? y SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. > 2.5 very high there ; it is a small carton. The cess for the 10 acres is beyond 2 I. Mr. G. Gardiner, a year. * 7684. The tithe composition would be about 13 4 d. ?— Yes, between that 28 March l838- and 14 s. 7685. Then it appears that 23 I. 14 s. would be about the amount of the rent, and all the outgoings to which you have alluded ?— I believe that is about the amount of it. 7686. What would be the gross value of the produce of the two cows, in milk and butter ?— It ought to be 8 I. for the milk and butter. 7687. Only 8 I. for the whole year?— Yes ; it is very good when it would pay that. 7688. Then only 2 I. of the produce of the stock would go to the support of nis own family ?— It is not worth more than that. 7689. If then the outlaying of his farm, of every description, is 24 and the gross value of all the produce as you mention is only 34 there is only 10 I. left for the support of himself and his family ?— Yes. 7690. And of that you value the labour at 7 I- ?— I do. 7691. So that, in point of fact, 3 I. in any sense of the word is all the bene- ficial interest he would have in his farm ?— It is thereabouts. 7692. I11 your answer to a former question you said that the valuation has been taken at such a rate as would show the beneficial interest to be 4 I. 5 s. ?— When we valued it under the tithe composition we did that without any reference to this question; we valued it at what it would bring from a solvent tenant. 7693. How could a solvent tenant afford to pay that additional rent for it, if the present occupying tenant could only have 3 I. a year after all expenses ?— He would do the labour himself, and he would not be at the expense of outlay for labour. 7694. In point of fact, you would conceive that you rather over- valued his land than otherwise ?— Fully. 7695. When you spoke of persons being put upon the registry by Mr. French, do you mean to say that they served new notices and brought new affidavits ?— Not new affidavits; they brought the leases under which they were registered in 1832. 7696. Had they given any notices ?— Yes. 7697. Did they produce merely their former certificates?— No, Mr. French did not admit any upon that title. 7698. They went entirely into a new case, for the purpose of proving their qualification ?— Just so; Mr. Tighe admitted some of that class upon the old certificates. 7699. Mr. Lefroy.] When you say, went into a new case, do you mean that they gave further or better evidence of the improvement of their farms than they had given in the first instance ?— No ; I mean that they produced the very same document of title and claim that they first did. 7700. You mean to say, that they did not register 011 their certificates ?— They did not. 7701. If the qualification of a voter wras to be ascertained by such a process of calculation as you have been taken through, would not his qualification depend on his skill, his capital, his industry, and other circumstances of that sort, and not merely on his having land of the clear yearly value of 10/., accord- ing to the clause in the Reform Act ?— That is taking it at the beneficial interest, but I take it at the solvent tenant test; I would consider the value to be what it would sell at if it were brought into the market. 7702. If the qualification were to depend upon such a calculation as you have been taken through, would not the result be, that it would not depend upon the value of the farm, but upon the skill, and industry, and capital of the claimant ? — Entirely, if it was to depend upon that. 7703. Mr. O'Connell.] Would the skill, industry, and capital be of any use if he had not land ?— I should not expect that it would, if he had the land it might be of great use. 7704. Mr. Lefroy.] If after the expenditure of capital and skill and industry upon a farm, it was improved so as to be worth to a good and solvent tenant 10/. a year above the rent paid, he then would have the benefit of his capital, 643. H 4 skill,