84" MrNUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE Was not there a vote of thanks to the corporation for having given you that?— There was. I believe you have had some communications wkh the chamberlain at different times upon different subjects connected with the interests of the Chamber of Com- „ merce, when they have wanted different things?— We have; both when he was our J. M. Hervey. . .. J , • y representative and since. (• 2 July.) jn those communications which you have had with him, has he not always evinced an inclination to forward the public interests of the city of Limerick?— Yes ; every thing that we requested of him in that way that we could reasonably expect him to comply with, he has done so far as my recollection goes; I should like to have an opportunity of stating further, something that is creditable to the chamberlain respecting the other tolls, the small tolls. Will you have the goodness to state it ?— After we had taken the tolls on corn and potatoes several years, we had occasion to know that the collectors of the small tolls and gateage oppressed the country people very much in demanding more than they had a right, and ill- treated the poor people coming into market, and we made appli- cation to the chamberlain, requesting that he would take measures to prevent the misconduct of those toll- gatherers, with which he expressed his intention to comply to the utmost of his power, and he offered to the Chamber of Commerce at one of our meetings, that if we would take the collection of those tolls upon ourselves, he would give them to us for 100/. a year less than the present tenant paid for them, which was 500/. Who is the present tenant ?— A person of the name of Stewart was the tenant then, and I believe he has been ever since. Did the Chamber ofCommerce take them?— No, we declined having any thing to do with those small tolls and gateage; but we requested that he would order the tenant of the corporation, Thomas Stewart, to put up as the law directs, a list of all the tolls and gateage dues that the corporation claimed at every custom gap, that is, the place where they collect the tolls, and to warn the toll- gatherers, the under tenants of Stewart their tenant, from taking any thing more than what is in those schedules; and also informing the country people, that if the toll- gatherers should injure them, or extort from them, or ill- treat them in any way, to apply to the magistrates, and Lord Gort did comply with our request in that respect, and agreed to abate to their tenant 1001, for the next year, on condition of his complying with this requisition of ours; notwithstanding which, we found Stewart, the tenant of the corporation, so tardy that we were obliged to complain by letter to Lord Gort, and his deputies continued there depredations until we employed men at our own expense to watch them at the different custom gaps, and to give information against them, and we had several of them punished. You have been asked respecting the commissioners of the parish of St. Michael; and you state, that you were on it yourself, and that you gave it up in consequence of the non- attendance of the commissioners?— I stated, that I was nominated in the bill as a life commissioner, but I declined acting from the beginning, because I did not approve of the principles of the Act in several respects ; I never did act. You state that you place every reliance on the list of commissioners which has been handed to you, and that you believe them to be a competent set of men to fill the situations which they occupy ?— If they choose to attend punctually, I think that list which is now before me may be safely trusted. Is not the paving of the New Town very bad ?— It is not very good. Is not the best part of it, that which is powder pavement?— There is no part of it of any extent ( that I can recollect) wholly powder paved ; some of the present pavement has been repaired with powder pavement, of which I do not approve. Then you consider that the New Town of Limerick is not well paved, from the circumstance that it is repaired with powder pavement ?— I do not approve of that method ; I think it would be better to make it all powder pavement, or all pitch pavement. Do you consider Limerick to be well lighted ?— Yes; I do consider Limerick to be well lighted, as respects oil lamps, far better than the streets of Cork are lighted, which I believe cost more. Do you know whether the oil and those kind of things are got by contract by the commissioners of St. Michael's parish ?— I am not acquainted with their mode of doing business at all; having declined being a commissioner, I have studiously kept clear of their proceedings. Have