[1704/7/129]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The account of the poll-money the year 1695 read, whereof, and of the observations thereon made by the said commission of parliament, the tenors follow.
This poll was granted by the parliament of 1695 for providing ships of war and maintaining seamen for defence of the coasts with a complete number of land forces. After this poll had been in collection for a year the lords of the treasury set the same in tack to John Campbell of Knockrioch, principal tacksman, and to Hugh Cunningham and others, his partners, for the sum of £276,000 Scots.
| Charge of the poll of 1695 | £ | s | d |
| Per tack duty of the poll, £276,000 | £276,000 | - | - |
| Balance due to the tacksmen and partners, £16,380 | 16,380 | - | - |
| Total | £292,380 | - | - |
| Discharge of the poll of 1695 | |||
| 1. By cash given in to the admiralty, £237,120 | £237,120 | - | - |
| 2. By seven per cent allowed to Sir James Oswald for collecting £175,200 | 12,264 | - | - |
| 3. By the embezzlements of collectors, £16,596 | 16,596 | - | - |
| 4. By the quadruples of the poll of the army, £17,760 | 17,760 | - | - |
| 5. By the poll of the episcopal clergy, £6,000 | 6,000 | - | - |
| 6. By allowance to collectors, £2,400 | 2,400 | - | - |
| 7. By loss of money cried down, £240 | 240 | - | - |
| Total | £292,380 | - | - |
[1704/7/130]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Observations on the poll of 1695
1. That the third article, namely the embezzlements of collectors, is not instructed and, supposing it were, yet the commission are of opinion the tacksman and his partners were bound to the public for the whole tack duty though the whole collections had been embezzled.
2. That the quadruples of the army should not be allowed since their pay was in the hands of the commissaries and since the treasury must be considered as the common debtor.
3. That there should be no allowance for the poll of the episcopal clergy unless their number were instructed, considering that none but the episcopal ministers in Edinburgh were excepted, all other ministers being liable in their poll as gentlemen.
4. The £2,400 mentioned in the sixth article of the discharge was not instructed except only the sum of £300.
5. That this poll having been for a long time under collection has occasioned a considerable loss in the same.
6. That whereas the tacksmen pretend to a balance of £16,380, as is mentioned in the charge, they will be indebted to the public in £26,376 until the foresaid observations be cleared, which would appear more clearly by the minutes of the commission of 11 February 1704 and by the minutes of their committee of 17 December 1703 and those of 11 January 1704.
Upon reading whereof, the first observation sustained, the tacksmen instructing the verity of the embezzlement before the commission. As to the second observation, after hearing the tacksmens' lawyers and debate thereon, it was put to the vote, allow the quadruples of the army as an article of the discharge, yes or no, and carried in the affirmative, and remitted to the commission to state the extent thereof. The third observation, remitted to be instructed before the commission otherwise not to be allowed. The fourth observation read and the allowance mentioned therein was refused.
[1704/7/131]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Account of the poll-money of 1698 read, whereof, and of the observations thereon made by the commission of parliament, the tenor follows.
Two polls were granted by the parliament of 1698 for clearing the arrears due to the land and sea officers, as likewise to the seamen belonging to the ships of war, with preference to those to whom any clothing money was due before 1691.
The said two polls were set in tack by the lords of treasury and exchequer to William Cochrane of Ferguslie and his cautioners for a tack duty of £241,200.
| Charge of the poll of 1698 | £ | s | d |
| Per the tack duty, £241,200 | £241,200 | - | - |
| Discharge | |||
| 1. Per payments made upon precepts from the treasury, £193,522 16s | £193,522 | 16 | - |
| 2. Per payments made to the seamen in part payment of their arrears, £9,600 | 9,600 | - | - |
| 3. Balance due by Ferguslie, £38,077 4s | 38,077 | 4 | - |
| Total | £241,200 | - | - |
[1704/7/132]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Observations on the account of the poll of 1698
1. That the first article was fully instructed and applied to the ends and uses for which the said polls were granted, but no preference given upon account of the clothing money.
2. That though Ferguslie does discharge himself of the sum of £9,600 paid to seamen, yet, by examining his accounts, the commission finds not above £7,200 had been paid to them, which he, being questioned upon, acknowledged that because he had obliged himself to pay up the remainder, he had inserted that article in his discharge.
3. That several complaints were made upon Ferguslie by the seamen as having obliged many of them to grant receipts for the whole of their arrears, whereas they received but the half.
4. That the balance of Ferguslie's account, namely £38,077 4s is still resting by him, but in order to his exoneration there was a memorial given in by him now in the hands of the clerk of the commission wherein he represents his grievances and the reasons of his deficiency.