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| July 21. |
Letter of direction for 8554l. 0s. 3d. to Charles Dartiquenave, Paymaster of the Works; out of Civil List moneys: and is to clear the debt in the Office of the Works for July, August and Sept. 1706. Ibid., p. 23. |
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Same for 250l. to William Petyt for half a year to June 24 last on his allowance. Ibid.
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J. Taylour (in the absence of William Lowndes) to Mr. How to insert in his next [weekly] memorial for money for the Guards and Garrisons the item demanded in the enclosed memorial [missing] of Gregory King and the rest of the officers in the office of the late Comptrollers of Army Accounts. Out Letters (General) XVIII, p. 333. |
| July 23. |
Royal letters patent appointing Robert Harley as one of the Secretaries of State, to which office he was appointed by like patent of 1704 May 20, which patent is hereby determined. |
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The like for Charles, Earl of Sunderland as a same. Queen's Warrant Book XXIII, p. 230. |
| July 24. |
Treasury reference to the Postmasters General of the petition of Thomas Chapman, Deputy Postmaster of St. Albans, shewing that he is indebted 130l. to the Queen; that he is at a certain [or fixed] weekly charge of 40s. a week in providing horses and servants for her Majesty's service and has no other allowance than the small salary of 40l. per an. for the same; that he has sustained great losses by horses and otherwise and has a very great family to provide for and is no way able to pay the said debt: therefore praying remission of the debt and such increase of salary as may enable him to carry on the service. Reference Book VIII, p. 275. |
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J. Taylour in the absence of William Lowndes, to the Customs Commissioners in Scotland. I have read to the Lord Treasurer your letter of the 15th inst. as below. He approves of your proceedings and of your appointing the persons you name as Riding Surveyors with assistance and salaries as you propose. The weights and
measures were ordered some months ago and they will be ready to be sent next week. |
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Prefixing: Letter dated July 15 from the Customs Commissioners in Scotland to John Taylour at the Treasury Chambers in Whitehall in reply to his letter of the 8th inst. supra p. 351. The present state of the revenue under our care stands thus: We met on the 2nd inst., having first qualified ourselves at the Treasury and then ordered Mr. Brown, late Secretary to the [late] Farmers, to lay before us the manner used by the late taxmen here. Then we agreed for the Chambers where we sit till the 11th of November next hoping in the interim to find a more commodious place: and agreed to write to Mr. Savage, Secretary to the Custom House at London for the modus of the port of London. Then we attended Lord Glasgow and took his consent for writing circular letters to all the maritime places acquainting the officers that for the future they were to correspond with this Board. We also consulted his Lordship about wool and whether 'twas best to have bonds and other obligations in the style of South and North Britain. Then we made a minute containing the substance of the Lord High Treasurer's charge to those of our Commission who attended him in London. |
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The next part was to call for the Collectors in town, order them to their several ports and despatch Mr. Moor, a sensible experienced gentleman, to Newport Glasgow as having great cause to suspect foul play in the river Clyde: and then we ordered we would sit from 9 to 12 and from 3 to 6 in the afternoon. |
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We being informed that before the Union horses from Ireland were prohibited our Solicitor was ordered to attend the Lord Advocate who gave his opinion that they still stand prohibited: but [we being] not satisfied with his answer the Solicitor was bid to attend Sir David Dalrymple who promised to consider and consult with the Lord Advocate: but this being the close of the Sessions here he has not yet given his opinion in writing; but we understand that he thinks (as does the Lord President) that horses may be imported. |
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In answer to a petition of the Lord Anstruther and Sir Robert Anstruther relating to their ship which by contrary winds did not arrive till the 2nd May, the Board ordered the Duty of the goods to be taken conform to those in South Britain. |
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After this we sent to Leith for all their transires and the officer answering it was not the practice in that port to take them up we sent for the officers of Dundee who gave us better satisfaction by saying they were carefully kept on a file. Hereupon we despatched Mr. Colequil, the Deputy Comptroller of Chester, to Dundee and ordered him to send us the said transires sealed up. |
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This gave us great jealousy in respect to the management at Leith and we shall not only search to the bottom of their past practices but give written instructions to all the officers in North Britain how to act in the business of transires. For if this point be rightly managed we hope to trace either great or small parcels though taken entering South Britain and come from the obscurest place in the Orkneys. |
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We find all the people and officers here are at a loss concerning the computations after the English method: and therefore we shall put such South Britons as are here, amongst them and place the most expert in the ports of greatest business: and all of them shall be attended with plain and full instructions; that so the
Comptroller General and Collectors may agree in their articles, which will prevent the ruin of poor Collectors and their securities and prove wholesome to the revenue. |
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We then resolved that whoever is admitted into the Establishment shall first obtain a certificate that he is affectionate to her Majesty's Government Queen Anne, that he is clear of the taxmen or late Farmers, that he is of sober life and conversation and is not concerned in trade (a thing not hitherto regarded in those [these] parts) nor in the keeping any public house or anything else that may divert them from her Majesty's service. |
