The Government at home pretend that in removing our troops they are acting up to their pledge; I maintain, on the contrary, that by doing so prematurely they are acting contrary to their pledge, which was, if not in so many words, at least in spirit, to retain hold of this country until it was able to govern itself: no one can say that of Egypt yet. The other consideration is to relieve the financial pressure we put upon Egypt by the capitation rate of;^4 per man per month, which she is bound to pay to England, amounting to upwards of £300,000 a year. We ought, I think, to relieve Egypt
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of this charge and pay it ourselves. In whose interest are we here, if not in our own? and surely we ought to pay for the advantages we derive from our occupation. You must not think me a croaker; I don't say all these things I have been hinting at will come to pass, but there is a risk and we have no right to incur it.