SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. ,57 3589. Mr. French.] Did she tell you that she was his wife ?— Yes 3590. You say that you would not give 10 I. for that house ?- In that neigh- bourhood I would not give it, because I do not know the value so well as the people in the neighbourhood. e 3591: But though you would not give it, other persons who let out lod< nn2s might give it ?— They might give it, certainly. 10ao, nos 3592. So that you do not mean to say that the house is under the value of 10/ by saying that you would not give it ?— I do not mean to say so. 3593- Mr. Serjeant Jackson.'] What kind of a house is it?— From the memo randum that I have put down here, I believe it is worth 10/. I know that if it was doubtful value I should have written " doubtful value" after it. 3594- 5- What kind of house is it; how many apartments had it I cannot tell at this distance of time; I went through 470 houses. 3596. Do you recollect what kind of a house this was at all ?— I cannot bring to my recollection. b 3597. You cannot say what kind of repair it was in ?— No. 3598. Mr. Lefroy.] Whatever doubt you might have as to the value of any house, it appears that if any person told you the rent was 10/. it removed your doubts?—' No, I cannot say that; because, if 1 thought it was beyond all question, I wrote " good value,"' and I do not find " good value" written here; I have only written " 10/.," and if the value was doubtful for 10/. I would write " doubtful value." 3599. Notwithstanding 10/. rent was paid?— No, I would not do that. 3600. You were only satisfied that 10/. rent was paid by a person that you knew nothing of telling you so ?— Yes. 3601. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] Would it affect your judgment if you were aware that this man, having been valued at 5/., appealed, and satisfied the grand jury that his house was not of the value of 5 /.?— From what I know of the grand jury, it would not affect my mind ; because I know of many of 20/. or 30/., and many of 10 L, being struck off*. 3602. Have you attended at the grand jury as a grand juror?— Upon one occa- sion as a grand juror, but frequently as an appellant 011 the part of the people. 3603. Have you served as a grand juror upon the investigation of those appeals? — I have. 3604. How do you proceed?— The foreman deputes two or three to go into the business and examine into the claims, and whenever we found that the parties were in reduced circumstances or poor, we used our discretion. We had before us parties paying various rents. We did not look at the rent paid, we looked to the circumstances of the parties claiming; many widows had houses, and many per- sons unfortunate in trade. If the rent was very high we were more minute in our examination of the parties; but without reference to the rent at all, we marked them down " poor." 3605. Did you consider that you were bound to get at the truth without refer- ence to the value ?— Not at all; as to the value, it was only with reference to the circumstances of the party, because, if that were the case, how could 24/. or 25 L houses be put down as " poor" ? 3606. Chairman.] Supposing a person appealed against being upon the rate at all, at the value of 5/., would you think the circumstances of that man the only point that you were bound to take into consideration ?— I would charge a 5/. rate, and I have charged many of them. 3607 Supposing an individual appealed against being placed upon the rate at all, that is to say, appealed against being valued at 5 /., would you not consider it your duty, as a grand juror, to ascertain whether that house was or was not ot the value of 5 I. ?— I conceived that I was to go by the constable s valuation, witn- out any view of mv own. .. 3608. Then you mean to say, that in no case did the grand jury strike off any house valued by the constable at 5 I ?- They did strike off houses valued at 5 by36orBefore they struck off those houses, did they investigate whether the house was of the value of 5 /• or not?- They could not for the c. ty- iate, because they saw the value in the city- rate books. QiI1Qt; nn was correct 3610. The question was, whether or no the city- rate book valuation was; correct parties having appealed against the valuation in the city- rate books Then what 53 the grand jury do ^ ascertain how far the valuation m he city- iatbooks was or was not correct l- After the valuation of the valuatois 111 1828, there was 0.46. x 3 / s/ Mr. D. Meagher. 28 February 18^ 8. an