SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. 4,> 9 17 July 1838. define the boundaries of the farm " ?- When I said that, I did not confine it to Richard Daly, Esq. the case of Mr. O Moore; there were other witnesses of a similar description called. 15367- But he was one of those whose evidence conveyed that impression to your mind ?— Yes. 15368. Mr. O'Connell.] Have you read Mr. Julian's evidence respecting Mr. O'Moore ?— I have not. s 15369. Mr. Hogg How came it, in examining the persons pretty accurately before they went to the test, that such an immense proportion of them after your examination came to be rejected ?— I believe I explained that in a former part of my evidence; I did not state that in every case the claims of those persons were scrutinized by me. In fact, I live in one part of the county Tullamore; the majority of the claimants generally attend the Birr sessions, and where the list was numerous and they came in on the day of registration^ I would not have time and opportunity to sift their cases; and with regard to the notices, the majority of the notices were never seen by me until I went into the registry- court, and that is the reason why such a great number were rejected. 15370. May I ask, in point of fact, whether the politics of those gentlemen you have mentioned, Mr. Cosgreave, Mr. Howley, and Mr. Lisle, were the same, Liberal or Conservative ; were their politics supposed, by general reputation, to be what is called Conservative, or what is called Liberal ?— The impression on my mind was that Mr. Cosgreave was half Conservative and half Liberal. 15371. Which was the registering half?— I thought the Conservative half predominated at the registering. 15372. Was the general reputation of those gentlemen in the county that of being Conservatives or Liberals ?•— The fact is, with regard to Mr. Cosgreave, during the registration there were some strictures published, in what we call the Liberal papers, on his mode of registering. 15373- Can you state what his politics are?— I cannot. 15374. Or of the others?— Mr. Howley is considered a Liberal; Mr. Lisle I cannot define; I believe he is no decided politician one way or the other ; he has been appointed to his present situation by the Marquis of Normandy. 15375. You say the title- deeds of the claimant were not shown to the opposing party ; do you believe that is the general practice of the registering barristers in Ireland, to refuse to the opposing party the inspection of the lease or title- deed of the claimant ?— I have conversed with a number of professional gentlemen since I came to London, ( Irish gentlemen,) and their opinion is, that in the majority of cases, the inspection of the title- deeds is withheld by the registering barristers. My own knowledge does not extend beyond King's County. 15376. Mr. O'Connell.~\ Do you know any subject in the profession that is liable to so much discrepancy of swearing as a man's opinion of the value of land ?— I do not. 15377. You know that surveyors' opinions differ to an enormous extent ?— They do. 15378. Have you heard of the case in which the College of Dublin were concerned the other day, in which one surveyor valued it at 150/., and the other at 2,400/. ?— I have not heard of that. 15379. To know the value of any man's particular holding, is it not essential the actual site and actual position of it should be known ?— That is my humble opinion; and further, that the view or inspection ought to be taken when the crops are in a state of maturity, or being matured. 15380. Are you aware that Mr. O'Moore swore he did not know whether Derivan had made any improvement or not ?— Indeed I cannot say. 15381. You are not acquainted with the details of his evidence t-— I am not; I did not take a note of it; but, as far as I recollect, he swore he did not know the individual holding, but he had a general knowledge of the townland. 15382. That he was himself seised of half the townland, and that he gene- rally knew the townland without knowing anything of the house or land of Derivan, or his improvements, or what crops he produced; but from his general knowledge of the townland, he did not estimate that so many acres as Derivan 643. 3 h 2 nelci