SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. d7 47 7450. Mr. French resigned his office in January 1837 ?—' That was his last sitting. Tighe. Mr. G. Gardiner. 7451. Who succeeded him ?— Mr. 7452. Was Mr. French reminded of his having rejected, upon former occasions, the men that he latterly admitted ?— I attempted frequently to read to him the note of his former rejection at the latter registries in October 1836, and in 1837, but he always interrupted both the solicitor and me in attempting to do so. 7453- Who do you mean by the solicitor ?— The agent or the attorney, and the counsel, under whose control I was taking notes. 7454. On which side?— The Conservative side; sometimes Mr. Courtenay, and sometimes the counsel along with him; Mr. Courtenay generally attended all the registries. 7455. When you reminded him of his former decisions, what did he say ?— He generally made an observation, saying, that we might do as much as we could to oppose the claimant, but in the meantime he would register the person. 7456. Did you ever hear him use this expression: " Gentlemen, you may speak on as much as you please, in the meantime I will register the man "?— I did; I recollect the occasion well; it was an expression which created much astonishment in the gentlemen of the court. 7457. Have you any notes from which you are enabled to state that?— I did not take down his words at the time. 7458. Was any evidence offered upon those occasions to show that those men had not a sufficient qualification in point of value ?— There was most respectable evidence of the best judges of land that we could put forward, in some cases. 7459. Were the witnesses received or examined ?— They were examined, but their testimony was not regarded by the barrister. 7460. Did. the claimants, in those cases, bring forward any witnesses on their part ?— Sometimes they did. 74b 1. Were any registered without having brought forward witnesses ?— There were, on the claimant himself swearing to the value. 7462. Upon his own oath?— Yes. 7463. WTas the question put to the claimant in any of those cases, whether his farm had been improved since his being struck off the register ?— It was. 7464. Did they state any improvement ?— They did not; but they swore to a higher value than they did before. 7465. They swore to a higher value than they had done upon their original registry ?— They did. 74G6. And that without any improvement in the land itself?— Yes. 7467. Or any improvement by building upon the farms ?— Yes. Mr. French, in October 1836, admitted many that were rejected in 1833, and expressed con- siderable doubts of the value ; he admitted them, but doubted the value. 7468. That is, he expressed doubt in 1836?— Yes; some special cases were remarked at the time. 7469. Mr. French.] He gave the claimant the benefit of the doubt ?— He did. 7470. You state that the claimants, on coming up at the time they were admitted to register, swore to the lands being of higher value than they had sworn to at the other times ?— They did. 7471. And you have given your own opinion that the lands were not of more value ?— They were not, for I know instances. 7472. Have you a personal knowledge of the tenement of each of those persons r— I have a personal knowledge of most of them, for I acted under the tithe composition in the parishes in which some of those persons resided. 7473. And you consider that your knowledge, from attending the tithe com- position, was sufficient to enable you to speak positively of the value of the different holdings ?— It was, for I assisted, along with the tithe commissioner, in valuing those very lands. 7474. Could you point out the name of any person ?— Yes, I could. 7475. Will you give the name ?—' There is one of the name of Thomas Mulvy, on the townland of Ballintubber. 7476. Thomas Mulvy had claimed before ?— He had. 7477. And you were on the lands of Thomas Mulvy at the time of the tithe composition?— I was. 6A* G 4 7478- How 28 March 1838.