SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. sJ7' 24T wSl'^ Amarr^^^^^ retUrDSOf thG COnstables Church- Maidens. A man may be poor one assize and rich the next 4751- I here having been 183 individuals let off in one district of the citv bv the grand jury which sat in August last, those 1 83 will be called upon by 1the^ collectorJ - FxLtrso. 1" 1688 UP° DSUbSeqUCnt aPpliCat*° n thG exemPtion should be renewed? 47.52. The exemption applies to one collection only ?— One only ^ 4753. 1 herefore, there must be a reconsideration of each case at each assizes? 4754. Otherwise, the collector's duty is to levy upon the person the amount of the rate at which he is valued ?— Yes. 4755- With regard to persons that were let off at the assizes of 1837, can vou state how many of those had been exempted from the payment of that rate-— In- deed I cannot; but a great many had been exempted upon the previous assizes and they had only to go through the same ordeal at that assizes; the new presen- tations by us were not many at all. 4756. Mr. Beamish.] Have you referred to the list of freemen to see whether any names have been admitted upon the roll, of persons that have not served their full time ?— Yes ; I was aware that after the year 1831 no honorary freemen could vote at the election, and when I received the summons of the Chairman, I had re- course to what is called the roll of freemen, kept in the public office of the court- house of Cork ; and in going over that roll I found gentlemen admitted honorary freemen appearing on the roll after 1831, after the prescribed time in the Act of Parliament. I wrote a letter to Mr. Besnard, stating that such was the fact, and Mr. Besnard at his own office went over those parties with me, and Mr. Besnard showed me that the entry upon the roll was an erroneous entry; for that on refer- ence to the books of admission, parties had been admitted before the time set forth upon that roll; that it was a clerical error. I have no document but the public one to go by, and therefore if there was an error, it was not mine. Mr. Besnard will account for the difference between the roll and the books. Then again, another matter of complaint is, the men who were admitted to their freedom without having served seven years apprenticeship. I gave Mr. Besnard a list of that number, and I am now ready to prove that they did not serve their apprenticeships ; that they were illegally admitted freemen and voted at the last election. I will first read the names of freemen that appeared upon the roll as honorary freemen, and their dates; there are nine of them; Thomas Hungerford, of Cahermore, admitted the 8th of September 1832 ; sworn the 5th of November 1832. 4757. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] Are you acquainted with that gentleman ?— No. 4758. Do you happen to know that he is as extreme a Radical as any in the county of Cork ?— That is pleasant to hear, but I do not know him at all. 4759. Chairman.] Has he ever voted ?— He has. 4760. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] How did he vote ?— I cannot tell without looking at the poll. 4761. ( To Mr. Besnard.) Will you state the circumstances of the admission of Thomas Hungerford, of Cahermore ?— I have here the book in which the entry is made at the time at which the freemen are admitted; the portion of the book I now have was written before I was town- clerk ; it is in the handwriting of the gentleman who was town- clerk at the time. Under the head 8th of Sep- tember 1830 I find admitted as a freeman Thomas Hungerford, of Cahermore, gentleman." When I came into the office, I found that the roll of freemen was Mr one " that gave no clue at all to the time of admission, nor the right of admission, I constructed a new book altogether, in which I went back to the every man's admission, and I find that the clerk who entered this made a mistake. The one immediately preceding is the 13th September 1832, Francis Carlton Reeves; then immediately follows 8th of September, and the clerk wrote 1832 4762 Have you any doubt that that gentleman was admitted previou to the passing of the Reform Bill ?- He was admitted upon the 8th of September: S30 1 47C3. Mr. Beamish.] Is that book to which you have been lastrefe ng the book in which the public expect that you have a correct ^ ll- uooi/ was misled 4764. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.} The gentleman who copied the book was misled by having the date of September 1832 rmmedrately pre*^ ding it?- Nodoib - 4765. Mr. Beamish.] Why should a man appear above hu on he w o entered subsequently ?- I entered them not according to the time they^ were 0.46. E E 4