The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-22 00:00:00

here to report the proceedings at the meeting held at Donny-
brook—you could not report unless you had a place o n the
platform to hear and see. Tell me to whom did you apply ?—I
do not know.
How did you get to the meeting ?—I went there with a
gentleman connected with. the Dublin Evening Post; he
being well known did everythin for me, and got me a place on
the platform.
You said when Mr. O'Connell arrived there was great con-
fusion ?—Yes..
ersons coming on the platform?—
That was created by p
It was.
There was no breach of the peace—no alarm on your part?

--NO.
Mr. HENN—You would not give 50,0001. to get away from
it—(Laughter)—was not all quiet and deco, ous ?-It. was.
The report of what occurred at Donnybrook you transcribed
from the notes you took ?—Yes.
Have you that paper ?—Yes.
Now, having come over in a double capacity, did you furnish a
report to the Government and to the Morning Chronicle?—Yes.
To the CHIEF JUSTICE-1 assisted in preparing a report
for the Morning Chronicle.
Mr. Mx N—Was that on the same day?—Yes, it was on
Monday.
Did you on that day copy the short-hand notes you took to
furnish your report to the Chronicle? Oh, no ; 1 sent off by
post that night, and it was not more than thirty lines ; I only
wrote a portion of Mr. O'Connell's speech without referring to
my notes at all.
When did you write out the report for Government ?—On the
next day.
Is it a full report ?—As full as possible, except in those por-
tions to which I have referred.
I understand you took a verbatim report of what you consi-
dered material ?—Yes.
You cannot be always precisely verbal ?—Oh, no ' • and .the
change of a word might often make a very material difference
in the sense of a sentence.
But of those parts you did not consider material you did 'not
take a note ?—No.
You took what you call topical notes of what took place ?
Yes.
But you do not pretend to say that you even gave the sub-
stance of what was said in those special notes?—l .do not un-
derstand the latter part of your question. I took notes in such
a way as not to misrepresent the sense of the speaker upon those
points on which he spoke ; but I do not pretend to have given
the words,nr anything like them.
Do you pretend to say you have given even the substance of
the observations made on the various topics ?—I do not know
how far the expression " substance" extends.
Mr. HENN —Why substance is substance, and it is so plain a
word that it could not be made plainer.—(Laughter.) Did
you give the substance?—l gave the substance, or meaning of
the observations? _ _

1 --
Of all the observations ? Oh, no.
What then ?—The discussions of these topics might have
occupied twenty sentences; but those twenty sentences might
contain but one idea, and I only put down the idea.—( A laugh.)
What are the topical notes ?—The substance of the observa-
tions made on the vanous-topics alluded to.
Now, Mr. Ross, having escaped from the savages —(Loud
laughter)—and got back to London, you got courage to come
back again ?—I did not come back again.
Why, you were only at Donnybrook first?—Oh, yes, I
came back.
Were you not under the same alarm then, as at first ?—Yes,
I was ; I had experience of only one meeting tnere ; but it
was not in the neighbourhood of Dublin that I was afraid ; I
entertained apprehensions at first.
Were you then in the employment of the Chronicle?—No.
Did you come as a reporter for Government?—No, I came
as a reporter for the Standard.
Not on the part of the Government?—Yes, on the part of
the Government also.
Who recommended you to the Standard ?—Myself.
Were you known before ?—Every person connected with the
press knew me in London.
You know Mr. Bond Hughes, then ?—No, I have not the
pleasure of knowing Mr. Hughes.
He knows you?—Only by reputation.
Did you see him here —Yes.
Your reputation recommended you to the Standard ?—I did
not say it in that way, but I believe it was my reputation that
recommended rne.
Having been thus recommended to the Standard, you came
here on the part of the Standard and the Government, and
with that intention you attended several meetings of the Asso-
ciation ?—I did.
Now, you will tell me how you got access to the Association.
Was it your reputation introduced you there ?—No, it wag either
the gentleman who went with me to Donnybrook, or another
gentleman from the same establishment.
Did you tell him you were connected with the Standard ?
—Yes.
And with the Government?—No, I did not want to tell him

