[1706/10/321]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
At Edinburgh, the third day of March, jM vijC and seven years, her majesties' high commissioner and the estates of parliament, haveing heard the petition of Sir John Shaw of Greenock and Sir Archibald Campbell of Clunes shewing that the petitioners, haveing obtained a commission from the lords of her majesties' privie council in October, jM vijC and five, for executeing the severall lawes and acts of parliament against importing of victuall, horse, beef, cattle, butter, cheese [and] woolen manufacture from Ireland into this kingdome and, for the more effectuall execution of that commission, the petitioners did undertake to outrigg and mentain two berlines to guard the coasts and found sufficient caution to pay ten merks for every boll of victuall that should be imported and not seized, and for exact diligence in the execution of that commission, for which the petitioners have ane allowance of ten thousand merks. This undertakeing was attended with so much difficulties that noe former endeavours of such as were imployed in that office did never in the least attain to the end, and Irish victual and other prohibited goods have, from time to time, been imported into some or other of the western coasts; but the petitioners have fully answered the trust reposed in them and, by their indefatigable pains and great expenses, have made it appear that the undertakeing is practicable, and during their commission the forsaid unwarrantable importation of Irish victuall and other prohibit goods hath been effectually restrained, whereby the petitioners have been engadged in vast and unforeseen expenses, not only by allowances to deputs in severall districts and for intelligence, but likewise in providing birlens manned and equipped to cruize along the coasts in the greatest storms in winter which were projected to be but open boats when the petitioners† were first granted. Yet, when they came to the practice, it was found necessary that one of them should be aboard on each of these berlens in the most rigid seasons and, for preservation of the petitioners' lives and souldiers and seamen imployed in them, to bestow great expenses in makeing them fitt for their bussiness, which they did so effectually that no boat or bark comeing from Ireland could pass without the petitioners' knowledge of her and her cargo, which effectually restrained that unlawfull and unprofitable trade with Ireland, as is well known to all the heretors in the west countrey, which also gave encouragement to bring about a considerable quantity of victual from the north. This great work could not be performed without a vast charge for building and outrigging the birlins, the skippers and seamens wages, with their necessary provisions and sallarys to deputs and their servants, of which no estimate could be made without a tryall. But the petitioners spared nothing to make the thing effectuall, not doubting that the government would be carefull to repair their losses in the service of the publick, and accordingly they had debursed the sum of six thousand, seven hundred [and] thirty three pounds, seventeen shillings [and] two penies Scots money, conform to ane particular accompt given in with the said petition, not reckoning their personall expences or any allowance for their pains nor yet the wages and maintainance of their skippers and seamen, which according to the present establishment extends to four pound to each skipper and twenty three shillings sterling to each seaman per moneth for wages, and six pence per diem for maintainance, being in haill, for the space of a year, the sum of three thousand, five hundred and seventy one pounds sixteen shilling, and each birling had a skipper and four seamen ever since their being outrigg'd till this day, whereupon they were ready to depone. And further, the petitioners must beg leave to represent to his grace and their lordships that, over and above the two particular sums before exprest, there were necessarly wared out of personall expences the sums of money respective underwritten: to witt by Collonell Patrick Ogilvy of Cairns, the sum of a thousand pounds Scots for himself and upon intelligencers, and the said Sir John Schaw of Greenock, for himself and upon intelligencers, his district being be far the place of greatest consumption and traffique, the sum of three thousand and six hundred pounds Scots, and the said Sir Archbald Campbell, for himself and upon intelligencers, the sum of one thousand and six hundred pounds Scots, wherupon all and sundry the respective sums above set doun the said petitioners were willing to depon, which, in haill, extends to the sum of sixteen thousand, five hundred and five pounds Scots, whereby it appeared that they were superexpended in the sum of nin thousand, eight hundred [and] thirty nine pounds Scots over and above the ten thousand merks allowed. And [also] their vigilance and exact execution of the laws was such that they speedily put a stop to all importation and had no valuable seizours to defray any part of the said accompt, which were interrupted by their vigilance as aforesaid. Therefore, craving his grace and honourable estates of parliament, in consideration of the premises, to ordain the petitioners to be reimbursed in so far as they were truely losers in the faithfull and diligent execution of their commission, to the generall benefit and advantadge of the nation, extending to the sum of nine thousand, eight hundred and thirty nine pounds Scots with a further allowance and consideration of their pains yearly mantainance of their skippers and seamen, in time coming, according to the above establishment, upon some sure effectuall fund that they might be encouradged to prosecute this publick good and put the business in such a method as it might not miscary for the future, as the said petition bears, with which there was produced the forsaid accompt and an assignation to them by the said Colonell Patrick Ogilvie. And her majesties' high commissioner and the said estates of parliament, having considered the said petition and being therwith well and riply advised, they found and hereby finds that there is due and ought to be payed to the petitioners for their debursements, the above sum of nine thousand, eight hundreth [and] thirty nine pounds Scots, and that the same is a publick debt, and that the petitioners' manadgment in the matter to them committed has been exact and faithfull and to the publick advantadge of the nation, and therefor ought to be continued. And, having likways considered what sums will be necessar for the ends mentioned in the contracts past betwixt the lords of councill and the petitioners on the one and other parts, they found and hereby finds that the discharge of the trust committed to the petitioners will require a greater sum than the ten thousand merks formerly allowed, and have remitted and hereby remitts to her majesties' royall consideration what further sum shall be allowed yearly for executing the said commission in tyme coming, and also for payment of the above sum of nine thousand, eight hundred [and] thirty nine pounds out of what effectuall fund her majestie shall think fitt.