V 318 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 T. Courtenay, Fsq. people to use excitement in the way that has been done in the county of Longford ' amongst a very excitable peasantry ?— Certainly ; I think excitement should be 12 June 1838. abstained from. 13531. Mr. O'Connell,] On every side?— On every side. 135 52. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.~] Do not you think it would be the incumbent duty of those who stand in the situation of spiritual pastors and teachers of the people to interfere, and to endeavour to subdue that spirit amongst the people, and to moderate them, and to exhort them to abstain from violence, and to put down excitement ?— Certainly I do. 13533. Are you aware that in all those public addresses to the people any efforts were made to allay this excitement, and to induce the people to exert themselves to bring the perpetrators of those outrages to justice ; did you ever hear any addresses' delivered with that object in view, or having that tendency ?— I did not. 13534. Did you ever hear of any addresses being delivered from the altar in that county to the people to exhort them to bring to justice the people that committed those outrages and atrocities and murders ?— I did not. 13535. Have you, on the other hand, heard what Mr. M'Gaver stated in his evidence, that there are frequent addresses from the altar exhorting them to come forward and register, and to come forward and vote ?— I have heard a good deal of that. 13536. But you have not heard of those occasions being seized upon by the Roman- catholic clergy to induce the people to be obedient to the law, and to be amenable to the law, and to abstain from violence ?— I have not. 13537. Mr. O'Connell.] You never were present at any address from the altar of a Catholic chapel?— I was not. 13538. Would you not think it rather irritating for a person of one religion to throw out an insinuation against the clergy of another; would you think that very correct?— If the clergy did not bring it on themselves, I would think it any- thing but correct that they should be spoken of. 13539. Do you think you are a very neutral person as to the politics of Catholics and Protestants in the county of Longford?— I would be very glad to see the Roman- catholic clergy abstain from politics, and the Protestant clergy, if they mixed themselves, but they do not. 13540. Do you think yourself very neutral upon this point?— I think so ; I would be perfectly neutral upon it if I observed that the Roman- catholic clergy steered clear of it. 13541. Are you neutral, under all the circumstances?— I feel excited to a cer- tain extent when I see the Roman- catholic clergy interfere as they do. 13542. Do you think it is at all unnatural that the Roman- catholic clergy should take part with that class of politicians who are desirous of increasing the franchises of the Catholic people ; for example, the municipal franchise ?— My idea is, that they should abstain altogether from politics. J3543• Is it unnatural that they should take part with that class of politicians who are for increasing their franchises ?— I think it is unnatural in any clergy. 13544- You think it is unnatural that they should oppose men that are for restricting and limiting their franchises ?— I think they should not interfere as they do. > 3545-_ Your thinking they should not interfere is from your idea of duty ; but the question is, whether it is natural that they should?— I do not think they should ; I think it is not natural, because it interferes between the tenant and his landlord. ,] 3546- The landlord being inimical to the Catholic franchises, and the tenant being a Catholic ?—- If the landlord gives the tenant a bona fide interest under him, I think it is wrong for any man to interfere between the tenant and the landlord. J3547- You think that the tenant, having thus got the benefit of the property of the landlord, ought to sacrifice his political opinions, and to give up supporting the politics of persons of the same religion with himself ?— I think he ought to be left to himself. ^ 13.548- Would the landlord leave him to himself?— If left to himself, my idea is that he would not require to be forced by his landlord, and that he would stand by the landlord. 13549- If the landlord told a Catholic tenant in the county of Longford, " Vote as you please ; I will not be angry with you, or offended ; vote as vou pleasedo you