SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. 121 ^ ' tdl ^ ^^ k ™ W° rth ' 3/. a year; he told me so, and Mr. D. Meagher. " ^ nor I never asked 2? 6rl' 27OS. Did he tell you who was his landlord ?— No. 2769. Then it is only from his statement that you can at all speak, either as to myself ^ FemiSeS ° Ut ° f which he Paid ?~ Alld visiting the house 2770. But as to the rent he paid, or the premises out of which he paid it it is only irom his own statement that you can tell ?— Certainly 2771 Do you know who that man voted for?- Yes; he voted for the present sitting Members for the city ot Cork. 2772. Did not he know that you had been a very active partisan for the sitting Members r— Certainly; I am almost sure every elector knew that I was. 2773. Then have you the slightest doubt that you told that man what vou went for?— I do not think I did ; I merely asked him what rent he paid for the house, and he told me that he paid 13 /. 105, per annum. 2774. Did you tell him what was ' the object for which you were asking; that information ?— I might, or I might not; when I went through 300 houses, I can- not recollect that. 2775. Do you mean to say that you went round to 200 or 300 houses in Cork, asking the people about their private concerns, the rent they paid, and the premises for which they paid it, without communicating to them, directly or indirectly, the purposes for which you so interrogated them?—! decidedly did; I am frequently in the habit of going to houses for various purposes connected with various insti- tutions. 2776. Have you the slightest doubt, that the persons to whose houses you went the last two months after you had been summoned here, knew that it was for the purpose of being examined here that you went?— I believe generally they did; I have no doubt of it at all, generally; but a great number never knew what my object was. 2777. Did not you mention generally that you had been summoned here?— No ; to very few 1 mentioned it. 2778. Did you mention it to Buckley ?— I cannot say. My family were very uneasy at my leaving home, and I wished to keep it secret that I was summoned at all, and I did not mention it 011 that account, and I kept it secret to the last moment; for they were quite miserable at my leaving home, on account of the accident that lately happened to the vessel. 2779. How is that consistent with what you have stated, that it was generally known amongst the people whose houses you visited, that you did it lor the pur- pose of being examined here ?— Previous to the receipt of my summons, Mr. Young had been summoned, and Mr. Lane and Mr. Besnard, and it became the general town- talk ; and then when my summons came, it got out in that way generally, and it was generally known that I was also summoned. * 2780. Therefore you can have no reasonable doubt that this Buckley and the others did know the object of your visit?— It is very probable he did. 2781. Was not it generally known that you had been summoned by the sitting Members?— No; I got his Lordship's summons. They knew I was summoned by Lord Granville Somerset; but they did not know on whose side, or whether it was bv order of the Committee. 2782. Did you yourself know on whose side it was?— Decidedly 1 did. 9783* Did you know the subject 011 which you were to be examined ?— I did. 2784 That it was to prove that those houses were of a value beyond the amount necessary for the franchise ?- I thought it would be a general examination connected with the nature of the registry. I thought it was generally to give such evidence as would be of service. 2785. Of service to whom To the general question ot the registry. 2786. You knew it was on the value you were to be examined?-! did not think 1 was to be examined particularly as to the value. I l^ w very we hat I was summoned to answer such questions as might be proposed to me respecting fictitious voters m general, and I thought I could give sat. s actory mftmaUonto this Committee. Then I found, as Mr. Young was going round, and in all pro bability he would challenge the value of sever 0.46. K ral houses, therefore those houses that