Sir E. Grey, who is a much more important person
in the Liberal party than his official rank would indicate, delivered an impressive speech at Huddersfield on Thursday. It was, in fact, so able a summary of the whole Egyptian case that it hardly admits of condensation. Sir Edward showed that the French, through M. Hanotanx, had admitted that the Nile belonged to Egypt, that their expedition was secretly organised after they knew that it would be considered an unfriendly act, and called on the Government in temperate terms to resist so dangerous an invasion of Egyptian rights. A foreign Power seated on the Upper Nile might actually turn the Nile, or tap it of water till there was none for the Egyptian Delta. He wished for peace, and greatly honoured Major Marchand as an explorer, but it was clear from every line of his speech that rather than leave France with dominion on any point of the Nile he would accept war. That, it is daily becoming more clear, is the decision of all parties in the country.
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