V 286 M I N U T E S O F E V I D E N C E T A K E N B E F O R E T H E John F. Fosbery, Esq. 8 June 1838. Longford ?— No ; 13046. But no relation of Lord with Lord Longford. # 1 3047 And in no way connected with him ?— None whatever. Nor with Lord Forbes, nor with any of his family I never was in company the 13048. Nor with Lord Foroes, nor wiui any ui ms uuuuy ?— Not Sllfi 3040. When you received that letter from Lord Stanley it did not state to what county you" were going ? it only communicated that you were to be a revising barrister ?— Certainly. # 130,50. There was no mention made of the county of Longford in that letter ? — None whatever. 13051. When were you first made acquainted that your destination was the county of Longford?— O11 my return to Dublin, when all the barristers were desired to meet at the Castle before they undertook their duties.^ 13052. How were the counties assigned to the different barristers, as far as you are aware?— I believe they were assigned without any particular reason that I know of. I thought I was going to Derry. 13053. When were you first made acquainted that Longford was the county for which you were to act as revising barrister?— I think three or four days before the 10th. We came over to Dublin, and the warrants were given to us at that time. 13054. Were you or not in any way connected with the county of Long- ford ?— In none whatever. 13055. Neither by property nor friendship ?— Neither by property nor in any way whatever. I never was in the county of Longford, except passing through, in my life ; I never stopped there, nor did I know any one in the county, except Sir George Featherstone, with whom I had a slight acquaintance, and Mr. Thomas Lefroy; those were the only two persons I knew in the county. 13056. Then if Mr. Nicholls stated in answer to question 10725, that, " that it was not for talent or ability that his appointment was made, it was from connexion and influence," you only state, I suppose, that it was not certainly from connexion and influence ?— No ; as to the other it is a matter of opinion. I suppose if I had not been a proper person I should not have been appointed. We are all liable to error, but the Judges certainly confirmed my decisions. That is all I can say; but certainly it was not from any local connexion, or any connexion at all. 13057. At that moment, do you know whether or not it was the desire of the persons in authority at the Castle of Dublin to support Lord Forbes's influence in the county of Longford ?— I have not the slighest idea. 13058. You know nothing about it?— Nothing whatever. 13059. Mr. Lefroy.] Did any such occurrence as this stated in the evidence of Mr. Nicholls, in the answer to question 106/ 2, occur: " On one occasion the barrister ordered the policemen to draw their bayonets, and clear the court; and Mr. Curran stood upon a bench, and said the Government ought to be ashamed to send such an ' ermined idiot' to administer the laws" ?— I will state exactly what occurred: the last evening of the registry, about half- past 10 o'clock, one of the police constables complained to me that he had been ill treated by a gentleman in court. I believe he was a Roman- catholic clergyman, and I appealed to him, and said, I was surprised a person of his character and station in society would condescend to treat a man in an inferior station in the way he had. He answered me in rather a complimentary strain, and I thought the whole was over, but the person who acted as sub- sheriff came and told me he had struck him. I though this was a very high contempt of the court. It was very late in the evening, about half- past nine or ten; we sat very late; and some of the persons in court, young men, I suppose, thought I was' going to commit him, and they jumped up on the table in a very violent manner, and said they would protect their clergyman. 13060. Chairman.'] They did make use of those expressions ?— Yes, several young men. I said I was bound to see the court properly kept, and if I staid there until the morning, I would take care the law was properly enforced as long as I sat there. Mr. Berwick, who was engaged for the Liberal side, came in, and said, in a very conciliatory and gentlemanly way, they were acting exceedingly wrong, and in three or four minutes the whole subsided. There was a great deal of confusion ; I told the police that if they continued as noisy as they had been, I would clear the court- house of all except those who were professionally 1113.. I* M at a! ; ZWr at* Bp # m W % j; c^ i M I lit! if If; 1 i ¥ f? Kl jlfi I to jMiilftDi II P1 gsipi dpi p Bife H mi C Is ML J P ykk Ml jusff Aft Hi fJte