at one, and stated the case of the
Irish church. It was graciously received. 24.--At night went to
work on draft of Irish church measure, feeling the impulse.
25.--Christmas Day. Worked much on Irish church _abbozzo_. Finished
it at night. 26.--Revised the Irish church draft and sent it to be
copied with notes.

The general situation he described to Bishop Hinds on the last day of the
year:--

We cannot wait for the church of Ireland to make up her mind. We
are bound, nay compelled, to make up ours. Every day of the
existence of this government is now devoted to putting forward by
some step of inquiry or deliberation the great duty we have
undertaken. Our principles are already laid in the resolutions of
the late House of Commons. But in the mode of applying them much
may depend on the attitude of resistance or co-operation assumed
by the Irish church. It is idle for the leading Irish churchmen to
think "we will wait and see what they offer and then ask so much
more." Our mode of warfare cannot but be influenced by the troops
we lead. Our three _corps d'armee_, I may almost say, have been
Scotch presbyterians, English and Welsh nonconformists, and Irish
Roman catholics. We are very strong in our minority of clerical
and lay churchmen, but it is the strength of weight not of
numbers. The English clergy as a body have done their worst
against us and have hit us hard, as I know personally, in the
counties. Yet we represent the national force, tested by a
majority of considerably over a hundred voices. It is hazardous in
these times to tamper with such a force.

The preparation of the bill went rapidly forward:--

_Hawarden, Jan. 13, 1869._--Wrote out a paper on the plan of the
measure respecting the Irish church, intended perhaps for the
Queen. Worked on Homer. We felled a lime. 14.--We felled another
tree. Worked on Homer, but not much, for in the evening came the
Spencers [from Dublin], also Archdeacon Stopford, and I had much
Irish conversation with them. 15.--We felled an ash. Three hours
conversation with the viceroy and the archdeacon. I went over much
of the roughest ground of the intended measure; the archdeacon
able and helpful. Also conversation with the viceroy, who went
before 7. Worked on Homer at night. 19.--One hour on Homer with Sir
J. Acton. Whist in even