Lord Northbrook then passed on to answer Sir Stafford Northeote.
Sir Stafford had declared the Afghan and Egyptian wars exact parallels ; but he forgot that in Af- ghanistan Lord Beaconsfield opposed Mohammedans, pur- sued a policy exactly opposite to that of the previous Govern- ment, and overrode all local opinion ; while in Egypt Mr. Gladstone has supported Mohammedans, has taken up the policy of his predecessors, and has constantly asked and acted on the opinion of local authority. Sir Stafford declared that earlier action would have prevented the war ; but no action was possible, except independent action, for France
was disinclined and the Sultan hostile, to it ; while individual action would have exposed us, then, as now, to Sir Stafford's criticism. The Government wanted to be sure that the military insurrection was a danger, and then acted determinedly, first, by warning the Khedive, then by sending the Fleet, and then' by despatching the expeditionary force. There is little to be gained by these statements of history, for the controversy is not sincere ; but Lord Northbrook put his plain facts with a cogent neatness which we are glad to see the audience fully appreciated. It is a little provoking to be told that Lord Beaconsfield would have avoided war, when he pre- cipitated war in Afghanistan, and spent twenty millions there with a light heart, and for no reason whatever.
