This inevitably strengthened the hand of those who never liked the offer he had made.

From the first an accent of dissent from the new policy was plainly distinguishable in what came from the Committee of the Volunteers.

Mr.Bulmer Hobson says of the famous speech of August 4th: "This statement amounted to an unconditional offer of the services of the Irish Volunteers to the English Government, and was made without any consultation with the Volunteers themselves.

The first that members of the Provisional Committee heard of their being offered to the Government was when they read it in the newspapers, and Mr.Redmond's nominees on the Committee were as much surprised as the older members.

At the next meeting of the Standing Committee, held a couple of days later, the nominated members strove hard to induce us to endorse Redmond's offer.