. ,46 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE Mr. Richard Gould. 1 March 1838. measure - but I have attended to the business a great deal more attentively since. For the last three years I have been ^^ ry attentive to it. Do not you know that 4471. it caused very great trouble having the lists made out in t^ e manner inwlnch they were preparatory to the first registration ; that is, having them made out merely alphabetically, so that people from all parts of the liberties were classed together according to the first letter of their names ?— I do not know how it could be made out better. 44- 0 Do not you think it would be of advantage to have the persons classed with reference to the different parishes and townlands which they inhabit?— I think the alphabetical list would be much more convenient. If you want a name in the alphabetical list, however numerous the letter may be, you have only to look through it, whereas you may be looking for a man in one parish, and he may be in another parish, if you do not know his district 4473. Suppose you were not only to have them all arranged according to alphabetical order, but likewise to have them sub- divided again in each letter according to the parish which they inhabit; would not that classification very much facilitate the identifying the name ?— Indeed it would; and we are anxious to afford every facility. 4474. As it stood at the time of the first registration, and has stood ever since, you are obliged to have different persons in all the different places wher parties are registering, to identify and scrutinize their qualifications ; and are not they impeded in so doing by having them mixed up together in this way ? — They must be of course; but then again there probably will never be so large a number as there was at the first registry. 4475. Have you attended at the elections ?— At the last two I have. 4476. Did you attend at the booths ?— I attended in the committee- room. 4477. Do you know how many booths there were ?— Ten. 4478. The electors were divided according to the initial letters of their names, witliout any reference to the places where they reside ?— Yes. 4479. In order to have an effectual check upon the people that come up to poll, were not you obliged, as far as possible, to have persons in every polling place who were acquainted with the different districts contained in the liberties ? — Our party gave up that idea altogether; it was useless to have persons there as a check, because we could not prevent their doing it. 4480. You could not prevent their doing what ?— Personating. 4481. Was there personating going on ?— I have no doubt there was on the other side. 4482. Do you mean to say that all the personation was on the other side ?— I took as active a part in that election as any other man, and I can say for the committee, that it was my wish and their wish not to allow a single personation on our side; we had no occasion for it; and I was surprised to hear, in the course of the election, that there were two or three on our side ; it could not be prevented; but on the other side they were not at all scrupulous, I believe. 4483. Chairman.']- All the scruples were upon your side ?— Upon my word we were very scrupulous. 4484- Mr. Serjeant Jackson^] All the scruples were upon your side, and all the transgressions were upon the other side ?— I can say that the scruples were certainly upon our side, and I was surprised to hear, in the course of the elec- tion, of two or three personations on our side ; it could not be prevented; but on the other side, and at the former election, the personation was shameful, and we lost the election by that and the non- residents. 4485. Chairman.] Was there any attempt on the part of your friends at the former election to prevent this personation ?— We attempted to prevent it, but we could not; I will give an instance: I was at the committee- room almost trom the first minute the election commenced till it closed ; a man came in one day making a great noise, as he had good cause for doing; he said, " I was up in the Lancastenan- room, where I was mustered, and I handed the certificate up to the gentleman that was receiving them, and I was there ready to be sent LITI5 am JheV , went in t0 I found that the person to whom I Zrt , CTi ff had s? f * int0 court> and 1 was Personated ; I went into Ter Ll7g ? ela£ ? nd 1 found t0 m> r sul'Pnse that another person had ES fo^ my'' SamSt US" ^ ^ made to the * 4486. Was he indicted for perjury r- No, we found the thing hopeless ; the other