The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-08 00:00:00

IHE CHARGE OF CORRUPTION AGAINST
IRISH MEMBERS.

The select committee appointed to investigate this
charge met again yesterday at one o'clock, and resumed
the inquiry. The members were all present, including
Mr. Henley (chairman), Lord Hotham, Lord Barring-
ton, Colonel Bentinck, Mr. Bright, Mr. Muntz, Mr.
Macartney, Mr. Keogh (the Irish Solicitor-General),
Mr. Harcourt Vernon, Mr. Butt, and Mr. G. H. Moore.
Mr. Burke Roche, M.P., and Mr. Daniel O'Connell,
M.P., were again in attendance, as were also Dr. Gray,
Mr. Lucas, M.P., and Mr. Duffy, M.P. The room was
crowded throughout the day.
Mr. Kane, the solicitor, was recalled, and produced
certain memoranda in his own handwriting relating to
the loan by Mr. Howley to Mr. Somers, made at the
time of the transaction. Among those memoranda
was one to the effect that, on the 17th November
1840, he (witness) had finished the searches for any
unsatisfied judgments that might be outstanding
against Mr. Somers' property ; and another showed
that on the following day, the 18th of Nov., the bond
was executed by Mr. Somers, and the 4001. paid over
to that gentleman by the witness in the presence of
Mr. O'Hara. Mr. Somers' solicitor continued for several
years after that to act as the solicitor of Mr. Howley.
His impression was that the loan originated with Mr.
Somers applying directly to Mr. Howley. An adver-
tisement had been previously inserted in the newspapers
by Mr. Howley, stating that a sum of money was
ready to lend, and referring applicants to witness.
Witness did not negotiate the loan of 4001. made by
Mr. Howley to Dr. Curtis. That loan to Dr. Curtis was
made in Trinity Term, 1841, much later than the loan to
Mr. Somers, and it was secured on bond in the same
way, and not on mortgage.
Mr. James Fair was next called. He said he resided
chiefly in the county of Roscommon and occasionally in
Dublin. In March, 1848, he was desirous of obtain-
ing the appointment of a paid guardian, and had
two or three communications with the Poor-law Com-
missioners on that subject. In the early part of 1849
he came to Dublin, where he met Mr. Charles O'Hara,
a solicitor, at Westport, an old schoolfellow of his, to
whom he mentioned that he was making application for
the appointment in question. Mr. O'Hara stated the
name of a Mr. Graham, a solicitor, in Dublin, as being
likely to forward the views of witness, provided witness
satisfied Mr. Graham as to his qualifications. In a
subsequent interview he had with Mr. O'Hara, that gen-
tleman stated that a sum of money would be required,
but witness could not now recollect whether the amount
was named. A day or two after that intimation he hap-
pened to dine with Dr. Gray, an intimate friend of his,
to whom he mentioned the circumstance of making an
application for the appointment of a paid guardian-
ship, when he said the office was not likely to be a
permanent one. He met Mr. Graham about the same
time by mere chance at an hotel where he was din-
ing, with whom he had some conversation on the subject
of the appointment, but not a word passed between
them as to any money being wanted. Witness inferred
from what he had heard from Mr. O'Hara that it was
through Mr. Somers, the then member for Sligo, that he
was to get the appointment, because Mr. Graham was in-
timately connected with Mr. Somers.
Dr. Gray was recalled, at his own request, and stated,
substantially, that the evidence he gave on a preceding
day had been misconceived by the short-hand writer of
the committee, in that the printed report of the evidence
represented him as implicating Mr. Burke Roche, M.P.,
and Mr, D. O'Connell, M.P., as being concerned in the
sale of places, which he never fora moment meant to do,
and that, in mentioning the names of those gentlemenis
connection with certain pecuniary transactions, he was
merely repeating a vague rumour he had heard in Dub-
lin. He did not intend to give any force, or authenticity
whatever to that rumour.

