The letter is from Sir Ivor Churchill Guest, Lord Wimborne (1873-1939) to Sir John Grenfell Maxwell (1859-1929). The letter was written in the aftermath of the Rising and on the day of the first executions of the leaders. It primarily concerns the issue of martial law. Wimborne had introduced martial law on 25 April, the second day of the Rising, and writes that the original documentation allowed it to be continued for one month. He notes that it would be possible to extend this if necessary. In a postscript Wimborne refers to the attorney general and the 'laudable task' of seizing arms from volunteer organisations (such the Irish Volunteers and the Ulster Volunteers Force). Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne was appointed the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1915. Guest worked closely alongside Sir Matthew Nathan (1862-1939) in the administration of Ireland. Following the suppression of the Rising, Guest, under pressure, was forced to resign as Lord Lieutenant. A later inquiry into the Rising exonerated Guest and held Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) chiefly responsible for the events that occurred. Guest would continue to serve as Lord Lieutenant until 1918. Sir John Henry Grenfell Maxwell was appointed commander in chief of the British forces in Ireland after the outbreak of the Easter Rising. Before 1916, Maxwell briefly held command of British troops in Egypt, where he successfully organised defences against a Turkish attack in February 1915 and presided over the huge expansion of his command as Egypt became a major British imperial military base. In March 1916, having been superseded as general officer commanding in Egypt, he was recalled home when the Easter Rising broke out.