Mr. Richard Gould. 3 March 1838. . ,46 we MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE w„ conceived: and, on inquiring how they came to register, we were told by the people, a few of them were registered by the Conservative party 4261 Those Conservatives in Cork, in short, play all manner of tricks upon you?— I do not like to refer to it; but we found the worst description of houses occupied in that interest. . 4262. The Conservatives occupy the worst description of houses in Cork ?— No, on the contrary, they occupy the best. > _ A26- Does not it strike you to be a rather curious thing that the worst houses should be those registered by the Conservatives ?— We found half a dozen of the very worst of them. 4264 Chairman.] You mean houses not of the value ot 10 /. ?— Yes. 426 -,. Mr. Lefroy.] Did you find that any that were registered by that party werenot worth 107. ?— Certainly. 1266. How many ?— Perhaps we found half a dozen ; we only went to those that voted for the Liberal party at the last election, and we found a few of them that we could not say were worth 10 I. and we asked the people how they registered, and they told us that they registered, and we know that they regis- tered in the Conservative interest, and voted for them perhaps, with the excep- tion of the last election. 4267. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.'] They voted for the Liberal party at the last election ?— Yes, for those that voted for the other party at the last election we did not, generally speaking, visit. 4268. How did you prevail upon those Conservatives to vote for the Liberal interest ?— They were not Conservatives ; they registered through influence in that interest. 4260. Mr. Lefroy.] How do you mean that they have registered through influence in that interest ?— If the Committee wish I will refer to them : there was a man of the name of Carey, in Bandon- road; he voted for the sitting member at the last election ; he had always voted the other way before, and we went to his place, and we found it certainly not of the value of 10 /., and he told us, what we knew before, that he was then in the employment of Mr. Polekin, the jeweller, when lie registered, and that he always voted for his party till the last election. 4270. Did he tell you what made him change his line of voting?— Perhaps he wished to go over to the popular party ; his own inclinations are that way I am sure; and he told me also another circumstance that is very generally known. Mr. Polekin is out of business, and he allowed this man an annuity of 8 /. year, but that since the last election it has been withdrawn; he told me so himself. 4271. Mr. Beamish?] Did you visit the house of John Cooney, No. 741 in Mr. Lane's table ?— Yes. 4272. Did you examine it; and do you consider it of the value of 10/.?— 1 do not think we went further than the hall; we found the man there; we found the houses in that lane, although it is the narrowest in Cork, of an incre- dible value, paying rent that really surprised us. We found him there, and on inquiring we learnt that he pays 8/. a year; that he has had it ten years, and that it is worth 20/. to him. 4273. Will you state why it was worth 20/. to him ?— It is a kind of market for the sale of old clothes, and a house there is, on that account, very valuable. There are but two houses in that lane registered; I question if there be a house at all valued. We found his next door neighbour registered. Finnessy ; it was a house that we did not value at all in the valuation of 1828, nor did the supplementary jury value it, but the man showed us a receipt for five guineas, half- year s rent which he had paid up to September; and, on asking his neighbours and gossiping there, we were told that that man had made 4,000/. 111 that house. He showed us his receipt for his half- year's rent, and I presume he has it all himself; I presume he has no lodgers, for he carries on a very extensive trade in this old clothes way. ^ appears that John Cooney is a cabinet- maker; does he • fl l heT doeS ; h is the principal trade in that street; there kne ln C° rk ; 1 su^ ose that two P^ ple could not go abreast 427.5. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] potatoe- market to the Bridewell. Where is this lane ?— It is going from the 4276. Chairman.]