SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. 175 / 10372. Were the rights and qualifications of the several persons who came forward to be registered on the Liberal side investigated by the barrister before whom they came up to register?— They were, most minutely. 10373. Was any counsel employed on behalf of what they call the Conservative party in the county ?— Yes, there was Mr. Lendrick was in attendance from the commencement to the end, and Mr. Smiley; and I am rather inclined to hink occasionally one of the Mr. Lefroys assisted. 10374- You stated also that counsel were employed on behalf of the Liberal party?— Yes; and when we were giving our solicitor instructions to retain coun- sel, we instructed him first to apply to Mr. Litton to retain him, if he was not engaged; and, in case he was engaged, to retain Mr. Colquhoun, and, Mr. Litton being engaged, Mr. Colquhoun was retained. We had also Mr. Hare, and we had Mr. Berwick, Mr. Hutton, and Mr. Curran, the son of John Philpot Curran. 10375. Had you those engaged all at the same time, or at different times? According to their engagements ; Mr. Colquhoun was on some time, when his health got bad, and at one time he declined attending; he considered the barrister was so unfavourable to his views, that he pitched up his brief and declined to attend, and said we should get another counsel. 10376. On Mr. Colquhoun's so declining, you engaged other counsel to attend? — Yes. 10377. Mr. Serjeant Jackson. Who was that registering barrister?— Mr. Fos- berry; it was when they were registering at Ballymahon. 10378. Mr. Curry.'] Do you know any means that were taken to prevent the persons on the Liberal side coming up to register?— Yes, I think there were, in many instances, when they were registered in Ballymahon ; the court was rather small, and, under the pretext that it could not accommodate, many people were kept out in the street; the court was in the market- house, and there was a flight of stairs up to it; the people would not be allowed to go up ; they were kept out in the street; the gentlemen who had the ear of the court, they could get their friends in, and could get them accommodation, while the people who had served notices to register were kept out in the street. 10379. Then at Ballymahon persons coming up to register, being out in the street, could not hear when their names were called out in the court- house?— They could not; and it was the same thing in Granard. I have seen a man in Long- ford, even where the court is large, pushed back when going up to register; he was pushed back by a constable, who struck him in the chest with the butt- end of his gun, and he fell back on the steps on the back of his head ; and when I went to examine him, I found that he had fractured his skull, and I sent him to the county hospital. 10380. Do you know whether that man was coming forward to register himself? — 1 consider he was; 1 did not personally know the man ; and there was such great confusion at that time, I neglected to ask his name or anything about it; I did not imagine there would be any investigation of this kind. 10381. In your judgment, from the opposition that was given to the persons coming up to be registered, and from these minute inquiries that were made into their qualifications, do you think it possible that any or many improper votes could have been put upon the register in 1 832 ?— I really do not think any improper votes could have been put in, for the Conservative party had very clever agents and note- takers, and the case of every man was investigated, and every witness who could be brought forward against him, was brought forward against him; the people were also harassed by having to take so many journeys from their resi- dences to the town of Longford, in such a way as to cause some of them to give up the idea of registering; it continued six weeks the registering. 10382. The claimants became tired of waiting until it came to their turn to be called r— Yes ; they had to support themselves at their own expense ; and at the end of the week, when they had to go home, they would have to travel 16 or 18 miles, and perhaps they would have to come back at the commencement of the next week. 10383. Did the Liberal party by their counsel and agents make the same objec- tions to the qualifications of the persons who came up to be registered on the Conservative side?— No; Mr. Colquhoun's view was, that the more extensive the registry was on all sides the better, and he discouraged opposition being given. 10384. Then, in point of fact, there was not the same number of objections made to the persons coming up to register on the Conservative side, that there 643. Y was