The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-10 00:00:00

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VIE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 1854.

LINES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS,

THE CHARGE OF CORRUPTION AGAINST
IRISH MEMBERS.

The select committee appointed to investigate this
charge met again yesterday morning, shortly after
twelve o'clock, and resumed the inquiry. The members
of the committee were all present, namely, Mr. Hen-
ley (chairman), Lord Hotham, Lord Barrington, Mr.
Granville Vernon, Mr. Muntz, Mr. Keogh (the Irish
Solicitor-General), Mr. Butt, Mr. Bright, Mr. Macart-
ney, and Mr. G. H. Moore. A considerable number
of Irish members were in the committee-room through-
out the day, listening to the proceedings ; and the crowd
behind the bar was quite as great as on previous days.
Dr. Gray was recalled and asked by the Chairman
how many names he could give of persons who could
corroborate the general statements he had made be-
fore the Committee V—Witness replied that he could
furnish the names of five such persons—namely,
first, Patrick Fottrell, solicitor, of Lower Gardner-
street, Dublin, who could make a general statement refer-
ring to the case of which he (Fottrell) knew something ;
second, Thomas Arkins, sword-bearer to the corporation
of Dublin, who could speak to money having passed for
Parliamentary services ; third, Mr. Samuel Bindon, a
barrister, of 21, Lower Gloucester-street, Dublin, who
had mentioned to witness a special case, subsequently
referred to by Mr. Lucas in Parliament, of a man who
had offered him (Mr. Bindon) 91. to procure him Parlia-
mentary support in promoting him in the Customs ;
fourth, Mr. Keogh (the Irish Solicitor-General) who, in
1851, in a conversation with witness, spoke Of " Pat.
Somers, and those fellows who lived by selling places"—
(a laugh)—and, fifth, Mr. James Walker, solicitor, of
Sligo, and sometimes resident in Dublin, son of Alder-
man Walker, who had told witness he knew of persons
who had purchased place, in a conversation witness had
had with him in Dublin subsequently to Mr. Butt's mo-
tion for the present committee. Witness added a sixth
name, that of Mr. F. Stonor, formerly of Boswell-court,
Lincoln's-inn, and now a colonial judge, who had made
a general statement to him of corrupt practices. Mr.
Stonor accompanied Mr. Townley when that gentleman
contested Sligo. When asked if he could give the names
of any other persons, witness replied, that if he were to
name every man who had expressed a strong conviction
to him as to the existence of the corrupt practices in
question, his statement would include the names of al-
most every political friend that he had.

The room was then cleared for a short interval, and
on the re-admission of the public,
Mr. Lucas, M.P., was re-called—He explained that
he wished to withdraw the admission of indiscretion on
his part, made on a former day, in holding a conversa-
tion with Dr. Gray in the lobby, when the room was
cleared, whilst that gentleman was under examination.
He considered that, instead of being indiscreet, he very
prudently and properly made the statements he did to
Dr. Gray on that occasion, and that if there was any
Indiscretion it was on the part of the committee in press-
ing Dr. Gray to divulge that conversation. He (witness)
now declined to say how many persons he had had con-
versation with in reference to corrupt practices. In
mentioning certain names to Dr. Gray, he had not the
sightest wish or intention, but quite the contrary, that
they should be made the subjects of investigation before
this committee ; and Dr. Gray appeared to have divulged
those names to:the committee under protest and duresse.
He absolutely refused, with great respect, to give the
committee any clue whatever to cases which had been
mentioned to him in the course of private and con-
fidential intercourse. He disclaimed, in the strongest
and most unreserved manner, giving any credence
whatever to the rumour implicating Mr. Burke Roche,
M.P., in anything like corrupt practices, after reading
in the Tablet the paragraph, to which witness's attention
had been called by the Irish Solicitor-General in his pre-
vious examination. Although he adopted the responsi-
bility of that paragraph, he had nothing whatever to do
with its writing or its insertion in the paper.
The room was again ordered to be cleared, and, after
remaining closed for upwards of an hour, the Chairman
intimated to Mr. Lucas that the committee wished him
to be again in attendance before the committee to-mor-
row (this day).

Mi.. Keogh, M.P., the Irish Solicitor-General, was
next called, and the Chairman having called his atten-
tion to the statement made by Dr. Gray, that in a con-
versation between them, he (Mr. Keogh) talked of
" Paddy Somers, and fellows like these, who live by
selling places," and asked whether he made that remark
to Dr. Gray, Mr. Keogh said he had no recollection of
having done so, but he did not mean to say that he did
not. He had reasons for believing such an expression
might have been used by him, though he had no recol-
lection of it. Being asked by the Chairman to give
those reasons, he referred, as one, to the attempt to sell
the office of postmaster of Ballymote, in which he was
engaged as counsel for the defence, on the prosedution,
by the Crown authorities, of the party concerned.
There was nothing in the case to implicate Mr. Somers ;
but he believed that public appointments both in
England and Ireland were given upon the recommenda-
tion of the members of the House of Commons who sup-
ported the Government of the day. At one time, when
the Government of the day was Whig, the county of
Sligo was represented by two Conservatives, and the
borough of Sligo by a Whig, and three or four appoint-
ments were given to the family or connections of a Mr.
Walker, resident in the borough ; the inference being
that they were obtained through the influence of the
borough member with the Government. He recollected
when he was going circuit some few years ago, seeing a
paragraph in a Sligo newspaper which caused some
amusement in the town and neighbourhood. It was to
the effect that it was a great inconvenience that parties
in the town would not make up their minds as to how
much would be given for the situation of postmaster
there. (A laugh.)
By Mr. Macartney-4He did not know of any pecu-
niary transactions of that kind with which Mr. Somers'
name was mixed up ; but he heard it stated in Sligo
that such transactions had taken place in connection
with Mr. Somers.

