Correspondence with A J Balfour, Sir R Wingate, Lord Allenby, Lord Milner and others on Egypt [‎68r] (135/300)

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position and he did not know to whom he should turn
for advice. In the present case the advice of Sir
Alexander Baird had probably carried much weight.
But the latter had since bitterly deplored that he
had advised allowing the i\iationalists to leave and
considered that it had been fatal.
General Chauvel said that extraordinary
scenes were witnessed in Cairo on the Monday on
which General Alienby T s Proclamation on this subject
appeared. Enormous crowds filled the streets,
shouting and waving flags of every description
except the Union Jack. On Monday the feeling was
phite good-natured, but on Tuesday the atmosphe -e
changed and the mobs began to jeer at British
soldiers and to make demonstrations of exultation
before the Continental Hotel, which was full of
British visitors. Noisy processions, including one
of the prostitutes from the Warsi Bazar, paraded the
streets. On the Wednesday matters became decidedly
worse, and British soldiers and solitary Englishmen
were not only jeered at and insulted but attacked.
Information reached the Military Secret Service Authori
ties that the British and Australian soldiers had
summoned a meeting to take /-lace in the Ezbekiah Gardens
on Thursday to consider measures n for the vindication
of British prestige, as the higher Authorities appear
unwilling to do anything in the matter.” This
meeting the Military Authorities were able to
prevent, but a good many soldiers assembled in the
Gardens on Thursday and ./hen an Egyptian demonstration
was made outside the Continental Hotel on that day,
and a British officer coming out of the Hotel was
severely
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