Baghdad Sep 27 Dearest Father. The most remarkable feature this week has been the weather. On the 21st it rained quite hard, enough to lay all the dust. There hasn't been anything like it since 1907, they say, and then not quite so early. Then we had two days of south wind and cloud, very hot and stuffy and finally the most terrific dust storm lasting many hours and followed by violent thunderstorms. This time there was enough rain to make the world muddy and people began to fear lest the dates should rot on the trees. However there has been no more rain and I believe not much harm has been done. The result is a blessed drop in temperature, cool mornings and evenings and a maximum of not more than 94°. I am thankful; I was - and am - feeling rather worn out. The week was choked with farewell parties to A.T. [Wilson] Tea parties given by Abdul Majid Shawi and Fakhri Jamil, and an enormous dinner party of 200 people given to all Europeans, civilians and soldiers, by the officers of the administration, including me. AT put an imperturbable face on these functions, but as you may imagine they were charged with a sense of tragedy. The night before he left he came in late to say goodbye. I told him that I was feeling more deeply discouraged than I could well say and that I regretted acutely that we had not made a better job of our relations. He replied that he had come to apologize and I stopped him and said I felt sure it was as much my fault as his and that I hoped he would carry away no ill feelings, a sentiment to which he cordially responded. What he really thinks about it all Heaven alone knows. Remarkable as he is I should be glad if he withdrew from Asiatic politics; what has happened here will always be remembered against him in the East and much for which he isn't to blame will be cast upon him. But I don't myself believe that he will withdraw and with his immense ability he may still excercise [sic] great influence. I confess I dread it. I don't think that a man cast in his mould will ever be pliable enough to submit to the new relations, which the war has brought to birth between Europe and Asia, and I would rather see the future in the hands of men of less mental power and greater human understanding. He has had a very bitter lesson here and I have too great a respect for his intelligence not to believe that he has learnt from it, but whether at his age it's possible completely to change one's point of view is to my mind doubtful. It may be my point of view that is wrong, in which case I certainly ought not to remain here. But that will be for Sir Percy to judge. AT is going to India, Egypt and C'ple [Istanbul (Constantinople)] on his way home - that's his scheme. He wants to get a comprehensive view of the Eastern question, which is wise. I told him you would be very glad to see him in London. I know you'll bear in mind that I have no reason to be satisfied with my part in the story and I stongly suspect that there's nothing to choose between us, or if there is a choice, I'm the more blameworthy because I need not have stayed when I found my views to be wholely [sic] divergent from his. Nor would I have stayed if I had known how deeply he resented my attitude. Anyhow, I turn over the page with the sense that I'm leaving behind me a highly unsatisfactory chapter. Sir Percy reaches Basrah [Basrah, Al (Basra)] about the 3rd, I believe. There's a rumour that Lady Cox has stayed in India and will follow him shortly. It may possibly be true because their house isn't ready and for the moment they have to live in the house we've been using as a mess, which won't be very comfortable. However it's not a bad house and it's being vacated for them. It's where I always lunch and I suppose I shall now come home to lunch which won't however matter now that the weather is so nice and cool. There's a terrific flutter in the dovecots because the W.O. has ordered all the military wives to leave the country, even those whose husbands are in permanent jobs in Basrah and Baghdad. It's just as silly to order them all away as it was to let them all come, irrespective of whether there was accommodation for them, which there wasn't. But I suppose the W.O. has an exasperated feeling that it can't stand being bombarded by questions from anxious relatives. I'm personally very sorry that Mrs Hambro isn't coming back; I was looking forward with great pleasure to her return. All the others leave me cold. A collection of more tiresome women I never encountered. As for our revolution it remains in status quo. The Persian road is open though the long railway bridge in the Jabal Hamrin [Hamrin, Jabal] hasn't yet been repaired. They are bringing down the wives and families from Karind [Karand], however, and sending them straight down to Basrah. The bridge will take another ten days I believe. One of our Arab APOs came up from Najaf [Najaf, An] yesterday, having at last got permission to leave from the insurgents. He reports that they have finally abandoned hope of being helped out of their difficulties by an army of Turks or Syrians and that there is consequently some division in their councils. But the extreme group are as determined as ever to continue resistances - just that; they don't seem to have any very definite object in view. I dined last night with Sir Aylmer. There's a terrible charnel house atmospere in that establishment, due I take it, to their all being dead bodies. Poor Gen. Hambro is dreadfully depressed at his wife's not coming, in which I deeply sympathise. The prospect of spending the winter with Sir Aylmer must be gloomy. Saiyid Talib is going to Basrah to meet Sir P. - at the latter's request. He has just been in to say goodbye to me, full of confidence in the future. I think he very seriously underestimates the difficulties ahead. What I hope Sir Percy will do is to give a very wide responsibility to natives of this country. It's the only way of teaching them how hard the task of government is and I think we must now wade through a long period of uncertainty and mistakes on their part which if they are wise enough and we patient enough may result in a more equable division of our respective spheres of activity. Up to now we've done it all. I should stand by and let them do it all for a bit and then see if a better adjustment isn't possible. It is however all very well to talk in generalities, but it's when you come down to practical details that the shoe pinches. I sent you, confidentially, the last chapter of my report. I've grave doubts whether it isn't a good deal too frank for HMG; you're therefore not to say that you've seen the unbowdlerized version. On the other hand I should have like to have been a little franker, but I don't think it would have been in the public interest, nor would it have helped to a solution in this country. Moreover it certainly wouldn't have been printed! Our Sunday bathes are now tea-picnics instead of dinner picnics. Aurelia takes a gun and shoots pigeons while we desport ourselves in the water - she is an excellent shot. After which we have a large tea on a sandy island in the middle of the Tigris. Very soon it will be cool enough to take out lunch and make a day of it which will be excellent for us all. One comes out of the summer as you might come out of months of chains, staggering onto one's feet and surprised to find that one once more wants to walk and ride and spend the day out of doors. I've never quite given up riding all the summer, but now in the morning before breakfast, or even after tea, it's quite delightful. My dogs love it also. Ever your very affectionate daughter Gertrude