that I was connected with the Government.
You saw Mr. Hughes ; did he knew you personally ?—Yes ;
he was, I am told, in my company about seven years ago at an
entertainment given to a gentleman.
Did you send reports to the Chronicle 2—l sent reports of
three public meetings to the Chronicle.
When you came here, did you come for the Standard and
Chronicle and the Government?—Yes.
. Did you send reports to the Standard, Chronicle, and Go•
vernment ?—I did to the Standard and Chronicle, but not to
the Government. I wrote the report out here.
Did you not transmit reports to London ?—Yes, to the
Standard and Chronicle.
The Standard is a Government paper?—l never disclosed
the fact that I was here on the part of the Government until
last night.
May ne you stated that you had come here for the Chronicle
alone May
!isit I? I never stated a falsehood my life,
and it is too late now to begin. I did not state at all that I
came here on the,part of the Government. There is one with
whom lam connected—l mean my wife—whose wishes and
feelings I always consult—(Much laughter among the ladies in
the gallery, and the persons in the body of the Court )—and
she was averse to my coming here as a Government reporter.
I had my own feelings, too, on the matter. An artist of re-
putation, who had been asked to exhibit, in Dublin, a picture
containing portraits of celebrated Englishmen, had refused to
do so; and when a gentleman, such as he, entertained appre-
hensions on the matter, some allowance must be made for my
having a reluctance to state why I came.
Well, then, I take it for granted that you would not under-
take the business for 50,000/. ? You did not communicate the
matter to the Morning Chronicle?—No.
Now, Mr. Ross, you attended at Loughrea, Clifden, and
Mullaghmast meetings. Did you send reports of the proceed-
ings at each to the Chronicle?—l did not send the report of
the Mullagmast meeting to the Chronicle.
You are acquainted with the person who represented the
Chronicle t here ?—Yes.
Had yon any communication with him at that meeting ?
Yes; he was close to me.
Oh ! then, you know Mr. Geary ?—Yes.
You ale quite sure you did not send that meeting to the
Chronicle 2—Yes.
Did the Chronicle pay you for that meeting ?--The Chronicle
paid me only for what 1 sent.
Did you charge them anything for the Mullaghmast meeting?
—Yes, I did.--(lndications of surprise in the Court. )
How much did you charge for sending them nothing ?-011,
they got the Mullaghmast meeting.
Gear: then did the whole of the meeting, but you charged
for it, and got the money ?—No.
What!—Allow me to explain (witness, turning to the
bench, said)—l regret I must state those circumstances, but
I am compelled to explain. This gentleman, Mr. Geary,
wanted some money to enable him to go to those meetings, in
order to send reports to London. I advanced him money on
several occasions for that purpose. On this occasion, being
run a little short, I wanted some money myself, and he could
get no supply of money from London, and he therefore pro-
posed that the Mullaghmast meeting should be sent over in my
name, as I should be sure to get paid for it.
Did you get the money from the Chronicle for that meeting ?
—I did, but I gave it to him.
Having attended at those monster meetings here, way I ask
you whether you have ever, in the course of your duties in
England, attended at any of the great public meetings there ?
Not at many, but at some of them.
At any of the Anti-Corn-law League meetings?—No,
_ .

never reported any of them.
Don't you think it very wrong that a reporter should be
called upon to give evidence ?—No, certainly not. 1 think
a reporter should obey the law of the country ; and I
never heard that questioned until I heard it by some gentlemen
here. 'Tis preposterous.—( Laughter. )
You were not always merely a reporter 7—No.
You were, 1 believe, an editor ? —I was.
Were you the editor of a newspaper called the Carlisle
Patriot ?—I was.

About what time?—ln the years 1837, 1838, and 1839.
What were the politics of that paper ?—Conservative.
Are those your own politics?—They are.
Were they always so ?—Not alwa,ys.
For the last ten years ?—The title has not existed for ten.
years.
But the principles might?—True enough.
What were you before you became a Conservative ?—Why,
if I might define it
1 only ask you to name it ?—Why, I might answer that
if I may define them—
" In moderation placing all my glory,
The Tories call me Whig—the Whigs a Tory."
been complained of (said the witness) by some of my own
family, who are strong Liberals, for being a rank Tory; and I
have been condemned by some of my 'I ory friends for being
too much of a Liberal.—(Great laughter.)
And perhaps, both were right ?—Perhaps so. I can only
arrive at a mean by the assertion of opposites.—(Laughter.)
lam glad you came over to Ireland to enlighten us When
you edited the Carlisle paper you had no objection to tell me
what denomination of politics you belonged to?—The title
existed at the time, designating a body of men who enter-
tainei opinions in reference to public affairs, in which, gene-
rally I concurred with them. If you ask me what I was before
that, I should say, a moderate Whig before the Reform Bill
passed.
Never had a touch of the Radical about you ?—Never ; I
had the same feeling as all young men in favor of Liberal in-
stitutions, and I trust 1 shall always entertain it.
Mr. HENN—And I hope you may inspire the Government
with a similar feeling.
Witness—l don't think it at all necessary.
Were any of the members of the present Government con-
nected with that Carlisle paper?--Not that I know of.
•You don't know who the proprietors were while you were
editor?—No, not one of them (after a pause), except from their
own statement.
Do you remember a prosecution of a person named Taylor at
Carlisle—Dr. Taylor—and giving evidence on that occasion?
—No, I do not.
You do not. Is that your answer?—Why, if I gave any
evidence, or answered any questions, it must have been about
some very unimportant matter, for I don't recollect it.
Very likely : I suppose it was a topical note you took of it as
you didn't consider it material?—l took no notes at all. It
was just an examination before magistrates.
I see your recollection is reviving. Now, I again ask you
were you not examined before the Magistrates ?—I don't re-
collect that I was.
Did not you protest, upon the high authority of a reporter,
that you should not be called upon to give evidence ?—Witness
(apparently astonished), Oh, certainly not.
Are you sure of that?—Sure of it l I never did any such
thing in my-life.
Didlou.take any active part at electioni in England ?—No.
Not, at all?.:—No.
.. • Did,you always confine yourself to the mere drudgery of re-
porting?--'When? .
Dttring the coarse-of your connexion. with the press 2—No. I
have pgoasionally; written articles. . ,
Did, you everovrlte an election squib?—Not I am
aware. • If. you will4how anything, of the kind 01.te11: jou im-
mediately. ,• •
Do you-remember an election at Carlisle?—Yee,
Do you remember-.a Mr. Wentworth standing,•as *a candi-
date ?—No. •
You do not do not, .
Mr. HENN (handed up an election placard to witness)--Do
you remember that placard ?—No.
,I do n
rememberotl ve
the nnaemer
sa
ftw oherheard
candidate h whosenam name before.
i
s
to Dito?—yoNuo
Were you connected with the public press in 1841 —Yes;
I was connected with the London press.
And do you tell me that you, who were connected with a
London newspaper in 1841 aid not hear of a contested elec-
tion in Carlisle at that period?--I tell you again I never heard
of the names before.