188 M lNX J T E S OF E V I D E N C E T A K E N BEFORE T HE James Ternan. 10933. Is not there a practice of re- registering upon certificates?— There was in 1832. May 1838. 10934. Men came up and registered upon the mere production of certificates of former registries ?— The agents upon both sides had the certificates of former registries, and produced them, and got them renewed. 10935. Without the claimant appearing or being examined?— Yes. 10936. That necessarily must have left an opening for unqualified voters ?— Yes ; there were certificates taken out for men that were dead long before. 10937. Anti tllose a11 remain upon the register to this hour ?— Yes, they do. 10938. When once the name is put 011. it remains?— It does. 10939. Do not you think the system of registering upon certificate, without the attendance and examination of the claimant, very much calculated to intro- duce fraudulent and fictitious voters upon the register ?— I know that certifi- cates were taken out for persons that had long ceased to exist. 10940. Is not the system itself calculated to produce that mischief?— Of course it must be when they have done it. 10935*. With respect to Michael Conboy, who you say voted in 1835, and afterwards in 1837, upon what ground was he evicted from his land; was it for non- payment of rent, or upon the title ?— Upon the title; it depended upon the life of his father, and his father died. 10936*. You were understood to say, that he was not evicted from the whole of his tenure ?— He was evicted, but he was afterwards let back ; he got a cabin or a house, and an acre of land. 10937*. Can you say exactly how much he got back ?— I think an acre or an acre and a half; not more than two acres. 7 ^ 9 10938*. Have you any opportunity of knowing the precise quantity he got back ?— Yes, it was pointed out to me. 10939*. By whom ?— By a man in the neighbourhood. 10940*. How came you to inquire so particularly ?— I was acting in the capa- city of agent in the booth in 1835 ; I held the books while one of the agents was going out to luncheon, and this man came up to vote on the Conservative side; and it was so notorious through that neighbourhood, that even his own party were laughing at the idea of putting him forward; and I had the oath put to him, and he took it, and some gentlemen in his neighbourhood on the opposite side admitted to me, that the man had no qualification, and I inquired after I went upon the land. 10941. When did you go upon the land?— In 1836. 10942. In 1835 you put the oath to him ?— I did. 10943. It was notorious in the county that he had no qualification?— Yes; and Mr. Ferguson, a very active man on the side of Mr. Lefroy and Lord Forbes, laughed at the thing afterwards. 10944. You did not poll a single man upon the Liberal side that had lost his qualification ?— Not to my knowledge. 10945. Nor to your belief?— In 1836 there were some men in this situation; the life in the lease had dropped, but they had the years, and they conceived that they still had the qualification, and those men voted ; I think there were four or five on each side that voted in 1836. 10946. Did any insolvents vote on the Liberal side?— Yes, on both sides; there were about an equal number on both sides. 10947. Any bankrupts?— I think there were. 10948. Yon say an equal number of insolvents voted on both sides ?— I think so ; I saw the certificates in those instances taken out in the office during the previous petition of 1836. 10949. Did any other description of men vote who had lost their qualification but those insolvents ?— Not that I recollect. 10950. Nor believe?— Nor believe, except the men I have stated, the life in whose lease had dropped ; and they having the years conceived that they had a right to vote. 10951. You do not know any instances of men who had totally lost their qua- lification, or who had parted with some of the land, having voted on the Liberal side ?— Indeed I do not. 10952. Nor heard of any ?— Yes, I have heard charges on both sides. 10953. The question now refers to the Liberal side ?— Yes, I heard of some. 10954. You