. ,46 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE lr D Meoghe, 2822. And that house, in your judgment, is not really wort. 10 I a yeai ?- __ L I u^ uld not give six for it; and that man would not g. ve it up tor 20 February 1838. 0800 Is it your opinion that there are many persons upon the register 1.1 Cork whose premises are not worth 10 I a year, but for which they pay rent to that amount ?— I am of opinion that there are a great number. 28" 4 There are very few who are better informed upon the registry of Cork than yourself?— I think I can answer any question as to the registry from 1832 to the present time, as well as any man in the city of Cork. 2825. Probably you would be able to state what the real efficient number of the constituency of Cork now is ?— I think I could. 0826 It appears that there are a very large number upon the register; it was stated" by Mr. Colburn to be 6,093 ; now what may be the efficient constituency of Cork?— Indeed I should think from 4,300 to 4,5 ™ voters, or probably 4,700, upon a close pinch. 282-. From your minute investigation as to who are entitled to vote at the elections of Cork, would you be able to state how many men upon the register have died ?— 1There are a good many. 2828. Hew many do you think of those appearing upon the registry are dead ? — Since 1832 I suppose 200 may be dead; to the amazement of some people, it was said that we raised them from the dead the last time; but they were all alive, though people thought they were dead. 2829. Do you say that there were 110 men personated others ?— I do not think there were four out of the 3,883 that voted. 2830. Do you believe there were four?— I do not know of one ; I heard of one man that offered himself to personate his father, and he was rejected ; but whether he voted or not I do not know. I heard of parties that appeared, three or four offering themselves; but whether they voted I do not know ; I heard that thev came upon their father's certificate, to vote upon which side I do not know. 2831. How many persons do you suppose appear upon the register who have parted with their qualification since the time they registered ?— A good many have, and registered again out of other premises in other streets. 2832. How many do you suppose there may be of that class ?— They are changing every day ; but I know that at the election before the last the Conservative party ran bucks upon us, exclusive of Baron Pennefather's bucks. The non- resi- dents are Baron Pennefather's bucks, 195 of which voted at the last election. At the election before that a number of persons ran bucks on us ; amongst the rest, Mr. Besnard, a confidential clerk, bucked 11s, and Mr. Lanes Cooper bucked us. 2833. Chairman.] Your side never bucked anybody ?— We had no occasion, for we had numbers in plenty; we were cheated out of our election, for we had 230 men ready to poll; but, by manoeuvring, they cheated us out of the election. 2834. ^ ou mean to state to the Committee, that in no instance the side which you espoused adopted the proceeding to which you apply the term " bucking" ?— They had no occasion. 2835. But you state as a fact that the party to which you belong did not act in that manner?— Certainly not, to my knowledge. 2836. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] Will you, for the information of the Committee, state what you mean by " bucks" ?— I mean a man voting out. of a house that he has left, and did not reside in at the time he voted ; that" he was not qualified to vote, but that he voted as if he resided in that house. 2837. What are meant by " Baron Pennefather's bucks " ?— They are non- resident freemen; I happened to be in court when the argument was before Baron 1 enneiather and after his decision, the non- resident men, living seven statute miles from the place of polling, came in in shoals to be registered. 2838. That was an appeal to the judge of assize from the decision of the assist- ant barrister, and that appeal came on before Mr. Baron Pennefather, who was the judge of assize upon the Munster circuit, and his lordship heard the question fully argued before him r— Not fully, because he left his decision with the other judge. 1 think we had arguments that would have convinced him, but he went out of own the next morning when we expected he would have come into court, and he lett his decision, which was made known by Judge Moore. — hwa* And tHat ann0UnCed in court the other judge upon the next day ? 2840. And then you and the other gentlemen of the city of Cork of your way of