The Chairman then reminded Dr. Gray that on a pre-
vious day he was apprised of a resolution of the com-
mittee that they would expect him by Monday last to
be prepared to furnish them with the names of parties
who might be able to substantiate the general statements
he had made in giving this evidence before the com-
mittee. He (the chairman) had to ask Dr. Gray if he
was now willing to give the names of those parties ?
Dr. Gray replied that he was prepared to give the
names of some parties who had had conversations with
him upon the subject, and who had stated, in the most
distinct and positive way, that members of Parliament
were in the habit of selling their patronage.
The Chairman—Then be kind enough to give those
names. _ _ _

Mr. Bright (interposing) said he wished the room to
be cleared before the witness complied with that request.
The room was cleared accordingly ; hut the committee
shortly afterwards adjourned, it being 4 o'clock, until
Thuroclity, at 12 o'clock,

PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 7.
Her Majesty will inspect the fleet at noon on Satur-
day, and it will sail, in pursuance of orders at present in
force, on Sunday morning for the Baltic. The spectacle
of the Queen reviewing her fleet in battle array before
despatching ft to its desfination will doubtless again
draw thousands to these shores. The inhabitants of
Portsmouth intend to show their respect for Sir Charles
Napier by presenting him with an address, and giving
a parting ovation on his embarkation for sea on Sa-
turday. It is supposed Sir Charles will embark at the
Victoria-pier from the house of his friend Mr. Grant
next Saturday afternoon. The Victoria-pier is within a
couple of hundred yards of the spot on Southsea-beach,
now marked by an old anchor of the Victory, where
Nelson embarked before Trafalgar. The weather to-day
has been somewhat clearer than yesterday, and the
fleet at Spithead has been plainly visible nearly all day.
Rear-Admiral Corry shifted his flag from the Prince Re-
gent to the Neptune, 120, this morning. It is a subject
of general regret that the tides did not admit of this
magnificent three-decker being got out to Spithead yes-
terday. With the matchless crew of the Prince Regent,
Captain Hutton would have had her equipped and re-
ported ready for sea in 48 hours, and she would have
formed a most noble and conspicuous object in the spec-
tacle anticipated on Saturday next. The Blenheim, 60,
screw two-decker, met with a mishap on going to Spit-
head yesterday afternoon. After clearing the harbour's
mouth, in the direct course for Spithead, when off the
Spit-buoy, she found a vessel moored directly in the
fairway of the harbour channel. On discovering this
(there was a thick fog at the time), the Blenheim put
her helm a-port (in pursuance of the instruc-
tions laid down to follow in such cases) to go
under the stern of the merchantman, thinking she
was anchored in mid-channel, when she immediately
after grounded on the edge of the shoal of the Spit Sand.
She sent into the Port Admiral for assistance, which
was promptly despatched. Admiral Superintendent
Martin's dockyard staff were quickly at the scene of the
disaster, and worked all night at lightening the ship of
her guns, heavy sea stores, watery &c., and, being per-
fectly upright, she floated off the shoal between 5 and
6 o'clock this morning, we believe without damage.
The Commander-in-Chief, Sir Thomas Cochrane, was
at the spot in the Fire Queen all night.
Rear-Admiral Chads has exercised a division of the
fleet to-day in shot practice, and the ships have been
akdereosns tf arin nag-
been the cause of some most absurd reports ashore. The
nleien
n exercised
ev
rri
eseeaeesrdfil yni ngpAramons vhadekodti loosingntgfhre destruction from
mai
lsail,nneliaonnf
in
neuocsfshhclips this afternoon
had a collier, and has
facts are simply these :—The United Kingdom, 245
tons, Hobson master, in ballast, while on her way to-
day from Southampton to Sunderland, got within range,
and a 321 b. shot struck her a little abaft the mainmast,
above the cabin deck, entered the vessel, struck a flour
barrel on the other side, and, coming against one of the
iron knees of the vessel, lodged there. We are happy
to say no one was hurt by the splinters. The astonish-
ment of the skipper at so unexpected a visitor we need
not attempt to depict. The wounded craft was brought
into harbour to be repaired in the dock.
The St. Jean d'Acre's bowsprit-cap, which was
started on the occasion of the collision with the De-
sperate is being bolted afresh—an operation which re-
quires the jibboom to be got in ; a now maintopmast in
lieu of the one carried away at sea has also to be tried
aloft before being stowed. These things have delayed
her getting all ataunt before this.
The Royal George, screw, 120, Capt. Codrington, C. 8.,
only averaged 6 knots an hour from Devonport here on
Sunday last, owing to meeting a severe easterly gale ;
her complement is 990, and she was only 57 short of
that number on making Spithead. Her lower deck porta
are 5 feet 5 inches out of the water. The last of Ad-
miral Corry's division (the Arrogant) has been paid
wages to-day. The fleet appears to be moored now in
the following order :