Mr. Parnell was cross-examined before the Commission as to the
funds and expenditure of the Land and National Leagues on Tuesday. His answers were curious specimens of the Non mi ricordo order. For example :—" Is it not the fact that the funds remained in Egan's hands up to the end of 1885 P" "I cannot tell you." "You have stated that yourself, Mr. Biggar, and Mr. Justin McCarthy were trustees. That is a matter of importance that you are not likely to have forgotten. Is it not the fact that new trustees were appointed in 1885 ?" "I cannot say." "But you say that Egan was a trustee first of all. Is he a trustee now ?" "I do not know ; he may be. As far as I know, the funds stand in the names of Mr. Biggar, Mr. Justin McCarthy, and my- self." "Do you represent that you do not know whether Egan is still a trustee or not?" "I do." "What is the amount of these funds P" "I could not tell you." "Is it £20,000 ?" "It may be that, or £50,000, or 2100,000, or £150,009. The amount was varying from time to time,
according to the calls upon the funds." "Is there no account kept of these trustee funds ?" "I do not know." "But, Mr. Parnell, you are a man of business and experience." "I am not a man of business, and never was." Later in his evidence, Mr. Parnell admitted that he had for a long time believed Mr. Egan to be in possession of some of the missing Land League books, but that he never communicated with him, either directly or through Mr. Lewis, with a" view to recovering them. And Mr. Parnell expressly declined "to give any authority which would lead to the disclosure of the nature and extent of our present resources."
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