1898] Hozv They Make Bishops 307 



not within the limits of Lord Salisbury's present agreement with 

 Wilhelm. 



" gth Nov. — Left Newbuildings for Gorsey End, near Lyndhurst, 

 for the winter, driving in beautiful weather by Rogate, where we are 

 being entertained by Hugh Wyndham and his daughter Florence, stop- 

 ping also to call on Charles Wyndham at Midhurst. Hugh, talking of 

 the agreement with Waddington made in 1878 at the Berlin Congress 

 in regard to Tunis, told me that he had had it from Odo Russell that 

 the thing was transacted at the British Embassy. Odo Russell had 

 said to him, ' You must be prepared for some startling moves,' and told 

 him what had happened. This was soon after the agreement." [Sir 

 Hugh Wyndham had been Secretary of the Berlin Embassy at the 

 time.] 



The whole of this winter I spent in the New Forest, having been 

 advised to go there for my health, as I could get easy hunting there, 

 and so be much out of doors. My principal friend in the neighbourhood 

 was Sir William Harcourt at Malwood, whom I saw frequently, but 

 otherwise I was much cut off from political society, though I went up 

 now and then to London. At Lyndhurst I was busy writing my 

 poem, " Satan Absolved." 



"20th Nov. (Sunday). — To luncheon at Malwood. Sir William in 

 excellent form, principally about the bishops, with whom he is now in 

 violent conflict. He narrated to us a conversation he had had with the 

 Duke of Devonshire as to the nomination to a bishopric. The Duke's 

 account of it was this : ' He had written two letters to Salisbury, 

 recommending a fellow, he couldn't remember the fellow's name, and 

 Salisbury hadn't even answered. He had written because Courtney and 

 another fellow, he couldn't remember his name either, had wanted it.' 

 On inquiry it had turned out that the proposed nominee was Page 

 Roberts, and Sir William had taken an opportuniy of asking Lord Salis- 

 bury why he hadn't made Page Roberts a Bishop. ' The fact is,' said 

 Salisbury, ' I thought they were talking of Page Hopps, and we gave 

 it to some one else.' ' That,' said Sir William, ' is the way they make 

 bishops.' Our luncheon was quite a feast, as Lady Harcourt has a very 

 good cook. Rawnsley and his wife were there. 



" 22nd Nov. — Knowles has returned me my article on ' Fashoda,' 

 on the plea of its being too late, and that, besides, it would not be wise 

 to publish it, doubtless the true reason. 



" 28//i Nov.- — Cromer has consented to give Judith away at her 

 wedding if I am prevented from being present. This is as it should be, 

 for personally I have always been on pleasant terms with Cromer, much 

 as we may tilt politically. 



" 3rd Dec. — To London, where I saw George Wyndham. He tells 

 me they had a tremendous dinner a few nights ago, all the Under- Sec- 



