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The estates of parliament, having heard and considered a supplication presented to them by Henry Cunningham, portioner of Restalrig, bearing that he was nearest kinsman to a Robert Cunningham, minor, son to the late Colonel Alexander Cunningham, and tutor and curator left to him by his said late father, and that Lieutenant Kerr had violently taken away the said minor from the said Henry. As also another supplication presented to them by the said Lieutenant Kerr, showing that he had only taken the keeping of the minor for his good and at the desire of his friends, and therefore craving a favourable construction of his carriage and that the minor be not returned to Henry Cunningham's keeping. And likewise a third supplication presented by [Sir John Crawford], laird of Kilbirnie, craving the said minor, showing that by the advice of some of the minor's friends he caused bring him home from Sweden to this kingdom, and that Captain John MacMitchell, who did bring home the child, had delivered him to Henry Cunningham, who has caused choose Mr Thomas Henderson with the said Henry to be curators to him, and therefore desiring the parliament to take the protection of the minor and rescind the act of curatory that the minor's other friends and kinsmen may be chosen curators, as the said three supplications respectively at more length purports. The said estates aforesaid, having referred the said three supplications to the committee of bills, which committee, after consideration of the same and the supplicant's interest and relations to the said minor, did return their humble opinion bearing that the minor should be put in the company of the person or persons after-specified to be bred and educated by them or either of them upon the minor's own estate and according to his quality and the condition of his means; and that in the meantime, for the better preservation of his means and estate in regard the said Mr Thomas Henderson is nominated curator by the minor himself and he has his writs and papers in his custody and knows the condition of his affairs, and has already laid out sums of money for the minor's support, and is also desired by letters from the minor's grandmother at London and by letters from Colonel Hamilton in Germany (who was entrusted with the minor by his late father) to take care of the child, that therefore the said Henry Cunningham for any right he can have as tutor or curator grant a factor for administrating the said minor's estate either to the said Mr Thomas Henderson himself or jointly with the said laird of Kilbirnie, he and they being accountable to [John Campbell, earl of Loudoun], lord chancellor, and the minor's friends for their intromission, which factor the parliament should ratify. And in case the said Henry Cunningham should refuse to grant a factor to the effect aforesaid, that the parliament should then as now and now as then authorise and give power to the said persons for the special benefit, utility and profit of the said minor to administrate his estate in manner and with the conditions above-written, and that this be declared to be without prejudice of the said Henry Cunningham's right of succession to the minor as nearest of kin as by law, as the said report under the hands of Sir James Hope of Hopetoun and John Dickson of Hartree more fully bears. Which report of the said committee the said estates of parliament, having at length considered and being well advised therewith, they do ratify and approve the same, and ordain and appoint Mr Thomas Henderson to have the training of the said minor and intromission with his estate, and likewise the lord chancellor, the said laird of Kilbirnie, the said Henry Cunningham and the said Lieutenant Kerr to be overseers.