336 Birr ell on Ireland [iQ 11 



modation, also that if I were a Cabinet Minister I would promise every- 

 thing and do nothing. Also that if assaulted as Birrell had been I 

 would go down on my knees and say ' Ladies, have mercy on me, I 

 am a poor weak man and appeal to your chivalry; spare me in con- 

 sideration of my sex.' 



' From this we went on to Ireland, about which Birrell was sensible 

 and interesting. He confirmed all that Dillon had told me about the 

 improved condition of the small farmers and especially of the labour- 

 ers, for whom cottages had been built. These had given superior ideas 

 of comfort to all. He also praised the new local administration which 

 had superseded the old system. It was surprising, he said, how quickly 

 the small tradesmen in the towns, who now managed it, have picked 

 up the way of dealing with local matters. The only real difficulty now 

 in Home Rule was the financial one, caused by the old age pensions. 

 The English Treasury would have to provide two more millions yearly 

 for this, and forego all charge for army or navy or interest on the 

 National Debt. Birrell, however, foresees great difficulty in getting 

 certain sections of the Liberal party to agree to Home Rule on these 

 generous lines. Much would depend on how the Irish received the 

 King on the occasion of his visit to Dublin in the summer. If the 

 King were not well received it would be difficult to pass a Home Rule 

 Bill. The whole thing depended for its value to us on our getting the 

 Irish to join with us in loyalty to the Empire. I pricked up my ears 

 at this but said nothing. I am sorry to find that Winston is getting 

 more and more Imperialist. I asked what the King's personal feeling 

 was about Home Rule, and he said it was favourable. ' It is a common 

 mistake,' he said, ' to suppose that the late King was more in favour 

 of it than the present King. The contrary is the case. All King 

 Edward would listen to was " something in the way of councils," 

 whereas this one has quite colonial views about it. He is altogether 

 colonial about Home Rule and the Empire.' It is useful to know this, 

 but is of evil omen to that other half of the British Empire where my 

 interest lies, the coloured half. As I was going away Churchill called 

 to me, ' What will you say to our making a large increase in the Cairo 

 garrison and putting the expense of it on Egypt as a result of your 

 inflammatory pronouncements?' 'You may keep 100,000 men there 

 if you like,' I said, ' It will make no difference to the result.' 



" 30^ Jan. — Called on Weardale at his house in Carlton House 

 Terrace and asked him to join our Egyptian Committee. Our mani- 

 festo he entirely approves, but like all of them, he is afraid of offending 

 Grey by putting his name to it. He looks upon Grey as an ignorant 

 commonplace man, quite incapable in foreign affairs, but he, Weardale, 

 is interested in the question of the Declaration of London, and dares 

 not quarrel with him on that account. 



