RETURN OF SIR THOMAS ESMONDE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 6, 6 June 1890, Page 31

RETURN OF SIR THOMAS ESMONDE.

The Parliamentary correspondent of the Cork Examiner telegraphed on Wednesday night, April 9, to that journal the following interesting interview which he had with Sir Thomas Bsmonde.M.P.:— Tbe first of the Irish delegates who have been visiting Australia in the interests of the Irish evicted tenants reached England to-day on the journey. The member for South Dublin looks exceedingly well, lam glad to say. He is a trifle thin, but his face wears all the ruddy appearance of health and strength. Travelling from San Francisco via Florida and Havanna, Sir Thomas left the latter port on St. Patrick's day for St. Nazaire, in France, where he arrived on the 3lßt March. He reached Paris yesterday morning and he came on at once to London. Speaking of John Dillon, Sir Thomas said he had pulled through the Australian campaign wonderfully well. He had never spared himself, notwithstanding the delicate state of his health. The two of them had travelled together from Australia to San Francisco, where they had a splendid reception and a meeting which realised some 8000dols. During the voyage from Australia Mr. Dillon was not so not so very well, but a few days' rest in San Francisco pulled him together wonderfully, and when they parted there, the one to come home, and the other to go on a visit to his brother in Colorado, the member for East Mayo was in excellent health.

Mr. Deasy was left behind in Australia, tbe last Sir Thomas Esmonde heard of him being in a letter received in December last, when Mr. Deasy was in the thick of a large number of meetings in New South Walea. After finishing these he proposed to go to another series of meetings in Victoria. " Deasy is working like a black," were Sir Thomas's words, '• and when he gets home he will have beaten the record so far as meetings are concerned." As to his own share of demonstrations, the member for South Dublin attended something like 150, and an idea of what this involved may be gathered from the fact that atone time during his labours he travelled 1000 miles on horseback—from the borders of Victoria to Queensland — addressing meetings along the route. At one meeting during his journey Sir Thomas spoke in the open air, and at the close of his Bpeech collected £200, although there was not a house within fifteen mileß of where he stood. His experiences altogether appear to be of the most varied and exciting kind. On oue occasion, when visiting the South Sea Islands, he lived a full week with the savages of Samoa, eating bananas and bread, and drinking fruit kava. Speaking roughly, my colleague would say that Mr. Dillon, Mr. Deasy, and he had collected something like £32,000. He, furthermore, told me immense amusement had been created in Australia by Mr. Joseph Chamberlain's grotesque statement that Mr. Dillon had not been able to induce people to subscribe as much as would pay his hotel bill. Summing up, Sir Thomas told me that the Irish delegates found that the almost universal opinion prevailed, wherever they went, in favour of Home Rule for Ireland. Throughout Australia and New Zealand, the sense of all the leading public men, as well as of the public PrebS, was overwhelmingly on their side ; and in this connection Sir Thomas said that he wished to lay special emphasis on the splendid assistance they had received from the Catholic hierarchy and priesthood of the colonies.