SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. > 2.5 7402. 7403- You are a land- surveyor and schoolmaster ?— Yes. Mr. Lefroy.] You acted as a writing- clerk and assistant in taking notes at the several registries ?— For the last seven years. 7404. During these last seven years you have been employed at the Longford registry in that capacity ?— I have. 7405. You were examined as a witness before the two Committees that sat upon the Longford petitions?— I was examined in the year. 1833, and in the year 1837, before two Committees. 7406. And you had occasion, upon those examinations, to refresh your memory as to what passed at the registries ?— By referring to my notes of the registries. 7407. Altogether, do you consider that you are competent to give the Com- mittee accurate information as to what passed at those registries ?— I have a perfect knowledge of what passed, and have the notes of what occurred at the various sessions. 7408. When did the first general registry, under the Reform Act, take place? — It commenced the 3d of October 1832, and ended the 23d of November in the same year. 7409. There is no public officer who is authorized to make a list of persons for the purpose of being registered?— No. 7410. Every man gives his own name as he thinks fit, or the names are given by others ?— Sometimes the agents belonging to different landlords take on them to serve notices, and there are also notices served by political clubs in the county for many persons who are sometimes not aware of them. 7411. A good deal of excitement exists at the registry ?— A great deal. ' 41: Great efforts were made to bring forward persons to register: - There were, very 7413- You great. - From the com- Mr. G. Gardiner. 28 March 1838 were present at the whole of that registry ?- mencement till it closed. 7414. Are you acquainted with the value of lands in the county of Long- ford ?— I have a very general knowledge of them in the whole county, from attending in the different quarters of the county at the sessions held at each place, and seeing the rents proved at ali those various places. 7415. Are you able to say that several persons were admitted to register at those sessions who had not a bond fide qualification of 10/. ?— There were ; we objected immediately after to a large number on the ground of insufficiency of value; and a scrutiny was commenced upon a petition about six months after. 741C. Upon that scrutiny how many were taken off ?— Upon that scrutiny there were altogether 74, but the value class was not much gone through. 7417. Upon the ground of want of value how many were taken off?— About 30 or 33, to the best of my recollection. 7418. Was the whole list which had been objected to on the ground of under- value gone into?— No; there were about 100 remaining that were not scrutinized. 7419. The votes that were struck off being sufficient to seat the petitioners, the Committee did not go further ?— The sitting Members declined contesting any further, and the petitioners were seated. 7420. The principal witnesses examined before that Committee were gentle- men who had been employed as valuators of land under the Tithe Act?— They were principally persons who were very conversant with the value of lands, from having classed them under the Tithe Composition Act. 7421. They produced their books ?— They did. 7422. And those valuations were made before the Reform Act ?— Those valua- tions were made without any reference to elections, but for ascertaining the real value of the land. 7423. The Committee had, therefore, the most accurate information possible before them as to the value of the respective holdings upon which they deter- mined r— They had; they had the value of the different classes of land. 7424. Were those votes struck off the registry ?— There was an order of The Speaker issued to the clerk of the peace of the county, and he struck those names out of the list, but the numbers remained still in the general list of the registry of the county. 643- G 7425- But