S E L E C T C O M M I T T E E O N F I C T I T I O U S V O T E S , I R E L A N D . 287L ? / professionally engaged. One of the policemen jumped over the bar, and I John believe he touched Mr. Curran, not knowing who he was; Mr. Curran jumped up ; he did not say that which has been stated; he was perfectly civil and cour- teous, but he made some complaint of the policeman; that was the whole; I 8 J sent off to the barracks for a proper force to preserve the peace of the court, but it subsided, it all went off peaceably, and everything was perfectly quiet • Mr. Berwick's whole conduct was of the most gentlemanly kind throughout the whole transaction. 13061. But whatever observations Mr. Curran made were not directed to you, did not allude to you ?— Not that I heard, it was directed to the police; Mr. Curran was perfectly civil and courteous, and so were all the barristers', except one, who is dead now. 13062. Then this is an utterly unfounded statement, of Mr. Curran having stood upon a bench, and said, " the Government ought to be ashamed to send such an ermined idiot to administer the law " ?— I never heard so; he used some harsh phrases respecting the police, but I am not conscious that he used any discourteous expressions towards me. 13063. Mr. Lefroy.] And from the tenor of Mr. Curran's conduct towards you throughout the registry, do you believe he would have been capable of act- ing so very incorrectly ?— I do not believe he would be capable of it, he is not that kind of person; I had never seen him before, and nothing could be more courteous than his manner; and there was no unpleasant altercation between us during the whole time. 13064. Did you in any instance cause the court to be cleared when there was neither noise nor disturbance in it ?•— No, never, except at the time of the cholera; I cleared it on each side, to prevent the crowd pressing too much upon the bench. 13065. But with a view to give one party or the other any advantage over their adversaries, did you ever cause the court to be cleared ?— Never. 13066. Then a statement that you did cause the court to be cleared when there was neither noise nor disturbance would be an unfounded statement ?— I conceive it would be so. 13067. Was there any occasion at Ballymahon on which Mr. Calhoun com- plained that he was not treated fairly by you ?— That was the case of partiality I stated before; the arithmetical calculation of the value of the freehold. Mr. Calhoun sometimes made use of strong language, but I think it arose from a warm temper more than anything else. 13068. Chairman.] Did he ever throw up his brief?'— No, that I am aware of; he left Ballymahon for a day or two; there were two days or one day he did not attend at Ballymahon. 13069. Then when it is stated that he " pitched up his brief," can you throw any light upon that expression ?— Certainly not. 13070. Mr. Lefroy.] He acted before you at other registering places after- wards ?— Yes; at Longford, for a considerable time afterwards. 1 thought he prepared that memorial; that was my impression. 13071. Is there any truth in the statement that you and the counsel on one side'were in the habit of living together ?— Certainly not; I never dined with any of the counsel except Mr. Hutton, who was on the Liberal side; I asked him to dine with me; he is an old friend of mine, and he came and dined with me. Mr. Lendrick was a very unhealthy man, and dined at his lodgings. 13072. Mr. Lendrick, who was the counsel on the Conservative side, was not in the habit of dining with you ?— No. 13073. And the only occasion on which any of the counsel dined with you was when Mr. Hutton, the Liberal counsel, dined with you?— Yes; we go the same circuit, and are on very good terms. 13074. Have you any reason for knowing that the counsel on the Liberal side were perfectly satisfied with your conduct, and deemed you to have acted as impartially by them as by the other side?— Yes; I had a letter from Mr. Berwick, the counsel for the Liberal side, I think a day or two before the close of the registry; there is no date to it, but I can state positively that it was a day or two before the close of the registry. 13075. Did it come by post?— It was delivered to me in the court- house, on the occasion of his, leaving Longford; either in the court- house or the inn; I 643. 004 was