he admission of the purpose to
which the money was to be applied in the event of the return not being
petitioned against. He remarked:--"If there should be no petition, I
agreed, on the part of Mr. Vigors, that the greater part of the second
L1,000, more than one-half of it, whatever might be the amount of the
election expenses, should be applied to commence the formation of a
fund to indemnify the voters, and their friends and relations, from that
persecution which the Carlow landlords then threatened, and have since
exercised." The subject was brought before parliament on the 11th
of February, by a petition, setting forth the transaction in all its
bearings. The petition likewise stated "that the ballot for a committee
to try the validity of the said return took place on the same afternoon
on which the said second sum of L1,000 had been so received, in respect
of such return, by the said John O'Connell, for the use of his father,
the said Daniel O'Connell; and the said John O'Connell and Daniel
O'Connell both attended the ballot for the committee; and the said
John O'Connell was, in fact, balloted as a member to serve on the
said committee, and suffered to remain on the list of the committee
as finally reduced." The petition prayed the house to inquire into the
circumstances; and if the charge was proved, to adopt proper proceedings
against the offenders. A similar petition was presented from Bath by
Mr. Hardy, member for Bradford; and it was proposed that both petitions
should be taken into consideration on Monday, the 15th. Mr. O'Connell
wished the discussion to be postponed till the following day, which
was agreed to. On the 16th, therefore, Mr. Hardy moved--"That a select
committee be appointed to inquire into the circumstances attending the
traffic and agreement alleged to have taken place between Mr. Daniel
O'Connell and Mr. Alexander Raphael, as one of the representatives for
the county of Carlow, at the last election, and to report the minutes of
evidence taken before them, with their observations thereon." Mr. Hardy
said, that it was impossible to consider Mr. O'Connell in the light
of an agent, as he had argued: who had ever heard of an agent becoming
responsible to such an amount? The terms of agreement were:--"I hereby
undertake to guarantee and save you harmless from any and every other
expense whatsoever, whether of agents, carriages, counsel, petition
against the return, or of any other description." He t