S E L E C T C O M M I T T E E ON F I C T I T I O U S V O T E S , I R E L A N D . 175 / 10714. You think he always took the advice of the counsel in favour of the Mr. s. Nicholls. Conservative interest as to what he should do ?— That was my view. 10715. You never heard him decide any case against those counsel?— He 22 Ma? l838- might, I dare say. 10716. Did he decide two cases against the other side?— I state that without being aware of any case ; but I dare say he might. 10717. How many cases do you think he decided against the counsel on the other side ?— Some five or six or ten or twelve cases might be brought forward, things that he had ruled otherwise before. 10718. But he never ruled any case against the Conservative interest, unless it was in accordance with a decision he had given before ?— That is the impres- sion upon my mind. 10719. That he always took his opinions upon the law of the case from the Conservative barristers ?— So I thought. 10720. In opposition to the Liberal barristers ?— Yes. 10721. Mr. O'Connell~] That you describe as the general bent of his mind ? -— The general tenor of his conduct. 10722. There might be particular instances to the contrary ?— Yes. 10723. He is a gentleman that has made no way at the bar?-— I never heard of him at the bar till he came down there, and I have scarcely ever heard of him since. 10724. Have you heard that he is any relation to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ?— I heard that he was related to Lord Longford, and that it was upon that account that he got the appointment. 10725. Chairman.] Why should his being a relation of Lord Longford get him the appointment ?— It was not for talent and ability that his appointment was made, it was from connexion and influence. 10726. Was Lord Longford a strong supporter of the then Government?— No, he was not; but Lord Forbes was Comptroller of the Household to Lord Anglesea, and he had a great deal of influence; and knowing that Lord Long- ford had a good deal of influence in the county, Lord Forbes wished to secure Lord Longford's interest by getting his friend appointed; that is how I account for it. * 10727. Will you state your grounds for making that assertion?— It is my own surmise. 10728. Your belief was, that Lord Anglesea was exceedingly anxious to oblige Lord Forbes, and sent down a very insufficient person in consequence of Lord Forbes's application ?— Yes; and I beg leave now to state that with respect either to the absent or the dead, I never state a thing that I have not stated before their face ; I spoke before Lord Forbes's face in the manner I am speaking now. 10729. When did you state that to him?— At the registry and election in 1832. 10730. In what part of 1832 ?— During the registry and the election. 10731. Wliere at ?— In the town of Longford. 10732. Do you mean whilst the registry was going on ?— No ; but while the canvass for the election was going 011. 10733. In what part of the county did you tell him so ?— In the town of Longford, at the public meetings, speaking from the platforms where we used to meet for the purpose of the election. 10734. You spoke aloud?— Yes. 10735. It was a sort of oration that you made ?— Yes ; I stated that to show that I would be incapable of stating anything of the deceased that I did not say when he was living. 10736. Will you state what you said before Lord Forbes?— I spoke of him as a very unworthy person to represent the county ; that he was a person who had people about him that were likely to disturb the county, and that the dis- turbance of the county brought them emoluments; that it was a source of gain to them, and that he was a very unfit person to represent the county. 10737. Anything more?— That wTas the general tenor. 10738. You never said that he had got the Lord Lieutenant to send down an improper person and a partial person to register ?— I did not. 10739. How came you to say, that you said before Lord Forbes that of which you have accused Lord Forbes before this Committee ?— I did not mean as to 643. z 4 those