ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN. 253 You do not mean to suggest that there should be any discretion left to the grand jury to take a higher offer than the lowest?— Certainly not. Can you give the Committee any information as to the offices of town clerks and clerks of the peace?— The profits of the two offices are about 1,900/. Do you mean to state, that the whole emoluments of the town clerk and clerk of the peace, do not exceed the sum you have stated ?— No, I am sure they do not. Whence do the emoluments of the town clerk arise ?— The town clerk acts as clerk of the crown in Dublin, and they are held by the same persons, and the duty is carried on in the same office ; I am very nearly certain, that the presentments for them in the city of Dublin last year, did not exceed 1,900 /. Are there not other emoluments ?— There are no other emoluments, except in case of gratuities on an election ; and in point of fact, from the number of persons committed, and the number of trials that took place before the recorder, I think they are under paid ; for in the course of last year they had to take proceedings in the performance of their office in preparing indictments; that if they had been paid according to the established rate which the taxing officer would tax them, as regular proceedings in law courts, they would have been entitled to nine times the sums ; there were above nineteen hundred indictments prepared by them, and if that had been taxed according to the established fees of an attorney for a similar duty, would have been entitled to 136-. 4 d. for the drawing, 13 s. 4 d. for the engrossing, and 2 s. for the parchment. Are there not fees paid for the trials before the recorder ?— Yes, there are, and presented for; but they are all included in that sum of 1,900/. that includes all their fees and emoluments for all their labour of every kind, and I think it is an under- paid office. Thomas Ellis, Esq. a Member. ^ j ( 31 May.) 549- APPENDIX.