The Parliamentary Register

Original Eftablishment of Customs, at March 4, 1713-14.

To the most honourable Robert Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain.

The Report of the Commiffioners of the Customs in North Britain,

Humbly fheweth,

That in obedience to your lordship's warrant of the 13th of October laft, we have received the establishment with refpect to the number of officers, their falaries, and usefulness of their ftations. We have likewife deliberately weighed the prefent circumstances of the revenue.and trade, and from the whole humbly offer the following draught of an establishment, as what we now judge to be most for her majefty's fervice, and the fecurity of the revenue under our management; in which though there be a confiderable augmentation both of officers and falaries beyond what was allowed by the firft eftablishment, or propofed by the fecond, yet confidering the fituation, bufinefs, the members, creeks, landing places, and extent of each port; we humbly conceive, that as the officers cannot ferve for smaller falaries, fo neither can the business be carried on with safety to the revenue by fewer perfons than what we here fet down in this draught of an establishment, by which your lordfhip will perceive fuch of the old officers as we have thought fit to continue in the cuftoms by the dates of their warrants. Next, fuch of them as we have, and ftill do continue to employ for carrying on the fervice, and we have reafon to believe they are good officers; then follows the names of those we humbly prefent to your lordship to be employed in the customs, being all fuch as are not only certified by men of credit to be perfons well affected to her majefty's perfon and government; but are alfo certified by the officers of the customs by whom they have been inftructed, to be men well qualified for the different ftations here affigned them.

The office of receiver general of the customs having for fome time been vacant, we have in the draught of an establishment left a blank, both for the names of the perfon and his falary, that fo the fame may filled up in fuch manner as your lordship in your great wisdom shall see proper.

By the first establishment we found a want of feveral officers required by law, which in this is fupplied, and by a propofal for a fecond, the comptroller and furveyor's offices in feveral ports were (for leffening the charge of the management) united in the fame perfons, which being found inconfiftent with their respective duties, are now separated, and the furveyors falaries augmented to enable them to keep horfes, in order to fave the expences of riding waiters.

The management of excife on foreign falt imported, with increase of fishing, requires an augmentation of officers to attend the pinning, curing, packing, and exporting of the fish, particularly landwaiters and

fearcher

earchers to fee that they be duly cured with foreign falt only, without any mixture of British or Irifh.

This coaft abounds with many harbours and commodious inlets, as may be seen by the annexed scheme of ports, members and creeks fet down by commiffioners appointed by the court of exchequer; to which is added feveral other bye places where boats may, and do refort, with the distance from one place to another in every district that has been furveyed by commiffioners from the court of exchequer, all which has been examined, and is figned by Mr. John Adair, the queen's geogra pher in these parts; and although many of the places convenient for running of goods are not taken notice of by the commiffioners appointed for fettling the ports, &c. and therefore by law goods imported cannot be landed in any of them, yet they appear fo many, and fo very commodious for the runner, it is our humble opinion that tidefmen fhould frequently attend them, the confideration of which has induced us to augment the number of tidefmen..

The charge of extraordinary tidefmen paid by incidents, which, by a medium of fix years, amounts to 89il. 11s. 8d. per ann. will by this propofal, in a meafure, be faved, and the queen better ferved than by fuch, who at beft are lefs experienced in bufinefs, and whofe precarious inconftant employments render them too liable to be perverted.

We have likewife hereby humbly propofed to raise the tidefmen's falaries with regard to the price of provifions, &c. in that part of the country where they ferve, fo as they may live by their employments, and not be expofed to the hazard of fubmitting by neceflity to the importunity of ill-defigning men, as too often has been found; thefe officers being the keys of the port, and having in fome refpect the greatest truft in the customs.

But we have been fo' tender of increafing the expence of the establishment, that we have made very few additions to the falaries of the fuperior officers, though we humbly conceive fuch additions to them all very expedient, the more to encourage perfons of probity and character to defire employment in the fervice.

The guarding the feveral firths in time of peace requires likewife a greater number of boats and boatmen than formerly, particularly at Kirkcudbright, Whithorn, Lochryan, Lamblafh, Greenock, Inchmarnock, Combraes, Cromerty, Firth, the river Tay, North Berwick, and Enfter, in order to prevent the running of goods, importing and relanding of tobacco and fifh, especially confidering how many fishing boats at every creek lie ready upon a call to lighten veffels if they are not officered in time.

And we think it may be an additional fecurity to the revenue if fuch of the officers of excife as fhall be judged moft proper, be obliged to take deputations from the commiffioners of the cuftoms here, to the end that they may also watch against frauds, and be qualified to make VOL. XVI. feizures

feizures, the benefit of which we think would be a fufficient reward for their pains, without having any falary from the board, and yet we fear without the affiftance of military force in the chiefeft ports of trade, to protect our officers from the infults of mobs, all our endeavours will prove in a great meafure ineffectual.

The cuffoms of North Britain are not to be confidered abftractedly from the South, it being evident that if the goods can be run into Scotland, there remains but little difficulty of conveying them to England, the confequence of which would confiderably tend to the diminution of the customs there; and therefore though this establishment is confiderably augmented, it is humbly hoped your lordship will think our prefent propofal and reprefentation reafonable.

We have alfo reconfidered the body of inftructions to the officers concerned in the collecting or accounting for the revenue under our management, as they are contained in the book of inftructions which, with great judgment and labour, was compiled on the first settlement of the customs here, and by the late lord high treafurer required to be pursued.

We humbly report, that by the faid book of inftructions the officers of customs, on their firft fettlement, were, and ftill are, very much affifted in the regular and uniform difpatch of business, keeping and transmitting of the accounts of the revenue; and we having in this our propofal for an establishment, fupplied every port with officers required by law for the difpatch of bufinefs (which on the firft fettlement being wanted at feveral ports, it was then not poffible to purfue the faid inftructions fo clofe as we hope for the future it may be) therefore we humbly conceive it will not be necefiary or expedient to alter the faid inftructions, or the method of accounting, with both which the officers of the customs are now in a great measure become acquainted. But for as much as in the book of inftructions there are feveral orders and forms for better regulating and fecuring the cuftoms, which were not exprefsly prescribed by the law then in being, and new laws have fince intervened which make other inftructions neceflary, and the alterations in the prefent eftablishment trom the former require alfo alterations of orders, and fometimes the neceffities and exigencies of affairs require particular directions.

We therefore humbly fubmit, whether we may not (when the neceffity of affairs requires it, and the thing may be done without detriment to the revenue) alter or difpenfe with fuch orders or methods as are only prescribed by the book of inftructions, and not by any exprefs law, and in particular cafes give fuch directions, confiftent with the laws, as we shall judge beft for the fecurity of the revenue and dispatch of business. All which is moft humbly fubmitted.

Cuftomhouse, Edinburgh, WILLIAM BOYLE,

March 4, 1713-14.

THO. FOULERTON,
WILLIAM CLELAND.

L. NORMAN,
JAMES Campbell,

An Account of Officers warranted, with the Dates of their Warrants; Officers neceffarily employed fince the laft Eftablifhment, for carrying on the Service, but not yet warranted; and Perfons now humbly propofed to be employed for completing this Eftablishment.

Officers.