1.—3

34

966. I ask you from your present knowledge how many you had ? —I believe I had one. 967. You are not aware you had more than one ? —I am not. 968. What other names were associated with you in that application ?—I really do not know. It was afterwards used to register a share in the Golden Hill Claim. 969. I find that really three were in what I believe is your name in the list given to Brissenden ?— I was not aware of it. I know there was a right applied for me in the list sent in by Peter Austin. That, I know, was applied for by Peter Austin himself, who got the rights from the office. 970. He did not get them from Brissenden ?—No. 971. There is another list headed by the name of Charles McLean ; you had a right in that ?—I had. 972. There is one in your name, and another in the name of Eichard Disney ; was that yours ? — Tes, that was mine too. 973. You had those two rights ?—Yes. 974. What interest have you in any mines that were taken up under the rights obtained by Mr. Brissenden ? —I believe one was registered in my name in the Golden Hill. 975. Have you no other in the Mazeppa? —I have. 976. Was that taken up by those rights ? —The Golden Hill was afterwards, I believe, amalgamated with a claim called No. 1 South, and they are now called the Mazeppa. 977. In the rights taken out by Brissenden, were there any for a sharebroker named Hennelly ?— Ido not know really any of the names of anybody, I may say, that were in Brissenden's list. Ido not believe I ever saw the list or knew any of the names with the exception, I believe, of Brissenden's name, and that was written round it. I afterwards objected to have the share in the Golden Hill. A man came to me about it; I said I had nothing to do with it. He told me it was one of Brissenden's, and that I was to sign for it. I never considered that I had that share ; Ido not consider that I have it now, or any interest in it. 978. Have you ever been asked to pay £1 for this right ?—I have not; I have never paid for that. I believe it was taken out by Brissenden. 979. Who took out the rights on this list headed by Charles McLean ? —These were taken out by Michael Hennelly. 980. Had Hennelly any rights himself?—l believe he had. 981. Is he a sharebroker at the Thames ?—Yes. 982. You say you gave nobody else any rights except Brissenden ?—I did not. I did not give anyone else rights but Brissenden. 983. Did you give him a bundle containing the right of a man named Cashell ?—As I said, I did not know the names in these rights I gave to Brissenden. 984. But you only gave him one bundle ?—I gave him one bundle. 985. Because there are some rights still unexplained. It appears that Michael Hennelly, John Hennelly, and Eichard Disney have rights in the bundle given to Cashell? —I was not aware of that. 986. Do you know Frederick Crippen ? —I do. 987. Do you know whether you gave a right to Brissenden for him or not ?—I do not believe I did; I really cannot say. It might have been in the bundle, but Ido not believe he was likely to be there. 988. After you got the rights from Mr. Mackay, you never parted with the whole of the rights to any other person but Mr. Mackay himself? —I did not; I returned them to Mr. Mackay. 989. You never put them into Crippen's hands ?—I never did. Until I returned them to Mr. Mackay, I kept them in the haversack on my shoulder. 990. You had not any knowledge of the names of the persons for whom Mr. Mackay had taken out rights ?—I did not know that he had taken out any. Hennelly told me that he had applied to Mr. Mackay for some, and Austin also applied to him ; these were all I recollect. 991. You are Mr. Mackay's clerk, and you had no knowledge that these people had applied to him to take out rights for them ?—No, I did not know as his clerk. 992. Are you aware whether Crippen had any other dealings with Hennelly ?—I cannot say. I know Crippen was in the habit of buying and selling shares, and he may have had dealings with Hennelly in that way, and I have no doubt he had. 993. Do you know if Crippen had a share given him in the Prospectors' Claim at Tairua ?—I do. 994. Do you know who sold the scrip ? —Several brokers—Hennelly, Gellion, and Prater. 995. Had you any interest in that share ?—I had. 996. What part of it did you get ?—A half with Crippen. 997. Had any other person any share in it ?—Not that I am aware of. 998. Was any other person to have had any share in it?— No. Crippen had the share. I arranged with him. 999. Have you and Mr. Mackay been partners in any transaction ? —None. 1000. You have never been partners together ?—No. 1001. Had you anything to do with the Hikutaia Township ? —No. 1002. You had no share in that ?—No. 1003. Then the same Hennelly who got this claim at Ohinemuri was the broker who acted with you and Crippen in selling the Tairua shares ?—Yes. He was acting as one of the miners at Ohinemuri at the time. 1004. How much money did you get for your half of that share in the Prospectors' Claim at Tairua ?—I cannot say exactly. We sold at different prices. 1005. Was it £1,000 ? —No, not so much as that, I think ; somewhere about £800. 1006. You had a full half of the share ?—Yes. 1007. There has been a return showing that it sold for more than £2,000, but you only received £800 ?—lt was about £800. I have no account sales. 1008. It was not as much as £1,000 ? —No, not so much. I can hardly say exactly the sum, as Hennelly bought other shares for me; and bought and sold shares.

Mr. G. S. D. 0' Halloran.

22nd Sept., 1875,