J. MABIN.]

89

H.— 2l.

318. Now, I pass to the incident with Troup. There was litigation you say contemplated for trespass ?—Was it by you against the company or the company against you ?—By me. From the nature of my lease from Sutherland, I had a right to the pre-emptive right with the turnips on it. 319. Had the action been started ?—No. 320. But it had got to the stage of consulting a lawyer ?—I dare say it had. 321. You were in the hotel, and the landlord came to you ?—Yes. 322. Do you remember what time of the evening it was ?—Some time about 7 o'clock. 323. After dark I take it. You do not dine at the same hour as they do in London—at the fashionable time ? —No. 324. Had you dined in the hotel that night ?—No. Templeton and I had some business and went into the hotel for a drink, I think. 325. Was it a humorous kind of business, do you remember ?—No, I do not recollect. 326. Do you remember how many drinks you had ?—No, I do not. 327. Templeton has been here and he finds himself in the same difficulty—he could not tell ? —1 do not think it could be more than one or two or three. Ido not think even that number. I think it would amount to Templeton and myself, one " shouting " for the other. 328. You cannot carry thirty-five ?—Oh, yes, I have done it, too, many a time. 329. Templeton said twenty-five was his maximum, but thirty-five was a fairly good record. What is the vanishing-point with you ?—I never vanished in my lifetime. 330. He said his memory goes when he reaches the number. Is it memory or legs that go with you ?—At what point does your memory go ? —When I find that, I stop the drink. 331. When you have gone as far as thirty-five ?—Whether it is five or thirty-five, when I think it is enough, I stop. 332. You say you have gone as far as thirty-five even and your memory had not gone then ? — No. 333. What could you carry—seventy ? —No, I would not like to. 334. We have some one in the North who can carry twenty-five after dinner without being affected : have you ever heard of him ?—No. 335. Then this conversation took place in the hotel. Templeton came in and told you he had got the sack ?—Yes, had got the sack, and was giving up the books. 336. He was not very friendly to the company ?—No. 337. He said although with the company he was going to give evidence against it ? —Yes. 338. Did he have any drink ?—I cannot remember. He had drink, but Ido not think he had many. I think he is a very temperate man. 339. This man comes to you, says he had a grievance against the company, and that he has some documents which will get Meikle out of gaol ?—Yes, these are the words he used. 340. You did not ask him what the documents were ?—No. 341. You said he had better be careful or he might get into the same place ?—Well, I thought that if he had been giving false evidence and that it came out he might get into trouble. 342. And he knew that I suppose ?—He must have known. 343. Can you account for his coming to you and telling you this, because I understand that that is the construction you put upon it : that he had given false evidence to get this man into gaol ?—I do not think he came to tell me that. I think he came to tell me about another thing. 344. You warned him, and the construction you put upon it was that he was telling you that he had given false evidence to get this man into gaol ?—Yes. 345. What reasons can you suggest to their Honours for this man corning to you and confessing to a crime ? —I could not tell you. 346. Do you remember whether he had a reason ?—I do not know whether he had a reason or not. 347. Had you any reason ?—No. 348. When this man made the statement to you, did you take it seriously ? —No, I did not take it seriously. I did not know whether he was correct in his statements or not. 349. He was talking against the company in a publichouse, and he makes use of this statement, and you did not take him seriously ?—No. 350. Did you refer to the police or report the matter in any way ?—No. 351. Did you communicate with Meikle ?—No, I did not think anything more about it. 352. It escaped your memory ?—Yes. 353. Who came to remind you of it ?—Templeton did. 354. What did he say ?—After I got a summons from Meikle I saw Mr. Templeton, and he reminded me of the fact. 355. But before Mr. Templeton came you had forgotten about the circumstances ? —That is so. 356. It occurred years and years before, and then Mr. Templeton comes and reminds you about it ?—Yes. 357. How long ago did Templeton see you about this ?—lt was in Dunedin here about eight days ago. 358. So, until eight days ago you had forgotten all about it. And can you tell me now about what date it was this conversation took place ?—lt would be about six months after I got possession of my place —in 1888. 359. And from 1888 to 1906—about seventeen years and six months —you had forgotten all about it ? —I had not forgotten the circumstance that Troup told me about it, although it was not troubling me at all. 360. Although as a matter of fact you say you did not take it seriously, and you state that the conversation took place in a publichouse where some chat was going on against this company. Ido 12— H. 21.