This letter was addressed to Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery (1844-1924). Montgomery was a lawyer and politician. Originally a Liberal and a strong supporter of Gladstone, Montgomery was also a firm Unionist, but by 1916 he believed that Ulster Unionists had no choice but to accept Lloyd George's proposal for a six-county Northern Ireland. The letter was written by Sir John Ross (1853-1935). Ross was a judge, Unionist politician and the last lord chancellor of Ireland. In 1916 he was asked to sit on the commission that adjudicated on internment after the Rising, but this invitation was withdrawn. He did, however, serve as chairman of the advisory appeal committee that monitored internment in Ireland (1920–21). In general he seems to have advised against excess in the state's response to the revolution. The letter concerns a letter that Montgomery previously sent to Ross concerning Home Rule and the Irish question.