The Chairman—By whom did you hear that statei ?
Mr. Seogh—l should require a moment's considera-
tion to answer that. I heard it stated in the bar-room,
but I am not able, at this moment, to fix upon the per-
son who made the statement.

By Mr. Bright—Since the representation of Sligo had
been changed Mr. Walker, of Sligo, had received another
appointment. He had received three appointments from
the former member, and oae from the present.
By Mr. Butt—There was a general rumour in the
district of Sligo that those places were obtained for pe-
cuniary considerations.
By Mr. G. H. Moore—He (Mr. Keogh) had not heard
him (Mr. G. H. Moore) speak more specifically of the
sale of places than in his speech at Ballina, referred to in
the course of the inquiry. In the speech which witness
also made on that occasion he did not recollect expressing
a strong concurrence in what he (Mr. G. H. Moore) had
previously said on that subject. Mr. Moore made an
excellent speech on that occasion, and though witness
could not recollect a tithe of what he said, he had a dis-
tinct recollection that Mr. Moore spoke three hours,
viz., from eight to eleven o'clock. (Laughter.) Witness
followed him in a speech of ten or fifteen minutes' dura-
tion.
Witness, in the course of his speech, had no re-
collection of speaking of the sale of places, though he
might talk of Irish members selling their country for
place, which was a very different thing. (Laughter.)
He had used this expression over and over again, that if
a member received patronage from the Government of
the day he must be supposed to be a supporter of the
Government of the day ; and that position was true of
the members of both sides of the house, and equally true
of English as of Irish members.
Mr. Bright--Then you speak from your own expe-
rience, being a member of the Government ! (Laughter.)
Mr. Keogh—No one knows better than Mr. Bright
that what I have stated is true. (Renewed laughter.)
Mr. Bright—And if those who did not support the
Government asked for patronage, they would not
get it ?
Mr. Keogh—They would not ; and they ought not
either. (A laugh.)
Mr. Granville Vernon—Did you accept your pre-
sent office with any view to bestow patronage on any
person to whom you are under any obligation ?
Mr. Keogh—Certainly not ; and I should be glad if
the committee would examine me as to the bestowment
of any patronage on my part, for they would find that
the only case in which I sought patronage from the Go-
vernment of the day was where a lady, very much re-
spected in the town of Athlone, and who was post-mis-
tress there, having committed some irregularity which
the Post-office authorities would not overlook, and
having a large family entirely dependent upon her, I
used my interest to procure the situation to be given to
a male member of the family, to keep them all from
ruin. _ _

-
By Mr. Granville Vernon—He thought he never
charged the selling of places on Irish representatives
on any public occasion, though he might have used some
such expression as their selling their country.
By Mr. Butt—He had no recollection of speaking to
Dr. Gray on the subject of the appointment obtained by
Dr. Power, as stated by Dr. Gray, and he did not be-
lieve any such conversation took place,
The committee adjourned until to-morrow (this day.)

THE COLLIERY ACCIDENT AT WIGAN.—At the con-
clusion of the proceedings yesterday in this oase the
jury found the following verdict :—" We find that the
deaths of the 89 persons under consideration were occa-
sioned by an explosion of fire-damp occurring within the
workings of the Arley Mine, at the Ince-hall colliery on
Saturday, the 18th ultimo. We find that the explosion
occurred in or close to Pilkington's drift, and was ignited,
as we conceive, from Pilkington's shaft. The origination
of the gas which exploded was we believe from a sudden
and accidental outburst from some point not far from
the seat of the explosion ; and we would point to the
fall in Wobdcock's place as the only likely source shown
for the emanation of such an outburst. We give it as
our opinion that the general management and ventila-
tion of the mine in question from the time of the former
lamentable explosion to the present has been satisfactory,
and the system of working under the peouliar circum-
stances of the pit uncensurable. Under the circum-
stances of these awful explosions, we would strongly re-
commend to the managers that as far as possible the use
of gunpowder in the working places within the mine be
wholly discontinued."
COMMONS ENCLOSURE.—The Enclosure Commissioners
have given their sanction to the following proposed en-
closures, and a bill is accordingly before Parliament to
authorise their being proceeded with :—Heaver-wood-
common, Latnpeter-common and the Undergrove, Iping-
marsh, Cardigan-commons, Barlby, Church Brough In-
take, Curdridge, Porlock-common, Bursled. on, the Oak-
cutts-woods, Wootton Courtney, Hawkndge-common,
Tinhead, Cowleaze. A bill is passed every year to au-
thorise the enclosures which the commissioners sanction.
They do not report, however, in any of the instances
now before Parliament that they have required any al-
lotment for exercise and recreation ; it appears by their
report that they consider the ground unfit for that pur-
pose.