20 PARLIAMENTARY [ Jfiftitious Fotrsi, Reports, 1837- 8— continued. Courtenay, Thomas. ( Analysis of his Evidence)— continued. number of the votes objected to in 1832 remain on the register; those examined into and decided against by the Committee were taken off the register by a warrant of the then Speaker, 6541- 6557 Description of the register, 6546. 6551- 6556. Supposed number of votes that might be struck off' the register as bad on both sides, 6558- 6569. 6586- 6590 Number of electors polled at the last election, 4570- 6573 Very desirable that the registry should be reviewed ; the present is a bad working system, 6591 Number registered in 1832; manner in which the registry was con- ducted, 6592- 6596 Great delay and confusion caused from the mode in which the list of claimants was made out, 6595- 6605 At the first registry the Liberal party objected to as many as they could, 6606- 6608—— Names of the counsel attending the different registries for both parties, 6609- 6612- There is nothing in the Reform Act which will obviate the inconveniences that took place at the first registration, 6614*- 6623. Very desirable to divide the registry of Granard and Longford, 6622, 6623 After the first registry the registration devolved upon the assistant barrister of the county, who refused to" admit the parties who had been struck off the register by the Committee of 1832 ; they were, however, subsequently admitted by him without any additional evidence being produced of their qualification, 6624- 6645 He refused to hear evidence against the claimants, 6646- 6652 Very great dissatisfaction expressed at his conduct, 6653- 6657 Evidence respecting the character and political opinions of the present chair- man of the county, 6664- 6673 He has admitted persons who were struck out by the Committee of 1832, as well as others who had been rejected by his predecessor, 6675- 6703^ Case of Christopher Cahill, who was taken off by the Committee of 1832 as a bad vote, but was subsequently allowed to register, 6687- 6701 Mr. Tighe considered the claimant to be the best judge of the value of his land, 6707. 6732 Class of persons who were called as witnesses on the part of the Conservatives, 6708- 6718. Mr. Tighe did not refuse to hear evidence against the claim, but decided against such evidence, 6719- 6728. 6733 The effect of Mr. Tighe's decision has been that respect- able persons will not come forward as witnesses, 6734- 6737—-— Mr. Tighe's opinion that a tenant having a beneficial interest in premises to the amount of 10 I. was a proper qua- lification to place them on the register, 6740- 6742 In consequence of this decision many persons give notice to register who would not have done so before, 6745- 6747 Evidence respecting the petition against the return of Mr. White in 1837 ; number of persons objected to on that occasion, and decisions of the Committee thereon, 6757- 6795—"— Decision of that Committee that one of the witnesses for the sitting member was not entitled to credit, 6779- 6781 Number of votes struck out, and how many of them voted at the last election, 6782, 6783. 6793. 6795 The system of creating ficti- tious votes has been increasing of late years, and under the present system of regis- tration the evil will extend itself, 6796, 6797. Repeated instances of persons coming forward to claim out of the same holding, and being admitted, O798- 6806 Instances have been known of persons taking the qualification oath who have parted with every perch of land, 6806- 6808- Great difficulty in sustaining an indictment for perjury, 6809, 6810 Persons have been admitted to the register on the production of pieces of paper pasted on bits of news- papers, in which neither the name of the lessor nor lessee, rent, tenure nor execution appeared, 6811- 6816 An oath as a test of qualification is not a good or politic system ; suggestions for doing away with it, 6817, 6818 Claimants frequently resort to the evidence of one another, for the purpose of upholding their qualifications, 6819- 6822 Present system of registry tends to an awful demoralization of the population, by accustoming them to the taking of false oaths, 6823- 6837 The Conservative party have the majority amongst the rentchargers, 6838- 6840 Great improvement if the lists were made out not only alphabetically, but also with reference to the parishes or other sub- divisions, so that all of the same neighbourhood should be called on together, 6841, 6842. No appeal allowed under the Reform Act, 6843, 6844. 6849- 6852. - An annual re- vision of the registry recommended, 6845, 6846 Instances of persons who have become insolvent after the registry who have voted at the elections in Longford, 6846 In no case can the county cess be made a criterion of the real value of property, 6853- 6859 No necessity to wait the expiration of eight years previous to re- registering individuals regis- tered in 1832, 6860, 686i' Mr. Tighe has re- registered several persons upon produc- tion of the certificate granted to them at the Reform registry, 6861- 6891 There is considerable difficulty in ascertaining the claimant from the alphabetical lists published, 6878- 6882—— By the decision of Mr. Tighe, to admit persons on production of certi- ficates, the onus of proving any disqualification on the part of the claimants is thrown upon the person objecting, 6874- 6882. [ Second Examination.]— Evidence respecting the opinion expressed by Mr. French, that he had 110 power to replace persons on the register whose claims had been dis- allowed by a Committee of the House of Commons, and his subsequent admission of them, 6892- 6916' Also as regards the re- registration of parties on production of cer- tificates only by Mr. Tighe, 6918. 6937- 6941" -- - As to the difficulty in ascertaining