Att Edinburgh The Twenty Fifth day of July Jaj vic nynty and nyne years
A1699/7/31
A1699/7/311
Order
Recommendation To the Lord Advocate To Enquire in the matter Represented in the Taxmen of the customs petition
Anent The Petition given in to the Lords of his majesties privy Councill by the present Taxmen and manadgers of his majesties Custome and Forraign Excyse. Shewing That where the petitioners having always Endeavoured To manadge the Tack now in their hands with that care and tenderness towards the merchants and other Importers as that none have hade reason either to Complain of their Severity, nor yet To imbazle any goods and defraud these concerned of the duty, and albeit the Taxmen hade several tymes ground to Suspect certan persons as guilty, yet since their Information could not amount to ane clear and plenary probation, They did still Esheun to give their Lordships or any other Judicatures any Trouble thereanent, untill now from their duty to the Government and the Trust they have in their Tack It is necessary for them to Represent, as they now humbly doe, That upon Sure Intelligence given to the Collector att Edinburgh of ane Considerable Imbazlement lately made in Preston-Pans, Two of the Waiters from this place. Viz: William Forrest and Robert Huntar were sent upon the seventeenth Instant, To Enquire and Search for these Stollen goods, and accordingly haveing gone to Prestonpanns, They Found Several Authors of Sack and Brandy and matts Tobacco, hid in ane obscure place within the dwelling house of Robert Mitchell Skipper which they haveing Carried to the Custom-office, And Thereafter being to Return They were attacked by a great multitude of men and women, To the number of Two Hundered who Fell desperately upon these waiters, And did Beat Bruise and Bleed them to ane admirable hight, and Robbed them of Fourteen pound scots money, and Took their papers, and wold actually have murdered them, Hade not the Collector and some others come up to divert them, and one of these waiters, who came back with many wounds, upon him is still under the Chirurgeons hands And Likeways upon the Twenty first day of the Samen moneth Information being given of another Imbazlement made at Leith Severall Waiters were sent To search for the same, And haveing found out a great many half anchors Brandy, Hid in a Large Chist or ark within the dwelling house of […] in the Coalhill, and as they were to carry the said Brandy To the Custom office, ane great Rable Consisting mostly of women, fell on the waiters and beat them severely and by Force carried off the Brandy. This being the True matter of Fact and that some of these persons who committed the Ryot att Preston-Panns are already Seased and Imprisoned within the Tolbooth of Edinburgh by the Lord Advocates warrand It is humbly Expected from their Lordships Justice, That they wold be pleased to take such orders thereanent, as may not only tend, To the Repairing of these Injuries already done But Especialy to prevent such unaccountable abuses and Ryots for the time to come as are occasioned by these Tumultuary and unwarrantable Insurrectiones. And Therfore Humbly Craving To the Effect underwrittin as the said petition Bears. The saids Lords of his majesties privy Councill, Haveing heard this petition given in to them By the within Tacks-men and manadgers of his majesties Customes and Forraign Excise, Read in their presence, They heirby Recommend to Sir James Stewart His Majesties Advocate, To make Further Enquiry in the affairs mentioned in the petition and to Examine the parties thereanent and prosecute the same as he shall Find ground and cause.
1. NRS, PC1/52, 12-13.
1. NRS, PC1/52, 12-13.