132 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE Mr. D. Meagher. 16 February 1838. the • I house is worth 10/. a year ?- I visited those houses and places that I thought might be questioned, and that among the rest; and when I did, I took down the man's name, and his residence and business, in this book, and having satisfied myself as to what I thought either good value, doubtful value, or bad value and as I find that I have written opposijte this man s name value, I do conclude from that, that I must have made a particular examination to satisfy my mind. 3010 Having gone to visit this house because you thought it probable that its'value would be questioned, did not you think it would be judicious in you not satisfied my own mind. If I had been going to give evidence in a court of law, I might have taken it down, and if I had taken it down with a view to give all those particulars, I could not have done it within the time. 3020. Do not you know, as a man of the world, and a man of experience, that you require something more than a man being of good character to give value to his testimony, upon a subject matter of this kind; a matter of judgment as to the value of premises ?— I think I ought to have some judgment, for I have premises in many of the parishes of the city of Cork. 3021. Do not you know that there are many gentlemen on this Committee that never had the pleasure of seeing you before ?— Very true. 3022. And who must sift your evidence to see that you have grounds upon which to build your opinion ?— My foundation is my knowledge of the rent and of the premises. 3023. Knowing that you were to be questioned upon this, and that the value of these premises was to be impeached here, and knowing that you were a stranger to a great proportion of the gentlemen upon this Committee, did not it occur to you that it would be necessary to have some data upon which to satisfy the Committee that you had come to a right conclusion as to the value ? — Perhaps Mr. Lane would have the kindness to see what it is valued in the book. 3024. Have you any property in Blarney- lane ?— I have, in the upper part of it; the ground upon which the gaol is built, is my property ; there are small houses in the neighbourhood. 3025. Are you possessed of any houses in that neighbourhood ?— No; the gaol occupies five acres of ground. 3026. When that was let to the gaol commissioners, was it a piece of open ground?— It was; there were houses also there, and they were swept away, 3027. You do not possess any tenements to be let out to poor people there? — No, I do not; but a man in my employment lives in the neighbourhood, and has a house; and I know a good deal of the people there, and their habitations. 3028. Mr. Lefroy.] How many houses altogether did you visit, with a view to inspect their value ?— I find that 4/ 0 is the last number in my book ; but I must observe that in that 4/ 0 there are many who registered in the opposite interest, whose names I put down, and I did not visit the houses for the reason that I before stated, that I did not question their value; my object was, the extension of the franchise. 3029. Can you state how many houses you valued ?— I think about 300. __ Ypg°' V1Slted the houses that J ™ thought were likely to be questioned? • 303'. And those only which belonged to those who voted in the Liberal interest i— Lxactly. f 0 that you visited, how many did you find were of inadequate \ alue to entitle them to the franchise ?— Very few Jg& SZ T- TT1 ? 0Ul(! SUW° se in the whole certainly not 20, and that, be it observed, might be from deterioration ' J - ' ' I " ue since the registry of 1832, as many of hem, I find, ha, e not voted since the first registry in 1832. likelv to b? n7S y }" 0U t linkJhat tlle whofe that you visited as being likely to be questioned, are of sufficient value ?- With the exn^ ti ™ nf nbont 1 Dleasf before the barrister 3034. Then probably you think that the : d, are of sufficient v? pleased to find, upoi _ 11 . %! A ^ } WIV X11U UXL I looked at them. S° sustamed by the value of the houses when on nr • T n- 00 3 . r " ^ exception of about inspection, _ that the inquiries 3035- Did you go out without any predisposition upon your mind to find that