14 APRIL 1906, Page 3

Lord Curzon was entertained to dinner by the Pilgrims' Club

on Friday week, and concluded a most interesting speech by summarising the lessons he had learned from Eastern government as follows :—Remember that you are not in India or any foreign dependency for the benefit of your "nationals," but for the benefit of the people of the country. Second, as far as you can, trust the man on the spot. And thirdly, never sacrifice the interest of a subject dependency or possession to exclusively British interests. Lastly, he appealed to all peoples engaged in Empire-making to send out the best men they could tempt or train to the ends of the earth, where they would always have opportunities for doing noble and unselfish deeds. With Lord Curzon's statement of principle we are in the heartiest accord. If once we look upon the Empire as a great estate, or regard it as a place from which the British nation is to draw dividends, the Empire is doomed. To exploit the Empire is not merely to ruin it, but to ruin ourselves.