Mr. D. Meagher. 5 March 1838. 208 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE 4632. You speak now of a man that was in possession before the Reform Bill — I do. ; 6TO Is there any man now capable of voting as a 40 s. freeholder, who had not the ri^ ht previous to the Reform Bill?- Yes, a successor; for instance, if A. B. had an elder son, and he was the successor of his father upon a lease of lives, renewable for ever, he can register as a 40 J. freeholder. 4634. Do you mean to say that he can register it that man s father was alive at the time of the Reform Bill?— No. 46- 5 Is there any man now capable of registering as a 40 freeholder, who was not capable of registering at the time of the Reform Bill ?— I think that there are men on the register, as successors to 40 freeholders, that were not 011 the register previous to 1832. _ . 463O. Do you mean that they have succeeded to the property since i 832?— No. previousto 1S32; but registered in 1S32. _ _ 4657. Were not those men 40s. freeholders at the registration of 1832 :— No because if the father died his certificate died with him, and his son should y be newly certified to be a voter, and then he came in in 1832, and availed himself of it. . 4638. Do you mean to say that any man whose father was alive in 1832 could register then ?— Certainly not; but if a man had a son, and that man died, his son would not be qualified without a registry ; but persons of that description did come in and registered in 1832. 4639. Were not those persons capable of registering in 1832?— They were, and they availed themselves of it at the general registration. 4640. Is there any man now upon the register as a 40 s. freeholder, that was not entitled to register in 1832 ?— Not that I know of. 4641. Then upon what principle is it that you say that the present 405. free- holders are a better class of persons than the 40 s. freeholders were before the Reform Bill ?— Because Tom, being the son of John, John may be a corrupt man, and Tom being an educated man, may be a better man than his father. 4642. Then you can give no other answer than that ?— I think that that is sufficient. 4643. Mr. Beamish.'] You were understood to say, that in 1832 the better por- tion oi the then 405. freeholders were those that re- registered under the Reform Bill?— Yes. 4644. That is to say, that the better portion remain upon the registry, and the worst part did not re- register in 1832 ?— Yes. 4645. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] Did you nearly poll out the whole strength of the constituency at the last election ?— I think not. 4646. How many effective votes were lying out?— I think about 300. 4647. Mr. Beamish.] You stated that the total number of non- registered resi- dent freemen who voted, were 195 ?•— That is what I have; but I understand that 1 have people upon my book who were not upon the non- residents' certificates, but they were non- resident at that time. 4648. Then you mean to say, that though some of that number appeared upon the roli as resident freemen, yet, from your own knowledge of them, you can state that they were non- resident ?— From their places of residence I think it will appear that they were more than seven statute miles from the place of polling. 4649. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] Did you take measures to ascertain the distance at which those respective persons whom you have added to Mr. Colburn's list resided - I did ; I think that when I read the list of their names, the distance will tell lor itself. They are more than seven miles, from my knowledge of the country, from the place of polling. 4650. You took no measures to ascertain it, but merely your own conjecture ?— Not at this time; but at the time of the registry I had an engineer measuring distances, and I had a great dispute about the bird's flight and the travelling road. 4051. Are those 40 s. freeholders a superior class to the householders ?— No ; nor as good as the householders. 4652. Then you classify the voters in this way; first, the householders; and, secondly, the 40 s. freeholders ?- No ; I would say the respectable freemen. 4053. And then the 40 s. freeholders ?— Yes. y 4654. And then the humble freemen, the working portion of the freemen ?— 4655- Mr. Beamish.] You state that you were upon the grand jury in the sum- mer