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We sent Saturday night last a long letter to Mr. Lowndes imparting the many frauds committed in the west of this kingdom: and although we cannot with reputation yet settle the Establishment we are despatching the most sensible and sincere of the English here in town to the several ports of this kingdom with the best power and instructions our present circumstances will admit of: and as difficulties do arise we consult the Lord Advocate and Sir David Dalrymple and afterwards prayed [pray] the concurrence of the Chancellor, Duke of Montrose and Lord Glasgow who are very kind and promise in every particular wherein either the law of this country or common prudence can assist we shall have their influence in favour of her Majesty's interest. |
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We think ourselves very fortunate to find the Lord High Treasurer's sentiments as to a proper number of Riding Surveyors. We are not yet come to a positive resolution how many principal Riding Surveyors to have and how many to attend them. Our present thoughts are these, Mr. Moor, a Scotchman and now at Glasgow being the person mentioned in ours of the 12th to Mr. Lowndes: the other two are Englishmen viz. Mr. Edmond Townly brother to Mr. Townly of Royall in Lancashire and Mr. Strode, kinsman to Mr. Eyres one of the Queen's Counsel, whom we have sent with Sir Robert Dixon. We think to put them down at 120l. sterling each and [to] be assisted with 3 under riding officers at 50l per an each. |
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And accordingly the Lord Treasurer will find them in the Establishment to be better or less provided for as he shall think fit. Encouragement adds much to inclination and nothing hurts the service more than to make it contemptible. It is our humble opinion hitherto that cost what it will it is for the service of the revenue to have officers watchful and discreet, it being easy to discern that otherwise goods, Customs free, will by one serpentine stratagem or other be diffused not only into all parts of the six Northern Counties [of England] but perhaps to London itself. |
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By reading the 17th Article of the Union it occurs to us that we ought to have the weights and measures of England sent here forthwith, at least patterns, to the end that every port and place may be furnished; for we conceive that without them calculations cannot be made and it is a great trouble to us that early care was not taken thereof. Out Letters (North Britain) I, pp. 96–99. |
| July 24. |
J. Taylor (in the absence of William Lowndes) to the Excise Commissioners in Scotland. The Lord Treasurer has received your letter of the 15th inst. as below and very well approves of your proceedings in the management of the revenue under your care and of the officers you have appointed and the salaries you intend for them. Her Majesty has given directions for appointing more Justices of the
Peace as you desired and there will very speedily be another Commissioner appointed in the room of Mr. Douglas. |
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Prefixing: representation from the said Commissioners to the Lord Treasurer of the state of the management of the revenue of Excise under their care, as calendared in Calendar of Treasury Papers 1702–7, pp. 520–1. “The disagreement of our officers' gauges with the old officers' charges was so considerable that they have ever since been employed in setting the Backs to answer down into the Tunns, that the brewers may have no just cause to complain. This work being near completed we hope in a few days to make our surveys and charges here [Edinburgh]” and the other towns; as in consult with Lord Glasgow it was not thought proper to make charges from the new gauges [in Edinburgh] till the most considerable towns viz. Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Dumfries and Stirling could likewise be put under survey. |
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At our first meeting likewise we enquired upon what bottom the revenue stood: were told there had been a Proclamation published the latter end of April directing the Sub-Farmers, Collectors and all their officers to continue as they had done till further orders. |
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Those collectors who were certified as instructed and capable have been sent to their several stations and we hope in a short time to despatch the rest. We have used the like methods with such as have applied to be gaugers; but these being unacquainted with figures this work moves more heavily. |
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In the islands the victuallers almost all brew for sale at times, though not constantly which makes it impracticable there to bring them under surveys because the charge would be more than the revenue would bear. |
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We have represented the want of Justices of the Peace to the Lord Chancellor and other Lords of the Treasury and Council [here in Edinburgh] who promised to lay the same before her Majesty. |
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Mr. Douglass, first named in our Commission, we are told declines to accept, having not yet been with or sent to us. We wish he were here or his place supplied, by reason we shall soon have occasion to part with two of our number into the country. Out Letters (North Britain) I, pp. 99–102. |
| July 25. |
William Lowndes to Mr. Medlycott. I have read to the Lord Treasurer your letter of the 9th inst. desiring timely notice of any Horse or Dragoons that shall be sent to Lisbon to reinforce the army in Spain under the Earl of Galway, to the end you may be able to make necessary provision for them, which otherwise will lay you under the same difficulties as when the Earl Rivers arrived there the last winter. The Lord Treasurer approves your care and readiness herein and will give you such timely signification and such advance of money as may enable you to make provision for them. Out Letters (General) XVIII, p. 333. |
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Same to Mr. Woolley. In reply to the memorial (subscribed by yourself) of the 11th inst. from the United East India Company concerning the bond required of them to secure the bringing home their goods from the East Indies without breaking bulk, the Lord Treasurer cannot admit of any other form of security than what the Barons of the Exchequer have settled and agreed, as the Act of Parliament [6 Anne c. 37] has given them power to determine in any case of difficulty or dispute in the acceptance of security. Ibid.
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