48 Lunch with Redmond [ : 9°3 



tells me Lady Lugard (ex Flora Shaw) has come home very angry 

 with the Nigerian climate, which has laid her on her back. I would 

 have tried to deter Oliver from going, as he is too good for such bad 

 work, but he is already engaged, and all I could do was to advise 

 him to make it a condition he should be employed inland, and not on 

 the river. Still, it is about an even chance that he leaves his bones in 

 the country. [Which he did.] 



" Lunched with John Redmond and his wife. I told him in all 

 possible confidence what George's difficulty was, and the precarious 

 position of the Bill. He said, ' I quite understand Wyndham's diffi- 

 culties, but you must believe me when I say mine are quite as great. 

 There is a party in Ireland headed by Davitt and Archbishop Walsh 

 that is determined to go against the Bill, and there is sure to be wild 

 talk at the Convention. I saw Wyndham yesterday evening, and he 

 told me something about the necessity of accepting the Bill as final, 

 not as an instalment, and I am entirely in accordance with all he said. 

 Of course the Bill will require amending, but I will do my best to get 

 it through, and let the English imagine if they like that they are doing a 

 fine and generous thing. But we can't stop the talk. I can depend 

 thoroughly on William O'Brien who thinks exactly as I do about it, and 

 all our Parliamentary party, even John Dillon, who I know does not 

 like the Bill. He would be quite loyal to us. The difficulty is outside. 

 Davitt is a land nationaliser, and is altogether opposed, and so is Arch- 

 bishop Walsh. If it would make matters easier I shall be happy to 

 communicate with Wyndham through you, and arrange what amend- 

 ments it would be possible for him to accept. It would be easier to 

 do it through you than directly, for it is difficult for him to talk quite 

 frankly to me, and I have to go openly and knock at his door in the 

 House of Commons when I want to speak to him, without knowing 

 who there may be there with him. It would be very dangerous for it 

 to get about that there was an understanding between us. But if he 

 will do it through you it will be safe. So you must let me keep in 

 touch with you. I go to Ireland to-morrow till after the Convention, 

 which will be on the 16th. The critical time lies between this and 

 then, and there may be things to communicate.' 



" And so it was arranged between us. I asked him what his view 

 was about a Catholic University. He said, ' You must not be shocked 

 with me if I say I don't care twopence about it. Of course it would 

 be a good thing, but it is not essential, and it is no good weighting our- 

 selves with it till we have got the other job through.' This was almost 

 word for word the answer I gave George yesterday to the same 

 question. 



" 2nd April. — Breakfast again with George and told him of Red- 

 mond's proposal in regard to the amendments and of communicating 



