16 ( Ireland.) REPORT FROM COMMITTEE ON PETITIONS during that time, that the streets and lanes, except one, had been kept very dirty, that the market house and tholsel are in a bad condition, that the court house is down, that the gaol is not fit to hold prisoners, that large sums have been raised on the public tor rebuilding it, that he saw the late mayor in the market but once during his mayoralty, that he believed id. had been taken for toll and custom for live pigs, that there was a suit commenced about one of them, and he believed the expense of the suit was borne by the council out of the city revenue, that the piazza under the gaol is turned to a stable, that the present post- office was, as he heard and believed, part of the almshouse, and that part of the ground belonging to the almshouse had been set to Richard Vincent by the council, and he said he believed it was above twenty years since the estate of the corporation had been peram- bulated. Thomas Alley, vintner, being examined, said, He was present in the court of D'Oyer Hundred when the gates and markets were canted in the mayoralty of alderman Francis Sarjent, that he heard Mr. Sarjent publicly in the said court di- rect the toll- gatherers to take three pounds twelve ounces out of every twenty stones weight of wheat, and so in proportion out of every other grain; that he heard Mr. John Smith give the same directions, that he heard the mayor and Mr. Smith de- clare that they would support the toll- gatherers in taking such tolls, and said that the toll- gatherers had not taken their due for some time before, he also said that 63 I. was raised upon the public for repairing the court- house a little before it was pulled down, that 60/. was raised upon the public for bringing water from Monegelagh bog, and it was applied in draining said bog, which belongs to Arthur Roche, and turning the said water from the city. v Mitchell Bennis, sadler, being examined, said, He was present at the time the gates and markets were canted in the court of D'Oyer Hundred, when Alderman Francis Sarjent was mayor, that he heard the mayor direct that three pounds twelve ounces should be taken out of every Winchester barrel of wheat, that the mayor and Mr. Smith declared, that the custom men had not taken their due, and directed them to take as above, that he tried the weight of the contents of the sheebeen, and it weighed three pounds twelve ounces, that the sheebeen was always used for the Bristol barrel, and not for the large barrel, and the said Mitchell Bennis produced to your Committee a sheebeen which he said he often saw made use of in the mar- ket of Limerick, ( and the contents of it in wheat were weighed strike measure before your Committee, and the same weighed four pounds two ounces) that the said mea- sure was taken out of a Bristol barrel, and better than strike measure, that the toll of oats and barley was taken by the same measure, that he was pretty often in the markets, that he saw them take the toll in that manner about three months ago and about two years before, that from the time that alderman Francis Sarjent was mayor, that the toll gatherers likewise made use of a copper sheebeen of nearly the same size, for he measured both, that the copper one was rather less when the measure was struck, but more when heaped, which was their method of taking the toll, as it had a larger and wider mouth. Mr. Hercules Browning being examined, said, He saw the same kind of measure taken mostly heaped out of each bag of wheat, which bag usually held the Bristol barrel; that he saw the toll- gatherers take it one day out of twenty bags, that he saw the same done about three months ago. Several other witnesses were examined before your Committee, who proved that the streets and back lanes of the city have been kept in a very dirty bad condition, that the court- house is down, that the tholsel is in a dangerous condition, that the gaol is not fit for the reception of prisoners, that the market house has been a con- siderable time in a very bad condition, and that there is generally a considerable quantity of bad meat in the markets; but alderman Andrew Shepherd, who appeared and acted as agent before your Committee, for the mayor and common council, in order to save your Committee the trouble of examining any other witnesses to the proof of the said facts, admitted that the same were all true. Mr. John Jackson being examined, said, He was in the court of D'Oyer Hundred, when Alderman Francis Sargent, ( who was then mayor) and John Smith, directed the toll- gatherers to take out of each Winchester barrel of wheat three pounds twelve ounces ; that he had seen a large and a small sheebeen made use of in the markets, that he once objected to the large sheebeen, which held above three quarts, that the toll