no We ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN. 95 sation ; my attention was called to this, in consequence of a communication I had with a gentleman on my way to London, he said the grand jury of the county of Cavan paid their officers a certain sum yearly instead of those fees. Are you acquainted with any public mercantile establishments of Dublin, such as the Bank of Ireland ?— Yes, I am. Are many of the individuals who are accustomed to serve upon the presenting grand juries members of any of those establishments ?— I never knew an alderman of the city of Dublin elected to the Bank of Ireland, there is, however, one there now, but I believe he has been made an alderman since he was elected a director of the bank. Do you know when Mr. Read the surgeon was appointed?— I think within the last two years. From your own experience, you are not enabled to say how far the grand jury have any discretion in limiting the fees of the clerks of the peace?— No, I have not; but on looking at the Acts of Parliament I observe that reasonable compensa- tion may be given, and that it is not mandatory on the grand jury, to present to the utmost extent of the fees named in the several Acts. You are aware that it is imperative upon the presenting grand juries, either of Easter or Michaelmas term, to present the presentments which have been sanc- tioned by the presentments made at the sessions ?•— I am aware that the term grand jury, or what is known by the name of the jobbing grand jury, usually present for the presentments at sessions. Are you acquainted with the names of the individuals who have been accustomed to serve for many years consecutively upon grand juries?— Yes, I am. Are you acquainted with the names of the contractors and public officers of the grand jury in Dublin ?— Yes, I am. Can you state whether, between those individuals who are accustomed to serve upon grand juries, and those officers and contractors, there exists any close degree of relationship or connection, or do any of them supply articles for the use of the prisons ?— There is a Mr. Craven, a grand juror, who supplies the medicine him- self, and has done so for a number of years ; Alderman Exshaw has supplied the stationery, and Alderman Read, a grand juror, supplied lead and plumbers' work in his line of trade. What is Alderman Read?— He is a plumber; a man of the name of Stoddart appears to have been a contractor for linen and blankets. Was he a grand juror or related to a grand juror?— He is frequently a grand juror ; Alderman Nugent also appears to have supplied blankets in his own name ; and it appears by part of one of those warrants, that three individuals were ap- pointed commissioners for certain purposes, Alderman Warner was one of them; he was a clock- maker, and part of the business they were to do was to furnish a clock for the new bridewell, and I am informed that 370 /. was the cost of it; there is, however, no document whatever before the public that I have seen or am acquainted with, which shows the whole expense of that building ; Doctor Harty is brother to Alderman Harty, and brother- in- law to Alderman M'Kenny; Mr. Montgomery is secretary to the grand jury, and when I come to that, I beg the indulgence of the Committee, to mention a matter relating to him ; it appears that his salary in 1807, was 200/. and for the last several years it appears to have been 380 I.; and this Mr. Montgomery is also an attorney by profession, and he appears to have been paid for disbursements and bills of costs, commencing in 1807 and ending in Michaelmas 1 820, twenty- seven different bills, amounting to 5,520/. 10s. 8d. I took the following sums out of the fourteen years grand jury warrants now on this table, which 1 beg to hand in to the Committee. Mr. Isaac Stewart. ( 8 May.) [ The witness delivered in the same, which was read asfollows ••]