On November 22nd the Grand Committee reassembled to hear the report from the Nine.  Lord Southborough, who had presided at all their meetings, detailed the conclusions which had been reached or the point on which they had broken down.

Then followed a discussion lasting some three days, in which Ulstermen and Nationalists reaffirmed their positions.  Archbishop Bernard, the Primate, and Lord MacDonnell all attempted mediation.  Finally, Lord Midleton, who described the position as “a stone wall on each side,” announced that he and his group would put before the Grand Committee certain proposals as a via media.  These in effect conceded to an Irish Parliament all that Nationalists claimed, subject only to the reservation that customs must be fixed by the Imperial Parliament and the produce of them retained as Ireland’s contribution to Imperial services.

At this point our work was interrupted by the reemergence of the redistribution question.  Redmond and the other Irish members were obliged to go to London and assist for two days at a debate in the worst traditions of the House of Commons.  The change of atmosphere was extraordinary—­and the accusations of bad faith were not limited to what passed at Westminster.  One virulent speech declared that the Convention had no prospects, never had any, and was never intended to have any.  This was accompanied by an attack on the action of the Ulster group—­based, of course, on hearsay.  Those of us who felt that at any rate the Convention offered a better hope for Ireland than any which now could be based on action at Westminster pleaded for the acceptance of a proposal which Redmond put forward as a compromise—­that the proposed Irish clauses should be dropped from the main Bill and the Irish matter dealt with in a separate statute.  It was so agreed at last, and a conference between Irish members, with the Speaker presiding, was set up, and quickly did its work.  But if all this had been agreed to in October or earlier, much friction would have been saved and a cause of quarrel with the Ulster that was not in the Convention might have been avoided.  Still, peace was achieved, and the proposal to cut down Irish representation was once more defeated.

Grand Committee met for another session, but was chiefly concerned with getting ready for the reassembling of Convention—­fixed for Tuesday, December 18th.  It was decided that a group meeting of Nationalists for informal discussion should be held on the Monday night—­the first occasion on which this had been done.

Ill-luck, however, seemed to dog us.  Dr. Kelly, the Bishop of Ross, who was much closer in his point of view to Redmond than any of the other Bishops, was gravely ill.  This was foreseen.  But on the Monday a heavy snowstorm fell; Redmond, shut up in his hills at Aughavanagh, could not reach Dublin.  The roads were not open till the Thursday, and then he thought it too late to come.  He was in truth already too ill to face any unusual exertion.