.' ON P E T I T I O N S R E L A T I N G T O L I M E R I C K T A X A T I O N . 87 And you never knew a single individual admitted as of right, except the indivi- duals admitted under the mandamuses?— No. This petition of Mr. Russell's is dated on the 6th March 1821 ; do you recollect this petition being submitted to the council, or tendered by the mayor ?— Indeed I do not know this individual one; there is a note there that the then mayor made, " Received the 2d May 1821;" Mr. Marett, he was then mayor. You say, you got those petitions in the bag?— Yes. Was that the bag of Mr. Yereker, when he was mayor ?— Yes. Who succeeded him ?— Mr. Gabbit. He was two years mayor ?— He was. And Sir Christopher Marett after him ?— Yes. He was one year mayor ?— Yes. And Mr. Ormsby has been mayor since ?— Yes. Then you have had those petitions in your possession four years?— No. When did you get those into your possession?— Immediately before or after the committee sat, to the best of my recollection. When did you get them ?— I got them from Mr. Murphy, and he said they had been in his possession ever since. Did he tell you what they were ?— Petitions for freedom, and a great many other papers, informations and recognizances, as well as that. And you have let them lie upon your shelf ever since ?— I never opened the bag till I opened it the other day, to make a return to the order of this Committee, and then I separated the petitions. You and Mr. Murphy have had the custody of those petitions for four years ?— I have had custody of them from immediately before the committee sat, and Mr. Murphy tcld me the bag remained in his possession since the bag came out of Mr. Vereker's possession. Who is Murphy ?— The high constable. An officer of the corporation ?— Yes. In what month did you receive this bag ?— Either the latter end of October, or the beginning of November 1821. Was the green bag handed down from mayor to mayor ?— No; it is usual when, a mayor is going out of office to clear out the bureau for his successor, and all these insufficient informations, or informations not acted upon, and useless paper, were put into this bag. And those petitions amongst them ?— Yes. What became of the clearing out of Mr. Gabbit's bureau ?— I do not know. What became of the clearing out of Sir Christopher Marett's bureau ?— I do not know. What reason did Murphy assign for bringing the bag to you ?— I was directed to ascertain if any of those twelve or thirteen petitions were presented before, and then I made an inquiry about petitions; I knew there was a number presented during Mr. Vereker's mayoralty; I spoke to Mr. Murphy, and he said I have a bag of papers, in which petitions, I believe, are. But you, on receiving that bag, never examined it ?—' No ; I was taken ill imme- diately on the second day the committee sat; I could not attend ; I attended the committee the first day, but the 8th of November I was sick. You were present at the first meeting of this Committee ?— I was. You have no reason to think that those different mayors, who had occuppied the station since Mr. Vereker was there, knew any thing of the existence of these papers ? — I believe not; they were not in the press during Mr. Vereker's successor's time. Appendix ( A . ) Mr. Edward. Parker. (• 27 June ) Veneris, 28° die Junii, 1822. THOMAS SPRING RICE, ESQCJIRE, IN THE CHAIR. Mr. Edward Parker, again called in ; and Examined. WHAT book is that which you hold in your hand ?— This is a query book. - Does that book contain an account of the different presentments made by the ' ward l'ar, x( r- grand juries of the city of Limerick ?— It does. < 28 June-> 617. Have